Novice diver learns costly lesson in Tobago...Deborah G - Rescue / Realtor
February 27, 2008 at 21:46:42You should re-title your complaint to "do your research first". Your instructor wife with over 800 dives certainly should have had the
experience to know that. You apparently never dove at all in Tobago, but feel somehow justified in making judgements and passing on incorrect and misleading information on diving here, as well as other completely wrong travel information on Tobago in general. My husband and I are return divers to Tobago. We have come here 12 straight years and have over 200 dives apiece here (we have nearly 400 dives each in total).
We know many divers that return to Tobago year after year. In fact, we are vacationing in Tobago right now for 6 weeks. Our Dive Shop here, Frontier Divers, owned by local Tobagonian Alvin Douglas (aka "Big Dougie") is well known and respected in the dive community. We have also dived with R & Sea Divers many times over the years and been very pleased. Both are excellent operators and know the reefs here. When diving ten or more dives, our dives cost $35 per
dive which is reasonable and expected in the Caribbean. We have paid more elsewhere. We have also been diving in St. Lucia, Dominica, Cozumel, and Curacao. The costs you quoted were nearly twice what we pay. I know of no dive shops with that kind of pricing in Tobago. Tobago diving is challenging and rewarding. The drifts can be easy or exhilarating on the same dive from day to day. During the past month there have been many sightings of Manta
Rays, Eagle Rays, Hammerhead, Bull, Black Tip and Nurse Shark as well as a few sightings of Whale Shark. Turtles are also common. There are more, large Queen, French and Grey Angelfish than we have ever seen elsewhere, along with a great assortment of other very good sized Caribbean reef fish. Sea-life is abundant here. The coral is healthy and colorful. We find the dive service very good. We never have to touch our equipment from the time we arrive
until the time we leave.
The staff at Frontier takes it to the boat, sets it up, carries it back then stores and cleans it until our next dives. Some divers choose to help carry gear, but that is a matter of choice. Boats are smaller here due to the strong currents at times. Platform boats would not work here. Nearly all dives are or can be drift dives. Most dive operations use ladders, although some divers still prefer the old method of pulling themselves in "freestyle". Wish I could say I ever mastered that, but I use the ladder. Like many places, there are some shore dives and some boat dives. Sometimes we use a jetty, sometimes we have an easy wade to the boat in knee high water. We've never seen a boat with "a door in the side". We don't return from dives "covered with bruises".
It is easier than ever to get to Tobago from the US.
There are now direct flights from Atlanta on Delta. We can be here in 4.5 hours. If we fly through Trinidad on Delta or American Airlines, there are hourly flights on Tobago Express/Caribbean Airlines. The Dash 8 is the workhorse of Caribbean airlines. It holds 30-40 people and has an exceptionally good safety record. They are not scary at all. We have flown much smaller planes in the Caribbean. We never have felt at risk. Flying from Europe is even easier with many choices of non-stop carriers. Most of your other "complaints" about traveling and security through the airports in Trinidad and Tobago are also wrong. Don't have time to go through all of them here. Do you travel much?
Regarding pre-paying for dives, some shops do get a credit card imprints with divers they don't know. They do this because they have been "burned" by divers diving all week, then flying home without paying.
I know several operations that have experienced that kind of "theft". In your case, you pre-paid for your dives in advance. We've NEVER done that, anywhere. What you experienced was not theft. You made an agreement to pre-pay for a service that you did not use, with companies you knew nothing about. They kept your deposit, as their agreement no doubt provided. It was a bad choice to make, but it was your choice. You were here at most a couple of days
and did not dive at all. By passing on wrong and misleading information, you have unfairly damaged the livelihoods of not only the dive community here, but other tourism related businesses as well. We have made many friends here over the years.
Most of them make their living in tourism related jobs or businesses. One of the main reasons that we return here year after year are the people. They are the most welcoming, hospitable, and gracious people we have ever met. Almost without exception they work very, very hard to make every visitor's experience wonderful and unique. That is why so many of us return over and over again. | 
