myTobago – your questions, review and comment about Tobago

This is a general warning to anyone diving with Tobago Dive Experience who operate out of the Manta Lodge on Speyside.

I am PADI Open Water Qualified and have bee diving off and on for six years. We went diving with Tobago Dive Experience on the 3rd May 2004.

Problems started when we arrived with no introductions as to who anyone was, or what the routine was for getting us the dive site would be. We basically 'played it by ear' on getting BCDs, weights and tanks together.

We loaded the equipment in to the pack of the pick-up trick and drove the 2 mins to the boat jetty. Because there were two trips of kit and people there was plenty of confusion as to whose kit was whose on the jetty. I asked for a second opinion on my kit setup from one of the leaders his response was, "My responsibility for you is below the water not above...providing you are happy with it its okay by me."

We got to the first dive site on a very rough day an with the brief chat about what was going to happen and where we were heading we rolled in.

Underwater we went to 80ft - I'm told lower than a PADI Open Water Diver should be allowed to go. Additionally leaders were removing divers weight belts and adding additional weight at depth.

After the dive one of the party complained to the leader about a painful ear when equalising...his response was nothing. No concern, no check and no advice. Consequently he sat the next dive out. This was partly because of the painfully ear and lack on confidence in the leader if anything did go wrong at depth.

We surfaced and traveling to the next dive site one of the ENGINES ON THE BOAT STOPPED WORKING and we had to limp to a on one engine to a calmer cove in order to try and fix the problem. It was a rough water day and it added to the anxiety.

We got to the next dive site and got the standard brief chat about what was going to happen and where we were heading we rolled in.

It was raining when we surfaced. The boat was open and we were getting cold and wet. On the way back we pulled up to a Live-Aboard dive boat "Wind Dancer" - Tobago
http://www.usdivetravel.com/V-TOBAGO-WindDancer.htm our dive leader jump overboard got onto the Wind Dancer and just disappeared. (IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT "Wind Dancer" HAVE NO ASSOCIATION WITH TOBAGO DIVE EXPERIENCE) We were waiting for 15 minutes in the rain on a rough day getting cold and wet. He hadn't told anyone what he was doing! The other people from Tobago Dive Experience had to leave him onboard, so we went back to the jetty.

Back at the jetty the pick-up truck has a flat battery so cannot be started. The remaining trip reps have to get the batter out of the boat we have arrived back in into the pick-up so we can get home. THEY HAVE NOT TOOLS FOR THIS SO THEY USE A *KNIFE AND A ROCK* TO TRY CAN GET THE BATTERY OUT OF THE BOAT. This continues for 10 mins in the rain and cold. finally we give up and WALK BACK TO THE Manta Lodge hotel through Speyside in shorty wetsuits.

WARNING: TOBAGO DIVE EXPERIENCE ARE A JOKE - AND I DOUBT IT WILL BE LONG BEFORE SOME IS HURT OR SERIOUSLY INJURED. DON'T LET IT BE YOU.

We did have a great dive experience with another company located in the south of the island in a hotel near Crown Point. The hotel and dive company shall remain nameless as I do not want them associated with this negative article.

Scott

Thanks for that comprehensive report. For the benefit of other divers, I hope that you will post a report on the dive firm you used more successfully.

Whenever highly critical reports are posted, I always wonder if there might be a story behind the post. I have had no communication or discussion with Scott, but feel it appropriate to mention that over the past couple of years I have received several emails expressing similar concerns over this outfit and telling similar stories. Hopefully Scott’s report will stimulate discussion. It is imperative that those considering diving in the Speyside area – and further afield - know the safest operators to use.

Hi,
i read this report last night and thought nothing much of it but today during work it has been bugging me!

As a recently qualified open water diver myself, the course is still pretty fresh in my mind. Now i dont know how long Scott has been qualified and really that is irrelevant anyway because all divers must follow a procedure before diving. These include planning the dive!

Ie: you must discuss with your buddy, where, how long and at what depth you are going to dive. You should discuss direction and compass beaings as well as having a back up plan too.

I suppose going diving with a recognised dive school you could decide that they know best, or you could value your own life a little more highly and do the reccomended checks and plans that you are taught in your open water course.

If you wish to dive safely and learn on Tobago, i would endorse Manta dive on Pigeon Point road, on the left before you get the entrance where you need to pay. They took me and my partner through our open water course and were highly professional and very good fun. They have a website at mantadive.com

I've been qualified for six years. Tobago Dive Experience is as far as I'm aware PADI recognised. I don't want this to escalate but I think you're missing the point.

THE POINT IS - Tobago Dive Experience has a Duty of Care to all its customers. The vast majority of whom are recreational holiday divers where "...compass bearings as well as having a back up plan.." are not practical / cost effective. This Duty of Care was severely lacking...and its worth mentioning in this forum to warn other divers that this is what to expect.

Thanks for the "...value your own life." tip, but its precisely because I value my own life and those of other divers that I thought I should post my concerns.

How would you suggest "...You should discuss direction and compass bearings as well as having a back up plan too." when you go to a dive site you've never visited before, and therefore rely totally on local dive knowledge and that of your dive leader?

I've dived in Thailand, Barrier Reef, The Caribbean (Antigua, Anguilla) and The Med and nobody has ever pulled out a compass before a dive! What you learn to pass you Open Water Diver course is one thing, the reality of the majority of holiday diving is its a quick morning / afternoon diving fix where you are almost totally dependent on the dive leaders judgment and their ability to communicate and manage a group.

I must agree with Scott on some of the points. Although as a qualified diver you are responsible for your own safety, one of the things that you are taught is that when diving in a new area you should always dive with local experts first as they best know the area. You are unlikely to know what compass bearings you should take, or what the dive plan should be, and this should be discussed with the dive leaders that you are diving with.

It is up to them to ensure that everyone knows the dive plan before you dive. It is also up to you to make sure you know it before you and your buddy enter the water.

From earlier postings I believe that you cannot dive without a dive leader in tobago due to the safety issues concerning the current (or at the very least it is not recommended) and they should therefore spend more time making sure that people know the plan.

We will be diving in Tobago in 2 weeks (can't wait) and I thank Scott for his email, though we will be diving with another dive group anyway.

Peter

I'm sorry if some of my comments missed the point. The moral of the story is, if you have doubts, don't dive!

I completely agree that you are putting your life in their hands and whilst diving can be a truly wonderful experience there is an element of risk involved and confidence in the ability of those in charge has to be paramount. If there are reservations and concerns as to the way things are being handled then your self preservation must overcome your 'Britishness' and you probably should have refused to have dived under the circumstances.

I also think that PADI has a duty of care as it is their name that we as a recreational holiday trust and respect. You should report your experience to them directly to ensure that they investigate further and if necessary withdraw the licence of Tobago Dive Experience.

One things for sure, they are aptly named!!

I wish you happy future diving

we are not divers ourselves but we only heared GOOD things about the "world of watersports" located at the Hilton Tobago at Tobago Plantations?
anyone have a different experience?

steph&alibaba

Hi

I went diving a few times with http://www.extra-divers.de

They were the most safety conscious outfit I have EVER dived with - I used to work on a dive magazine so that's quite an accolade. We were extremely well briefed before diving and the group dived very much together (instructor and dive master in attendance), with all the appropriate safety stops and surface intervals. They are a German business, but speak excellent English and I felt very much at ease with them. They even spoke English to each other so that I didn't feel excluded.

I would wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone planning to dive in Tobago. They are located just at the top of Pigeon Point Road - almost next to the Golden Star, in a hotel complex. I hope that's clear enough!

By the way, they are so passionate about diving that nothing is routine, no matter how many times they have done a dive site.

Big thumbs up to them.

Hope this helps someone.

Rachel

How much goes into a virgin dive?

Never dived (or snorkelled) and am tempted. All that will get in the way is the amount of time it'll take given I'm travelling with my partner and son who won't be taking part!

Hi Scott,
Sounds like hell,
If you are up in Speyside again, I'd look at Aquamarine who dive out of Bluewaters Inn, I was there last November and had a much better time than you did,
Really good dive briefs, help from the guides setting kit up, good safe dives and matching buddies with similar experiance.

Regards
Kevin

I've dived with Man Friday diving in Charlotteville and can wholeheartedly recommend them - good dive planning and excellent equipment and dive masters.

Louise

Acknowledged, but sometimes taking the "...if in doubt don't dive" option isn't as clear cut as it sounds.

We were staying in a villa in Mount Irvine (on the golf course v. nice BTW) and drove the 1h and 20mins (to meet for 8:30am) to Speyside to dive what is allegedly one of the best dive locations in the Caribbean.

Due to our returning flight times it was our last opportunity to dive. We had never dived Speyside before. In my mind that's a LARGE CAROTT.

Would it have been more British to throw in the towel and walk away?

No thanks. I'll dive and take my chances, but maybe some other less fortunate holiday maker might be in the same situation, having made the same journey and may not be so lucky.

END OF SUBJECT.

*** GOOD DIVE EXPERIENCE - Undersea Tobago ***

On a lighter note Steve Wooler has suggested I mention my good dive experience. It was with Undersea Tobago ([email protected] if anyone is interested) who are located in the Coco Reef resort (walk in, hit the beach, and turn right as far as you can go) in Crown Point.

Gerald Chung runs the operation and we were taken on our dive by Greg Downes. We liked this operator because:

* They were genuinely friendly, concerned and punctual - nothing was too much trouble.
* Getting kit together took two minutes and was done without eye rolling or fuss! Additionally all the kit was in almost new condition.
* BCD's and tanks were waiting for us on the boat when we arrived.
* The pre dive (and dive site) briefing was short, informative, interesting and done with enthusiasm.
* Everything happened like clockwork, creating a relaxed atmosphere.
* Back at the shop there were notes on the site dives, depths, duration and what we saw for thoes who wanted to update note books.
* We bumped into Gerald Chung at a different part of the hotel as we were leaving and he asked if we enjoyed ourselves - he took time to make the effort.

- FIRST CLASS.

Think you'll find it's Derek Chung at Undersea, not Gerald...
I'm sure he'll forgive you in light of the good report

Hi Scott,
I take your point about diving with poor dive operators, usually the alarm bells don't start to ring until kitting up or during the dive briefing and it is a bit late then especially if you want to go diving. I think you've done the best thing by letting others know about the issues you found. I dread to think what could happen if someone who had just qualified was diving and started having problems.

I'll agree with you about Undersea Tobago, I dived with them a couple of years ago and they were a very well run operation.

I'm planning to go back in October as we are staying having a week at the Crown Point end as well as week at Speyside.




Regards
Kevin

Hi Kevin,
if you're staying in Crown Point try Manta Dive, on left, before you enter Pigeon Point, we had a great week of diving with Randy and Amanda.
Fully recomend them, they have a great website too @ mantadive.com

Thanks Andy,
I'll have a look at the web site
Regards
Kevin

Reading about coments on Tobago Dive Experience, I am a qualified diver who has been to Tobago 13 times. I used to dive with T.D.E with a wonderful dive master named Rennie (he is no longer with them). The things that went wrong (No gas for the boat, only a few tanks and they weren't always filled correctly and a boat captain who didn't want to be there)

Things started to go wrong with T.D.E. when they lost an American Instructor named Stuart, his knowledge of the area and everything that was on or below the sea was first class.

After one dive when no second tank was available I went to R & Sea Divers at Spence's Terrace, Milford Road, Bon Accord. Excellent organization, good boat, equipment first class and wonderful dive masters and instructors. I have now had 3 holidays diving with them and I am returning later on in the year. Would recommend this dive shop for it's first class attention to all grades of divers, it's superb timekeeping in picking you up when they state from any hotel and returning you back to your hotel. The staff are extremely friendly and will help you to get the best out of your holiday.

I hope that these comments will be helpful to both novice and qualified divers who are thinking of going to Tobago.

R & Sea dive on the Caribbean side and the Atlantic side (dives like Diver's Dream - 11 eagle rays on one dive) and they also will transport you to Speyside and lead the dives out from there

Lyn: Thanks for independently verifying my story.

Rachel: yes its Derek Chung at Undersea in Coco Reef NOT Gerald...I rate him so highly - I've forgotten his name. How does that work?

Kevin: Thanks for the backup....cheers.