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Here are her comments:...

Valerie Woods
"It would be almost insane on our part to compromise our brand and compromise the business that we have with cruise and with hotels to put in place a tour that compromises the safety standards and put people at risk. We would never do such a thing."

"I've heard the accusation of rocks falling I believe or boulders. The rock drill that's used is one that goes in and takes the piece of rock out - just sufficiently the size of the required width needed to put the anchoring pole for the platform. This goes into the drill - this goes into the rock and it takes the rock out and it secures the rock and therefore you unscrew it afterwards and these are pieces of rock, it secures it and so our technical personnel has to unscrew and put it in a little bucket and we carry it down. So it's boulders and rocks falling because of drilling? - it's almost an impractical, impossible thing to do using the proper equipment."

Jules Vasquez
"But Mr. Greenwood appeared at the press conference with a large chunk of churt."

Valerie Woods
"Which you saw him got the minute it fell? Of course, right?"

Jules Vasquez
"I don't want to think that a misrepresentation so blatant is being made."

Valerie Woods
"Because others haven't been made such as we do not comply to regulations. Jules, it's not even worth almost the time and energy spent. It's an inaccurate statement. So you show up at a conference with a piece of rock. I can show up this afternoon if you like with some too. Anybody can, it's an inaccurate statement."

Diego Alvarez, Chukka Operations Manager - Belize
"The drill bit that we have is two inches wide and it has like a special hole inside that holds whatever it drill. At the center it has an external drill point where it holds on whatever we drill like I was telling you. When we pull that out we have to pull that piece of rock and put it in a bucket."

Jules Vasquez
"How large is that piece of rock?"

Diego Alvarez, Chukka Operations Manager - Belize
"Two inch wide by two inch long."

Valerie Woods
"What I think has happen is these inaccurate statements by Mr. Greenwood has done some damage to the industry and to the destination. We have fielded no less than 3 calls already from lines. They are lines that we have contracts with wanting to know if - should they be gearing up for another experience like last year where it was not a friendly welcoming experience to say the lease coming to Belize. That is what is most regrettable here that inaccurate statements are being allowed to be taken as fact and causing damage not just to the destination but the actual system in place because I believe that Mr. Greenwood is suggesting that the very austerity - that he respects is also not complying to their own rules and regulations."

"You say that enough times in a small community Jules, you have created damage."

Jules Vasquez
"Would you say that you all enjoy a special relationship with NICH?"

Valerie Woods
"Absolutely not."

Jules Vasquez
"Would you say that you had an unfair advantage in being allowed to entertain a rappelling tour such as this?"

Valerie Woods
"We have no better advantage than any other investor/operator, bring the idea. Why would I admit to that? I do not have an unfair advantage."

Jules Vasquez
"That's the specific allegation that NICH compromise on its standards for an archaeological park in allowing you all to erect a structure and those others would not have gotten such an opportunity."

Valerie Woods
"Any operator, any investor, any company operating in any part of Belize I am sure that approach any of the authority responsible for the management of the area on any proposal they may or may not have. It is not something that is uncommon for any park national, archaeological or otherwise to have tourism or recreational activity in it - that needs to be guided by the regulations."

"Dr. Awe and the folks over at NICH will clearly show you at any day what the regulations are for any of their archaeological reserves and parks. If we do not comply with it they will not grant us a permit and it is a permit by the way that we have to pay for."

Jules Vasquez
"How would you respond to the criticism that you all are turning an archaeological park into an amusement park."

Valerie Woods
"It's a low volume tour. I guess how would you respond to what occurs every day at the archaeological park - which is thousands of people by Mr. Greenwood own admission going through it. Only maximum of 48 per call we believe can do this tour. It's a very low volume tour."

"We had an idea for a tour and an addition to a tour to complement what we offer. We think it's a very good idea and guess what clients out there actually like it. That is business - having said that, it's a low volume tour by the nature of the cruise meaning that we can only allot a minimum amount of spaces to go down. So any one ship that comes in we are projecting - if we get 48 persons which are like a full bus load - that would be great. It's a hard tour."

And one more important difference of opinion, which did not make it into the interview, is the location of the cave tube route and the location of the rappel.

Woods points out and illustrated to us that the rappel site is squarely 60 feet away from where the cave tubing guests pass. With that distance she argues there is no chance of anything falling on those tubing below.