SingleDivers.com has been asked to be a focus group for a group of resort developers. They believe that they have created a fantastic dive resort but would like to make it the 'perfect dive resort'. What better way than to solicit input from the most diverse group of discriminating and yet grounded divers around? In exchange for our knowledge and input they will pay some or most of our airfare to Belize for doing something we'd normally do for free! (But don't tell them that!)
Belize is world class diving and extremely unspoiled. We'll be diving with our very own member Peterbj7 of ProTechDive in Belize. He'll be doing a 2 tank dive daily excursion and we can upgrade to one of several special offerings I am currently working on to include the blue hole! These may not be available after you book the trip but do not delay in booking as there are only 20 spots and when they are gone...they are gone.
Belize Slice of Paradise Trip for $1025* d/o "Nov 8-13 for 5 nites/3 days diving" or $1375* d/o "Nov 8-15 for 7 nites/5 days diving" INCLUDES PARTIAL AIRFARE TO BELIZE in it! (You only pay any add-on fees from non-major cities which will be approx $200 or less.(PLUS $25 rebate for premier members as well as first sign ups.) Don't Miss this great chance to go diving in BELIZE and be paid for it!!!
(Please see below for full terms and conditions.)
Who's Going To Belize Nov 8-13th 5 nites/3 days diving? ( MUST Provide Legal Name, City departing from and willingness to allow SingleDivers.com the ability to room 1 person with a member of the opposite sex if needed or upgrade to a single room if needed and submit SD.com Waiver and Survey when booking. Spot not booked until payment rec'd. Payment must be rec'd before airfare can be procured.) NOTE- ONLY 10 Spots for this option :
1. David aka DiverDavid - CA - (pd $1025.00) d/o, Nitrox, 6 Rentals, #12, SJC or SFO Survey/Waiver rec'd
2. Bob aka Pir8 - (pd $1025) d/o, Nitrox, 6 Rentals, #0, PHL Survey/Waiver rec'd
3. Richard aka Ric - (pd $1025) d/o, Nitrox, 6 Rentals, #16, LAS (vegas), Survey /Waiver rec'd
4. etski aka Evan - (pd 1375.00) (d/o) Nitrox plus Nitrox Class, 6 Rentals, #16, SLC Survey/Waiver rec'd
5. juli aka juliwithani - (pd $1025 + $250 s/o via cc) , 5 Nite/3day, Nitrox (not pd yet), 6 Rentals, #12, IAH, Blue Hole, Survey/Waiver
6. bpro aka Chris - (pd $1025ck+ air add-on $65.45 & $78 Nitrox +3% + $150.00 AOW Class +3%) d/o or s/o, 5 Nite/3 day, Nitrox, 6 Rentals, #12, STL, survey/Waiver rec'd
7. Drew aka ScubaDrew - (pd $1025+3%) d/o PHL - 5 Nite/3 day, 16#, NITROX, Survey/Waiver Rec'd
8. Lynette aka FlStarfish, (pd $1025) d/o, No Nitrox, 6 Rentals, #13, MCO Survey/Waiver rec'd
9. Beth aka Beth - (pd 1,197.71) d/o, 6 Rentals, #18, ATL Survey/Waiver
10. Sarah - d/o 5 nite/3day, IAH Survey/Waiver rec'd
Check's In The Mail & Waiting on Documents:
1.
2.
Who's Going To Belize Nov 8-15th 7 nites/5 days diving? ( MUST Provide Legal Name, City departing from and willingness to allow SingleDivers.com the ability to room 1 person with a member of the opposite sex if needed or upgrade to a single room and submit SD.com Waiver and Survey when booking. Spot not booked until payment rec'd. Payment must be rec'd before airfare can be procured.) NOTE- ONLY 10 Spots for this option :
1. Kamala aka Wreck Wench - Dallas, TX (pd) -Legal Name Supplied, Dallas, TX - Waiver/Survey rec'd
2. Barb aka DiverBabs - (pd 1416.25) d/o, Nitrox, 10 Rental Tanks, #18, MIA, Survey/Waiver rec'd
3. Bob aka Fordan - (pd 1776.76) s/o, Nitrox, 10 Rental Tanks, #23, PHL, Survey/Waiver rec'd
4. Zach aka DivZac - (pd 1420.00) d/o, Nitrox, 10 Rental Tanks, #2, PBI Survey/Waiver rec'd
5. Michael aka Neptuner - (pd $1350) d/o, Air, 10 Rental Tanks, #8, Denver Survey/Waiver rec'd
6. Joseph aka Outdoorswon, Toronto, (pd $1375 + 3%+air add-on +BH,NiteDive,2 3rd Dives +3%) d/o, nitrox, Survey/Waiver rec'd
Check's In The Mail & Waiting on Documents:
1. Tiffany aka Ms~ Taylor - d/o Air, #8, 10 Rental Tanks, Denver Survey/Waiver rec'd
2. Bill aka OTWdiver - d/o Nitrox, Survey/Waiver rec'd, SC
EXTRA DIVES AND OPTIONAL SERVICES SIGN UPS:
"Day of Arrival" Dive 3pm ($40) Min 4 Max 8 per day:
Everyone is a Maybe Depending on Arrival Times, and how you feel when you get there.
1. Pir8 - Post # 129, 217, 249
2. Juliwithani Post # 134, 212, 295
3. DiverDavid Post #142, 213
4. Fordan Post #143, 240
5. ScubaDrew Post #207
6. FlStarfish Post #294
7. Sarah - Did not post
8. Beth Post # 360, 362
DIVE IS FULL. (PLEASE VERIFY IF YOU ARE STILL DOING THIS DIVE)
RENTAL GEAR NEEDED FOR DAY OF ARRIVAL DIVING:
1. pir8: NONE 0 #lead, belt?
2. juliwithani: NONE 12#lead, belt?
3. DiverDavid: med bc, regs, 12#Lead, belt yes UNLESS have integrated bc which he prefers
4. Fordan: 23# lead,
5. ScubaDrew: NONE 16#lead, belt?
6. FLStarfish: 13# Lead
7. Sarah:
8. Beth: NONE, 18#lead, belt?
Other Rental Gear NEEDED:
1. Zac 2# lead
2. Bpro 12#lead, belt, light
3rd Dive a Day ($30 vs. normal $40) Min 4 Max 8 per day:
1. Pir8 Post #129, 217, 249
2. DiverBabs Post # 131, 208
3. juli Post # 134,212, 295
4. Divzac Post #136, 216
5. DiverDavid Post #142, 213
6. Fordan Post # 143, 240
7. ScubaDrew Post # 207
8. Etski Post # 146, 213
DIVE IS FULL!
Waiting List:
9. bpro Post # 172, 250
10. Ric Post # 291
11. Beth Post # 360, 362
12. Outdoorswon - Did not post
13. Sarah - Did not post
14. WreckWench Post # 259
15. OTWDiver - Did not post
Night Dive $45 Min 4 Max 8 per day:
1. Pir8 #129, 217, 249
2. Juli Post # 134,212, 295
3. DiverBabs Post # 131, 208
4. DivZac #136, 216
5. David Post #142, 213
6. Fordan # 143, 240
7. etski - Post # 146, 213
8. ScubaDrew Post # 207
DIVE IS FULL!
Waiting List:
9. bpro Post # 172, 250
10. Ric Post # 291
11. FlStarfish Post # 294
12. Beth Post# 360, 362
13. Outdoorswon Did Not Post
14. Neptuner - Did not post
15. Ms~Taylor - Did not post
16. Sarah - Did not post
17. WreckWench
18. OTWDiver - Did not post
Blue Hole ($130 + 40 cash park fee EXTRA in lieu of a dive pkg day) Min 10 Max ??? per day:
1. WreckWench
2. Pir8
3. DiverDavid
4. Etski
5. ScubaDrew
6. DiverBabs
7. Juli
8. Ric
9. FlStarfish
10.Outdoorswon
11. Sarah
12. OTWDiver
13. Beth - Undecided
DIVE IS A GO!
Nitrox Summary Sheet $13x___ dives = your total due:
1. Wench - $13 x 12 = $156
2. Barb - $13 x 14 = $182
3. Fordan - $13 x 14 = $182
4. Zach - $13 x 14 = $182
5. Evan - $13 x 8 = $104
6. David - $13 x 8 = $104
7. Pir8 - $13 x 8 = $104
8. Ric - $13 x 6 = $78
9. Lynette - $13 x 2 = $26
10. Chris - $13 x 6 = $78
11. Juli - $13 x 8 = $104
12. Joseph - $13 x 12 = $156
13. Drew - $13 x 8 = $104
14. Sarah - $13 x 6 = $78
15. Bill - $13 x 12 = $156
Wanting to do DAN Research & Use Cochran Computer: (6 available total first come first served)
1. etski aka Evan
2. Lynette aka FlStarfish
3. Chris aka bpro
4 Drew aka ScubaDrew
5. Bob aka Pir8
6. Tiffany aka Ms~Taylor
Interested But Can't Quite Commit:
1. Miss Ocean aka Angela
2. Bottomtime aka David -
3. Vulture aka Joe - Wash DC -
4. Shellig - TYS
6. ScubaTex aka Bill
7. Mermaid Lady aka Teresa - IAH
8.
9. dive1dennis aka Dennis - Chicago
10. Stingray1 aka Phyllis - IAH
11. Phil aka Topless
12. Bridget aka Seahorse Seaker - 7 Nite/6 Day
13. Bob aka Bonus - CO
14. Suzanne aka Suzanne - CO
Regular Members:
15. SleeplessInBimini - NJ - 7 Nite/6 Day
16. NigerHadiza aka Anna - NJ - 7 Nite/6 Day
Belize Availability Update:
SD honors a first come and first served premise that is driven by posting in our community. Premier members will have 7 days once a trip is posted to sign up first and then the trip will be open to our general membership. Once a trip appears to have filled up from the "My Check is in the Mail" and the confirmed deposits/pymnts, we will open an official waiting list for the trip. As openings occur or deposit checks are not received, we'll open up the Waiting List for trip participants to fill those spots.
Please note that while you may send pm and email requests for availability, the official availability is always available in the main trip post. Thank You! -ww
p.s. FOR THIS TRIP ONLY...you will need to pay in full as we are already 30 days prior to the trip. You will need to pay within 5 days to hold your spot. You may want to consider paypal but don't forget the 3% fee on the total payment.
Trip Instructor: Bob aka Pir8
Trip Videographer: TBA
Here is the full information on the trip:
TEMPS & CONDITIONS:
The weather is remarkably consistent all year and perfect for this kind of diving. The temperatures range in the mid to high 80's during this time of year and the water temps are in the low to mid 80's making this truly diving in comfort!
AIRFARE:
Airfare is being subsidized by the Resort Developers in exchange for SingleDivers.com being a focus group to help them develop the perfect dive resort. In many cases no additional airfare will be needed above the price of the trip if you are flying from a major city or one of the ones already pre-approved. In our sampling of smaller cities most airfare supplements were $200 or less but each will need to be verified before you are on officially on the trip and can take a spot. Scubapunk will in my absence verify any add'l airfare costs and will submit your information for ticketing. PLEASE NOTE that if you change your mind or have to cancel you will forfiet the price of the ticket paid as well as your deposit as tickets can not be reused or sold to other members. Please make sure you can go before committing.
SCHEDULED ITINERARY
Either 3 or 5 days of diving with ProTechParty, several 'think tank sessions' with the Resort Developers to help develop the 'perfect dive resort' (please prepare some thoughts in advance if you can) and some other sightseeing around the area TBA later.
Belize Slice Of Paradise $1375 d/o 7 nites/5 days diving or $1025 d/o 5 nites/3 days diving PACKAGE INCLUDES:
• 4 nights/3 days diving OR 7 nights/5 days diving
• Hotel accommodations at one of several hotels near the proposed resort including Banana Beach Resort or similar resort (we should all be together at the same hotel)
• SD Famous 'Meet & Greet Get To Know Everyone' Parties
• Transfers from Airport to hotel and back* (normally included but could vary depending on the hotel)
• Grey SD T-Shirt typically with funny saying on the back commemorating the trip!
• All taxes included except for airport departure tax
• Daily SD.com H20 Happy Hours and Dinner together as a group!
• Diving Gifts and Giveaways from various SD Vendor Partners as available
• Opportunity to help develop the 'perfect diving resort' and learn more about a 'slice of paradise in Belize'
PACKAGE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
• Airfare from all cities but it will be reduced from all cities. Ask for your final price if not already listed in the discussion thread.
• Food
• Rental, instruction and retail charges
• Crew gratuities usually $20-25+ a day
• Trip Cancellation Insurance
• Airport exit fee
• Transfers from Airport to hotel and back* (normally included but could vary depending on the hotel)
• (Strongly suggest insurance for this trip. If you must cancel the trip you will have to pay for the airline ticket if issued and you'll need to pay a non-refundable $500 deposit.)
OPTIONAL ADD-ON'S:
• Nitrox: 32% $13 per 80cf tank 28% or 34% $15 per 80cf tank
• Nitrox Class: $100 for Premier Members $125 for Standard Members payable to SingleDivers.com plus book and tables payable to your local dive shop plus $25 cash for pic card fee paypable directly to instructor.
• Single Room Rate: is $50 more per night or $250 for 5 nite pkg or $350 for 7 night pkg
• Blue Hole addon and other local dive options TBA
• T-Shirt Color Upgrade: The trip comes with a white or grey SD t-shirt which can be upgraded to black or purple for $7 subject to availability.
THE DIVING:
Ambergris Caye is half a mile west of the Meso-American Barrier Reef, which runs from Guatemala northwards to Cozumel in Mexico, and is the second longest barrier reef in the world. It's also the longest in the northern hemisphere and is said to be the longest in the western hemisphere (though I don't know what that means), and it's on this reef that we do our local diving. Apart from one dive site that is inside the reef (Hol Chan Marine Reserve), all others are marked by permanent buoys in water around 30’-50’ deep outside.
Although it varies at different sites along its length, the reef and diving can be summarised in four sections. The shallowest extends from the reef where it meets the surface down to around 50’/60'. This area suffers from surge and storm damage when seas are rough, so hard corals are unable to grow there. It comprises a sloping plain covered with soft corals, mostly greens & browns, with occasional sandy patches. These patches are ideal for early student training as we take great pains not to touch the coral – a single touch with a fingertip can cause damage that takes years to mend.
· From around 50’ to 120’ there is a fascinating area of spur-and-groove formations, where the coral slowly drops away like a range of hills, with erratic and sometimes dramatic canyons suddenly appearing, with lots of overhangs and swim-throughs. Care must be taken here not to get carried away by the scenery and forget your depth, as these canyons can easily drop 20’ or 30’. As this area is much more protected from the effects of storms, you can find many hard corals here with some splendidly bright colours.
· Below around 130’ we are getting into technical diving territory. There is generally a sloping sandy plain with coral outcrops and much interest, providing a wonderfully relaxing environment for a gentle ramble. Perfect rebreather territory.
· At around 200’ a vertical wall commences, falling away into the abyss, although in some places a shelf can be seen at least 350' down. Although not generally colourful this wall is very impressive for people able to dive to those depths.
Diving at the Atolls
· Belize has three of the four atolls to be found in the northern hemisphere. From Ambergris Caye it makes sense to visit two of them – Lighthouse and Turneffe. The third, Glover’s, is sufficiently further south to make a different base more appropriate. If all you want to do is dive a particular atoll then each has its own resort, but most people prefer the variety of staying in a bigger centre, such as San Pedro. The downside is quite long journeys to get there and back.
· The biggest draw in Belize is the Great Blue Hole. Located in shallow water inside Lighthouse Atoll, it is almost perfectly circular, 1000’ feet across, and was found recently to be 365' deep at the SE point which is most commonly dived. An earlier expedition found it to be about 100' deeper in the middle. As the visibility is usually only around 25’ most divers hope never to see the bottom! Other than a pronounced overhang near the top the walls are near-vertical grey limestone, with no corals and usually no natural colour of any sort. There are two boat entrances to the Hole, north and east, with the other sides blocked by a circular reef.
· For "recreational" dives, most boats tie up to fixed moorings in the east entrance, and the dive comprises a swim south (clockwise) around about 20º of arc down to an shallow alcove in the side containing massive stalagmites and stalactites. The top of this alcove is at around 125’, but most trips take divers to the bottom of the alcove at 145'. Because the wall is so bland in appearance and there are no other visual references it is important to have a good sense of depth.
Because of the need to fit three dives into the day trip, and because the Blue Hole dive is the deepest and must be first, you'll dive it at around 8:30 -9:00 am. At this time the sun is still nowhere near overhead, so the hole will be quite gloomy. This is exacerbated by its shape - a pronounced lip at the top where the ancient roof collapsed, and then walls that are slightly conical from the bottom up, so that wherever you are there's rock above you. Add to that the greyness of the rock and the low visibility and for inexperienced divers it can be quite daunting. We recently dived it at noon and used scooters to make a complete underwater circuit, and it was a different world - bright & sunny even down well below normal dive depths. Furthermore, we could see that stalagmites and stactites could be found most of the whole way around.
There is a good chance in the Hole of seeing large sharks, usually bull or grey reef, with hammerheads in deeper water. Even though the dive is kept short (even so, some people drain their tanks from the excitement of it all) many dive computers will go into decompression, so the dive is definitely beyond "recreational".
We are often asked by inexperienced divers whether they should dive the Blue Hole. The answer is "maybe". If you’re an adventurous soul who likes a challenge and has good buoyancy control and ideally good air consumption then do it, and you’ll love it. If you’re nervous about having no visible bottom under you, worried by large sharks cruising around near you, have a tendency toward claustrophobia, or have poor buoyancy or breath control, then we would definitely recommend you don’t do the dive just yet. It will be far and away the most arduous dive you’ve ever done, and even though you’ll survive (honest!) you won’t enjoy it. The picture shows an aerial view of the Hole taken from the SW.
· As a technical dive the Blue Hole is superb. Below around 250' there's a good chance of seeing hammerhead sharks. The only problem is that this sort of diving requires a dedicated boat and enough divers to pay for it, typically at least 10. We can though often organize a 1 hour "bounce" to depth from a recreational boat, for suitably qualified divers. We recently supported John Chatterton and his "Deep Sea Detectives" team in diving to the bottom in the SE corner.
· A day trip from Ambergris Caye to Lighthouse and the Blue Hole takes around 11 hours, with about half of that travelling. A two-day trip is sometimes possible, with more diving and less travelling per day, but this can be expensive unless there are enough divers to justify the high boat cost.
· There are many superb reef wall dives on Lighthouse Atoll, and the regular Blue Hole day trip includes two of them. Given enough divers (again, at least 10) it is possible to arrange trips that just do these dives and leave out the Blue Hole.
· On Turneffe Atoll there are also many superb wall dives, with The Elbow at the southern tip being the most famous. Indeed, many guide books list this as the best single dive in Belize. A day trip to the Elbow takes around as long as a Blue Hole trip, but given the shape of Turneffe Atoll and its position relative to Ambergris Caye it is possible to reach the northern and western walls more quickly.
DISCOUNTS:
• $25 Mail In Rebate for SD premier or above membership (Click here for the form & details!
• Price includes cash discount. Please add 3% if paying via paypal or credit card.
How to Book a Spot on this Trip:
NOTE: Premier Members will have a minimum of a week to pre-book this and all SingleDivers.com trips before the general membership. Members is only $35 a year and you get $25 everytime you travel with us.
1. Post in this thread that you plan to join us and your check or payment & forms are in the mail or on their way. We'll then put your name on the 'check's & documents in the mail' list. You MUST tell us:
a. Number of Days Diving
b. Number of Nights Hotel
c. Single (s/o) or Double Occupancy (d/o)
d. How many tank fills and/or tank rentals
e. How much lead you need or if bringing your own
f. WHAT CITY FLYING FROM - if you need to verify the price of the trip then please post that first and let Scubapunk or WW confirm your city is covered or what the supplement will be.
g. YOUR LEGAL NAME SENT VIA EMAIL TO TRIPS@SINGLEDIVERS.COM to book your ticket
h. ScubaPunk or WW will notify the resort and your ticket will be BOOKED UPON RECEIPT OF PAYMENT ONLY. Checks will be confirmed daily and Paypal will be confirmed several times a day.
2. Fill out the Trip Rooming & Diving Survey plus the SingleDivers.com Medical Liability Release which you'll find HERE under "Stuff you need to know for ALL SingleDivers.com trips & activities!".
(Send a PM or an email to trips@singledivers.com for the password.)
3. Send your deposit for the trip and/or monies due based upon the payment schedule posted below and payment options. If you need to make special arrangements about payments with me please contact me and I'll gladly work with you. If paying via credit card please use the credit card authorization form found in the docs forum HERE. PLEASE make sure you send a detailed itemization of all payments, what trip they apply too and include your screen name.
4. Please read "Everything You Need To Know About A SingleDivers.com Trip located here.
PAYMENT OPTIONS:
Please add 3% if paying via paypal or credit card.
If paying via paypal go to www.PayPal.com and send payment to kamala@singledivers.com Be sure to include your address, contact number and screen name & TRIP NAME in the details section.
If paying via check or money order, please send payment to:
Kamala Shadduck
SingleDivers.com
3957 Gaspar Ste#200
Dallas, TX 75220
214-350-7003
kamala@singledivers.com
If paying via credit card (Visa, MC, Diners) download the SD Credit Card Authorization Form, complete and fax to 214-350-2558. Click here for the form.
PAYMENT TERMS & SCHEDULE:
ASAP: $FULL TRIP PRICE as we are only 30 days away! (Strongly suggest insurance for this trip. If you must cancel the trip you will have to pay for the airline ticket if issued and you'll need to pay a non-refundable $500 deposit.)
PROGRESS PAYMENTS:
a. $TRIP PRICE IN FULL to hold your spot and book your ticket!
Note: Trip must be paid in full upon booking since it is 30 days away
PLEASE obtain trip insurance ...it is VERY inexpensive and will protect your investment. You can purchase it right online as well as check quotes etc. It is very economical is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Click here for a free quote or to purchase online!
or
Click here for another provider that provides excellent rates and coverage!
Edited by ScubaPunk, 07 November 2007 - 06:48 PM.