Life in the Dominican Republic is relaxed and slow. The cost of living can be cheap depending on where you choose to eat and if you want to club and drink the night away you will spend more money.
Our internship programme provides free accomodation (only electricity costs you pay) and you also earn 10% commission so you only have to pay for your food costs/transportation ( cheap) and general costs of living. As a Dive master you can easily find work in practically any country in the world and the income allows you to travel the world. You can also progress to do your Instructor course and actually teach Students on your own.
Are you seeking a challenge and adventure? Maybe looking for that change of pace from the 9-5 “rat race”? Perhaps even a total change of lifestyle that will give you the opportunity to live and work all over the world? At Hippocampo Dive Centre in Sosua, Dominican Republic, we not only specialize in training you up to internationally recognized PADI standards, we make sure you are at the top of your game so you get that job of your dreams!
What is a Dive Master? A Dive Master is one of the most essential and fundamental cogs of the recreational diving industry’s wheel. Dive Masters are responsible for leading certified divers, organizing the logistics of each days diving on land and on the boat and assisting instructors on certification courses. A Dive Master has mastery of not only his own diving and water skills but can also demonstrate these skills in a manner that even a new diver can learn from. They exemplify confidence, safety and leadership. As a Dive Master, you are not only a role model to other divers, but you are an integral piece of the industry’s backbone.
Why choose PADI (Professional Association of Dive Instructors)? That’s easy. PADI leads the industry in innovative teaching techniques and course materials. Everywhere you go to dive, you will see almost 100% of the dive centers flying PADI colors. PADI professionals are the most in demand and there is always work to be found.
Why go with Hippocampo Dive Team, Dominican Republic over others offering similar internships.?
Because we do not offer the same as others as we have dedicated ourselves to the training of PADI Dive Masters. Enrolling with us means that your professional development from day one is our pride and focus. Our system is designed to build you from the ground up, or from your current level of experience, and to ensure that you have the utmost exposure to how a real dive center operates. Being an intern with us means you get REAL experience. We recommend you are with us for a minimum of two to a maximum of around 6 months. The structure of our program is designed so you don’t just learn skills and theory, but you get the opportunities to use what you’ve learned in real life diving circumstances. Regardless if you are a beginner or a rescue diver, whatever level you are currently at, you are constantly under the wing of one of our experienced instructors so you are constantly learning and being moulded into the industry from your first day onwards. As you will learn, sales are a huge part of being employees in this industry and the techniques we teach you will make you as well-rounded as can be. That is where you ..the student helps us in return for your training...... SALES.
If available,we can accommodate you for free here in Sosua at the Dive centre. Our H.Q. is not only a dive center; it also has a studio top floor apartment. It is a two minute walk to the beach and good times are never far away since Sosua is a popular night life location. If our accommodation is full or if you would prefer not to stay in our H.Q. we will do our best to help you find accommodation suitable to your needs at a budget you can afford.
Assuming you are starting your training from the beginning, the mandatory courses you will need to take and the order you will need to take them in are as follows:
PADI Open Water Diver. PADI Advanced Open Water Diver. PADI Specialty Courses commence at anytime beyond this point. Emergency First Response (EFR) C.P.R. & 1st Aid. PADI Rescue Diver. PADI Dive Master Trainee (DMT) status starts here and ends when you complete all requirements of the course (i.e. graduation and one heck of a party!)*
NOW YOU ARE ASKING ..OK..WHAT’S THE CATCH..NOTHING IS FOR FREE.....I MUST HAVE TO PAY SOMEHOW.?????
Yes ..you are right..We ask that students pay for all necessary PADI materials for each course and also, before embarking on the Divemaster course ..that full equipment is purchased from us at a beneficial discount on retail prices. If you already have your gear then the sales quotas will be adjusted accordingly.( Not much) That is it for your financial responsibility. As far as course tuitions go, we offer training for every course you see above for free. What we ask of you is that you go out and sell for us and for this you will receive a 10% sales commission.. Depending on how out going you are and how much you can sell, you can finish your courses within a 2-3 month period..
Thats right..You can be trained in another occupation as a professional in as little as 2-3 months. Alternatively you can stay with us for 6 months and enjoy the kicked back lifestyle Cabarete and Sosua have to offer. It all depends on you. Our system ensures you get the most from your time with us and we get increased revenues from your sales. Here’s an example and breakdown of our most popular option:
3 month internship.( can be longer) Free Accomodation (if available...you pay only electricity costs) Training from beginner to Dive Master. 10% commission on your sales. Free 30 fun dives (if you need them )to meet minimum experience requirement for completing the Dive Master course which is 60 dives). If you are short a few dives then the remainder will be heavily discounted to achieve the 60. Standard equipment package to be purchased when starting Dive Master course. You need to achieve a sales quota in order to proceed with each course. As soon as the quota has been reached we begin the course for you. The sales numbers are as follows and are per person, although we can give a bit of leeway sometimes if there is more than one doing the same course.....
Open water course...2500 US Advanced course.....2600 US Rescue and EFR......2800 US Divemaster..........4000 US
Is there anything else you should know about us? Yes! Everything being said, diving here brings you some incredible and unique experiences. Whales are seasonal visitors to the bay area and we have the odd Manta Ray and Whale Shark as prized visitors as well. The water here is blue and the coral life is bountiful as well as beautiful. We have great depth, a very good shipwreck, caves, caverns and so much more so it’s very hard to get bored of the diversity. The experience you gain as a diver is priceless. Furthermore, the bay area here in Sosua is now a protected sanctuary and the marine life is starting to reflect that. We are also pro-active in protecting the environment as we participate in beach clean-ups. We get everyone pitching in to help conserve our reefs and oceans around the world.
If I enrol, when will I start? We run our internships year round so generally people can come and go as they need. Space can fill up quickly so this is not something you want to leave to the last minute. We look forward to hearing from you, so please direct all of your questions to or give us a call at +1-809-571 0834 and we’ll take it from there.
See you in paradise!
EMAIL US: info@hippocampo.com
Newsflash
Why don't you come aboard and experience a new adventure with us!
You don't know if it was that trip to the Cayman Islands, or the pictures your friends have brought back from their SCUBA trip from the Bahamas that put you over the edge, but you have finally decided to learn how to SCUBA. The only problem is that there are so many institutions, schools and classes out there that you might easily get confused.
Learning to SCUBA dive is almost like learning how to fly. There are good and bad schools with different equipment, different instruction institutions and all kinds of instructors and equipment to choose from. Also, there will be students who will soon master the skills required to be certified as a SCUBA divers and those who will struggle a bit to learn those same skills, but all in all, none of which will leave their classes ready to tackle a deep wreck dive on NITROX with strong current.
Anyone between 12 to 80 years old can learn to dive. All you need is a little bit of self-determination and good health with minimum of fitness. All schools are required to obtain a clean bill of health by the students from their doctors in order to be allowed to enroll in a SCUBA class. A preventive measure to detect any signs of trouble that might be dangerous or even deadly below water. From the beginning, understand that you can not learn to SCUBA with that friend that "has been scuba diving for years". Even though accidents with SCUBA divers are rare, it is an activity that can be potentially dangerous and deadly for yourself and to those around you. Knowing how to dive is very different from knowing how to TEACH someone to dive plus knowing how to react during an emergency.
Ah, the Open Water Class. The first step and first contact of most people to SCUBA diving. Usually after a few class sessions and a few pool sessions, you are ready for your open water skill test with your instructors. In the Open Water Class, you will learn the basics of SCUBA diving from setting up your dive equipment to how to react and solve basic emergencies under water. You will also learn basic SCUBA terms such as decompression, NARC and safety stop. At the end of the class, you will be rewarded and be certified to dive in open water up to 60ft.
The hardest part isn't taking the course, but to chose the right school for you. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of places that offer the Open Water course. In Los Angeles alone, there are over 50 businesses that offer it, without counting instructors who teach classes outside of their regular jobs. You have also different certifications. NAUI, PADI, PDIC, etc... What do they all mean? They all belong to the RSTC, the association responsible for setting the minimum requirement for diving safety in the United States. So, choosing a business or instructor that is an affiliate of any of these organizations is definetely a must. What is a good place to learn SCUBA? Well, keep in mind these few factors. Size of classes, equipment used, type of pool and location of the open water skill test. Take all these factors into consideration when choosing the right place for you to learn SCUBA. Afterall, money is not the main factor when you encounter an emergency under water, KNOWLEDGE is.
Most of the places will require that you have the minimum set of equipment. ie. mask, snorkel, fins, and knife. When buying these items, keep in mind that they do tend to last for a while so purchase something that you see yourself using in regular bases and not something that is cheap. Not that you can not buy good equipment at low prices, but most people tend to think that they can just use whatever equipment during the class and purchase something they really like afterwards. My feelings on it is DON'T. One of the purposes of the Open Water Class is to have yourself get familiarized with YOUR OWN equipment so you know how to react or solve any problems with them while on a dive. You pretty much can not accomplish that by discarding the equipment you have used in the class right after the class. These are also basic equipment, so comfort is fairly important. You don't want to use a fin that is one size smaller than your feet, or you will risk cramps. A mask that doesn't fit you can leak, etc. The rest of the equipment you can leave it for later. Those require a substantially greater amount of investment and you might want to try different equipment and choose the right one for yourself.
During the classes, learn as much as you can. Don't hesitate to ask questions as they might save you one day. Knowing the correct ascent rate or the correct procedure for air sharing might prove important on a dive. Practice the skills you have read or learned in class during your pool sessions. Practice makes perfection. Don't let yourself be discouraged or mad if you are not picking up the skills as fast as your friend or collegue. Go at your own pace. The Open Water Class is not a competition. On your final Open Water test, ask your instructor for any last minute advice or simply ask him if what you are doing is right. Most instructors will like hearing from you and help you in whatever way he or she can.
Now that you have gone through the class and now proudly carry your Open Water C-Card with you. Now what? Well, more than likely your Open Water instructor did not teach you everything you should know about SCUBA diving or mastered all the skills you were taught. Now, it is time for real practice. On your first dives, keep in mind everything that has been said earlier. You are a new diver, you might be a bit anxious, but it is normal. Afterall it is an exciting sport. Just stay calm and rely on your knowledge and skills you have learned in your class. Don't be affraid of asking for help at a dive site. Most divers will gladly help you and share with you their thoughts on that particular dive spot. We have met so many wonderful divers during our dives in So. California. After your Open Water certification, you might want to move to the Advance Diver class or even go on to Rescue Diver or Divemaster. You can never have too much knowledge while SCUBA diving, it will only make you a better and safer diver. So go ahead, read some books, participate in dive programs or talk to the guys at your local dive store.
SCUBA diving is a fascinating activity, where you can meet nice people and at the same time, open the door to a whole different world that you were not awared of. If you are not a SCUBA diver yet, I strongly recommend it. Go ahead, and have some fun. Be safe out there and enjoy your dives!!!
Depth - Never dive at the same time as your partner Line - The safety diver watches the dive line for the Freediver who must follow it at all times. Partner - should be easily capable of rescuing a diver from the required depth (at least 15m) and should be fully trained in rescue techniques, CPR and administration of O2 etc. Meeting - The objective is for the safety diver to meet the freediver and escort him - Face to Face through the area of greatest danger - which is between 15m and the surface. The depth at which they meet should be relative to the depth that the freediver has dived but not deeper than 15m. In all dives the safety diver is responsible for timing the dive and he should begin his descent at half the expected dive time. Any dives greater than 30m require either a stand-by SCUBA set with organised lift tackle or a safety lanyard and retrieval system. Different sea/lake conditions may require safety divers at more frequent intervals.
2) Never Free Dive after a Scuba Dive The Nitrogen remaining in the tissues after Scuba Diving can lead to decompression sickness when micro-bubbles are recompressed and their consequent expansion upon the rapid ascent during an ensuing freedive. Those with PFO are in a much higher risk category. Wait at least 12 hours after a Scuba Dive before you do a Free Dive.
3) Never 'ride' the flexibility of your eardrum
Equalise on descent only (about every 3m). Never force an equalisation. Never continue after a failed equalisation - abort the dive! Never equalise on ascent. A nose clip, where used should be removed at the beginning of the ascent. "'Ramboism' The 'I must get to 40m 'syndrome. I successfully dive to 35m and equalise, cannot equalise at 38m but try for 40m nevertheless as the bottom seems close and pressure differentials are less. This is a seductive process and is nothing but a gamble on the flexibility of an eardrum. If you guess wrong the result can be a burst eardrum with its associated consequences; extreme vertigo and nausea".
4) Always be correctly weighted
It is dangerous to be over weighted. This can cause equalisation problems on descent and on ascent can cause an unnecessary expenditure of effort. Particularly dangerous with thicker suits for winter diving. A good rule of thumb is to achieve neutral buoyancy at 15m.
5) Before diving make a complete dive plan together and estimate sea conditions
It is essential that every diver working on a given dive line, knows exactly what every other diver will be doing during the course of the outing. This includes warm-ups, deep dives etc.
- Who is doing safety for whom and when. - What to do in the event of an emergency. - How sea conditions will affect the dive and safety i.e. current, visibility, water temperature, swell, distance from the shore and surface traffic. Current is one of the most important factors to be considered. In Fixed Weights it involves much more effort on the part of the diver to stay close to the dive line. Poor visibility as in lake diving indicates a need for more safety procedures. Water temperature effects the choice of suit and hence weights. Surface Conditions cannot be entirely ignored and can affect the behaviour of surface traffic/ low angle sun and a choppy sea can make a Free Diver on the surface nearly invisible and care must be taken.
6) Remove the snorkel from your mouth
On returning to the surface blast clearing of the snorkel nearly invariably leads to SWB if a diver has been close to his maximum. Retention of the snorkel at depth complicates equalisation and when diaphragm contractions begin can lead to the inhalation of water.
7) Never exhale under water or forcefully exhale on surfacing
Exhalation on descent can cause early problems with equalisation. On ascent it causes loss of buoyancy and hence more effort on the ascent which can lead to SWB. With any dramatic fall in the pressure in the lungs the remaining reserve of oxygen in the blood will go to the lung and not the brain hence causing SWB. Any diaphragmatic movement will also act as an instigator of the breathing mechanism.
It’s a cardinal sin. I know it, you know it, your buddy knows it.
Your instructor in your open water class (as close to clergy as we get in the SCUBA industry) told you so in just about every class session.
NEVER EVER DIVE ALONE! Second in importance perhaps to always keep breathing, never hold your breath, the taboo of diving without a buddy is stressed more than any other theme in SCUBA. We even created a workshop (Sea Wolff Diving Buddy Procedures Workshop) to fine tune buddy skills. Although we strive and train to be self sufficient divers, choosing to dive with a buddy is the easiest and most effective step we can take to ensure our own safety.
The first time a new diver sees a diver enter the water without a buddy, the cross comes up, the garlic is used like deodorant, and their instructor is deluged with the question /statement: He’s not supposed to do that! is he? Invariably, the instructor shows a little grin and shrugs his shoulders.
Although the buddy system is heavily emphasized in the industry today, there are many divers that dive alone. We see them on the wrecks in the northeast, on the reefs in the Caribbean, in the lakes and quarries; probably every place but under the ice. The truth of the matter is, right or wrong, solo diving is practiced by many divers. Some do it as part of work (the divemaster that goes down alone to set or release the hook) and some do it for convenience (the photographer waiting for the coral polyp to open). There is no machismo associated with solo diving, just a perceived need. Regardless of why people solo dive, it is important that they are adequately prepared for the task.
Before I go any further I wish to make it perfectly clear that I DO NOT CONDONE NOR PROMOTE SOLO DIVING, regardless of a diver’s experience level. For those of you that solo, there is no condemnation from here; I have no doubt you have your reasons and hope you are adequately prepared for the task. The purpose of this article is to provide divers with an intelligent basis for answering the question - ‘Should I go solo?”
Solo diving for the sake of solo diving doesn’t really make sense to me, just like we don’t go deep without a purpose, but if you have a need to solo dive you should approach the subject from a conservative and rational point of view. Despite what you have been told by your grade school instructor, priest, and boss at work, “Negative Thinking” can be a good thing. The decision to become a solo diver should be the result of careful analysis, and not made on the spur of the moment due to a seasick buddy. Take some time to compile a list of reasons that you should not go solo. I have taken the liberty of filling a side bar with general reasons not to go it alone. There may be other, more personal reasons not to attempt or practice solo diving. These range from competence and confidence issues to health and other circumstances.
If you are not sure about your qualifications for going solo and find yourself asking other people if they think you are ready, immediately disqualify yourself from consideration as a solo diver, at least for the time being. Competence and confidence are two qualities that are mandatory for solo divers. Hopefully the competence is real and the confidence is well founded. Here are some other immediate disqualifying points to consider.
Do I have any medical conditions that are normally OK to dive with but would put me at too great a risk if I am by myself? Conditions that people sometimes dive with that may put them at too great a risk to go solo include asthma and heart arrhythmia. Both conditions are generally recognized as contra indications for diving, but there are active divers with both conditions..
Am I in good enough physical shape to beat the stresses involved in an out of air situation? Free ascents from depth can be physically demanding.
Do I have the appropriate equipment to do a dive alone? Reliability and redundancy can’t be stressed enough. Do I maintain my equipment adequately? Annual overhauls and servicing as needed - forget about diving with that slow leaking low pressure inflator.
Am I adequately trained? No agency (to my knowledge) offers a Solo Diver Specialty Rating, so no one but you can answer this question for you (this is true for dives of any type). Your entry level certification prepared you to dive to depths of 60 feet in similar conditions as your check-out dives but not to a 100 feet in zero visibility. The same rationale holds true for solo diving. You may think you are prepared to go solo on a beach dive in Hawaii but that you are not prepared to solo when diving back in Long Island Sound.
What is enough training and experience? The answer to this question is quite subjective so I’ll just say “a lot!” From a training point of view, I recommend that all divers in the northeast hold a minimum rating of Rescue Diver, not so much for the ability to assist other divers, but for the self rescue skills that are developed during the course. For divers choosing to go solo, I further recommend a training level of Divemaster, Dive Control Specialist, or the equivalent rating from your agency. The skills taught to prospective divemaster candidates include problem recognition, environmental assessments, diver assessments and dive planning are of extreme importance to the solo diver.
Having attained a high certification level is really just the beginning. Are you planning to dive deep? on wrecks? in caves? A high level of expertise must be developed for the type of diving you will be doing. The various specialty courses help you approach the expertise level, but you graduate a specialty course with only basic knowledge of the skills, which must be honed by practice, diving, and more diving prior to your solo dive. To round out your knowledge base you should give yourself extra-curricula reading assignments. There are now dozens of books by recognized experts like Farber, Keatts and Gentile on advanced, deep, and wreck diving. Before diving any wreck by yourself, you should be totally familiar with the wreck, not only from performing many dives on the wreck, but read about it. There are many publications and even TV shows available on the wrecks from North Carolina to Maine. In the NY area, there is Wreck Valley (the book and the TV show) from Dan Berg and Aqua Explorers. Check your local dive shop for the best book or show in your area.
ARE YOU EXPERIENCED? Or I should ask, are you experienced enough to go solo? Experience is another one of those relative terms. It is entirely possible that even after 1000 dives you will not be experienced enough to go solo, and experience in one type of diving can still leave you a neophyte for other types of diving. One of the markers of an experienced diver is the ability to apply common sense. Even the most experienced solo diver knows that he or she can’t go solo in all circumstances. Is the vis too poor? Is the dive too deep? Am I feeling less than 100%? Is the current too strong? Have I done this type of dive enough? Has my equipment been behaving? Is there an appropriate safety structure in place?
Diving under the best of circumstance, is potentially hazardous. Solo diving is sometimes compared to driving in a rainstorm without a seat belt. Not wearing a seat belt is not a guarantee of an accident, but if an accident occurs, the ramifications can be far worse than if the driver is wearing a seat belt, has anti-lock breaks and an air bag. An entangled diver can be freed by his or her buddy, two divers are less likely to get lost, with good buddy teams, neither diver is likely to run out of air or to surface too fast. Unconsciousness (caused by any reason) occurring during a diving accident can be addressed by an attentive buddy. The buddy can help the unconscious diver surface, can pull the diver from the water, can administer CPR, first-aid, and oxygen as necessary, and can summon assistance. There is no help available to the solo diver, so any type of accident is more likely to result in a fatality. Going solo increases your risk of dying in the event of an accident, it may even increase your chances of having an accident. Assess yourself and your skills before deciding to practice Solo Diving. Like in a court of law, only proceed if you are beyond a shadow of a doubt!
Alex Wolff, a SCUBA instructor, is Principal and Technical Director of Sea Wolff Diving. Sea Wolff Diving developed the Sea Wolff Dive Log for Windows, Sea Wolff Diving Buddy Procedures Workshop, SWD Recreational Intensive Training program, the SCUBA Serenity Workshop and consults on PC systems development for the dive industry.
One of the best ways to avoid forgetting important items for a dive trip is to keep a scuba gear checklist. In fact, if you are about to make a trip, make sure to have your scuba dive gear serviced. To enjoy your trip, you need to divide your scuba gear checklist into two groups, the first group pertains to the actual dive, the other is for your time in the boat.
For your actual dive you want to make sure you have the following equipment.
Mask: This is essential for good visibiilty underwater.Remember, goggles will put too much pressure the deeper you go underwater.
Snorkel: This is used primarily to conserve the air in your tank at the surface.
Fins: Try to move 30 feet underwater without a pair of fins and you will appreciate the importance of scuba fins.
Booties: For colder environments, dive boots are a must in your inventory of scuba dive gear. They will protect your skin from the cold water.
Mitts and Hood: Hoods are extremely important in colder climates. They protect your head, which has the potential to loose the most body heat underwater.
Appropriate wet suit: More useful in moderate to warm waters to protect your body from the elements(i.e.sea urchins).
Weight belt and enough weights: To help you stay down deep underwater
BCD: Buoyance Control Device to help you maintain your buoyancy both underwater and at the surface.
Regulator: with octopus(alternate second stage), low-pressure inflator hose, and submersible pressure gauge, dry-suit inflator: Regulators allow you to breath the air from your tank at low pressure. One of the more important components of your scuba gear checklist.
Tanks(checked and filled): The tank stores the air that you need underwater to survive. There is an instrument that gauges the amount of air left in the tank to help you plan your dive.
Dive tables: The further deep you dive, the more you need to be concerned about your decompression levels. Unless you have a dive computer in hand, it is almost mandatory to use dive tables to plan your dives for the day.
Compass, computer, timer, depth gauge: These are very popular and more commonplace now than ever before. It is easier to keep track of your decompression needs with a dive computer than a dive table. Remember, dive computers come in all types of price ranges.
Incidental accessories like knives, shealth, collection bad, dive float, dive flag: These accessories, though often over-looked, can play an important role in your safety underwater. The better prepared you are, the more you can enjoy your underwater experience. Any potential need for specialty equipment like lights, cameras: Dive lights are not only useful at night, but also in murky lake waters.
Repair kit:
First aid and oxygen kit: If you and your friend are diving independently, this is of paramount importance. Do not overlook this.
C-card and logbook: This refers to your open water certification card. The logbook keeps an account of the number of dives that you have made.
Check list for your time at the boat: These items are not a part of your scuba dive gear checklist, but are useful in any outdoor activity.
Hat: To protect you from the sun.
Sunscreen: Ditto.
Water: You always want to stay as hydrated as possible. Remember, when you are diving in tropical climates, it isbest to have a bottle of water with you.
Windbreaker: When you are on a boat in the ocean, you sometimes cannot avoid heavy winds. Having a windbreaker can help you avoid the temperature fluctuations of heavy winds, especially in non tropical climates.
Towels: This comes in handy when you get back on the boat after your dive. Make sure you dry yourself thoroughly.
Long-sleeved shirt for protection from the sun: Diving in tropical climates requires some sort of protection from the sun. In addition to being hydrated properly, you should take a bottle of sunscreen, as well as long-sleeved shirt. Sunburns can totally mess up your time underwater.
Lunch and snacks: Don’t always depend on your dive group to provide you with meals. Quick snacks such as fruit/granola bars and beverages will prevent you from being hungry. Ask beforehand if food will be provided or catered. Otherwise, consider bringing a sandwich if there is a fridge on board.
Seasickness medication: Consult your doctor beforehand if you are prone to seasickness and need medication.
Danger! Hotel Scuba
Written by Andreas Ackerl
Sunday, 08 August 2010 12:27
Her Highness and I just returned from a visit to St. Maarten-St. Martin, a hyphenated island with a split personality as well as divided nationalities. Our usual trips to the Caribbean are for diving but this time we just wanted to get away from the cold, wet, miserable weather here in the states.
St. Maarten-Martin is an unusual island in that each side has taken on qualities of it's country of affiliation; St. Maarten for it's Dutch heritage and St. Martin for it's French. There are subtle but noticeable differences in the ambiance, cleanliness, quality of the roads, attitude of the population (friendly and outgoing on the French side-- surly and rude on the Dutch side), and lack of clutter on the French side.
Glitzy high-rise hotels, brightly neoned gambling casinos, and fashionable boutiques abound on the Dutch side and in it's capital Phillipsburg, seemingly in awe of Las Vegas and Miami Beach, all competing for the dollar of the cruise ships.
The French side, although not luxurious, appears to have a higher standard of living. Streets are cleaner and better cared for, housing is better kept and the general atmosphere is one of a more relaxed way of life.
The volcanic island is almost completely surrounded by beaches and has large enclosed lagoons and bays, lending itself nicely to watersports such as snorkeling, water-skiing, sailboards, parasailing, jet skis, and scuba diving.
After about three days lying on the beach of the hotel, I couldn't stand to see the dive boat go out without me any more and decided to try out the hotel dive operation, which we’ll call "Hotel Scuba". Having heard that the diving on St. Martin is mediocre at best, I opted for a three-dive package, checking out the dive operation and dive sites before committing myself to a larger package. This was a wise decision, as I can’t remember having had three more dangerous diving experiences in my 30 years of diving.
All three dive sites were relatively shallow in about 45 feet water, located near the sea buoy outside Phillipsburg harbor. Surprisingly beautiful, the area is covered with a large number and variety of soft coral, growing on and between lava rock overhangs, narrow crevices and small caves and tunnels. Relatively few fish were noted but there were numerous barracuda in schools and the usual reef inhabitants were seen. No eels, turtles, sharks or large pelagics were noted.
"Hotel Scuba" is located at one of the hotels on Simpson Bay, one of the large lagoons inside the island. The operation is archetypal of most hotel dive operations with the exception that there was no associated dive gear boutique. The owner, a very pleasant Frenchman in his thirties, spoke reasonably good English and seemed to be more interested in his young wife and a treasure-salvage operation than diving. He and his dive master had PADI affiliations. The divemaster, a friendly, helpful young Frenchman, had a very poor grasp of English, and it was he with whom I dove on all three dives.
Rental gear was included in the dive package at $40/dive or three dives for $95, The gear was old and unfamiliar but serviceable. The regulator had a pressure gauge but no depthmeter or octopus rig. The tank was noted to be filled to only 1800 psi on all three dives; somewhat less than the 2500-3000 that I've grown accustomed to. I really missed my computer, and there were no decompression charts or dive tables to refer to. Without depthmeter, compass or computer I felt as if I were a pilot flying by the seat of my pants, reminiscent of the early days of my diving career.
The main dive boat was a 25-26 foot Boston Whaler type with center console and twin motors. Return access to the boat was by a two step fold down ladder. This required complete removal of gear in the water and boarding with no help, as no one was left on the boat during each dive. The motors were consistent in that one or the other failed to start at the beginning of each trip, but functioned very well after some minor maintenance was carried out.
I questioned the owner about diving safety features, such as oxygen on board the boat, two-way radio services, and whether or not there was a recompression chamber on the island. I was told that the boat had 02 on board; but later I was unable to find it on the boat. There was a radio on board but it was never used and I did not see a base station in the dive shop. His answer concerning the chamber may have been a language problem but I think he said that there was no need for a chamber because "there was no deep diving". He seemed to lose his command of English when I then asked him what he would do if a diver developed air embolism. It turns out that there is a chamber on the neighboring island of Saba, where I assume the diving is "deeper". He did state that they had had no diving accidents--a hard to believe fact if all the diving was as haphazard as my three dives turned out to be.
All of my three dives were in shallow water between 40-50 feet in the area previously described. The first dive was with 7 divers in a chop of 5-6 feet and swells of 8-10 feet. Seasickness was a problem and gearing up prior to entry in the rocking boat was very difficult. I never heard a dive plan given, other than there were " large anchors to see".
On each dive the divemaster dropped a weighted line about 10 feet, set out a trailing floated fine about 50 feet and carried down an inflatable tube and placed it under the anchor. He lost the dive boat on each dive, surfacing twice on the last dive to locate the boat. He also dove once more after all the divers were up so that he could inflate the anchor tube. This means he made four 50 foot dives in less than an hour without any effort at decompressing. If he continues this type of diving one can predict that his diving career will be short-lived. No effort was made by any of the divers to do a decompression stop and I was given the questioning O.K. sign when I tried to decompress with buoyancy control on one of the dives. By the way, buoyancy control is extremely difficult in the surge caused by 8 foot waves.
We never found the "wreck" which was our dive site on the last day. We ended up swimming in a "great circle" and I finally surfaced when I reached 100 psi, inflated my BC and back-kicked the final fifty yards to the empty boat. Needless to say, even the most experienced diver can get stressed out with this kind of haphazard operation, and I'm concerned that they either are ignoring their accidents or don’t hear about them from hotel guests who get decompression illnesses later on after returning home.
I cancelled a night dive after this last episode and forced myself to do other things during the rest of our stay at the hotel. I suppose that I've been spoiled by the excellent dive operations that I encounter with my usual dive group, Medical Seminars, out of San Antonio, Texas.. It's probably unfair to compare "Hotel Scuba" with a Peter Hughes or Ron Kipp operation, but there are certain diving safety practices which even the smallest dive shop can follow. Some of these are very basic and can be adhered to without financially breaking an operation.
1). Always have oxygen on board.
2.) Have an operational two way radio, resuscitation equipment, (first aid kit etc.) on board.
3). Have a dive plan and dive your plan. (It helps to be language compatible)
4). Leave a competent diver on the boat during the dive.
5). Avoid diving if the seas pose a problem with entry or exit.
6). Insist on 15-20 foot decompression stops.
7). Top off tanks so that there will be adequate air for the dive planned.
8). Plan the dive so that divers can be under the boat with 500 psi, in order to provide unhurried decompression stops.
9). Run all dive operations the same-- as if it's the biggest and the best.
I'm sure that for every dive operation such as this one that there are hundreds who perform in a more professional manner. "Hotel Scuba" and small hotel operations such as this all seem to cater to the occasional, casual diver and it's quite fortunate that they don’t have "deeper diving", because I'm certain that their haphazard manner of doing business would lead to many more diving accidents.
