dive forster

Hi Gary C,We're sorry that we were unable to take you and your party of open water divers out on this day. We had hoped that the sea conditions would be favourable for us to get to our open water sites, however, this was not the case. The predicted weather conditions indicated that the diving would be suitable for open water divers, but upon assessing them the morning of your dive, it was decided that it would be rough, unsafe and unenjoyable for you on the open water sites. This was a conclusion that the Divemasters and Skipper of our vessel made just minutes before you arrived at our shop (weather conditions can fluctuate and change very quickly!). Because of the nature of our ocean at times, the decision could not have been made earlier. I'm sorry for that. I apologise that you had to drive some distance only to be disappointed! We wish we could control the weather and sea conditions, but alas, that is just not possible. I hope you understand that the difficult decision to not take you out was one that was made ultimately for your enjoyment and safety. All the best for your future dives,Gabby

Hi Neet W,Thank you for your kind feedback and your understanding! We hope to see you again when the dolphins are in a better mood!Thanks,Gabs

Hey!!Thankyou so much for all of your positive comments and I'm so glad you had a great time. We're very proud of our boat "The Avanti" and its wonderful that you found her fast, roomy and comfortable.We hope to see you again in the future for some more awesome diving!Cheers,Gabby HunterSkipper + Staff Member

Hi there,Firstly I apologise that you didn't have a good time with us. We do our very best to show people good diving, and in particular, the Grey Nurse Sharks (which we're lucky to have here all year 'round). Our boat was late back to the wharf from our Dolphin Swim, and I am sorry that you weren't offered a chair to sit on by one of the wharf staff. We will work on this for the future. I'm surprised that you were disturbed by the presence of Advanced student divers onboard the boat - as there were only 3 we didn't feel they would affect other divers, particularly as they had their own Instructor and Divemaster and were completely separate from the other groups. We did our best to accommodate you and your dive buddy as open water divers by giving you your own Divemaster, Keith, to dive the open water sites. We did a triple dive on this day so we could offer 2 dives to everyone onboard. The visibility deteriorated over night before your dive with an unexpected plankton bloom, hence why we headed miles down the coast - we tried our best to find better visibility to show you the sharks. This did make our day longer than originally anticipated. I'm sorry for the equipment malfunctions you experienced. We were unaware that the computer needed resetting and we have since serviced the entire regulator. Computer malfunctions are extremely rare but completely unacceptable and for this I unreservedly apologise. On the first site (Elim Shoals) we do 40 minute dive times. On the second site (The Baitgrounds) we do 45 minute dive times - your dives were only a little shorter than usual.I'm so glad we were able to show you some Grey Nurses at the Baitgrounds - if only the visibility had been kinder to us.I only wish you'd brought your list of concerns to one of our staff members either on the boat or back at the shop so we could have sorted something out for you in person. Unfortunately there is nothing I can do through this medium to help you feel better about our company and your experience. Please give me a call on (02) 6554 7478 if you would like to discuss this further.I hope you understand that we did everything we could to show you a good time, and we didn't intend on giving you the impression we had mislead you. I wish you all the best for your future dives. Kind regards,Gabby HunterSkipper + Staff Member

Hey Anita,Thanks so much for your wonderful review. We will see you soon I'm sure!!I'll pass on your positive comments to the gang, they'll be over the moon to hear it!Cheers,Gabbyx

Hey Travel Bug,Thank you for all your positive comments about our operation here, and for taking the time to write it on Trip Advisor. I'm so glad you enjoyed the swimming with dolphins - I always try to make up for the occasional rough sea with extra things, and the dolphins and whales didn't disappoint! It makes the staff very happy when we get good reviews and I'll be sure to pass on all of your wonderful feedback. We hope to see you again sometime in the future!Cheers,GabSkipper + Dolphin/ Shark Wrangler

The day before we went to the shop to pay for our trip and drop off our gear. Where we were told to take the extra tanks with us as they didn't have room on the boat - We had no problems with this. As other tripadvisor reviews mentioned we swam out to the boat just around the corner from the dive site at Seal Rocks boat beach to avoid the 45 minutes boat ride. At 8:30am the next morning we swam the 40m from shore to what we thought was our boat, but it happened to be the other dive shop's boat. He told us how crap our dive company was and to book with him next time. 10 minutes later, swam out to our dive company's boat. While getting on his boat, he told us how crap the other dive company was and to keep booking with them… We knew the conditions wouldn't be ideal - and it was obvious from the swell, wind, overcast sky, boat ride and view of the water the conditions were not ideal (5m meter visibility) but we wanted to go for a dive with sharks at Seal Rocks and they were happy to accept money and take us. We did see a shark at 4min come out of the gloom & disappear back into it, and then more at 17min, quite a few more….but our dive master kept powering along. While wishing we could stay longer, I thought at the time there was a good reason that we were ascending but later I found that our group was just as confused as I was - ascending back to the boat with a half tank of air. Maybe something happened? The conditions weren't ideal but reading other trip advisor reviews it now appears that super short dives are a common occurrence.We swam back to the beach to change over our tanks and had no problems with this. There was tea, coffee and biscuits during our 1.5hr wait. All good! We understand that it's all about 'safety first' and they have a business to run with two staggered groups running in the same day during peak season. But, our second 'boat' dive boggles the mind. We were jumping off the boat practically off the shore. Why bother with a long decompression time? Why not just lead a shore dive from the beach? We had already swam half way to get to the boat. I snorkel around the bay side of this island every time I holiday in the area… its a snorkel site, not a dive site - maybe the front side and far point where the sharks hang out and there's a current, but the bay side, you struggle for 4m depth & fish life on the reef and the vis was essentially the same… Maybe the conditions had deteriorated further outside and so they had to alter their second dive site that day? Though, other trip advisor reviews suggest otherwise though.My suggestion - if you've already driven 3.5 hrs from Sydney, drive the extra 1hr to dive at Fish Rock cave - We dove there the next day under the same conditions and everyone came up beaming - maximum time with the sharks followed by maximum time in the water!And, while going back over receipts - turned out Fish Rock Cave diving was cheaper as well.

Hello Kristen W,We're sorry that there was a communication error here. We don't normally expect email cancellations. As you can see by the 'phone call on the morning of the cruise, Ron had no idea that you weren't turning up, as he had not seen your emails. It is our policy to try and work things out personally via 'phone calls, which we did not receive from you.As you know, the bookings are paid for in advance and are not refundable. We departed from our wharf after calling you to find out your whereabouts just in case you were running late and delaying the 18 people who were onboard with these two empty spots. This is a courtesy that few businesses would extend, particularly during this time of the year when our boat does multiple trips each day, all contingent upon sticking to the time schedule. Everybody was here promptly before 7am, and we were all ready and waiting for you to arrive so I could begin our cruise briefing. Ron then called you, in case you were racing to get here, or something of that nature. If you have any further comments, you can access our contact details on our website.Regards,Gabrielle

I am surprised that there are not more reviews for Dive Forster on Trip Advisor! I booked a double boat dive for myself, partner and his brother for Easter Saturday to Seal Rocks. Pros: * Dive shop is easy to locate with plenty of off street parking nearby* Rental equipment appeared to be of good quality and well maintained. Mid range BC's, regs and computers. BC's were mostly weight integrated from what i could see (i have my own gear, partner hired though)* Plenty of steel tanks available for hire* Diving was fantastic. First dive at Big Rock with the Grey Nurses was amazing. We saw at least 20 sharks, up to three metres, in very close proximity. Informed that there are approx. 200 in this area* Plenty of time to relax and observe the aquatic life. Didn't feel rushed to move on quickly* Having never dived with Grey Nurses before, our DM Gary made us feel comfortable and confident* Diving experience will depend upon a number of factors but weather was ideal, water was warm, visibility was great (15 metres plus), little surgey though on second dive* Maximum depth approx. 25 metres. Good for all divers. No need for AOW* DM was very safety conscious and knew where all group members were at all times* Boat skipper Gabs was great. Really knew what she was doing (according to partner who is a skipper also, i know very little)* Good wash area at dive shop Cons:* We were not told that we needed to drive to Seal Rocks ourselves when we booked* Decent wait for boat to arrive from Forster to Seal Rocks* There are no food facilities on board. Tea and coffee is provided in between dives and basic biscuits. For the price, something more substantial would be appreciated given the amount of time you are out on the water (e.g fruit platter)* Boat felt small for the number of divers and amount of equipment on board. Felt a bit chaotic at times and not a lot of space to gear up and load weights etc* No formal introduction or welcome by crew that i can rememberTips:* Book early, especially if it is for diving on a long weekend as it books out early* If you are prone to sea sickness, take something before you get on board. It can get quite rough and numerous divers were vomiting on our trip* Eat a good breakfast in the morning and bring a light snack to eat before you get on the boat at Seal Rocks whilst you are waiting for it to arrive* Bring a camera if you have one. You'll be kicking yourself if you don't!Would i recommend Diver Forster to fellow divers? Yes, and i'll be back with my brother and his partner next time. Diving with the Grey Nurse Sharks at Seal Rocks is not a dive you could get sick of at all.

Would have been better if they were on time, but the first site we went to was one of the best dives we have ever had - heaps of Grey Nurse Sharks right up close - fantastic!

Hi there,Sounds like you were with us for a very busy weekend! Its unfortunate that you had a bad experience with us, but I'd like to address some of your concerns in the hope that we can improve for the future.Seal Rocks, by design, is a fantastic place to do amazing SCUBA Dives, with the slight draw back of being an hour by boat away from our Dive Centre. As it is, we have always asked people to drive down by car and meet us there - mainly for the comfort of the divers (an hour is a long time by boat you see, and sometimes the return journey can be longer and a bit rougher as the wind picks up in the late afternoon). Our boat does get quite close to the shore, and as we're taking SCUBA divers out we do presume that they're happy to swim! Both ourselves and the other dive centres operate like this when diving Seal Rocks. As we have a duty of care to the Grey Nurse Sharks and we were diving in a sanctuary zone, our DM's have to be fairly strict with the divers underwater as a part of our permit to dive with these magnificent sharks in their natural environment. I'm sorry that you were under the impression that you were being treated unfairly, but we have to do our very best whilst under the water to protect the sharks and avoid disturbing their innate behavioural patterns. The weightbelt issue is one that we have since rectified; we have replaced all of our hire BCD's with brand new Oceanic equipment that have integrated weight systemsI can only apologise that you have a bad opinion of one of our PADI Divemasters. Ultimately all we aim to do is show our customers some great dives without disturbing the marine life we strive so hard to protect. Once again, sorry that you had a bad experience with our Dive Centre, and I do hope that it hasn't deterred you from future dives in our lovely area. If you would like to discuss any of this further, please don't hesitate to contact us.