For our family of 6, we scheduled a private snorkel tour with Captain G in advance of our trip to the Big Island. Our tour was for 10:30am, but the day before he called to say that going at 7:30am would be much better. So we agreed. On the morning of our tour, Captain G texted us that the conditions were not good for snorkeling. There had been a storm the day prior, so we again agreed to go along with his guidance. He also called to make sure we had gotten his text. We asked about rescheduling, and he said there would be no problem with weather/water conditions for the next two days. So we agreed and rescheduled our tour for 2 days later. That day came, and as we were getting ourselves ready in the morning to go, he sent us a text that he was sorry, but conditions were not good to go out. He said we could rebook for another day, with $100 off. But we couldn’t do another day. After receiving his text, we immediately called him so we could talk about it, and he didn’t answer his phone. We checked surf conditions: waves were at max 2’, the water calm, the sky was clear, and there was no storm in the forecast. Later that same morning, when our tour should have been ending, he then texted us again seeing if he could rebook us for a future day. We don’t know if he double booked himself, but something wasn’t quite right. I’m sure his tour is enjoyable, but we were disappointed in his communication and professionalism.
Odpowiedź od gospodarza
Jul 2022
Aloha and E kala mai,
I am deeply sorry that I was unable to get you out on the water while you were on the island. Sometimes mother nature refuses to cooperate with us and I unfortunately have to cancel the tour. Safety is my number one priority when taking people out on the ocean, and while some other operators will take people out on the water regardless, I am not one of them.
Weather changes quickly and so do forecasts here on the Island, so to get the most up to date conditions I personally go out to check wind, swell, and visibility to ensure my guests have an optimal experience out on the ocean. Unfortunately the original day of your tour, we were coming off the tropical storm darby, which was forecasted to allow us to go out by departing earlier, upon personally checking the conditions that morning it was too rough to go out on the water safely so we rebooked. The next day we had scheduled unfortunately met similar results as while we had the calm seas and skies you mentioned, we suffered from poor visibility, something incredibly important when it comes to snorkeling.
We could have still gone out yes, and others did, but I don't feel its right to take people snorkeling when they can't even see their fins!
You told me that you could not reschedule so I quickly issued a full refund and even offered to take you out on a later date with a $100 discount as you mentioned that your other tours and activities on the island had also cancelled on you.
I again apologize that I wasn't able to get you out on the water and hope you were able to enjoy your time on the island.
A hui hou
Captain G
Oceanic Patrol