Tourist robbed in East End
(CNS): A visitor to Cayman was robbed in broad daylight on Thursday at a beach in East End. Police said the report of the mugging came in at 4pm yesterday after the male Japanese tourist, who was hit in the face, reported the incident from a local restaurant after passing drivers picked him up. An RCIPS spokesperson said the victim was robbed at Colliers Beach by two men, who punched him before stealing cash and items of property from the man's rental vehicle. The victim ran to the roadside and stopped a passing vehicle who took the victim to the local restaurant. The robbers were described as male, both with dark brown complexions, slim builds and aged between 20-30.
One was about 5'9 and was wearing a yellow t-shirt and three-quarter jean pants, and the second was around 5'7" and was also wearing three-quarter jean pants
Although the victim sustained minor facial injuries, he declined hospital treatment. His vehicle was a blue 4-door Suzuki Swift rental vehicle, which was parked at Colliers Beach. Police are appealing for witnesses to this incident and in particular to the occupants of theunknown vehicle that conveyed the victim to Tukka to come forward. It is not known whether the offenders left on foot or by vehicle
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Police at949-4222, 947-2220 or Crime Stoppers at 800-8477 (TIPS).
Category: Crime
Please get rid of the white rental license plates now. Stop helping criminals find tourists. With the rise in crime against tourists it is time to stop having rental cars being so obvious with their white license plates. All cars should look the same so tourists are not so easy to spot and target by criminals.
I think several persons know who these crooks are but are not coming forward.
Caymanians being robbed in the US every trip. Jus saying.
By thugs of the same description.
Languishing and only holding on to it’s existence because of the likes of you, and you wonder why an increasing number of Caymanians bemoan what the likes of you are doing to their Islands?
Three things, I don't care, there is no apostrophe in "its" in your post and I don't care.
Spellcheck. Now get back to advising those clients so we can have some basis for tolerating you here.
Yes, another day migrating funds and planning for where to go next when the work dries up completely.
Don’t let the plane door…
I have been told the Morritts Resorts in East End gave this tourist a room for free because they had stolen all his money.
Congratulations to Morritts for doing the Caymanian thing for this poor tourist in distress.
Now let us hope and pray that the police catch these thieves and lock them up for a long time.
Thanks for that. If it is true I was looking for the Christmas spirit all season … and there it is. Well done Morritts.
As if the politicians are doing enough already to ruin the Cayman Islands, these bandits are creating an atmosphere that makes tourist fearful of enjoying the peace and tranquility these islands have to offer. I hope the law deals with everyone of them in a manner that would discourage any future bandits from preying on people. It's unfortunate that tourist who are victims would go back to their respective countries and instead of having wonderful stories and memories to share with their friends and family, they have to relay their unfortunate incidents.The law should have separate sentencing guidelines that are harsher for criminals comvicted of crimes against tourist.
Very sad to hear of this. Unfortunately, it is becoming too common. In December 2011 I had 5 guests visiting from the US. First time visitors who were so excited and loving our beautiful island. On a gorgeous day at Smith Cove beach, they returned to their rental vehicle after several hours of swimming to find that thieves had broken the locked vehicle and stolen all the money and cards from their wallets. And they weren’t the only unfortunate ones! All the rental vehicles in the parking lot were also broken into! Some tourists were still unaware as they were still on the beach. Sad that this is what these tourists will remember from their visit to our beautiful island. We should give the maximum penalty to those caught.
Yeah, and that's the good side of the Island!
all part of the increasing gangster lifestyle that is idolised by the caymanian teens…..
We need to give this Japanese guy, some free time here on the island and a big apology. We need to keep Japan sweet.
You two young men have stolen the Welcome of Caymanian people from them. All for a handfull of money and thrill of a bully's conquest over a peacfull man. If you cannot make this right then this will be your fate. No longer welcome by those who call Cayman home. Prove your worth or wait for the peoples wrath to catch up to you.
This is a true story from Australia, this actually happened just before Christmas and what the cowardly s#### on this rock should think about before they rob tourists and gas stations. One day perhaps:
An SAS trooper collecting toys for children was
stabbed when he helped stop a suspected shoplifter in east Perth . The ‘Toys-R-Us'
Store Manager told 'The West Australian' that a man was seen on surveillance
cameras last Friday putting a laptop under his jacket at the store.
When confronted, the man became irate, knocked down an
employee, pulled a knife and ran toward the door. Outside were four SAS
Troopers collecting toys for the "Toys For Tots" program. Smith
said the Troopers stopped the man, but he stabbed one of them in the back.
Fortunately the cut did not appear to be severe.
The suspect however was transported by ambulance to the
Royal Perth Hospital with two broken arms, a broken leg, possible broken
ribs, multiple contusions, and assorted lacerations including a broken
nose and jaw … Injuries he apparently sustained when he tripped
whilst trying to run after the stabbing. One of the Troopers said,
"He was a clumsy bastard."
That story is a farce. Look it up on Snopes.
Our first urban myth of the year. Didn't take long.
True, except that it didn't happen in Australia, it was over two years ago, and they didn't beat the guy up. That was a bit of embelishment borrowed from an old Death Wish movie.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/stabbedmarine.asp
Truthseeker
We must compare other cities with our when it comes to crime. Perhaps an utopia bu we should aim for zero crime regardless.
Good parenting and education are the long term tools to achive this goal.
The short term is harsher penalties.
As far as I am concern these thieves are traitors to our country. Terrorists that threaten the way of life of my family, fellow country men and myself. They make us feel unsafe and create social caos.
What is the penalty for traitors that jeopardize the harmony of our society, our peace and threaten our economy? Why are we so complacent that assume if it happens in other places then we have to accept it here too?
Zero tolerance. Maximum penalty to traitors of our country.
Coming soon to an island near you…all inclusive gated resorts where the tourists are kept safe from the trolls behind razor wire and armed guards.
Cayman still has sun and sand. Unfortunately safety is slowly disappearing. Sad.
It would be really nice to get that facilitybuilt, with the fences and gates and all, because I'd really like to come visit again.
Complete xenophobic drivel.
You plainly know or understand little of Cayman, it’s society, and it’s culture – and the shock the three continue to endure (and respond badly to) as a result of a loss of relevance in their own land.
There is culture? Where?
You only show your own ignorance.
Pirate week. That should explain a lot.
You plainly know or understand little of the outside world, the different societies, different cultures and most importantly the similarities in all of them. If you look you will see that cultures that have little relevance to the rest of the world end up lost for good reasons.
There is a difference between lost and overwhelmed. Look at Bradford. Does that mean English culture has little relevance, even in England?
Xenophobia is by it’s definition an irrational dislike or fear of foreigners. Unfortunately, for many Caymanians, there is little irrational about the circumstances that have brought some to fear some outsiders.
Already has, http://news.caribseek.com/index.php/caribbean-islands-news/cayman-islands-news/cayman-news-service/item/33469-tourist-robbed-in-east-end
http://caribdaily.com/a/2328936/tourist-robbed-in-east-end
hope the punk pieces of $h1t got lots as this kind of publicity like our government situation can cost the islands millions.
I hope they catch these little XXXX. Charge them with the MAXIMUM. We also need a new charge that is beyond severe for any crimes against tourists. This type of criminal behaviour is nothing short of economic terrorism. The criminals should be made to pay for the economic fall out of their actions. Any crime against a guest on our Island should carry a manditory penalty that is times 10 times the normal penalty. I also believe any person found of committing an offence against a tourist should have to pay a minimum fine of $100k or, 10 x the amount in question, which ever is greater.
There must be a family in East End willing to do the right thing for Cayman by identifying their "thug" son as meeting the description, possibly at the location, and likely being one of the villains. If they were not masked, then I am sure it will be simple for the victim to recognise them. If you hide them, then you are as guilty as them, and you condemn Cayman to a future as bleak as Jamaica's crime situation.
The future of our Islands is in your hands. Do the right thing for Cayman.
Truthseeker
19:21 What makes you so sure that these punks are from East Enders' parents?
That is a pretty big assumption that the culprit is a thug son of an East End family. Criminals do travel you know.
Yes, it was no doubt a (fill in the blank with Jamaican, Cuban, American, Dominican, Hatian as your bigotry allows) who drives from George Town everyday to prey on tourists.
You could be right, but in all likelihood, this was the thug son of an East End family.
My bigotry? lol. Take a look in the mirror. I simply made the point that we cannot make unwarranted assumptions about who committed this. Travelling didn't necessarily mean the person had to be of another nationality but could as easily be a Caymanian from another district. Obviously you are content to make unwarranted assumptions so long as Caymanians, and EEnders in particular it seems, are the target of your assumption. Ignorant people like you are a part of the problem.
They tend to travel dangerously fast in green old Honda Civics.
Sadly, all too often the family will band together and say that their son is really a "good boy" at heart and made a simple one-time mistake; after all, he goes to church on Sunday. Then, over dinner, the family goes on and on about how expats are evil; the expat hating then spills over to tourists.
The term "good boy" is always defined by who is inside or outside the tribe.
By the way, tribalism is part of the human condition; it is found everywhere.
Too bad the Japanese man didn't know some good Kenpo, Aikido or Ashihara Kaikan (Japanese Martial Arts) moves for those two punks! One of these days they going to pick the wrong person though and will wish they had stayed good boys. Every dog has it's day!
This is what happens when they catch and release. Everyone should carry a hidden camcorder, dashboard cam, helmet cam, etc. otherwise no one would ever get convicted. Thery are inexpensive now with high quality. That might stop aggressive taxi and bus drivers, as it seem nobody pays any attention to people's complaints.
Everyone should carry a concealed Glock 23 and blow these scum right off the Island.
A sad day!
There should be strong laws against this type of stuff:
1) Min 30 days in jail
2)Payment of damages (health, property etc)
3) Payment of courts fee
4) Payment of fine $5000.00 or 5 years imprisonment. or ceasure of private propertyof same value.
Cayman wake up before it's too late! This sort of crime will put tourists off visiting Cayman! Who wants to go where its not safe and what a way to treat your visitors! I hope the poor victim gets some compensation for what they have lost. May be the Ministry of Tourism could help make them forget by giving them a special vacation to show that Caymanians are caring people!
Why would a short-arse wear three quarter length pants? A crime against tourism and fashion.
No doubt they were driven to this because of the furreigners.
No, that is only a small part of the reason. The main reason is they are evil scum, but only an idiot would totally ignore the effect that unbridled immigration including forcing our kids to compete internationally for entry level jobs in their home town at below minimum wage has on society generally.
Generally if they don't commit crime, take crack, drink too much, smoke too much ganja Cayman and want to turn up for work, Cayman must be one of the easiest places in the world for young people to find employment.
I agree and disagree with you here. But it has been said time and time again on here, and I have witnessed it many times, infact, I am witnessing it again in my current position. Young caymanians feel they are entitled to a job, they come in late, dress like wanna be gangstas aka pussies, and barely work when they do bother to turn up.
This doesn’t even cover the attitude that you get!
Obviously this doesnot cover every young caymanian. And I’m sure there are plenty who would be more than willing to get stuck in and earn their crust. But in 17 years, I have met very few.
Who's asking them to compete for entry level jobs? I entered the market pushing a broom for minimum wage, then flipping burgers and tending bar after that. Now I have 2 degrees and a profession. Entry level is not attracting international talent to compete with them, you just have people who think they are too good to flip a flippin' burger until they get the skills to do something better. Go to the hotels and order a drink – where are the Caymanians slinging the Red Stripe? Look in the kitchen and see who's cooking and taking out the trash (which I did too). Where are your people for these jobs?
Well, I recall more than 100 of them (before the days of status grants) working at the Holiday Inn alone. Why don’t you ask yourself what happened to them? Hint: They did not apply for tourism jobs after the hotel was closed is not the answer.
Just an observation. Why do people from the Phillipines, Canada, Ireland etc. travel half way around the world to work in Cayman, leaving their children and families behind?. Could it just be because Cayman's young people have had it drummed into them that when they finish their education the ONLY jobs to have are with the Goverment, Public Services, Cayman Airways etc, and NOT working in a bar, restaurant or anywhere that is not air conditioned?. Okay the wages are not good but how do you get experience if you don't start somewhere.
I agree. However, as a young Caymanian I worked in restaurants and bars. I had friends that worked in supermarkets as bag boys. Others worked in watersports and hotels. Never, as a 17 year old looking for a summer job did I have to compete with a 25 year old (and possibly even university educated) foreign national who was willing to be employed without health insurance, pension or overtime. The ready access to the labour that you and I both commend does sometimes result in local kids being squeezed out of the job market, and also provides employers with an artificial sense of entitlement to foreign labour. You think it’s possible to lawfully employ a foreign national to act as a bus boy at below minimum wage in the US, or elsewhere for that matter? Our system is abused and there is no enforcement. A disaffected youth feeling little to lose may in part be a consequence.
Yes, the pair of them were aspiring young lawyers denied career progress by a furreigner conspiracy.
I was always wondering who the "infamous 11" who could not get articles were. If any of these characters had a decent case they were top firm material they would have identified themselves.
You try to make this into a joke but this is no joking matter. Many of the issues faced by our young people are as a result of the 2003 mass status grants. For one there was an overnight change in our culture and way of life and secondly our people were no longer relevant. Any way in this matter you are preaching to the choir as I believe just what you write and would add because all the jobs are taken by furreigners.
Just keep telling yourself that Darling. Taking responsibility for your own actions is not something taught in cayman while you were growing up so now you and those like you will have to learn the hard way. And just so weare on the same page, All the jobs were taken by furreigners because those like you could not handle the work load.
If you simply changed the words "the 2003 mass status grants" to "consuming too much drugs, poor work ethic and deep-rooted entitlement issues" then you might have a point.
Blame anyone and everyone else. In this case blaming the granting of status nearly 10 years ago. Get over it. I am so tired of the excuses as to why Caymanian youth cannot find a job. Attitude, diligence, competance and being willing to work hard will get you a job – tomorrow.
As Cayman burns down their own house the leaders concern themselves with cut travel budgets and whether buying votes with paving gets you a criminal charge. Just another day. The Governor woke from his nap for a while once corruption in his jurisdiction took on internationally laughable levels – let's see if crime gets his attention too.
Yep..getting closer to our ex-premier's Beloved Isle….Jamaica.
Domestic crime is yourproblem – you wanted power devolved to you in the new constitution.
Law enforcement was not devolved to the elected government under the new Constitution. It still falls squarely under the Governor's responsibility. It is definitely his problem as well.
While Caymanians burn down their own house… this is not some matter to make a joke about. Let it continue and we will see just where we will end up at the end of the day. Caymanians are not an agressive race of people so at the end of the day we don't want to be anywhere but right here at home to be kings in our own castle and not to be self imposed lords and rulers of someone elses house. We need to do everything within our powers to stamp out crime and empower young Caymanians.
I agree with your last sentence but don't understand the rest of your post. No one is making a joke. This is continuing because no one is stopping it. Some Caymanians ARE aggressive, as they are robbing prople with guns and knives and violence, and no one believes it anymore when people say "Cayman is crime free" or "Caymanians are not aggressive". You are aggressive when you stick a gun in my face and take my wallet. You might say those are not "true" Caymanians, but us tourists don't care about that distinction. It's not our ship-mates from the cruise ship robbing us, and we just don't want the gun in our face. Maybe it was Mac who let in a bunch of criminals, but that isn't the tourist's fault either. You look like you want to own your island but you won't own the problems your people have created. Go get the bad guys!
How do you know they are Caymanians?
Its funny these man-children cold probably make more money in one day in a legit job than they made robbing this poor man.
I doubt these ‘man-children’ even know how to use a broom or a shovel, let alone ‘High-Finance’.
If they were hired as tellers in a bank, they’d be happy to take your money…straight into their pockets.
And your point is??
On a constructive note for a moment, there are plenty of jobs that would not place these youngsters in positions of trust handling money. If I were a boss here in Cayman I would never place a new hire straight out of school in such a position until they had earned my trust. However, they would at least have the chance to earn it. If they earn it, great they move up the ladder. If they blow it, well they get no where. The bottom line is, IT IS DOWN TO THE YOUTH TO SHOW THEY CAN BE TRUSTED. No one owes them anything except the chance to provde themselves. The rest is down to them.
But these men, struggling to feed their children, are denied jobs, as Cayman weeps, by the cruel international conspiracies denying jobs to Caymanians and one day, mark my words, the people will rise up against this tyranny. [Feel free to insert any other cliches you feel appropriate especially attacks aimed at status grant holders].
Please don't load up the net with this sarcasm – a lot of people won't get it and will rally around the "ppor poor us" flag.
Surprise,surprise. Welcome to East End. Did this not happen some tome ago?
Yes, there were also a couple of rental cars trashed and torched somewhere out that way 3 or 4 years ago.
Yes welcome to wonderful East End, this is no worst than NYC, LA, MIA, LONDON, PARIS, MILAN, ROME, VANCOUVER, TORONTO, MANILA, KINGSTON, DELHI, TEGUCIGALPA or HAVANA. Unfortunately, crimes happen any and everywhere, again unfortunately Cayman is no longer the exception to the rule. I say to the tourists as a Caymanian I am very sorry that this has happened to you on your vaction here with us in Cayman and this is not representative of our country and people. I am most confident that these preperators will be brought to justice and when it happens I ask that they be dealt with most severly. If this crime was carried out by a non Caymanian they should be stripped of everything except the clothes on their backs and deported immediately. If it was done by natives they should be given the most severe sentence that this type of crime allows for and an order should be made that full restitutation x7 must be made to the tourist and this criminal should be outfitted with a micro chip for life.
Yes. The witness was killed in the gang shootings last year…
For such a small island, Cayman seems to have a lot of robbers, from the top to the bottom of society according to recent news reports.
Including repeat offenders from the top who are setting examples for those at the bottom.
Yes, and if you are really good bandit, you get a statue or an honourable title for life. I wonder if anyone has made both yet?
What XXXX losers. I hope these idiots get caught and punished to the max!
With our dwindling tourist numbers the last thing we need is these petty opportunistic losers (probably living at home with their parents) making us lose our last remaing tourists!
Please send these losers to jail for as long as possible with lots of community service on top!
Is anyone ever robbed in ‘narrow’ daylight or is it only in ‘broad’ daylight?
I lost my wallet in narrow daylight once. That was how I knew I hadn't been robbed – the daylight wasn't broad.
They are playing follow the leader(ship).
There is a popular snorkel guide which directs people to these secluded beaches. While I enjoy a good snorkel, it is a disservice to people who blindly follow the guide to these now unsafe locations. The author himself was mugged at Barefoot Beach. I don't know if this was the case with the current victim but I would like to see a disclaimer included on that site to warn people that they visit these beaches at their own risk. I have been a visitor to Cayman for a few years , will not go to these spots and sadly stick to some of the more populated areas of the island. I hope that the tourist was not badly harmed and I doubt that he will be a repeat visitor to Cayman. Tourists are your bread and butter, Cayman. Wake up and take the necessary steps to protect them and educate them how to protect themselves. I hope the perpitrator is dearly punished for this violation, it reflects on the entire decent Cayman community and Cayman's reputation for being a safe Caribbean island to visit.
The site to which you refer will not even acknowledge that this event occured. They will also not allow to be printed any material which would suggest that Cayman is unstable, unsavory or unsafe. This site actually has said that warnings by the Dept. of State are to be ignored.
I'd rather see the CITA post a warning to potential tourists about the dangers now inherent when visting CaymanKind and not rely on some blogger to do it for them. Leave the turtle guy to nurse the bruises he already suffered on our piece of paradise. He already brought to light his run in with our finest citizens and forced the RCIPS to admit to the crime they seemed fine too keep under wraps.
The snorkel guide in question does not even reference Colliers Pubklic Beach, a fact you could have easily confirmed yourself had you bothered to look before engaging in wild speculation.
As for the mugging, it is unfortunate, but muggings happen everywhere and a tourist mugging every couple of years hardly warrants the hysteria you are pushing.
Wild speculation? Hysteria? Both are overstatements which simply feed the drama.
The Colliers public beach is by now means a 'secluded' beach. It is wide open, visable from the road with lots of parking and usually a couple of cars there at all times. The snorkeling there sucks though.
What many tourists love about Cayman is that they can drive freely around the island and stop off at any beach and feel safe to do so. They are willing to pay a premium for that safety. I live and work out in the Eastern Districts and I can say that there are a good 100 + people who live in East End who know who these muggers are. There was also some attempted muggings by the same people that were not reported to police. It is interesting that someone made a connection with the mugging at Barefoot Beach and the subsequent murder of the witness…..
come now East Enders, stop biting the hand that feeds you. tha heck is the matter with you?
and how are you exactly sure that it was people from East End?
in todays Cayman you will never know though.
While I am not defending East Enders there is no way for you to know that they come from this district until an arrest is made. This beach is just as close to North Side as it is to East End. Regardless of where they come from I do hope they are arrested and charged. The economy here is bad enough without running away the tourists.
"…an arrest is made…" Ahhhhh haaaa haaaa haaaa!!!!
Unbelievable! It just keeps getting worse and worse. Broad daylight muggings and assaults on tourists at government public beach. Can't wait to hear what the cops have to say about this one. They always seem lay the blame on the victim. What , he should not have gone to public park during the day by himself. This should do wonders for tourism. All we get from the cops is "you should have better security, you should have more lights, you should have security cameras, you should hire guards, you should put bars on your windows."
Around two weeks ago a time share owner at Morritt's was coming back from town at night and while driving through East End as he passed the Pirate's Cove bar (on the main road) some punk hurled a chair into his windshield. He hauled ass, as well he should have. Went directly to the East End police station which was unattended, then called the cops. When they got there thay told him there wasn't anything they could do because he could not indentify anyone. He suggested they fingerprint the chair and they told him it was not possible to finger print a chair????? I guess that one did not make the paper. To add insult to injury, the rental car company charged him for the damaged windshield. I guess that's what we call "Cayman Kind". Go RCIP, you guys are great!!
An absolute disgrace, time to put Cayman on the blacklist
Unsurprising. That place should have lost its licence years ago, given the amount of trouble it generates.
Yes, it's all Morritt's fault. If they didn't bring these tourists to such a remote part of the island, Cayman's East End thugs wouldn't prey on them as victims. If we just get rid of the tourists out there, the number of potetential victims will fall dramatically and so will the crime in the area. Problem solved. Brilliant!
I believe that the " close it " reference was to Pirate's Cove, not Morritts.
I think they were talking about Pirtate Cove bar. Funny though because this mugger (who is well known in the neighbourhood) was kicked out of that bar the other night and later run over by the bar owner. Hello? Police??
Nope. Their fingerprint expert can't find my fingerprint in my own home when she came to dust my drawers with that black substance after my home was burglarized!
Cayman kind, with the power of the internet these incidents can go global in a heartbeat.
Overseas travel agents are well aware of dangers of Cayman. Unfortunately, many people don't use travel agents anymore and come here unsuspecting of the potential dangers due to violent crime. This isn't Kingston or even St. Thomas, but if you're out alone or in a couple either late at night or in secluded areas, you might has well put a bull's eye on your shirt because chances are some thug who feels entitled or a morally bereft crackhead is going to target you.
Crime incident numbers might be low (partially becuase many people don't even bother to report being victims of crimes because of the ineptitude of the police, something I have experienced first hand) but when you consider the population of Grand Cayman, the crime rate is actually quite high on a per capita basis.
The "happy talk" moderators over at Trip Advisor have already been removing news reports of these sorts of incidents.
So far, 1 person has disagreed and 3 have hit the troll button.
Boy, are you guys wrong!
Hello from snow covered, freezing-my-ass-off in CANADA.
I'm really looking forward to the day one of theses little pussies rob the wrong person.
Great – this is all we need. Wait till that makes international news. So sad our beautiful country is being degraded by yobs and political yobs.
Sorry to bust your bubble but this is already on the internet and is viewed by millions the world over. If this is not international news then tell me what is? This is why we must make examples of every yobs that degrade our country.
Good way to boost tourism imbeciles
There goes the lucratrive Japanese tourists! None of them will come here now for sure!
It may only be a rumour, but I heard there was a cruise ship full of Ninjas coming our way.
Something about saving face and smashing others.
All you guys with ¾ length jean pants better get some grown up man pants.
Just a suggestion.
Please. Guess they will got to the US or Canada, where that would never happen.
Great – with alllll the political crap going on – now we've had a tourist mugged and robbed during Christmas – a busy season that our tourism industry depends on to carry them thru the leaner times of the year . We are struggling with the economy and can ill afford to have our island get a negative reputation as unsafe. Solution: get these low lifes and just take them out and make use of them as permenant boat moorings – because that's all they're good for. To the gentleman mugged and robbed, I wish you a speedy recovery.
A little to late, Cayman already has he reputation of being unsafe. Read Trip Advisor…
I have read TripAdvisor. There is only one Destination Expert who should be posting. Thank you, Testudo, for keeping it real. On a related note I visited TripAdvisor's highly recommended dive operation a couple of weeks ago in St. Johns. I used rental gear that had not been serviced properly which was like trying to breath through a reed. I went into pulmonary edema. They asked me to tell TripAdvisor that they were great! You couldn't pay me enough to make that statement! But then, I have no vested interests.
The Hulk