This is a two-part review.
On one hand, my friend enjoyed the dive. Chris was very friendly to both of us the day before and helped us get our gear ready. My friend had a great experience on the dive.
For me, I informed Chris on the day of the dive that I take a little longer to descend and just need a little extra time. I’ve been on 14+ dives and have had issues between 10–20 feet where I just need to go slowly, and then everything is fine. I’ve had my ears examined by multiple doctors and completed every test to determine what the issue might be. I’ve simply been told that this is how my body is, and I’ve been cleared to continue diving.
After informing Chris, we geared up, got dropped off at the dive site, and began to descend. Chris had me hold onto a rope, which I did not need, and he kept forcing my hand onto it. I was being tugged, and at one point, when I was kicking my fins slightly to go up a bit, Chris grabbed my feet and held them together. You should never touch a diver underwater or prevent them from keeping themselves safe.
I eventually let go of the rope and moved away, but by that point I had a crushing headache and significant pain, so I signaled that I needed to go up. Once back on the boat, I removed my mask, and the other guests who were there to snorkel told me that my nose was bleeding.
I have never had such a bad diving experience in my life. Chris was visibly upset once we reached the surface. Not once during the rest of the trip or back on shore did he speak to me about what happened or acknowledge the incident. I fully paid for a dive that was effectively canceled due to his actions.
While my travel partner did have a successful dive, I did not. However, due to the visibility during this time of year, I actually ended up seeing more while snorkeling than they did while diving. So at least we both had fun in the end. The other coworker with Chris was amazing and fun. I can’t remember his name, but he was fantastic.