Complaint & Safety Disclosure Regarding Unsafe Instruction, Negligence, and Organizational Failure.
Silence now feels unethical.
If I do not write this, I am complicit in allowing unsafe practices to continue -- practices that can seriously injure or kill someone. Scuba diving is not a hobby where shortcuts are acceptable. It is a high-risk activity that requires discipline, structure, and strict adherence to training standards.
This letter exists for one reason: safety accountability.
One out of three of us trained through Scuba Savvy cannot dive due to lack of proper training.
That is not coincidence -- that is failure with Direct Safety Violations.
Open Water dives were approved at 4, 6, and 7 minutes through the ssi app from shauna.
These dives were: Logged, Approved, Certified and Uploaded into the SSI system. This resulted in certification of a diver with almost no real open water bottom time Pool training does not replace open water competency. Time underwater is not optional -- it is the lesson that was paid for. Not poor instruction, this is negligence.
Shauna Approves dives that do not meet minimum standards! She Shortcuts instruction and certification due to favoritism and cold instead of managing conditions properly and planning accordingly and giving certifications based on student passing SSI requirements. Everyone liking her is not a compliment. I asked why she was the favorite, and then blunty said it. Its because she gave you all dives. And they freaked said yes and then wouldn't talk about it. That is a liability.
Popularity is not competence.
Friendliness is not safety.
Approval is not training.
Its Training Environment Failure.
Even worse, during her ow lesson,
A student separated underwater during Open Water lesson with shauna,
Surfaced alone and everyone laughed it off.
Thats not acceptable.
This is exactly how an entry-level diver can lose their lives.
Financial & Practical Harm:
Over $2,000 spent on certification
Travel expenses incurred.
A Diver is not confident, not safe
cannot dive, and Training must be repeated privately.
An Additional cost required to correct Scuba Savvy's failures!!!!
That is not a service -- that is damage!
Chad needs Ownership Accountability.
Leadership failure is the root cause.
You allowed unsafe instruction
You ignored known problems
You tolerated shortcut culture
You failed to enforce standards
You failed to protect students
You failed to manage your instructors
You failed to prioritize safety over convenience
You failed to be welcoming enough for this to be brought to your attention vs a review. When I needed your assistance, you blew me off. And stayed in your office.
A dive shop owner's job is not branding, ego, or image.
It is safety, discipline, structure, and accountability.
If you cannot control your instructors, you should not operate a dive facility.
Crew Culture Problems
Cliques, Favoritism, Hidden behavior ( sexual by nature, very uncomfortbale for new students ) Ego-driven dynamics,
Insecurity toward skilled divers, Territorial attitudes, Silence when safety concerns are raised due to Staff fear confrontation.
Avoidance instead of accountability
This is not a professional training environment -- it is a social club with tanks!
The Exception (People Who Deserve and should receive Respect)
Chris, jaime, Tracy and Jake. All phenomenal humans and divers. Chris is the best instructor ive seen yet.
Conclusion:
A diver certified on 4- 7 minute dives is a liability: To themselves, To their buddy, To the dive operator, To the industry
This is how people get hurt. This is how people die. This is how lawsuits happen. This is how certifications lose meaning.
Scuba diving is not a game. Certifications are not favors. Training is not optional. Standards exist for a reason.
If you are approving dives instead of teaching them --
you are not an instructor, you are a risk.
If you are allowing it --
you are not a business owner, you are a liability.
This letter is not written out of anger.
It is written out of responsibility.
Someone will get hurt if this continues.
And when that happens, the record will show: People knew. People saw it.
People stayed silent. I refuse to be one of them.You have been warned. read more
