108 replies to this topic

[WreckWench]

Based upon member comments how does this look? NOTE: This is a very tentative schedule.

1. The dates are not firm nor are the weeks...merely options.
2. The locations are not firm but they represent places that divers have asked to see or types of destinations requested i.e. pristine locales.
3. I'm not sure we can support one major trip a month but we can see what the feedback is. We may have to do one trip every other month.
4. Most of these trips that last a week will run in the $1000-1500 range including airfare. The 2 week trip to Figi will probably be in the $3k range.
5. We may need to offer FEWER trips with MORE people on them in order for SD to survive this first full year or so. (Small groups and/or empty spots cost SD heavily.)


Plan of attack:

1. Please reveiw for destination preferences and feed back comments.
2. Please review for TIMING peferences and tell me week 2 vs. week 3 works better for you.
3. Please review for number of trips you will be taking in a year...once a month, once a quarter or once a year.
4. Please review for Destination Timing Issues...meaning if I suggest we do Saba in March and you KNOW that is hurricane or rainly season...PLEASE let me know. I'm trying to pick timeframes that are low season and great conditions so we can get good pricing!
5. Please let me know any other comments you'd like to make. I will work to finalize pricing and actual dates as soon as we firm up a working calendar!! Thanks a million gang.....(now go and recruit more divers so we can take ALL of these trips!!!)


January 2005
wk 1
wk 2 Cozumel or
wk 3 Cozumel (2nd Annual SD Reunion Dive in Cozy...where it all began!)
wk 4

February
wk1
wk2 Bahamas/Cai Sal Banks just north of Cuba
wk3
wk4

March
wk 1
wk 2 Saba St Kitts (Liveaboard AND Land Options in St Kitts, Saba, St. Martine)
wk 3
wk 4


April
wk1
wk2
wk3
wk4

May
wk1
wk2 Grenada (Spectacular Diving! VERY pristine and unspoiled.)
wk3
wk4

June
wk1 SeaSpace Dive Show (Firm)
wk2
wk3 Florida Keys
wk4

July
wk1 NC Wrecks
wk2
wk3 Flower Gardens 36 spots for full boat
wk4

August
wk1
wk2 NC Wrecks
wk3
wk4

September
wk1
wk2 Bonaire
wk3
wk4

October
wk1 NC Wrecks
wk2
wk3
wk4 Halloween in California with diving or Channel Islands

November
wk1
wk2 Fiji and/or Tonga (Rec'd the most specific votes)
wk3 Fiji and/or Tonga (Rec'd the most specific votes)
wk4

December
wk1
wk2
wk3
wk4 Christmas

New Year's Eve Trip

I've had requests for a trip during dead week or just around NYE's timeframe. Travel is more expensive but if we plan WELL in advance it is doable. Question is where to go and do we REALLY have enough people who would do a trip during this timeframe. -I'd be inclined to do a shorter trip someplace vs a week.

[WreckWench]

Ok so 30 people have looked at this calendar and not one of you have made any comments? Ok that's not true...I've had a couple of people email me with trips they could do and requests for a specific date in the month etc.

Basically the kind of feedback I want from everyone!!! Thanks gang...ww

[chinacat46]

FINE The Cozumel is a maybe depending on when I quit my job. Feb and March are out since I'll be in Micronesia. Grenada sounds good cuz I probably won't have a job yet and diving would be great. I'm definitely interested in the Flower Gardens but might do Galapogos or Cocos around that time frame but the Flower Gardens would definitely be cheaper. Can you move to August? I'd like to do Bonaire and Fiji also but it's a bit early to confirm that far ahead.

[chinacat46]

ZD when is the best time to see Mr. Big(whale sharks) in the Flower Gardens???

[finGrabber]

ok...

if I do Fiji/Tonga, then I'd be restricted to 1 more trip...I'd most likely do Saba...
and probably the Flower Gardens...and that would be it, cuz, no more VC!

[WreckWench]

We'll have a little flexibility with the Flower Gardens trip...but July and Aug are the absolute best months so getting dates then is tougher. I've got your feedback logged...thanks!

As for best time to see whale sharks...often times it NOT when you want to attempt diving the FG cuz the trips have such a high probability of getting blown out. However July and Aug have had sitings of them. ZD will further confirm for you!

As for Grenada it is so pristine it is awesome and will be done sometime the first half of the year!

Saba is a speclulative trip...it could easily be Bahamas etc. and may float in the Feb to Mar to April timeframe.

Any other votes or preferences???? -ww

THANKS for the feedback!! I REALLY appreciate it!!

[triggerfish]

hmmmm....
feb cai sal sounds great to me. tommy on the nc trip said he LOVED it!
april/may are usually the time i do a cme trip, so bad for me. unless.....!

fg in july rocks...

bonaire in sept is out for me cuz i'm doing a cocos trip/conference (hopefully our own dr. nopressure will be the speaker!)

november is reserved for my girlfriend's meeting with her diving orthopods...next year, lcbr.

[finGrabber]

We'll have a little flexibility with the Flower Gardens trip...but July and Aug are the absolute best months so getting dates then is tougher. I've got your feedback logged...thanks!

As for best time to see whale sharks...often times it NOT when you want to attempt diving the FG cuz the trips have such a high probability of getting blown out. However July and Aug have had sitings of them. ZD will further confirm for you!

As for Grenada it is so pristine it is awesome and will be done sometime the first half of the year!

Saba is a speclulative trip...it could easily be Bahamas etc. and may float in the Feb to Mar to April timeframe.

Any other votes or preferences???? -ww

THANKS for the feedback!! I REALLY appreciate it!!

well...which ever is done in the first half of the year...I've heard alot of good things about Grenada

[WreckWench]

hmmmm....
feb cai sal sounds great to me. tommy on the nc trip said he LOVED it!
april/may are usually the time i do a cme trip, so bad for me. unless.....!

fg in july rocks...

bonaire in sept is out for me cuz i'm doing a cocos trip/conference (hopefully our own dr. nopressure will be the speaker!)

november is reserved for my girlfriend's meeting with her diving orthopods...next year, lcbr.

Could you do Figi it if it were in Oct?

Not sure NP will be ready to do CME by April/May...but we can always hope! -ww

[DandyDon]

Ok so 30 people have looked at this calendar and not one of you have made any comments?  Ok that's not true...I've had a couple of people email me with trips they could do and requests for a specific date in the month etc.

Basically the kind of feedback I want from everyone!!!  Thanks gang...ww

I hate to post anything negative on trip threads, like "I'd love to go but can't," but since you have insisted, my preferences in red...


January 2005
wk 1
wk 2 Cozumel or Too soon afer my Deadweek trip
wk 3 Cozumel (2nd Annual SD Reunion Dive in Cozy...where it all began!)
wk 4

February
wk1
wk2 Bahamas/Cai Sal Banks just north of Cuba Still too soon
wk3
wk4

March
wk 1
wk 2 Saba St Kitts (Liveaboard AND Land Options in St Kitts, Saba, St. Martine)
- - - - - I want to do that liveaboard sometime, but can't take a week off then. I will take a long weekend somewhere that month.
wk 3
wk 4


April
wk1
wk2
wk3
wk4

May
wk1
wk2 Grenada (Spectacular Diving! VERY pristine and unspoiled.)
wk3
wk4 U.S. MemDayWE is 27th thru 31st, and I'll go dive somewhere

June
wk1 SeaSpace Dive Show (Firm)
wk2
wk3 Florida Keys
wk4 I'd like to do a week long dive trip about now

July
wk1 NC Wrecks
wk2
wk3 Flower Gardens 36 spots for full boat
wk4 Family trip

August
wk1
wk2 NC Wrecks
wk3
wk4

September
wk1 U.S LDWE is 2nd-5th, and I'll go dive somewhere
wk2 Bonaire
wk3
wk4

October
wk1 NC Wrecks
wk2
wk3
wk4 Halloween in California with diving or Channel Islands

November
wk1
wk2 Fiji and/or Tonga (Rec'd the most specific votes)
- - - I'll take a long dive weekend
wk3 Fiji and/or Tonga (Rec'd the most specific votes)
wk4

December
wk1
wk2
wk3
wk4 Christmas

New Year's Eve Trip I'll take that week off for diving

Edited by DandyDon, 07 August 2004 - 01:42 PM.

[zendiver]

ZD when is the best time to see Mr. Big(whale sharks) in the Flower Gardens???

CC...July thru Sept are generally the best months, but I have seen them as late as Nov. It really depends on the weather. We have actually seen them as early as June. Some people have been diving forever and have NEVER seen one and then there are the lucky ones that their very first trip to the blue have seen them. You just have to be in the right place at the right time.

[hnladue]

What?? No northern trips up to the St Lawerence??? I want to do Cozumel, but it's looking like it'll have to be like Thanksgiving week or something that far out.

[triggerfish]

Kamala...october is when the asa meeting is held. it's hard to get vacation time then. also, since i'll be diving in september and november, it wouldn't work anyway.

some of us have boring jobs that DON'T involve diving for a living!

[WreckWench]

What?? No northern trips up to the St Lawerence??? I want to do Cozumel, but it's looking like it'll have to be like Thanksgiving week or something that far out.

Bummer girl...Its possible we could do Halloween in Cozy if CA does not work out since many people just love Cozumel. But not sure. The option is to do it for the NYE trip in 2005/2006 vs doing it later that January as the reunion trip. Ideas on that?

[WreckWench]

Kamala...october is when the asa meeting is held. it's hard to get vacation time then. also, since i'll be diving in september and november, it wouldn't work anyway.

some of us have boring jobs that DON'T involve diving for a living!

Ok girl....just trying to work with you...as well as ALL our members. PLEASE ask me to help tweak the calendar so that YOU can do a particular trip or dive during a certain time.

Fiji is on the calendar cuz Alikat asked for it and several others agreed! Grenada is on the calendar cuz several people asked for it and others agreed! So ask away as most of the trips are NOT firm and hard...YET!!! Thanks gang!! -ww