October 2002

Vol. 17, No. 10     What's this?

Scubacan Sued Successfully

from the October, 2002 issue of Undercurrent  

If you’ve been a subscriber to Undercurrent during the past year, you’ve seen several warnings from us that Scubacan (and owner Keith Bolender), which specializes in Cuban travel, has stiffed several American divers, failing to deliver trips and then not offering refunds.

In February we reported on the travails of five Arizona divers who paid their money and arrived in Havana, only to find the live-aboard boat they had prepaid for was not operating. Bolender had not forwarded the payment, and the boat’s crew apparently had been sent home. A leader of the group, Harry Hanes of Tombstone, Arizona, vowed to pursue the matter. He hired a Canadian lawyer and on July 31 received a judgment against Scubacan for $30,325 Canadian (including attorneys’ fees). Now he has to collect.

Hanes writes, “We want to be sure these asses are driven out of the industry and kept out. Heaven forbid they slink back in under another name. Scubacan’s Web site is still up and running, so I can’t help but think they’re still open for business.”