July 25-31, 2011...Dive Into One Of The Greatest Adventures Of Your Life. It's true... You'll be diving into History for TREASURE! Experience the ultimate thrill in diving...FINDING TREASURE!!!NOTE: The trip is LIMITED TO ONLY 7 People! The price is the same as 2009/2011.... $2500 plus air to Key West and your meals. (This trip will either stay in a luxurious Key West Mansion or will have 1 and 2 bedroom condos for the rooming in the prestigious Truman Annex!)
Who's Going (SEE POST #2) :
See Post #2 or click HERE for who is going!
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 ($1500) 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
Upon landing in Key West 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 from the condos or Key West Mansion available for this week. Transport to and from the boat is a reasonable taxi ride or simply via rental car. (If some of the participants are driving down we will try to arrange ride sharing and/or shared rental car expenses if needed. Just let us know!)
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 Ft Lauderdale aka FLL due to traffic.)
All participants need to be in Key West... at a LOCATION TO BE DETERMINED no later than 5pm. (The meeting place will either be the Key West Mansion or one of the condos and you will be advised approx. one (1) week before your Adventure week as to the final rooming and location of the intro meeting!) Also approx one week before your Adventure Week, you'll be given a number to call for parking directions so you can be sure to arrive by 5pm TIMELY. 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 well in advance of your Adventure Week. Fax is 888-480-0962 and email is atocha@singledivers.com. The orientation is where you turn the originals into the Mel Fisher Team and address any last minute questions. )
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: You should be departing the marina heading for your first two check out dives and local reef offerings. Continental breakfast will be served at the dock/boat courtesy of the Atocha Adventure team. Your vessel is scheduled to be 'The Lucky Dog' and escorted by Captain Chris Norwood. Captain Chris will take you out to the Reef where you'll get an opportunity to review finning techniques and how to work in conjunction with staff divers who are working on the Atocha. You 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 or with your roommate how many meals you want to prepare in and how many you'll eat out. You will need breakfast and lunch prepared for the actual salvage/treasure hunting dives on Thursday and Friday. You'll have a large 90 gal cooler for food storage on the boat 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 encrustation 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! (We have worked out special pricing so that the trip will run with 4 divers and get cheaper as we move up to the max of 6 divers.)Evening: Your dive should end around 5 putting you back at the condos/house around 6 or so. Since you'll have a very early start on Thursday this is a great evening to order out (most of the condos have loads of take out menus from tons of restaurants in the local area) or rent a movie and cook/heat up some pre-prepared 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 McGruder 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.
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 your incredible week on Saturday's Sunset Tour! NOTE: If weather is a problem we'll shift the diving to Friday/Saturday so you'll still get in 2 full day diving on the Atocha!
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:
You are free all day.... to explore Key West, plan another day of diving or just relax!
NOTE: If weather is a problem we'll shift the diving to Friday/Saturday so you'll still get in 2 full day diving on the Atocha!
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, you'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! This will surely be a highlight to the Magical week you've had!Evening: The rest of the evening is on your own and a great chance to explore the night life of Key West if you have not done so already!
Sunday
Morning: Today is departure day. Taxi shuttle's are $10 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 Condos or mansion (Amenities include a kitchen in every condo/mansion, laundry facilities as well as usually a barbeque grill and access to a common area pool shared by other condos. If staying in the Mansion it has a bbq area AND pool area.)
• 3 Days of diving with Captain Chris Norwood (reef dives and the Atocha Dives) Note: The optional Vandenberg dive is also done via Capt Norwood!
• Arrival Escort from Key West Airport to house or condos if arriving before 5pm. (Must be at your accommodations by 5pm so plan for flights arriving in Key West no later than 4pm or 12 noon if arriving into other Florida Cities.)
• 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 and workshop/lecture to/at the fourth-floor Conservation Lab
• Shipwreck Museum Tour - Learn the History of Key West...VERY
• Wind and Wine 3-hr Sunset Sail Cruise along Key West, including wines, beer and hors d'oeuvres
• SD and Atocha T-Shirts commemorating the trip!
PACKAGE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
• Airfare/transport to Key West
• Taxi/rental car transport around Key West or to/from House
• 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 via DiveAssure or CSA.
• 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 for DiveAssure or DAN)
OPTIONAL:
Non-diver price: $500 if accompanying a diver on the trip
Dive equipment rental: Wet suit, regulator/octopus, computer, BC, mask/snorkel/fins. Please inquire in advance if needing rental gear.
Single Supplement: TBA (only applicable to the condos and guest house at the Mansion.)
Extra 2-Tank Boat Dives on the VANDENBERG Wednesday afternoon! SPECIAL $100 ADVANCE PURCHASE PRICE WITH 4 or MORE DIVERS! $125 pp if not paid in advance!
HOW TO BOOK A SPOT ON THIS TRIP:
NOTE: WE ASK THAT YOU FOLLOW OUR NORMAL BOOKING PROCESS HOWEVER SINCE THESE NEW ATOCA TREASURE WEEKS WILL BE FILLED FROM PREDOMINATELY NON-SD.COM MEMBERS...WE WILL WORK WITH YOU TO SIGN UP VIA EMAIL OR PHONE WHEREVER POSSIBLE. PAYMENTS WILL BE VIA THE LINK AND INSTRUCTIONS BELOW AND WE APPRECIATE YOUR FOLLOWING THE PROCESS OUTLINED FOR SIGNING UP WHEREVER POSSIBLE.
1. Post in this thread that you plan to join us and advise your check or credit card payment is on its way via our NEW SECURE ONLINE PAYMENT GATEWAY. (SEE PAYMENT LINK BELOW OR ON OUR HOMEPAGE OR IN MY SIGNATURE LINE.) You MUST tell us WHICH WEEK you want or we will NOT accept your booking until you do. We'll then put your name on the 'check's in the mail' list. (Please send your pymt asap as we will NOT hold any spots on this trip. Your spot will ONLY BE CONFIRMED when we receive your $500 non-refundable deposit and/or payment in full if within 90 days of departure. - To post on the site you need to register as a member of the site. Registration is free or if you want to upgrade, premier membership levels are available for as little as $35 a year and you can get $25 back after the trip as a member rebate. Click here to learn more.
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 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 try to work with you.
4. We need to know what package you are doing as spaces are limited by member choices. We need to know if you need rental gear, will be diving nitrox and if you want d/o or s/o for any portion of the trip. You MUST include as much of this information as possible with your initial reservation. YOU MUST INCLUDE THE PACKAGE(S) YOU WANT TO BOOK AS PACKAGE TYPES/ROOMS ARE VERY LIMITED.
5. You will also need to verify if you have trip insurance or will be procuring trip insurance or conversely not procuring trip insurance. All participants must have Current Dive Insurance and state one of the following:
a. I have trip insurance that covers this trip already.
b. I will purchase trip insurance to cover this trip.
c. I will not purchase trip insurance and will accept all losses accordingly. - THIS TRIP DOES NOT REQUIRE TRIP INSURANCE BUT IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.
6. You are responsible for all info in the thread. We try to keep our FAQ and Important Updates posts #2 & #3 updated to make it easier for you but you are responsible for monitoring the thread for all updates. As the trip gets closer we'll open a private forum for all trip goers to answer last minute questions & provide last minute details. For sure monitor the thread the last 30 days prior to your trip for last minute updates and information.
7. Only requests posted in this trip topic/thread are considered official especially for limited options such as use of a computer, or going on a tour, etc.
8. Please note that while you may send pm and email requests for availability, the "official" availability is only accurate in the main trip post. For more information on SingleDivers.com, booking policies, etc please read here.
9. Also note that for FASTER service pls email trips@singledivers.com for all general questions and kamala@singledivers.com for custom questions or special requests.
10. PLEASE SEND ALL DOCUMENTS ONLY TO TRIPS@SINGLEDIVERS.COM as I do not regularly check trip documentation emails, rather leaving it to our awesome volunteers who help me with our trips.
PAYMENT OPTIONS:
SingleDivers.com has implemented a new secure payment gateway that allows you to pay for trips or merchandise using either an e-check which debits your checking account directly without having to mail in a check or debits your credit card without having to fill out a SD.com credit card authorization form. (Please note that any non-US bank originating credit card must still use the paper credit card authorization form as different processing procedures must be followed to process international/non-US credit cards.)
SingleDivers.com provides its members with pricing that reflects all possible cash discounts so any payments via credit card or paypal will still incur a 3% non-cash convenience fee. Our SECURE payment gateway which you can access by clicking the PAY SD NOW button below is not a shopping cart and therefore can NOW total your trip choices and add the 3% non-cash convenience fee if you are paying via credit card.
This trip may sell out quickly due to the great pricing we have so in order to ensure timely & accurate processing of payment receipts and therefore timely & accurate acceptance of members onto the trip, ONLY PAYMENTS RECEIVED VIA OUR NEW SECURE PAYMENT GATEWAY WILL BE ACCEPTED - See link in my signature or on the homepage or in upper left of forums!
If you are unable to use the gateway please provide a complete description of the problem/error you are encountering and contact kamala@singledivers.com immediately to manually process your payment for you.
Please add a 3% non-cash convenience fee if paying via paypal or credit card or any non-cash option. Checks, money orders and real cash are discounted already.
International/ Non-US Clients: Please use the traditional written credit authorization form to submit credit card payments. Click here for the form and ask trips@singledivers.com for the password.
PAYMENT TERMS & SCHEDULE:
ASAP: $500 non-refundable deposit in order to secure a spot. No spot will be secured until money is rec'd via our Secure Payment Gateway.
- See link in my signature or on the homepage or in upper left of forums!
PROGRESS PAYMENTS:
PRICE SUMMARY: $2500 for 6 night/6 day Treasure Hunting Package as described above.
a. NOW $500 non-refundable deposit due at booking to hold a spot payable only via our Payment gateway! - See link in my signature or on the homepage or in upper left of forums!
b. 2/25/2011: $1000 due
c. 3/25/2011: $1000 due + Any add'l balance due. ALL add-on tours including the Vandenberg must also be paid in full by this date.
Note: Trip must be paid in full 120 days prior to departure. Missing payments can forfeit your spot to the next person on the waiting list.
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 atocha@singledivers.com to get the password or have them emailed to you.)
• $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 DIVER non-refundable deposit. (Deposit can be refunded via claims on your trip insurance if you have to cancel.)
• Deposit is a $300 per person NON-DIVER 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.
PLEASE obtain TRIP INSURANCE - IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED FOR THIS TRIP ...it is VERY inexpensive and will protect your investment. You can purchase it right online as well as check quotes etc . (CONSIDER THE DIVE ASSURE PLAN...FOR THE PRICE OF A SINGLE POLICY ON MOST TRIPS YOU CAN HAVE AN ANNUAL POLICY WITH DIVE ASSURE.)
Click here for a free quote from CSA Travel Protection or to purchase online!
or
Click here for another provider Dive Assure that provides excellent rates and coverage!
PLEASE obtain DIVE INSURANCE - IT IS MANDATORY FOR ALL SINGLEDIVERS.COM & ATOCHA TREASURE WEEK TRIPS ...it is VERY inexpensive and will protect your life. Even if you have insurance that you think covers DIVING ACCIDENTS and air lifts…it is CHEAP (less than $100/yr) to get a supplemental policy to ensure you are cared for TIMELY without having to pay first!
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!
TRIP INSURANCE VS GAMBLING LOSSES:
Hey folks if you are gamblers and opt to NOT take out trip insurance during hurricane season that is great! However please understand that neither the resort/dive operator nor SingleDivers.com can help you out with your gambling losses. SD.com accepts a huge amount of liability to fill ALL the trips we run OR EAT THE SPOTS.
I can assure you that I have paid plenty of gambling losses this year. But I won't gamble with my life (I have both DAN and DIVE ASSURE for Dive Insurance) and I won't gamble with my trips...(I have the annual policy by DIVE ASSURE which covers ALL MY DIVE TRIPS!) So the choice is yours....bet on no hurricanes, no accidents, no illness, no deaths in the family, no job loss, no immediate death/injury to yourself* ...and laugh in the end when your bet pays off. But when it does not...PLEASE
PLEASE PLEASE do not expect the resort nor dive operator nor SingleDivers.com to refund your money because your bet did not pan out. 
NOTE: One of the reason's we have you finalize your extras and pay for everything by 30-90 days out is so you have more flexibiity getting trip insurance. Please take a moment TODAY to do this important task.
*If you think it can't happen to you please think again...sadly we just lost a member going on the 10-09 Galapagos trip that MANDATED TRIP INSURANCE and yet sadly he never got it before his tragic demise. 
