This is a copy of the letter I sent to PADI regarding Divers Den Tobermory, don't dive there…read more Hello, I would like to file a formal complaint with the PADI organization against the Divers Den in Tobermory ON Canada regarding their behavior and business practices. I had four dives scheduled with them. I am a Rescue Diver with 60 dives completed. I have not had any issues with any dive shop prior to the writing of this email. On August 10, I arrived at the with my dive buddy and step son. The check in was uneventful and we proceeded to the dive boat. We received the usual pre-trip brief. We arrived the dive site. I made the first dive and noticed something was wrong with my BCD despite it being relatively new. I aborted the dive and returned to the boat. I examined the BCD and found it was missing a nut that secured the back plate to wing of the BCD. This caused it to pivot and become unstable. I showed it to the divemaster (I don't recall his name) from Divers Den. He told me "don't worry about it, I would dive with BCD like that". I was not satisfied with that answer. I asked the boat Captain for a fastener to secure the BCD. He found one and after sometime of playing with it, we got it on the bolt and I was ready to go. When went to put on my compass the band shaped and I had to leave it behind. However, by this time the rest of the divers had departed for the wreak. The Captain told me to dive a short distance and then dive down to the wreak. With the frustration of my missing nut, I made an error and went in the wrong direction. After a short time, I realized that I had not reached the group and decided to surface to get a bearing. I realized then that I had made an error and headed back to the boat. The captain was saying something to me but I could hear him. I stayed on the surface and thought that today was just not my day. I had no discussion further with the Captain and after I saw the group returning I went back into the boat and to make the return trip to port. Before commencing return trip, the Captain starting making rather extreme comments about the Canadian Healthcare system. I told him that I did not agree and some of the other divers also agreed with my comment. It was clear to me having thought about after the fact, that he did not appreciate my reply. Honestly, I thought nothing of it. When we reached the shore, I thank him for helping me with find the nut for my BCD. Again, I thought nothing more about it and went back to my hotel room. I got up the next morning and was having breakfast before diving at the restaurant next door to The Divers Den. I realized that I had not tipped the Captain which was customary. I had brought an extra tip for today's dive. I received a phone call asking me to come to the dive shop. I was informed by the attendant that I would not be allowed to dive today without a divemaster with me. I was baffled and asked why. I was told the I had disobeyed the Captains instructions. I was completely confused as I had followed my training that when in doubt if something is not right then abort the dive. Unfortunately, on the previous day, I had to do twice. This is the cornerstone of PADI training, conservative decision making. I refused to hire a divemaster for no reason. I went back up to finish my meal. I went back down to the dive shop and asked for my tank deposit in error. This time the owner told me that I was being banned. When I asked why they said for "disrespectful behavior ". They said this as I said the Captain had made this claim because of my comment and that I did not tip. At no time did I swear or even raise my voice, I just told them I would not be returning to the shop anyway. It is my belief that the Captain did complain about me but not for any real safety concerns. He didn't like my reply and I didn't give him a tip. What is most concerning is the Divers Den immediately banning me from the shop without discussion or investigation. I do know that one of the waitresses in town said business was very slow this summer. I believe that this pressure caused the Captain to react the way he did. I also believe that the shop saw it as an opportunity to gain more revenue from me because of the situation. As far as I am concerned, the matter is closed. I will never return to Tobermory as they are the only dive shop in town. I am concerned that when a diver makes conservative decisions while diving, they will be viewed as a opportunity to be taken advantage. Furthermore, I do not think it is appropriate for a Captain to be preaching his political views while operating a public dive boat. Regards Wayne Roberts PADI # 2010CK9908 Get Outlook for Android

I took the 4hr introduction to scuba diving with my girlfriend. First of all, of the advertised 4…read morehours, keep in mind you'll only be diving for 20 minutes. The first 40 minutes are spent filling out forms and reading a booklet on your own. Seriously? The shop has no customer bathrooms. Everyone is recommended to go pee before the dive, but this has to take place in the public washrooms. There are no lockers for personal items. You leave them at the front desk, and hope nothing goes wrong. There is another storage space for personal items. I left my backpack there, and when I got it out in the end, I found it covered in dust. As for the actual dive: my girlfriend repeatedly told the instructor that she felt that the equipment was weighting her down too much. Eventually, after 5 minutes she had to get out the water because her body was hurting. The instructor didn't really care, or do anything to help her. The short dive was interesting, but I wasn't expecting it to be just next to shore. You don't really need scuba diving equipment to go a few meters from the shore. The overall impression I has is that the store makes some easy money from tourists wanting to see the shipwrecks, but doesn't really care about service or in customers having a good time.

We spent a week on Freedom's Challenge, a clean, well laid out trawler with two bedrooms and two…read moreheads. Three seating areas for meals, games, conversation. The boat had everything we needed and was clean and well maintained. This was our first boat charter and we loved it. The North Channel is so beautiful and the trip was both adventurous and relaxing. I highly recommend everything about CYC.

I haven't chartered from many places, Grand Travis Bay, MI, Sarasota, Fla and Chesapeake, MD. I…read moreown my own 33' sailboat (Southern California) so chartering is for convenience so I can return to the best place I have ever been to boat. That being said, CYC is the best service at the best place to sail that I can imaging. Drop dead reliable and they do it all for our convenience. Wouldn't even think of looking elsewhere.

The service of the person who helped me and my family was nice. The ambiance was pretty nice there…read morewas a replica of the Chi-Cheeman and a map of Manitoulin Island (the destination). The place also had a coin thing when we put coin in and it gets crushed into a design.

Sailing to the Flowerpot Island is a must when visiting Tobermory. We chose the Flowerpot Island…read moreDrop Off Tour with Bruce Anchor. This is such an amazing tour that combines all of the Bruce's beauty in one trip. The mesmerizing history, lighthouse, rock formations, turquoise waters, all of which make the tour worth it from beginning to end. Your tour starts at the Big Tub Harbour. You will sail pass the Big Tub Lighthouse, Canadian Coast Guard, and stop by the famous "Sweepstakes" Shipwreck. They maneuver the boat around the sunken ship so you can see the wreck from every angle. There is plenty of time to take photos. I wouldn't recommend crowding at the "see through" glass bottoms, as you can see it even more clearly on the 2nd floor. As you leave the harbour, they accelerate towards Flowerpot Island. They sail around the island for a full circle so you can observe the flowerpots, the lighthouse, and the breathtaking turquoise waters before dropping you off. Here is where I recommend the early bird tickets. Since there is no one at the island yet, you get to take photos that are undisturbed by the inevitable crowds later in the day. Not to mention you get 25% discount from the early bird. Throughout the trip, Bruce Anchor's staffs were friendly and helpful. Plenty of instructions (via text/email) were given for the parking and meeting place. The tour guide was engaging and knowledgeable as he provided commentary throughout. I was highly impressed by their employees. My experience reflects the Bruce Anchor's "cruises", not the "motel".

For the cruises, Bruce Anchor has a variety of tickets available. Early bird and scenic stay-aboard…read moretour tickets are 25% off. There are also drop-off tours with flexible return times. Prices are different during peak and off season and for adults (18-64), seniors (65+), and youth (4-17). Kids (0-3) are free but require a ticket. There's the option to purchase a national park pass on the same webpage. We received frequent updates via text message in regards to our booking. If tickets were purchased online, they can be picked up the night prior to departure or the morning of departure. There was a hiccup in our original departure time. High winds had our departure cancelled. We were given the option to reschedule to a later sailing on the same day or another date, or cancel and receive a full refund. We chose a later sailing the same day and went to pickup our tickets at 10 Haybay Road and then park our car at 22 Legion Street, where a shuttle would take us to their alternate dock. The cruise started by going further into the bay to see two shipwrecks. The shipwrecks were visible by looking overboard or at the glass-bottom panels on the lower deck. Staff provided us with a lot of information about the shipwrecks and the surrounding area on the way to Flowerpot Island. Just a note that sitting on the upper deck, where it's open, can get chilly.

Since the nearest parking to the Grotto was unavailable and completely booked for the upcoming 3…read moreweeks, we figured it would be fun to do the 2 hour hike to the Grotto from here. Upon arrival, we were told the parking was full and that it was better to come back 2-3 hours later. We turned around, drove for about 10 minutes and then came back to give our phone number to the employee so he could call us if any spots opened up. He immediately told us that it was OK for us to enter, since we were from Quebec and we drove about 9 hours to get to this place. Thank you to Jeff, the employee at the front desk for answering all of our questions, being very friendly and extremely helpful by letting us in!!!! The hike was totally worth it, the views are breathtaking, although you cannot enter the Grotto due to COVID. It was very relaxing, the water is at a lovely temperature as well, it is possible to swim on a sunnier day (just be careful because the rocks are slippery). There are bathrooms at the beginning of the trail. Bring your food with you, as well as water bottles since it's impossible to fill them up onsite.

i have camped across Canada and this is the stupidest campground I have encountered, private,…read moremunicipal, or provincially run. First, a 40 min wait in line to get the permit only to be told the I have to leave the campground to fill the water tank at the dumping station. No sign to indicate this outside the campground. Then a "ban" on alcohol and cannabis outside specific hours. (Not to mention a total "ban" on holiday weekends. They can't provide appropriate security so responsible adults suffer. The showers are ridiculous. You get to press the button twice for a weak stream of tepid water. And there is only one shower facility for the entire place. The site assigned is extremely small even though they claim it is suitable for my size trailer. Be very cautious with their website information! The setting is glorious. Well worth a day trip but you would be better at a provincial or private campground. This one is awful.

We love love love Tobermory!! We stayed at Lands End for a week. We got one of the last campsites…read moreavailable for the week that we wanted when I booked, so we were placed in the front end of the campground across the main road by the beach! The front site which was great because the park has no entry after 11pm thru the front gate so we could have come and go as we pleased, as we didn't have a gate. The front spots didn't have a bathroom close, so it was a little walk which was fine, we had the sky full of stars to look at on our way. This is a family style campground and it's so great that there is no late night partying and loud noise after 11. Wish the 2 washrooms in the campground had more than 1 shower facility but the wait was never too long. We had a great time, we heard wolves howling, fed chipmunks, went fishing, swam in the lake and relaxed.

We went camping at Bruce Peninsula Park in September, the week after Labour Day. The crowds were…read morenot horrible but I would expect the park to busier during summer months. The topography of Bruce is absolutely incredible, with its large cliffs and turquoise blue water. We did numerous hikes, all of which were well maintained. Will definitely be back!

This one is a hard one. If you rate it on beauty it's a definite five star. But the crowds, you…read moreall. It's terrible. And I was there in June before the real crowd begins. They just ruin it. It also depends on what you think a national park should be. As far as my opinion, it should be viewing beautiful sights and seeing animals. Serenity. This is not that. At all. If you think a national park should be a splash down water park, you're gonna love it. But you've got people walking the trails yelling at each other. You have people playing music loudly on the trails, as if they need their own personal theme song guiding them on their way. I even saw a Québécois stranger holding a dog in one hand, little child in another, walking in sandals at the Grotto on slick rock formations, jumping from one to the next. It was a disaster waiting to happen. It truly was an unpleasant experience. Look, the park tries to manage it. You have to reserve spots at both the Grotto and Halfway Log Dump. You have to pay a substantial fee to reserve as well. There are checkpoints going in like you're at Panmunjom on the Korean border. But it doesn't matter. There are still too many people. I think it is just too close to Toronto. My recommendation to anyone wanting a more peaceful national park experience would be to go to northern Ontario and visit Pukaskwa. Or even Lake Superior Provincial Park. They are both what I would want out of a park. I hate saying this, but I'd avoid the peninsula altogether.

one of the better parks I have been to, but the orientation is a bit weird…read more the park is literally split up by the falls with no choice but to walk all the way around if you want to see the park on both sides. the park it self is very beautiful during all times of the year, and in the summer time is very popular for swimming, with people diving off of some of the falls that have formed. this location is also great for walking and for just seeing nature at its best, wildlife and the forestry. bring some food to feed either the fish or the ducks or both! parking is enforced at this park pretty strictly, when we entered there was a ranger inspecting vehicles, and when we were leaving same thing. pretty happy I came here, and I would love to come back, especially in the fall or even the winter months.

I visited twenty some years ago, what a great way to get away from the city. Drove from Miami FL…read more took the ferry and had a great time!

From the owner: Daily and Weekly Cottage Rentals, Full Hook-up Campground and RV Park, Boat Rentals, Fishing,…read moreSwimming,Nature Trails, Bicycling. Located on crystal clear Lake Mindemoya on Beautiful Manitoulin Island Canada. Pets allowed in Campground Only.