Visit Date: October 2010

Splash dive center is the only bad dive shop I’ve ever experienced. Of course some are better than others, but I’ve never had the misfortune of experiencing a bad one until now.

I have 21 years of service with the U.S. Coast Guard. Our mantra is that you are always training the guy below you to take your place. I have been training and educating for a long, long time. I’m a weapons instructor, boat operator instructor, ship driving instructor and a navigation instructor. I’ve worked with and for a lot of very competent instructors. This brings us to Splash Dive Center in Alexandria, Virginia.

When I signed up to earn my Dive Master Certification with Splash Dive Center, I expected the level of excellence and dedication that my previous experience with competent PADI instructors had demonstrated. I didn’t find that to be the case. My DMC education was sloppy and mishandled. When I asked Janet Hays, the Owner/Instructor the reason why DMC’s had to do an equipment exchange at the bottom of the pool, she replied, “oh, it’s just hazing”. Well, no it’s not; she just didn’t know the answer. At times, I was simply ignored if I asked what tasks needed to be done, and when I asked who my instructor was and couldn’t get an answer. This process was very unprofessional and disjointed.

The Owner/Instructor, David Hayes of Splash Dive Center organized a quarry dive on 01 April 2012 to run the four DMC’s through their last open water dives for their certification. As we were running an Advanced student diver through her navigation drills, both sets of DMC’s allowed the student to swim under a dock, an overhead environment which is a safety concern for the student and a failing grade for the DMC’s…all of us. Yes, even me. As we finished the Dive, David calmly explained that because we had allowed the student to swim under the dock and it was a safety concern, we had all failed that portion and would need to successfully re-dive it. But since it was late, we were cold and all had spent around $500 dollars out of our own pocket to come down and dive, he’d just scold us and score it as a passing score. The AOW student obviously needed extra attention and training was certified on this day as well.

I am simply aghast at this level of unprofessionalism. Through Splash Dive Center, I, and three other people are now certified as Dive Masters. I have asked my previous mentor if I can fly back to San Diego for an undetermined amount of time and receive remedial Dive Master training. A friend of mine who earned her DM certification at Splash has already called PADI to complain about the level of incompetence at Splash and I have submitted a copy of this letter as well as I simply don’t want another student to end up with the experiences that I’ve had with Splash Dive Center.

Respectfully,

Jeffrey Charlot