Dry Tortugas - August 17th to 21st

[deepdvr]

Departs Ft. Myers Aug 17th, returns Aug 21st

Everything included

$650. per diver

deepdvr@gte.net

[Dive4Blood]

I hope it's not the Ultimate Getaway! There's more than a few guys on this board that would have less than glowing reviews about that operation.

[f94gator]

Yeah, including 3 of the mods!!

For the record, if this isn't the Ultimate Getaway, better clarify really quick if you want any positive response.
Been on it once, once was once too many. Never going with them again.

[bubblejunkie]

Guess he thought changing his screen name would help, not!

[richhermes]

The Ultimate Getaway blows.

Actually, it's the crew of the UG that suck. Those guys think they are doing you a favor by letting you on their boat.

I would not go out with them even if they were taking webers to go spearing behind a shrimpboat and we could watch for free.

This board is getting pretty big with the FL spearos. I would love to have the Capt. of the UG post here. And hear his side. It would be a bloody thread.

[blue gun]

Anyone ever go on the PLAYMATE out of key west. I heard it was a good boat for the dry t's.

[Dive4Blood]

I did a couple trips on the Playmate when it was called the Volunteer out of Naples six or seven years ago. They were great trips organized by Captain Gene of Aquatic Adventures in Zephyrhills, FL. I have no clue about the new owners or condition of the boat, but I do know they had an accident recently in which a diver was beheaded in the props. Kevlar dive hood anyone?

[richhermes]

Hmmmm, diver beheaded? Bet you won't find that fact on the marketing brochure!!:D :D

[deepdvr]

This is my sixth charter in five years.....never a problem.....the crew is loaded down with attitude......I just give it right back....talk shit and back it up.....

[f94gator]

Originally posted by deepdvr
the crew is loaded down with attitude

Well, that attitude ruined a trip for a lot of people and lost them a lot of future business.

If I wanted to hear a lot of shit, I'd start arguing with my wife about exactly why Al Gore sucks.

[slippery chicken]

just got back from the ultimate getaway trip, not real sure what the big problem with this boat was but I had a great trip. I am not trying to get killed here, just voicing my expierence of the trip. I was very worried about this trip due to the bad reports from everyone i heard from. Showed up for the trip in Ft. Meyers with an air mattress and sleeping bag, not sure of the arrangements, found nice bunks, ice cold air conditioning, and what seemed like alot of room for everbody. The crew took care of anything you asked for without any guestions. The food was good and plenty of it all day long. The air fills were full and also pretty quick. There was a good number of fish brought aboard the boat, while there were also those fish that got away. The seas were pretty rough on the first day so we did go hide out at the fort that night so everyone could get a good night sleep, the capt could have left us out in the open water to suffer i guess. The crew even cleaned all the fish that were shot upon the trip with out any question or much less charge for it. I personally had a great time and think I would do it again. Maybe the crew has changed since all the problems, i'm not sure, just sharing my experience, rick

[richhermes]

It would take ALOT ot get me on that boat again. You are the still the minority when it comes to a positive experience on that tug.

I had zero issues with the food (although it was FAR from five star), the sleeping arrangements or the fills. The only issue I had was with the crew and their COMPLETE lack of courtesy and customer service.

I watch a woman get on the boat crying because she was made to swim close to 150 yds back to the boat while the crew stood and watched her struggle with the swim back all the while the zodiac securely tied to the cleat. Those were some lazy ****ers.

[SANDIBOTTOM]

u/g expierince...
will go out for third trip this sept.. Have two youg boy's who dive with me..age's 10 + 12. Last year...
They took good care of us, and our whole charter. I would recomend trip any time..Food was good. boat was nice...I have ran charter's for many years and thought he had done a great job....We did many drift dive's....I only have positve copmments...
:D :D :D :D

[f94gator]

Well, I'm glad some others got their money's worth out of their trips. From what I've heard in the past, others have had good experiences, at least when the weather and the seas have been good. I don't know what it was, but the crew had a bug up their ass as soon we left the dock, and it stayed there until tip time came around. It was a bit rough during our trip; maybe they just didn't feel like dealing with the rough seas. In either case, they made it very clear that they didn't want to be there, and they made minimal effort for the customers. 1 really bad experience at any restaurant is enough to keep me from coming back, just as my 1 trip on that boat is enough to keep me from wasting my money on them again.

[richhermes]

There may be a different crew on the UG now. Who knows? It's either that or it's the same crew but they give shitty service when the conditions are less than perfect.

[frizeeshizaft]

fortune cookie once said attitude is a two way street

[f94gator]

Oh, that's a good one! I guess every guest on that trip was an asshole, then!!! :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[frizeeshizaft]

it only takes one apple to ruin the buch they say

[f94gator]

Everyone, welcome to clichefest 2003!

[frizeeshizaft]

cliche, that sounds like a song I heard once

[greyface]

hmmmmmmm....

[joens]

I cant afford to take very many trips .when I do I want to have the best time possible . The fact one person had a bad time would make me think twice .As many people complained about this outfit I wouldnt take a chance . They very well may have got things straightened out but I'll never know I will take my chances somewhere else. I don't have enough vacation time to waste some with a bad trip.
Joens

[f94gator]

"Cliches" by Jimmy Buffett. Great song. Never got much airtime, but I always liked it.

[frizeeshizaft]

good way to say what ya mean, mean what you say

[f94gator]

Ah, there we go!! No matter how much we disagree, I gotta appreciate someone who knows obscure Buffett lyrics! :D

[richhermes]

Talks about the men she's known and then some
She's seen them in her dreams and on the street
She slides her dapper legs from beneath the table
As if to reveal some kind of treat

here ya go

[f94gator]

Woman goin' crazy on Caroline Street

[Young-Gun]

Blue Gun,
The Playmate is a top notch operation all around. The boat is big and very comfortable. The food was definitely 5-star. From what i remember the crew was quite welcoming and the spearing definitely made the trip worth while. Big hogs and blacks. All drift diving which is a definite plus. It is a bit pricey, though, and I believe what they said about a diver being decapitated is true. But how often does lightning strike twice? However, i would recommend looking upwards at all times when ascending, lol. :eek:

Shoot 'em up! Carson.

[deepdvr]

C'mon guys, show a little mercy.....if you guys look down on attitude, how the hell do you all get along? You only have to read a few posts on the board to see that egos run wild here........I'm no differant, I'll talk shit, strut and kill with the best of ya......and hope to get the time off to prove it in the open.....sounds like the U/G just wasn't big enough for all those egos......If you need a passive crew to tell you how great a hunter you are, book the love boat.......
Bottom line - I go to kill, They take you there.......and they don't look/act so tough when they're cleaning the bathroom. It's what you make it.......

[f94gator]

Egos had nothing to do with it. It's one thing to talk shit with your friends or brag about how much of a badass you are. Hell, that's fun!
It's another thing entirely to act like an asshole towards paying customers. You can't even compare the two.

[richhermes]

It has ZERO to do with egos, absolutely nothing to do with egos.

The only issue was that the crew were complete lazy ****s. If you are gonna advertise a "friendly and courteous crew" then that is what you should provide. No one was asking to get their ass kissed, they just wanted a good time.

You can have a great product but if it's not presented or supported well, no one will want it. Much like a restaurant, you can serve awesome food, but if your server is not attentive to your needs, you won't go back.
Our trip may not have been representative of the service the UG usually gives but as a tourist are you gonna fly to Fy. Myers and drop that kind of coin to take a chance that the crew is not in a good mood that weekend??

[deepdvr]

How many times have you been out on the U/G, Rich?

[f94gator]

I'm not really sure what response you're looking for here. We were on the U/G once. Good boat, good facilities, the crew was a bunch of assholes across the board, leaving us with very little motivation to try them again.
Using the restaurant analogy, I'd do the same thing if my server was rude and didn't make me feel welcome. But with a restaurant and the relatively low cost of a meal, I might give them another shot down the road. But for a trip costing several hundred dollars - is it worth taking the chance? Not in my mind.

I'm glad some have had good experiences with them. We didn't, and others have chimed in saying the same thing and they were not on the same trip as us. Given the mixed reviews, I have to ask again, is it worth taking the chance?

[richhermes]

I have been on that boat once. That was enough.

Would I give them a second chance? Nope.

Would you go out to eat, get shitty service, pay the $400+ tab (minus tip because the service was shitty) and go back? I sure wouldn't. If you're willing to take that $400 chance, more power to ya.

This is all the service industry, I don't care if it's food, a haircut, or a charter diving trip you're selling. If my FIRST experience is unacceptable, I'm not going back. Anyone in the service industry that wants to succeed realizes this and works hard to give excellent service. More people will tell their friends of a shitty experience with a business than a good experience. It's a fact of life in the service industry.
There are plenty of other restaurants, barber shops and charter boats out there ready to take my business.

Now if my first trip on the UG was awesome, I would consider them for another trip. If the second trip was shitty, I would be pissed, but I would probably (maybe) still go out again, chalking the second trip up to just some bad moods. (Now that I think about it, I don't i would go back for a second time)

I still would hate to be that tourist that flew all the way from Canada to go out on the UG and be subjected to the shitty service I received. Do you think that same tourist would consider the airfare AND the charter fee and do that same trip for his next vacation? NO WAY!

Are you in the service industry deepdvr?

[f94gator]

For the record, NO ONE on that trip was happy with it. This isn't just 2 or 3 guys who had a bad time; it was all 20 guests on the trip.

[Dive4Blood]

Deepdvr, I have personally spoken with MANY people who have gone on this boat, and experienced many of the similar things that happened to the Hermes brothers. Namely,the captain and crew being total douchebags, dropping all divers on one small spot, dropping divers on sand numerous times, refusing to pick up divers surfacing far away in current with the chase boat they have onboard specifically for that reason etc..

I have never been on a trip with them however I was diving the Tortugas a couple years back on a private boat. We were tied off to the dock on Garden Key one evening after diving to use the facilities and stretch our legs on terra firma when the UG pulls up. The captain, Rick Pitts, told us that this was his dock (on National Park property, hmmm), and that we needed to move NOW. No please or thank you afterwards. This incident leads me to believe what all these people tell me is true about this charter operation. It should be renamed the Ultimate Asshole.

[richhermes]

If someone is of the masochistic sort, I can see where they would like this sorry excuse for a charter boat.

[f94gator]

Ah yes, Capt Rick - I think we saw him once when the boat left, once when the boat docked, and maybe twice in between.

You know, I was so caught up in our treatment topside that I didn't even think about dive sites. Overall, most were actually pretty decent. At least once we were put on a spot so small that all the divers kept bumping into each other. Those were the times they dropped their anchor over some nice coral and messed it up really good.

[deepdvr]

Beat down by the brothers.........(waving the white flag!!)

This'll be my 7th trip. I've never had a problem. Weather f**ked one trip , but you can't blame the crew for that. You're preachin' to the choir about the attitude thing, I agree, if you can't hold your own they're gonna ride you. I've seen floundering divers get chewed up and spit out by 'em....but getting back to the boat is part of the dive.....if they can't make it back, maybe they don't belong in the water in the first place.....
Growin' up in Philly, I dealt with guys like them all the time....It just rolls off my back.....they can't smack you around if you don't let 'em
I'm kinda lookin' forward to meetin' you guys, hopefully at the open. I usually get along pretty well with opinionated f**kers like yourselves......I'm gonna bet that the only thing as good as the diving is the bantering that takes place afterward.......

[deepdvr]

Yes, for the record, I am in the service industry.......I work for USAirways @ Tampa International.....in the airline industry it's not the service but how many dead presidents you have to part with to get from point A to point B.....one bad flight won't keep 'em away, it's all about the money....

[Spearchucker]

if you can't hold your own they're gonna ride you

Please, thats a load of shit. I routinely dive four to five HP 120's in the grounds in one day, so don't give me that can't hang shit. Those assholes had a middle aged woman in tears, her husband was ready to kill them. They would not use the chase boat because it would have interupted their smoke break.

Man they sure were nice when the boat got closer to the dock and it was tip time. That was the second time I saw "Captain Rick", the first time was the first five minutes after we got on the boat.

Never Again

[richhermes]

Originally posted by deepdvr
Yes, for the record, I am in the service industry.......I work for USAirways @ Tampa International.....in the airline industry it's not the service but how many dead presidents you have to part with to get from point A to point B.....one bad flight won't keep 'em away, it's all about the money....

Actually, yes it is the service. It is always the service. Why else are on-time arrivals tracked?? Service Level.

You act like USAirways is the only show in town. Given your employers' present financial position, there may not be a show much longer. Stock closed at .082 on 3/31! Now that is scary! (Maybe if your fellow employees hold your same view, it's all about the money, then I can see why they filed the big B.)

As far as the UG, shitty employee attitudes do not a successful business make. The owner of the UG could probably rake in the dough if the service level was at a widely accepted norm.

[Steel Shootin']

Wow, I thought the day would never come that I close a thread.

deepdvr: glad to hear you'll be participating in the Spear Board Open. I'll look forward to meeting you.