Who's Going? We have all 24 spots!
1. Kamala aka WW of course! - Dallas, TX - (pd/15-19/drive) - FREE NITROX - Need 18# - No ride from airport Survey/Waiver
2. Paula aka TravelGal - FL, (pd/15-19/fly) - FREE NITROX - Need 14lbs lead, ride from airport, need hotel/stay 18th - Survey/Waiver
3.Keith aka mnjoe - MN, (pd) - 15-19/fly - FREE NITROX - Need 0 lead - Need ride from IAH, need hotel/stay 18th - Survey/Waiver - flight info
4.Doris aka ariesno1 - MD, (pd)-flying in UA 7707 at 10:51 a.m- FREE NITROX - Needs 10#lead - Need ride from IAH - Need hotel/stay 18th- flight out July 19 at 12:00 pm from IAH. Survey/Waiver
5.Juli aka juliwithani - TX (pd/15-18/Drive) - FREE NITROX - No Lead - Can help with rides - Survey/Waiver
6.Rosa aka divegirl412 - CA, (pd)15-19/Flying in - FREE NITROX - Need 6 Lead - Arrives IAH 1:30pm, nonsmoking carpool, needs rides both ways.-SURVEY/WAIVER
7.Mark aka Capn Jack - TX, (dep/1st/2nd/15-18?/drive) FREE NITROX, no LeadSURVEY/WAIVER
8. Sara aka Sara_the_brown - TX, (dep/1st/2nd/15-18?/drive) FREE NITROX, no LeadSURVEY/WAIVER
9. Karen aka nurseshark - TX, (dep/1st/15-18/Drive) FREE NITROX, no lead needed, bringing own tank
10.Karl aka scubafanatic - TX, (pd)/15-18/Drive) - FREE NITROX - Need 0 Lead , bringing own tank - SURVEY/WAIVER
11.Charles aka Houston Squid - TX (pd/ Drive ) - Free Nitrox (boat tank)- no lead-SURVERY/WAIVER
12.Mike - Bubble2Bubble - AR, Drive) - Diving with AIR- Need 0 Lead - Survey/Waiver
13. Jim aka Kelp Diver - Ca.- (pd) /15-19/Fly) - FREE NITROX- 12 lbs lead- arrives IAH 1:30 pm , wants to carpool -Survey/Waiver Diving Classes $450 pd
14.Chuck aka hambergler- Tx- (dep/1st/2ndshy$25) - FREE NITROX-driving from Dallas- no lead Survey/Waiver
15. DandyDon aka Don- Tx- (pd) FREE Nitrox Arrive IAH: July 15-12.30pm; Depart July 19-8.30am Lead:4# 100+ tank wanted Tank PDSurvey/Waiver - have rental van reserved, room for one, maybe two riders
16. Leonard aka divingdog Pa- (pd) Driving - Free Nitrox (will bring own tank - prob not allowed) - alittle weight ??? - Survey/Waiver
17. Jerry aka jjrichardson- Tx- (pd) FREE NITROX -Arrive IAH: July 15-12.30pm; Depart July 19-8.30am Lead 4#- tank needed (bigger if avail) Tank Pd Survey/Waiver
18. scubacolm - (pd) (Domino22's place)Survey/Waiver
19. Gwyn aka gmk - MD (pd) arriving IAH 1438 departs IAH Thurs am, wants to carpool, nonsmoking, rooming with Doris wed night, Nitrox??- taking Nitrox class(pd nitrox class)-12lbsLead SURVEY/WAIVER
20. Joe "Butch" aka Cajun Diver - TX - (pd)Drive - FREE NITROX-needs a tank but no lead- SURVEY/WAIVER - (dm/pd)
21. Steve aka Huma Huma - TX - (pd) Drive OFFERING RIDES - Nitrox? - Lead?- SURVERY/WAIVER
22. Bill aka ScubaTex - (pd) - no lead, FREE NITROX- driving from DFW can CARPOOL from DFW SURVERY/WAIVER
23. Bob aka pir8-(pd) SURVEY/WAIVER - Nitrox, 10lbs lead
24. Sandy aka ScubaPunk (pd) Nitrox, lead, Driving, No Instruction, No rental gear - WAIVER/SURVEY
Check's In the Mail:
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2.
Waiting List...
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To see for yourself, click here for videos of the diving....absolutely awesome!!! Flower Gardens Videos - available in 2 download speeds. Or go on a virtual dive of this fascinating destination by clicking here!
Full Details below:
An OASIS in the Texas Gulf...fish, coral heads, rigs and more... This place is special....Picture yourself over 100 miles from land, in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. At times, the seas can be very unforgiving, and the weather can turn foul in an instant. That is why June - August are the premier months with July being very primo since weather related issues are very infrequent. But here, in the midst of this unpredictable Gulf, lie three of the most beautiful and wild places in all the world. Manta rays, whale sharks, coral heads that are bigger than cars, hundreds of species of fish and invertebrates... This place teems with life!
We will be diving and staying on the private liveaboard The Spree (NEWLY REFURBISHED TO HOLD LESS PASSENGERS AND BRAND NEW!!!) one of two sister ships comprising Gulf Diving LLC. For directions to the boat click here!
DIVERS GET READY!! EAT, SLEEP, & DIVE NITROX FOR FREE!!!
FULL DETAILS:
Out of towners depart July 15th and arrive no later then 3pm if your flight is slightly later let us know...you may need to rent a car to make it on time. Depart Houston either by taxi or usually by shared transport arranged by wonderful members to arrive 8pm in Freeport. (You will need to use the board to help coordinate shared rental cars, etc.) Once on the boat we will travel to our first dive site overnight and arrive 6am July 16th. Dive July 16th to July 18th. Return to Houston Wednesday July 16th and we'll do a Post Trip & Local Area Happy Hour. Fly in divers depart Thursday July 19th.
SEE AT THE BOTTOM FOR MORE DETAILS ON SHARED LOCAL TRANSPORT.
Pkg includes:
3 nights/3 days Diving/16-18th boat dives/All Inclusive Food and beverages (no alcohol included)/ & Taxes, FREE 32% NITROX TO THOSE CERTIFIED ONLY $625 diver d/o or $575 diver non-diver d/o
- 3 nights aboard the MV Spree 100 foot NEWLY REMODELED liveaboard
- 3 days diving up to 11 dives total with minimum 2.5 hour surface intervals
- FREE NITROX for any nitrox certified diver! (Sorry there are no discounts for non-Nitrox divers. However we will have a special rate on learning to dive Nitrox so stay tuned for those details!)
- SD.com famous *Meet & Greet* Welcome Party at the Boat before!
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner & beverages plus in-between snacks
- SD.com signature t-shirt
- Diving Gifts and Giveaways from various SD Vendor Partners (when avail)
- Unlimited air & Nitrox (Compressors on board) (Note: Nitrox is usually avail for $90 upgrade price BUT FREE ON THIS TRIP!!!)
- The boat will furnish your tank if you dive Nitrox, You can bring your own air tank or rent from the boat. Rental is $5 per tank per day.
- Comfortable sleeping arrangements for 24 (used to be 31 before the remodel) in multiple sleeping areas
- Spacious salon and fully equipped galley
- Two restrooms and two fresh water showers
- 10 ft. Avon rescue boat
- Carpeting throughout and air conditioning for your comfort
- Salon has a TV and VCR
- Camera tables on deck with fresh water cleaning tanks
- More...
Tentative Agenda:
We'll depart Sunday night and sail while we sleep so we arrive in time to dive at 7am the next morning. We'll do 4 day dives and 1 night dive on Monday. On Tuesday we'll extend the surface interval and do 3 day dives and 1 night dive. On Wednesday we'll dive on Stetson 2 dives and then travel 4-5 hours back to shore. That is 11+ serious dives in the 70 to 85 ft range (first dive max 130 ft and each dive there after 100 ft max) in 3 days! Safety Note: The boat-imposed depth limit is 130 fsw for the first dive of the day ONLY, and 100 fsw for all subsequent dives. Dives must be planned within recreational limits—no planned decompression dives are allowed. Within those parameters, buddy teams plan and execute their own dives. Dive times are set by the boat crew. Bottom times are limited only by your no-decompression limits, air consumption and common sense.
NOT Included:
- One (1) full air cylinder 80cf (fills are free)
- Airfare or transport to Houston,
- Additional nights stay,
- Lead (some lead is avail for fly in divers but we will keep working on this)
- Transport to the boat, personal incidentals, and alcohol from the boat.
Alcohol: Beer $2.00 US
Optional Add-on's:
- Single Room Upgrade: N/A
- Extra Night Stay Before the Trip: Hotel Room: $TBD Extra night D/O: $TBD (if we can arrange a roommate for you and if space is available) We'll help you with this if you need it!
- Nitrox:* Nitrox is available for FREE for the 3 day trip and includes the price of your tank
- Additional Sightseeing excursions: We can help to arrange some fun things to do while in Houston if arriving early or staying late. More details will be forthcoming as soon as we know how many people are interested.
How to Book a Spot on this Trip:
1. Post in this thread that you plan to join us and your check or payment is in the mail or on it's way. We'll then put your name on the 'check's in the mail' list. (Please send your pymt asap as we'll only hold your spot for 7 days.)
2. Fill out the Trip Rooming & Diving Survey plus the SingleDivers.com Medical Liability Release which you'll find under "Stuff you need to know for ALL SingleDivers.com trips & activities!" or click here to link to it. (Send a PM or an email to fingrabber@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. See below for our credit card authorization form.
4. If we need to know what time you are arriving, if you need rental gear, if driving or flying or how much lead you need, you MUST include this with your initial reservation.
Discounts:
1. SingleDiver.com Premier Membership & Above Rebate (ask for form) <$25>
2. Note: Prices reflect a cash discount. If paying via paypal please add 3% processing fee.
Deposit Information:
1. To secure a spot on this limited availability trip either payment in full or a $200 deposit must be rec'd or the spot you hope to have may be taken by another diver. Unless arrangements are made prior with me, missing a deposit deadline can cause your spot to be released to another customer.
Deposit Schedule:
a. $200 Deposit due at booking to hold your reservation for trip
b. 50% of trip total due March 6th or $312.50
d. 50% of trip less $200 or Bal of $112.50 due May 6th
Payment Information:
Please add 3% if paying via paypal or via credit card. (Please see the credit card authorization information form below)
If paying via paypal go to www.PayPal.com and send payment to SingleDivers.com email = kamala@singledivers.com Be sure to include your address, contact number and screen name as well as the trip name you are sending money for in the details section. For the credit card form, please Click here!
If paying via check or money order, please send payment with screen name & trip name on memo line on the check to:
Kamala Shadduck
SingleDivers.com
3957 Gaspar Ste#200
Dallas, TX 75220
214-350-7003
kamala@singledivers.com
Weather Cancellation Policy:
The Flower Gardens are well offshore and prone to heavy weather issues. However July and August are the premier months since most weather is non-existent. However should we encounter weather here is the boat's policy:
Kamala,
I will call off the trip if the seas are forecast to be 5ft or higher. We can depart with 5ft seas, only if I am confident the wave height will subside to less than 5ft. I also will cancel a trip with less than 5ft seas if there is weather in the forecast that could cause the seas to increase above the 5 ft mark. The boat will take it but the ladder becomes very challenging with seas near 5ft.
I will keep an eye on the weather as the weekend approaches and officially "make the call" no later than noon Friday. If the trip blows out, your money will be returned in a timely manner. - The MV Spree
Note: In the unlikely event that we are blown out, divers will be refunded their diving once SD.com receives it from the boat. For all fly in divers and all drive in divers that wish to join us...we will arrange land based activities in the area to enjoy and/or find a local watering hole to get wet in. If any diver wishes to fly standby back home or drive back home, that is fine too.
Liveaboard Information:
- We do not deal directly with the public, we wholesale all spots to Dive Shops & Dive Groups. Look at our calendar, and contact the shop or charter, which has the date you, want. There will be a phone number or an e-mail link.
- If you are flying, buy refundable tickets, in case the trip gets blown out. Don't trust your local Weatherman as to what is happening one hundred and twenty miles out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. If you are already in route, be prepared to tour Houston or Galveston. (Not as critical in June, July & August but you'll still have a chance of weather issues. We'll have a full day and weekend of events for people IF we get blown out. People will be free to leave as they desire or stay the weekend and ROCK the town of HOUSTON!)
- We notify the shops at 12:00 P.M. the day of departure as to go or no go, based on the seas and NOAA buoys. They should call you around noon, if not, call them.
- Parent or guardian must accompany junior divers on all dives. They shall not go deeper than their certification allows. NAUI standards allow a junior O/W One diver a depth of 60 fsw. Most of the dives we make will be deeper than this.
- O/W Divers, with no Gulf experience may not be the best place for you. Gulf diving is tricky at best, this is neither Cozumel, nor drift diving. You must find your way back to the boat and the mooring line. We highly suggest Advanced Diving Certification. (SingleDivers.com will require AOW or equivelent. Pls contact Kamala if you have any questions about your experience levels!)
- Boarding begins at 8:30 P.M. SHARP, the night before your trip date. (Sunday night for our Mon/Tues/Wed trip) We return around 5:00 P.M. the last day of the trip.
- Bring your C-Card, or we can not let you dive.
- Bring gloves, for ascent and descent line.
- Dive Computers, rent one from your local shop if you do not have your own. Otherwise you will be diving tables, and will not get in as many dives as the others will. NOTE: The clock starts ticking on the surface interval AFTER the last diver gets into the water. Therefore any divers who can dive beyond 30-45 minutes should be the first in the water in order to not push the 2.5 hour surface interval back thereby potentially losing a dive that day.
- Night Dives must have a main light and a small back up light. A tank light, either battery powered or a cylume stick. No strobe lights.
- No fishing or spearfishing allowed.
- No coolers allowed nor food allowed in the bunk areas
- Bring all dive gear, including weights and lights for the night dive. (We will work with all divers coming in from out of town to get lead. When you reserve let me know if you need lead and HOW MUCH!)
- You will supply one FULL 80 alum cylinder that we will fill for you. Redundant cylinders up to forty c.f.t ok. (See notes below on *Tanks*)
- Bring warm clothes for evening, swimsuit, and a good attitude.
- We supply wash cloths, linen, bedding and pillows. - Don't forget towels!
- What about tipping? This is one we hear all the time. Tipping is not required, however our crew will do their very best to insure that you have a safe and fun dive trip and they appreciate any and all tips. A typical tip is 10% to 15% of the amount paid for the trip. Your trip leader has offered to coordinate tips and we do split all of our tips with the divemasters and galley crew. We feel that we are the best in the business at what we do and we want to know if you are unhappy with any of our services. If you enjoy diving with us please tell your dive buddies about us. If you are unhappy with any of our services, please let us know.
More Tank Information:
Air Tanks? - Each diver should bring one full cylinder. Both boats have one adapter to fill high-pressure DIN valves, but will only fill to 3000 psi—the boats do not provide high-pressure fills. If you are bringing a cylinder larger or smaller in circumference than an aluminum 80, please bring a bungee cord to secure it—our tank racks are made for 7 ¼” tanks. Doubles are not allowed. We have rental tanks available for divers traveling from out of town.
Nitrox Tanks? Nitrox is FREE on this trip! Personal nitrox tanks will be allowed, with the following requirements: the tank must be properly labeled, pointed out to and flagged by boat crew, filled with 32% EANx, and analyzed in front of a boat divemaster or Captain before getting underway. Only 32% EANx is allowed. There is no discount on the nitrox price for using a personal tank. Tanks larger in size than 100 cf will be charged double. Doubles are not allowed.
Pony Bottles? Pony bottles in use aboard the M/V Fling and M/V Spree are considered redundant safety equipment for emergency situations only. Pony bottles equipped as a redundant gas supply with first and second stage regulators will be filled once at the beginning of the charter if needed. Nitrox fills for
pony bottles are $10. Pony bottle use constitutes an out-of-air situation. A diver equipped with a pony bottle, using the pony bottle gas during a dive, places the diver in the out-of-air
restriction and the diver will not be allowed back in the water. As stated in the out-of-air policy, loss of breathing gas from catastrophic equipment failure does not preclude the diver from reentering the water once the equipment failure is remedied. Pony bottles equipped as gas supply for drysuit inflation, having only a first stage regulator, inflator hose and pressure gauge, will be filled with air on an as-needed basis.
Local Transport Clarification:
For those that are new to this trip you may be confused about how the local transport works. All you know is that you have to get from the airport if flying in to the boat or you have to get from Dallas or Houston or other surrounding areas if driving.
Here is how it works:
1. All people are responsible for getting to the boat. SingleDivers.com has not arranged public transport to get you to the boat....at least not yet.
2. SingleDivers.com will help you all to organize your transport via a number of options that have and are continuing to present themselves.
3. Please note that our intention is to save you as much money as possible but all our options will entail contributions for gas, rentals if needed and a 'nice gesture' for our member's personalized service. While the cost savings are being passed thru to you...we are doing a lot of extra work to help to facilitate this and we are happy to do so but of course we need everyone cooperation to make this work.
4. How will it work? For starters we need information and options. Once we have them we can match resources to needs and then fill in the blanks with either shared rental cars or other options. Again this is much easier than leaving everyone to their own devices. And it is our intention that it is equitable as well as easier for everyone.
So lets get started!
a. Several people are coming from Dallas for this trip myself included. I have mentioned to several people that we should carpool. These plans are being worked on and we will have several 'shared ride' options. IF YOU'D LIKE TO BE PART OF THIS OPTION OR CAN HELP WITH THIS OPTION PLEASE LET US KNOW!
b. Several people are coming from Houston and want to join us in the Happy Hour at the boat and the one after the trip. They have offered to help transport people to the boat and/or share a ride with other local Houston people. IF YOU'D LIKE TO BE PART OF THIS OPTION OR CAN HELP WITH THIS OPTION PLEASE LET US KNOW!
c. If you are flying in PLEASE LET US KNOW YOUR FLIGHT DETAILS AND THE AIRPORT YOU ARE ARRIVING AT. This will help us match as many people up with 'offers to transport' as possible.
d. If you can help to drive people and wish to do so... PLEASE LET US KNOW SO WE CAN GET YOU ON A MASTER LIST!
(please advise if your car is a smoking or non-smoking vehicles so that we can match passengers to cars appropriately.)e. If you are willing to rent a car/van and help to transport people like Dandy Don has offered please let us know so that we can figure that into the equation. PLEASE SPECIFY IF THE RENTAL IS A SMOKING OR NON-SMOKING VEHICLE. Then we can better decide who will be comfortable using various transport options.
f. And of course if you wish to do your own thing you are under no obligation to participate in this process. Just let us know so we know you have your own plan!
If you need more information on how this will work I'll do my best to help you. In the meantime we are still aways away from the trip and still have some openings. Please start to let us know what you need and what you can offer. Then we can pull it all together for you and let you know what we have worked out.
for your feedback, generous contributions of help and resources and of course for your information so we can figure it all out! 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 and averages about $ for this trip.
Click here for a free quote or to purchase online!
or
Click here for another provider that provides excellent rates and coverage!
Attached Images
Attached Files
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Credit_Card_Usage_Authorization_Form_r.2_6_1_06.doc 24.5KB
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Edited by ScubaPunk, 11 July 2007 - 12:01 PM.
