SCUBA

I would like to share my first SCUBA Diving experience with you that took place in 1987.

About:
Captain Orin Oppermann
1010 Varela Street
Key West, Florida. 33040
T/A
World Ocean Diver
819 Peacock Plaza Suite 541
Key West, Florida. 33040

Reply's I have gotten to this letter

In June 1987, at the young age of 24 I went to Key West Florida on vacation and while there I wanted to get a certification in SCUBA diving. I was staying at the hotel "Ocean Key House" at Zero Duval Street. I went to the tourist booth in front of the hotel called "The Captains Corner" to get information. They gave me some literature on a few diving instructors. I called 3 or 4 of them to get prices and time schedules. I assume that the "The Captains Corner" gets kick backs from companies that they recommend.

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Captain Orin Oppermann was able to accommodate my timing and was competitively priced at $175.00 Capt. Orin came right over to meet me and put me in the hotel swimming pool to see if I could swim.

Later I met Capt. Orin at his house and gave him a $100.00 cash deposit that I have the receipt from Capt. Orin for, thus leaving a balance of $75.00. For the next few days Capt. Orin took me diving on his sail boat, the "Loreley Express" that he kept at the Oceanside Marina on Stock Island near mile marker 5. (Tip, never pay cash! Always use a charge card this way you most likely can get your many back)

After days of diving I went to his house at 1010 Varela Street Key West there he showed me his P.A.D.I. Instructors card, then he gave me what I believed to be a P.A.D.I. test. Capt. Orin asked me not to write on the test paper, but instead use school notebook paper that he had because he only had one test left and may need it for the next student. I thought nothing of this at the time. I took the test and passed it. Then he used a Polaroid Camera to take my picture. Capt. Orin said, "come back tomorrow morning and I will have your divers certification card ready for you to pickup". The next morning I packed up my things to go home to Virginia stopped at Capt. Orin’s house to pick up my card, shook hands and thanked him for everything then left for home. I went away very happy with myself that I had passed a P.A.D.I certified diving course and now could go most any were in the would and go diving has Capt. Orin told me.

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After a month or two a friend of mine asked me to go diving with him. We went to a quarry over 1 hour away that a lot of divers use. We got to the gate where we were asked for are certification cards. My friend showed him his card then I showed him the one that I got from Capt. Orin. The man said he would not except my card that it was no good and that I would not be allowed to go diving in the quarry. I told him I paid a diving instructor in Key West to get this certification card. He said "your not diving here with it!, you better go back to Key West and use it" this was a great inconvenience and I had to pay for the rental of the equipment I had picked up on the way there. Later I had anther experience when I went to a local dive shop to get some diving equipment, they asked me for my certification card so I showed them the one that I got from Capt. Orin, they said: what is this? This card is no good." "Did you make this yourself?" So I told the story and this is when I got the details about diving organizations like P.A.D.I, P.D.I.C., N.A.V.I. and YMCA. Then I came to the realization that I was ripped off by Capt. Orin.

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At this point I had decided to investigate what my recourse of action could be. I called P.A.D.I. in California, they informed me that Capt. Orin used to be a P.A.D.I. instructor but no longer met their requirements and could not certify through P.A.D.I. Then I filed papers with the Better Business Bureau and Fairfax County Consumer Affairs Offices, only to be told that there were no government regulations on this and that there was nothing they or I could do.

After Capt. Orin was contacted by these organizations he sent me a letter saying and I quote. "I’m sorry for the problems you are having as time goes by & more of W.O.D cards are issued then hopefully the big guys will honor the card. I know your card is valid in Mexico & overseas. You have two courses of action. Challenge the P.A.D.I. N.A.V.I., S.S.I., P.D.I.C. or any of the other 20 certifications & explain the situation. I’m sure for a small fee another organization will see you are qualified & issue you one of their cards, Or come down & we’ll hook you up with a P.A.D.I. instructor & get you a card" I did not push the matter any further based on Capt. Orin's word in the letter.

In October 1992, I was finally able to make another approx. 1500-mile trip to Key West. On October 10, 1992, I called Capt. Orin from Miami Fla. and was told he now was an instructor with P.D.I.C. and all he would do is for $200.00 he would test and take me diving all over again to get me a certification card. I said I would be down there in a few hours I'll call you when I get there, he said ok. I stopped in and talked to several dive shops in the Keys on the way to Key West and explained what had happened back in 1987 and they all said this was not right he should give me a certification card for $25.00 to $50.00 and not retest me.

I called P.D.I.C. in Scranton, PA. at (717)342-9434 to make sure he was registered with them. The woman said yes and there were no complaints on file at their office at this time. I asked for Capt. Orin's current address, she gave me 819 Peacock Plaza.

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I got to Key West about 3:00 PM and called Capt. Orin and told him I was now in Key West and would like to meet with him. Capt. Orin said he was at the movies and to give him my address and he would just mail me a P.D.I.C. certification card for free. I gave him my address, but I could tell that by how fast I was talking he was not really writing anything down. So I insisted on seeing him. He told me to call back at 6:00 PM that day. I had three hours to kill so I went to find out more about Capt. Orin. He now keeps a power boat at Murry Marina on stock Key Island and his 819 Peacock Plaza, suite 541 Key West, Florida 33040 address is nothing more than a mail room in a shopping center.

I called Capt Orin back at 6:00 PM he was very nasty and would not have anything to do with me unless I was going to pay him $200.00. He said "you better go back up to Homestead and make some money, and just leave me alone". I said, money is not the issue, then he hung up on me. So I left Key West. (Another costly trip)

I have since called Business Licensing departments in Florida, County and the City of Key West to see if World Ocean Divers was a real company. The answer was "NO, not on file real or factious." According to the state of Florida, World Ocean Divers does not exist.

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I feel I was part of a scam and my rights have been violated and Capt. Orin Oppermann has committed fraud and breech of contract. I would assume that in 1987 and while working under the allies of World Ocean Diver, that Capt. Orin did not have any required insurance, or paid any applicable taxes on his income.

My student number on the card is 00133 which leads me to believe that Capt. Orin has done this to 132 other people before me and many others for a few years after me since it has only been a short time that he has been an instructor with P.D.I.C. Capt. Orin's has records at his house that should be looked at so that the many others of unsuspecting people he had committed these crimes to could located.

This type of business practices taking place in Florida should not be allowed and would not go over very well with the tourist industry.

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I have pictures, receipts, and copy of certification card, brochure, and the letter from Capt. Orin Oppermann.

I hope others will learn from my mistake and not make the same! I did not see it coming it is just one of many tourist traps a person can fall into!

Reply's I have gotten to this letter

SINCERELY,
William J. Baumbach II
11612 Fairfax Station Road
Fairfax Station, Va. 22039
Work: (703) 250-4200
Fax.: (703) 425-4294
E-mail William@Baumbach.com
http://www.Baumbach.com

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