Dive Review of Trilogy Excursions/Four Seasons Manele Bay Resort in
Hawaii/Lanai

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Trilogy Excursions/Four Seasons Manele Bay Resort, Oct, 2006, by Wayne & Stephanie Batzer, HI, USA . Report 3050 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	After arranging a trip to Lanai, I researched the dive operations on the island, and was pleased to encounter Trilogy's website. On it, Trilogy listed the week's dive activities, and advertised a "Drift Dive Friday." The dives on Friday were supposed to be restricted to only those divers who had dived and passed muster previously during the week, or those who were drift dive certified. As a drift dive instructor, I was excited by the opportunity for advanced diving off of Lanai. The expectation of a great advanced dive trip was sown. I called Trilogy's 1-800 number for their website. It took five calls before the phone was ever answered. When I made it through the menu and reached a live person, I explained that a group of 4 of us from Oahu who were drift dive instructors and certified drift divers were heading to Lanai, and we wanted to go on the Friday drift dives. I was questioned about our experience level (over 100+ drift dives in Palau, Pohnpei, Hawaii, etc), and our familiarity with the Hawaiian waters. I told her again that we experienced divers, quite familiar with the conditions, and that we were looking forward to the advanced dive. I was told 2 things, one: bring your drift dive certification cards; two: book through the Manele Bay concierge. I called the concierge, explained the desire again to charter a 2 tank drift dive for 4 locals, and the concierge booked us. Upon arriving and checking in for the dive, I found out that although we were booked locally, we were being booked at the tourist rate. The concierge called the dive operation, and that was resolved. Then the concierge told us a fifth person had been booked onto our charter. We weren't concerned until he was signed in, and I noticed that he was an OW diver. We were not informed of any change to the dive plan, though, so we thought all would be well. We went to the first dive site after receiving the boat briefing, and received a safety brief consisting of a few hand signals, a dive time of 35 minutes at 60 feet, and a return to boat pressure of 500 psi. I told the guide that we would be nowhere near 500psi at that time, and he brushed it off. We descended, and the guide paid very close attention to the OW diver as he descended, as he should, and then he took off like a shot, leaving us. We followed more slowly so we could get photos. We caught up, and the guide took off again, headed back to the boat to a swim through. He and the OW diver swam through, and disappeared. We went through, took photos, and circled the coral formation. We stayed under the boat a while longer, and at 55 minutes we did our safety stop, and ascended. When we got to the dock, the guide asked me to use the dive computer to calculate our bottom time at 60 feet with a 40 minute interval. The SUUNTO yielded 41 minutes, and the guide left. He came back, pulled us off the boat, and began to lecture us about exceeding the PADI standard dive tables and his worry about liability. At that point, I became quite upset, as we had chartered the boat for the advanced dives, planned our dives at the appropriate depth, and dived them safely. Rather than argue, we asked the guide what he wanted, and he said to dive his plan. We went out of the harbor and stopped at first cathedral. The guide went in the water, did no safety or dive site briefing, had the OW diver come in, and then descended without us. We followed, and he was rushing off yet again. We went into the cathedral behind him, he immediately exited, and took off. With him nowhere in site, we exited the cathedral and did a slow circle, and found him. As soon as we reached him, he took off again. I saw him ascend, so gave the safety stop sign to my companions, and exited the water. As on the first dive, neither he nor the driver helped us onto the boat or with gear removal. We also were not assisted out of the boat at the end of the day. I'd say 8 thumbs down to an unsafe, unprofessional dive operation.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Palau, Chuuk, Pohnpei, all Hawaiian islands, Yap, Kosrae, Australia, Majuro, Rongelap, Caribbean
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	windy, cloudy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	81-82°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	50-80 Ft/ 15-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	60 foot depth, max air consumption, no credit allowed for multi-level diving tables or dive computers, strictly by the PADI dive table
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	Absolutely no support for underwater photography, and the dive guide did not bother to brief on any photography subjects or take the time to let us do any photography, despite 3 of 4 of us traveling with cameras.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Trilogy Excursions/Four Seasons Manele Bay Resort in Hawaii/Lanai

Trilogy Excursions/Four Seasons Manele Bay Resort, Oct, 2006,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Trilogy Excursions/Four Seasons Manele Bay Resort in
Hawaii/Lanai