NOTE: The trip is LIMITED TO ONLY 7 People and will have a Group Leader! The price is $2500 plus air to Key West and your meals. (The Key West Mansion we'll be staying in has a full kitchen and we can do breakfast and lunch at the house and even a dinner or two if you want to save some money!) If you are joining the SD.com Coral Spawning trip this one starts as that one ends!
OVERVIEW:
During this trip you will become a real Treasure Hunter! You'll spend a week with Mel Fisher's Treasures, “the World’s Greatest Treasure Hunters.” Come dive the site of one of the richest Spanish Galleons lost at sea and experience the thrill of making history treasure hunting on the most famous historic shipwreck expedition of our time. Learn first hand all about treasure hunting and historic shipwreck conservation as Mel Fisher's staff take you behind the scenes showing you charts & their archival research. Learn state-of-the-art commercial treasure salvage techniques, while you have the dive experience of a lifetime!!
AND...you can find your very own piece of history . . . and go home with up to 2,500.00 of like or similar treasure as a reward for finding treasure. Yes that is right... the Fisher Family will gift you with a similar piece of treasure that has already been documented, authenticated and recorded. (They cannot give you what you found as it belongs to the investors and has to be preserved, documented and authenticated etc. However you can become an investor and be gifted back a substantial amount of the cost of your Adventure Week towards your investment contract as well as keep the ACTUAL treasure you found up to six times your investment!)
You have seen us on TV . . . Now it’s your turn to live the Atocha Dive Adventure!! Your Adventure Week, day-by-day......
Monday
For the SD week you'll be met upon arrival at the Key West airport and then escorted to the Key West Mansion soon to be your home for the week. Or you'll be assisted in obtaining a rental car which is very handy although many Key West attractions including the Mel Fisher Museum, Duval Street and Diver's Supply are all walking distance. Transport to and from the boat is a reasonable taxi ride or simply via rental car.
Or, you may choose to fly into Fort Lauderdale (FLL) or Miami (MIA) and rent a vehicle for the drive to Key West. (Distance from FLL is 190 miles; distance from MIA is 160 miles. Due to roads and traffic, always allow at least 4 hours of driving time from MIA and at least an hour for food stops and breaks. Add an extra hour if driving from FLL.)
All participants need to be at the House in Key West... 66 Front Street no later than 5pm. As you get close to the house you'll be given a number to call for parking directions. Happy Hour begins at 5pm and our Welcome Dinner begins promptly at 6pm to facilitate a visit from the Fisher Family. At 7pm we'll quickly take care of paperwork* and be briefed on the exciting week coming ahead. By 9pm we'll we'll wrap it up so people can relax, settle in and get dive gear ready for the morning's dives! (*Your paperwork should be done in advance and faxed/emailed into SingleDivers.com. This is where you turn the originals into the Mel Fisher Team.)
Tuesday
7 to 7:30 am: Our first day of diving is an early one so all divers need to be at the boat dock by 7:30 to find a place to park, load the boat and make an on time departure of 8am. Directions to the boat are in your orientation package and you should allow 30 minutes to get from the house to the boat plus a few extra minutes to pack the car(s).
8:00 am: We should be departing the marina heading for our first two check out dives and local reef offerings. Continental breakfast will be served at the dock/boat courtesy of the Atocha Adventure team. Our vessel is scheduled to be 'The Lucky Dog' and escorted by Captain Chris Norwood. Captain Chris will take us out to the Reef where we'll get an opportunity to review finning techniques and how to work in conjunction with staff divers who are working on the Atocha. We can expect to be back to land about noon. Here's the Lucky Dog!
12:30pm: On the way home from the dive you may want to plan to stop at Winn Dixie or Publix for grocery shopping and/or lunch. Decide as a group how many meals you want to prepare in and how many you'll eat out. You will need breakfast and lunch pre-pared for the actual salvage/treasure hunting dives on Thursday and Friday. You'll have a large 90 gal cooler for food storage but no access to other kitchen amenities. (See our new Insider's Tips for lunch suggestions that work well on the boat as well as other food/menu ideas that work well for groups!)
Afternoon: Your first afternoon is an important one. You'll use this time to shop for food, resolve any gear issues that arose during the am reef dives and to procure nitrox tanks if you wish to dive them on the optional Vandenberg dives scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. After getting ready for the week, the rest of the day and evening is yours to relax, sightsee, and enjoy!
Evening: Dinner is on your own and is a great time to head to Duval Street. You may even want to participate in the Famous Mel Fisher Pub Krawl where you'll find the pubs Mel hung out at, discover his favorite drinks and food and maybe even win a Mel Fisher Pub Krawl T-Shirt!
Wednesday
9am-11:30am: VIP Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum. Included is a visit to the fourth-floor Conservation Lab, where objects are conserved and documented. This is not only a fascinating process but it will help you 'see' what real artifacts and treasure look like on the ocean floor. 400+ years of salt water corrosion and encrustration can change the looks of all but gold, some pottery and lead so this session will help you recognize how the treasure will look when you are on the Atocha.
12:30pm: Be at the dock for a 1pm optional dive on the Vandenberg.
Florida's newest artificial reef was sunk in May 2009 and has already had hundreds of divers start to explore her amazing legacy as an upright, multilevel (50 to 90 ft) wreck dive. She has 6 mooring options so can facilitate a number of boats and divers. Air and lead are supplied and optional nitrox can be sourced via Key West Divers who have an agreement with the Atocha team to allow us to rent tanks for use on another boat. Note this dive is limited to 6 divers and 2 crew so don't delay in signing up for this 'Must Do' dive while in Key West! Evening: Your dive should end around 5 putting you back at the house around 6 or so. Since you'll have a very early start on Thursday this is a great evening to order out (the house has loads of take out menus from tons of restaurants in the local area) or rent a movie and cook/heat up some pre-pared lasagna and have an Italian Night In!
Thursday
7am: Be on the dock to park and load the boat for a 7:30am departure to the wreck.
7:30 am: Depart the marina for the start of your treasure hunting expedition!
8am-5pm: Treasure Hunting all day! Multiple Tank Dives on the "Atocha Trail" with Captain Chris and the crew of the MacGruder or Blue Water Rose. Depth= 30'-35'. Average Dive time per dive = 20-45 mins (Dive time is determined by how large the hole is they are exploring, how long it took to clear the hole, how quickly divers are able to get into the water and how much treasure is found in a particular hole. See our 'Insider Tips' for more secrets to maximizing your dive time!)
5:30pm: Dock-side debriefing and any final preparation for Friday.
Evening: This is another great night to 'eat in', relax and get to sleep early. Our group will cook or order out based upon what we did on Wednesday night.
Friday
7am: Be on the dock to park and load the boat for a 7:30am departure to the wreck.
7:30 am: Depart the marina for the final day of your treasure hunting expedition!
8am-5pm: Treasure Hunting all day! Multiple Tank Dives on the "Atocha Trail" with Captain Chris and the crew of the MacGruder or Blue Water Rose. Depth= 30'-35'. Average Dive time per dive = 20-45 mins (Dive time is determined by how large the hole is they are exploring, how long it took to clear the hole, how quickly divers are able to get into the water and how much treasure is found in a particular hole. See our 'Insider Tips' for more secrets to maximizing your dive time!)
5:30pm: Dock-side debriefing and any review of treasure found with members of the Atocha Team.
Evening: This is a great night to fully explore Key West and have a good time since we do not have an early morning Saturday. Just stay in some sort of 'buddy teams' so everyone makes it back safely to formally conclude our incredible week on Saturday's Sunset Tour!
Saturday
Morning or Afternoon: ]Shipwreck Museum Tour, which tells the story of why shipwrecks put Key West on the map! This tour is part of your package and helps to draw it all together to conclude your amazing week diving in and on history! Just let the Atocha Team know you are planning to go so they can procure your admission tickets.
Balance of Day:
We are free all day.... to explore Key West, plan another day of diving or just relax!
5-8pm: Wind & Wine Sunset Sail with Danger Charters. Meet at the Westin Hotel across from the Mel Fisher Museum and a couple of blocks from the house. In addition to unbeatable views from this two-masted schooner, we'll have fine wines from all over the world, usually four red, three white, and a Champagnoise. In addition, beer and extensive hors d’oeuvres are served. This is a special conclusion to your Adventure Week and members of the Fisher Family will be in attendance on this magical night!
Evening: The rest of the evening is on your own and a great chance to expore the night life of Key West if you have not done so already!
Sunday
Morning: Today is departure day. Taxi shuttle's are $8 to the airport and those driving back to other Florida cities should plan to leave early, as Sunday is a traditional departure day from the Keys so traffic will be heavier than usual if driving back to other Florida Cities.
PACKAGE INCLUDES:
• 6 nights d/o room in Key West mansion. Amenities include pool, kitchen and barbeque grill
• 3 Days of diving with Captain Chris Norwood (reef dives and the Atocha Dives)
• Arrival Escort from Key West Airport to house or condos
• Welcome Day of Arrival Bar-B-Que Dinner sponsored by Mel Fisher Inc.
• Continental breakfast on Tuesday am boat dives sponsored by Mel Fisher Inc.
• Air fills, tanks, lead and weight belt
• Training in finning and salvaging techniques
• VIP Behind-the-Scenes Tour of Mel Fisher Museum including visit to fourth-floor Conservation Lab
• Shipwreck Museum Tour
• Wind and Wine 3-hr Sunset Sail Cruise along Key West, including wines, beer and hors d’oeuvres
• SD Famous 'Meet & Greet Get To Know Everyone' Parties
• SD and Atocha T-Shirts commemorating the trip!
• Daily SD.com H20 Happy Hours (Don't forget to bring a bottle of your favorite booze(s)
• Diving Gifts and Giveaways from various SD Vendor Partners as available
PACKAGE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
• Airfare to Key West
• Meals other than Welcome Dinner and Continental Breakfast on Tuesday's boat dives
• Sodas, bottled water and alcohol
• Dives on the Vandenberg
• Nitrox upgrade for Vandenberg dives (currently $22 per tank at Key West Divers)
• Diving gratuities for boat crew (normal and customary $20 per diving day)
• Trip Insurance is OPTIONAL BUT STRONGLY ENCOURAGED See below for several good options.
• DIVE Insurance is MANDATORY! DIVE insurance is VERY inexpensive. Even if you have insurance that you think covers DIVING ACCIDENTS and air lifts…it is CHEAP to get a supplemental policy to ensure you are cared for. (see the end of this post for 2 great insurance links)
OPTIONAL:
Non-diver discount: TBD
Dive equipment rental: Wet suit, regulator/octopus, computer, BC, mask/snorkel/fins. Please inquire in advance if needing rental gear.
Single Supplement: TBD (only applicable to the condos.)
Extra 2-Tank Boat Dives on the VANDENBERG Wednesday afternoon! TBA
How to Book: SD honors a first come and first served premise that is driven by posting in our community. Once a trip has been filled from the "My Check & Documents in the Mail List" with CONFIRMED deposits/pymnts we will open an official waiting list for the trip. As openings occur we'll open up the Waiting List for additionall trip participants. Only deposited members will decrease the number of spots on the trip. Only members who have sent their deposit or paid for the trip TIMELY and have sent in their documents TIMELY i.e. Trip Waiver and Trip Survey will be moved to the official "Who's Going" list. Please note that while you may send pm and email requests for availability, the official availability is only available in the main trip post. Thank You! -ww (SEE FULL DETAILS ON HOW TO PAY AND GET INSURANCE BELOW!)
Who's Going:
1. Kamala aka WreckWench - Trip PD $2500 and Waiver/Survey Rec'd
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3.
4.
5.
6.
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Payment Received Waiting on Docs: (Members won't be moved up to Who's Going until we've rec'd $ and docs)
1. Ron aka Wakemaker: Pmt $375, Survey Rec'd, Need Waiver
2. Ross aka Ross: No Nitrox, CC Form Received, Survey/Waiver Rec'd
3. Que aka Sea Urchin - Paid $2500, Need Docs
Payment & Docs in the mail:
1. Dan aka Diverdan214: S/O, Nitrox, Survey Rec'd, Need Waiver & $$
Trip Instructor: n/a
Trip Videographer:
Trip Photographer:
Those Celebrating a Milestone on this Trip (Birthday, Anniversary, Significant Dive, Etc):
1.
Waiting List:
NOTE: Currently we have spots available so there is no waiting list.
Interested but can't quite commit
1.
PAYMENT TERMS & SCHEDULE:
To hold your spot: $500 deposit
Full Payment: Trip must be paid in full no later than 30 days prior to departure.
DISCOUNTS:
• $25 rebate eligible after trip for SD premier and above membership levels (See my signature for link to the forms forum. If you are new to the site send an email to trips@singledivers.com to get the password.)
• Add'l $50 Active Duty Military Discount for any active duty military of any country that fights for freedom.
• $1500 of your trip price can be applied to an investor contract if signed/paid within 30 days of this trip.
• Deposit is a $500 per person non-refundable deposit. (Deposit can be refunded via claims on your trip insurance if you have to cancel.)
• Price includes cash discount. Please add 3% if paying via paypal or credit card.
PAYMENT OPTIONS:
If paying via check or money order: Make PAYABLE TO SINGLEDIVERS.COM LLC. We must have your name, address,what you are paying for, screen name & trip name as well as payment summary in the memo section of the check to be credited properly for this trip. Then, send payment along with payment details to:
c/o Kamala Shadduck
SingleDivers.com
732 Dive Buddy Lane
Salem, SC 29676
214-350-7003
kamala@singledivers.com
If paying via Check-by-FAX: Download the Check-By-Fax Authorization Form, complete and FAX to: 864-944-6769
Click here for the Check-by-Fax form. Need the Password? Email us at: trips@singledivers.com
If paying via credit card (Visa, MC): Download the SD Credit Card Authorization Form, complete including the 3% service charge and FAX to: 864-944-6769
Click here for the Credit Card Auth form. Need the Password? Email us at: trips@singledivers.com
If paying via PayPal: Go to www.PayPal.com and send payment to kamala@singledivers.com Be sure to include the 3% fee along with your address, contact number, screen name, trip name & payment details in the detail or notes section.
TRIP INSURANCE IS OPTIONAL BUT STRONGLY RECOMMENDED FOR THIS TRIP. PLEASE obtain TRIP insurance as it is VERY inexpensive and will protect your investment. REMEMBER IF YOU MISS THE BOAT….YOU MISS THE TRIP! You can purchase it right online as well as check quotes etc .
Click here for a free quote or to purchase online!
--or--
Click here for another provider that provides excellent rates and coverage!
DIVE INSURANCE IS MANDATORY FOR THIS TRIP. DIVE insurance is VERY inexpensive. Even if you have insurance that you think covers DIVING ACCIDENTS and air lifts…it is CHEAP to get a supplemental policy to ensure you are cared for.
Click here for Diver’s Alert Network and use our reference ID 1603080.
--or--
Click here for Dive Assure where you can get BOTH TRIP & DIVE insurance in one convenient package!
Edited by ScubaPunk, 07 August 2009 - 03:04 PM.
