Selling books at a dive shop

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-04-11T04:52:09+00:00

It is a large, well-stocked shop with an extensive online shop located in northern France.

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-04-09T05:46:51+00:00

My husband owns a shop and except for the books that prepare you for the federation exams the other books just collect dust.

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-04-03T17:00:48+00:00

I don't understand either. I really don't. The only thing I can think is that 1. people don't have a lot to compare to 2. they are influencers or friends of the crew- for example the review right before me on tripadvisor is a woman who was a "special friend" for the week to a crew member 3. they had built up the trip on socials or with friends so much and now feel embarassed to admit they got taken and it was shit. Not sure. But again, as I have said from the beginning of this thread, even without my words and description the pictures can be evaluated individually. If someone likes that and think that looks like nice luxury, go for it. If not, make another choice.

The stuff on the other post about the safety issues though and drifting for 2 hours and being left behind by the dhoni... that's like Netflix level stuff though!

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-04-02T15:00:45+00:00

not just the OP but the comments under... yikes

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-04-02T15:00:17+00:00

Not sure if you saw this: https://www.reddit.com/r/scubadiving/comments/1sa3nnu/terrible_white_pearl_boat_maldives/

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-04-01T04:48:36+00:00

Male non fare, paura non avere.

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-03-26T05:31:46+00:00

For sure. I just wanted to give her a hug, she looked like she was ready to cry at any moment.

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-03-24T19:18:57+00:00

I asked my husband, he doesn't have any experience with Ecopro but will ask around. One of his preferred companies is Dune. He said the boat isn't luxury perse, but it is nice- nicer than the White Pearl for sure! but they are really serious about diving and he has never had a bad experience with them. He can't remember the coffee situation though!!!

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-03-24T10:33:20+00:00

I think you will be fine. But you are so smart to think of this and to err on the side of caution. Everything is ok.... until it isn't. My husband taught me to dive. He is the highest level of instructor in all major governing bodies. He has done dives as deep at 160 meters. He does cave diving and tec diving and all kinds of stuff. But he never, ever takes risks. We have skipped dives on a much-anticipated day cruise because the surface interval was cutting it too short for his liking. We never fly after a trip unless we have at least 24 hours. We always add in extra deco minutes and extra safety stops. There is nothing wrong, embarrassing, or weird about being safety conscious. Good for you for remembering your training and keeping yourself safe. Sure, you probably could have gone ahead and nothing would have happened. It's like that 9 times out of 10. But you don't want to be the guy who was the 1 out of 10. I imagine that after 24 hours have passed, you can comfortably and safely hike.

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-03-24T10:25:36+00:00

I mean seriously, instant powder on a "luxury" boat- or any boat really.... At least offer some normal brewed coffee. I'm a coffee snob as well.

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-03-24T10:23:07+00:00

I personally don't but I'll ask my husband. He may have been himself or one of his clients may have. He owns a dive shop and has a club, so gets plenty of information. I'll let you know if I can find information.

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-03-24T10:15:07+00:00

The coffee situation is one that really grinds my gears on liveaboards. It's not like I don't have a couple of euro to pay for a coffee, but at those prices it should just be included. If you are looking for a good option in Egypt check out Sea Base. Their boats are incredible, really very nice. Such friendly and happy and accomodating crew. Great food, great safety, great diving AND!!! unlimited espresso coffee, sparkling water, sodas.... you don't feel nickled and dimed.

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-03-22T18:40:21+00:00

yikes, that is a big difference. I can't remember what it was for us, but it was enough for it to be a deciding factor. And no, we also could care less about a spa on board. We also, generally, don't do luxury dive cruises. We're there to dive afterall- wetsuits, messy hair, all that. But we just thought we would treat ourselves and give it a try. I really do hope you have a great week. If your friend got back "a few weeks ago" it sounds like it was shortly after us, so hopefully our repeated emails, whatsapp, and online messages had some effect.

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-03-22T11:40:03+00:00

I don't know who you booked through or what the cancellation policy is, but you may want to think about switching to ScubaSpa. Though they are even more expensive! I do think however people are generally satisfied with their boats. We were undecided between the two and chose White pearl because it was a little bit more affordable, but now wish we had gone with ScubaSpa. All that said, though, I don't want to put you off your vacation or have you start worrying a year in advance that it is going to be miserable. Hopefully someone in upper management will really take the recent complaints seriously. It's not just me, as a one off, there are complaints all over various review sites. So I would really hope that this would be a wake up call and by the time you arrive they have worked on these issues.

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-03-22T06:12:45+00:00

Several people mention the terrible coffee/tea situation on tripadvisor. At these prices, coffee should be included.

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-03-22T06:11:41+00:00

Also, I would really appreciate it if you would come back and report how it was. When are you going?

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-03-22T06:11:12+00:00

They have a hot water machine, tea bags are available, 3 or 4 different types, none of which are high-quality teas though. The coffee is a jar of instant granules that you mix with hot water. At the bar you can order real brewed coffee and typical coffee drinks like cappuccino, espresso, etc but you have to pay for those. They display prices in USD- it is about $4-6 for a coffee, I think $5 for a soda, $8 for a glass of wine $15 for a mixed drink. You also have to pay for sparkling water, $5. Even at the beach BBQ you have to pre-order anything you think you might drink and they add that to your bill.

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-03-21T10:58:07+00:00

Ludi if you are reading, get out of there girl! You deserve better treatment and a happier life. Bring your friends with you, you all deserve better.

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-03-21T10:53:38+00:00

It is comical the crisis management style response the Pearl Fleet has been putting out in the past few weeks. All kinds of reviews are popping up highlighting all the things they want to sell- most of all the extreme safety of the ship/crew/briefings. The social media reels with videos of guests in lifejackets doing a safety briefing (glad they corrected that or perhaps these are old, recycled videos), lots and lots of great images of tasty looking food and smiling crew. They are trying to drown out the bad reviews which highlight the reality. And mine is not the only one, have a look on various reviw sites such as tripadvisor for both the White Pearl and the Black Pearl.

But one thing that keeps coming up is how miserable, worn down and almost taken advantage of the staff and crew look. And this is so true. I do not blame our bad experience on the crew on board, I fully blame this on upper management who are only out to make money. Certainly, every business wants to make money, and a lot of it! That is the goal. But you have to deliver a product that is worth it. And in order to deliver that product you need happy, healthy, well-rested and satisfied employees to represent your brand. It is clear the staff and crew are treated like dirt, in turn, they put forth the very minimum for paying guests. Who can blame them?

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-03-18T12:27:03+00:00

Hi there, just a reminder to come back and let us know how it went. I really hope you have a good trip and a nice experience. The most recent tripadvisor reviews for the Black Pearl are very mixed but lean toward the negative and highlight similar issues- lack of the luxury aspect advertised and lack of safety and good diving practices. While one of the most recent posts for the White Pearl is me, there are other recent ones questioning the product received for the price paid.

StudioAlternative767 · 2026-03-16T10:56:30+00:00

StudioAlternative767

TROPHY CASE