Who's Going? ONLY 16 spots!
1. Kamala aka WW of course! - Dallas, TX - (pd/8-12/drive)
2. Zendiver aka Zendiver - Woodlands, TX - (pd/8-11/drive)
3. KevinPO - Port Orchard, WA (pd/8-12/fly) need pick up
4. Mandi aka Landlocked (pd $235/8-12/fly) need pick up
5. Gar aka BluBlood - NM - (pd/8-12?/fly) need pick up
6. Carla aka SeaHuntress - (pd ck)
7. Linda aka BlueDolphin - Fuquay Varina, NC (pd/8-12/fly) need pick up
8. Que aka Sea Urchin - Plano, TX (pd/8-12?/drive)
9. Keith aka MNJoe - Rochester, MN (pd/8-12/fly) need pick up
10. Phyllis aka StingRay1 (pd ck)
11. Kim aka Fingrabber - Dallas, TX (pd $500/8-12/drive) need pick up
12. Karl aka ScubaFanatic - Arlington, TX (pd/8-12/drive)
13. Walter aka Walter - Ft Myers, FL (dep&1st/8-12/fly) need pick up
14. Marvel aka Marvel - Lauderdale By The Sea, FL (dep&1st/8-12/fly) need pick up
15. Tom aka TDTexas - Irving, TX (pd/8-11?/drive)
16. John aka DustbowlDiver - Irving, TX (pd/8-11?/drive)
Check in the mail...
1.
Waiting List...
1.
Hopefully YOURS!!!
Arrival Times:
1. Kamala - Driving from Dallas with Fingrabber on 8th
2. Zendiver -Helping with airport pickups on July 8th
3. KevinPO - Arrive:
4. Mandi - Arrive: 11:05 Airline??? Hobby 8th Depart: 2:40 Airline??? Hobby 12th
5. Gar - Arrive:
6. Marion - Arrive: 2:50 SW Hobby Depart: 2:30 SW Hobby 12th
7. Linda - Arrive: 12:26 Delta Hobby 8th Depart: 5:09 Hobby 12th
8. Que - Drive from Dallas on 8th with ______ or avail for possible airport p/u???
9. Keith - Arrive: 12:14 NW IAH 8th Depart: 4:54 IAH 12th
10. Mike - Arrive:
11. Kim - Driving from Dallas with WW on 8th
12. Karl - Drive from Dallas on 8th with _______ or avail for possible airport p/u??
13. Walter - Arrive:
14. Marvel - Arrive:
15. Tom - Driving from Dallas with John on 8th
16. John - Driving from Dallas with Tom on 8th
Click here for a reveiw of this fantastic diving....by none other then our very own Master of the Gardens "DM" Zendiver!
To see for yourself, click here for ZD's videos of the diving....absolutely awesome!!! Flower Gardens Videos
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 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 Sea Searcher!
DIVERS GET READY !! EAT, SLEEP, DIVE!!!
Owned and Operated by Divers for Divers!
Come let us show you the Flower Gardens on our uncrowded 95' live aboard. We don't like Cattle Boats and hope you enjoy our spacious accommodations at sea.
The Sea SearcherII has been voted the second best live-aboard in the world and their crew tied for first as the best live aboard crew in the world. They tied for first place as the best live-aboard value as well in 2002 & 2003.
This will be a limited space trip...only 16 spots...once the spots are full they are full and we will not be able to get more space as we are aleady taking the entire boat so don't wait too long to sign up for this one!
FULL DETAILS:
Out of towners depart July 8th and arrive no later then TBD but most likely 3pm or so. Depart Houston in shared transport to arrive 8pm in Freeport. Travel to dive site overnight and arrive 6am July 9th. Dive July 9th to July 11th Return to Houston July 11th and do Post Trip & Local Area Happy Hour. Fly in divers depart Tuesday July 12th.
Note: As we get closer to the trip we'll work out the shared arrangements for transport to the boat. A number of people have volunteered to help and we'll coordinate that a bit closer to the trip or once it fill up. We will also work out lead, etc for people flying in. And we'll work out hotels/accommodations for people going back on Tuesday. Just let us know when you arrive so we know who we'll be helping!
Pkg includes:
3 nights/3 days Diving/11-12 boat dives/All Inclusive Food and beverages (no alcohol included)/ & Taxes $650 diver d/o $650 non-diver d/o
• 3 nights aboard the Sea Searcher II 95 foot liveaboard
• 3 days diving up to 11-12 dives total with minimum 2 hour surface intervals
• SD.com famous “Meet & Greet” Welcome Party at the Boat!
• Breakfast, lunch, dinner & soft drinks plus in-between snacks
• SD.com signature t-shirt
• Diving Gifts and Giveaways from various SD Vendor Partners
• Unlimited air (Compressors on board)
• We furnish the tanks
• Comfortable sleeping arrangements for 16 (4 to a room)
• 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 station on AFT deck with fresh water cleaning tank
• More...
Tentative Agenda:
We'll depart Friday 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 Saturday. On Sunday we'll extend the surface interval and do 3 day dives and 1 night dive. On Monday 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 in 3 days!
NOT Included:
Airfare or transport to Houston, additional nights stay, lead (working on it), transport to the boat (but working on that) Personal Incidentals, and alcohol from the resort.
Alcohol: Beer $2.00 US
Optional Add-on's:
• Single Room Upgrade: N/A
• Extra Night Stay: Hotel Room S/O: $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: No nitrox available (Air is fine...as most will attest.)
• 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.
Discounts:
1. SingleDiver.com Premier Membership Discount <$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 due at booking to hold your reservation for trip
b. 50% of trip total due March 15th or $325
d. 50% of trip less $200 and member discounts or Bal of trip due May 9th ($125 less any member discounts)
Payment Information:
Please add 3% if paying via paypal. (We are not able to accept credit cards directly at this time only via paypal.)
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.
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. Capt Bruce, Sea Searcher
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. 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 One 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 9:00 P.M. SHARP, the night before your trip date. (Friday night for a Sat/Sun trip) We return around 7:00 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 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 allowed.
• No coolers allowed, unless agreed to in advance, such as for spear fishing at a rig on the way in. (Let us know if we need to make any special arrangements.)
• 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.)
• We supply all cylinders 80 alum and do not have room for extras. Redundant cylinders up to forty c.f.t ok.
• Bring warm clothes for evening, swimsuit, and a good attitude.
• We supply wash cloths, towels, linen, bedding and pillows.
• 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 to your shop for the trip. We have a tip box located at our dock and we do split all of our tips. 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.
Trip Insurance Information:
Click here for free trip insurance quote and/or to buy it online.
1. You can obtain trip insurance for the Land package price or add in your airfare even if not obtaining the air via SD.com.
2. You can add an additional waiver for Supplier Default which means if the airline or the hotel or SD.com goes out of business before your trip that you are protected.
3. You can add an additional waiver for Pre-Existing Condition exclusion which means if you have an active pre-existing condition it will be waived should it flare up and cause you problems on your trip.
4. This insurance can be used for diving as well as non-diving vacations.
Initial Trip Deposit Date = Use April 1 as your trip insurance deposit date.
This plan also includes:
Emergency Assistance Services
CSA's comprehensive Emergency Assistance Services are included with each policy. The services include pre-travel advice, medical and legal referral, emergency cash transfer, lost ticket and passport assistance, and emergency prescription refill assistance.