Posted by AD on April 04, 2004 at 09:53:23:
What happened to a reasonable trip to Catalina? I have been boat diving with one shop and one boat for a number of years. I have watched the price go from $40 to $60 in the last 5 years. But last week the price went from $60 to $85 in one jump. I guess I should have expected it sense there was a new owner. The new owner has made a lot of changes on the boat and I guess he is trying to get his money back.
But the reason given for the price change was that now all food and air was included in the price. I know that’s what was told to the dive shop people because I had listen in on a conversation on the boat the month before. But when we got on the boat we found that extra air fills were not included, and drinks were not included.
So for our $25 we got bad breakfast, day old rolls, and Sam’s club lasagna for lunch. We were charged a dollar for bottled water and a $1.50 for a soda. And $4 for topping off my tank, this was an extra air fill. I only got one other air fill but was still charged. One of the other passengers was sea sick and never ate or got an air fill, but was still charged (the shop refunded her $25 and gave me a free air fill).
This was a huge rip off. I chartered this boat for a private charter 2 years ago and the charter price then was $1100 to Catalina. We had 28 paying customer on this boat last week, that’s $700 for all that wonderful food and air +$1100 charter. So for $1800 we got poor service, bad food, and some air. And it was even more then that because this boat charge the Divemasters for air and food.
I call around this week looking for another boat, but only found one boat that isn’t pulling this BS.
I guess the only reasonable way to Catalina now days is on the Catalina Express. At $45 it’s still a good deal. And I can eat and drink what I want and not be ripped off by a bunch of greedy, under capitalized boat owners.
AD