517 replies to this topic

[JohnnyC]

Hey everyone!

Realy looking forward to this trip! Hope I'll be off those days. If anyone needs to carpool I have a truck and would be happy to help haul them and their gear out to the boat. Oh well let me know when we get more info on this trip.

Johnny

[latter_day_hippie]

I may be interested in this trip. A few questions:

- What is the nearest major airport to the point of departure?
- Is a single supplement available? (I may not take advantage of it, but it would be nice to know if I have the option)
- Any preliminary sense on pricing? I know you will post final pricing when it is available, but I would like to get a sense now so I can plan.
- I am a rescue diver with about 30 dives, all in calm waters off Bonaire or Maui. Is my skill level commensurate with the requirements of these dives?

I apologize if any of these questions fall into the "newbie" category. Thanks for running such a great site, and I look forward to diving with you soon!

Matt

[Marvel]

Ya' know, I don't think I ever said 100% that I am going so let me make it official- I will be there! Took a look at airfares this weekend- I'll grab my ticket in the next two weeks. Gonna wait until mid week AM to book. From all the past suggestions i've read, it seems that prices will be better then. So, next step is to request the time off. I would like to carpool down with someone so which airport is better & who's willling to put up with a :marvel: for the drive down & back? :anna:

[WreckWench]

I may be interested in this trip. A few questions:

WOW!!! GREAT FIRST POST!! No problem, I'll handle one by one!

- What is the nearest major airport to the point of departure?

I'd suggest Hobby Airport as your first and best choice, however if you had to fly into Bush, you are an add'l hour away at least but obviously you can still do it. Coming from ATL you have plenty of choices.

- Is a single supplement available? (I may not take advantage of it, but it would be nice to know if I have the option)

This is a liveaboard and the accommodations are about 4 to a room vs. the normal 2 to a room. That keeps the price more economical and since we are only gone 3 nights for 3 days diving on a boat that usually only does 2 night trips, it is not to unreasonable. Therefore the answer is no, there would not be a single supplement on this trip. (No worries...the gang is really good and as they will tell you, most show up never knowing anyone or having met anyone prior to a trip and that magically changes shortly!)

- Any preliminary sense on pricing?  I know you will post final pricing when it is available, but I would like to get a sense now so I can plan.

I should get the contracts this weekend so hope to have the pricing up asap but for planning purposes I'm guessing about $750 for diving, hotel, & 3 meals daily including snacks. (Recent fuel surcharges have jacked the pricing up so I won't know for sure until I get the contracts.)

- I am a rescue diver with about 30 dives, all in calm waters off Bonaire or Maui.  Is my skill level commensurate with the requirements of these dives?

30 dives to one diver is totally different to another diver. I can see that many of your dives are training dives which is good..when was the last time you dove? How deep have you gone? How comfortable in general are you in the water? Is diving a bit apprehensive for you or are you a duck in the water? I'll be happy to talk with you offline more about your ability to make these dives. Just pm me or email me at kamala@singledivers.com or call me at 214-350-2558.

I apologize if any of these questions fall into the "newbie" category.  Thanks for running such a great site, and I look forward to diving with you soon!

Matt

Matt your questions are excellent and I'm sure everyone is looking to see what the replies will be! Welcome aboard and please post an official intro in our "New to SingleDivers.com" forum!

Click here to post your intro! Thanks!

[WreckWench]

Ya' know, I don't think I ever said 100% that I am going so let me make it official- I will be there! Took a look at airfares this weekend- I'll grab my ticket in the next two weeks. Gonna wait until mid week AM to book. From all the past suggestions i've read, it seems that prices will be better then. So, next step is to request the time off. I would like to carpool down with someone so which airport is better & who's willling to put up with a :marvel: for the drive down & back? :anna:

Girlfriend that is awesome! You'll fly into Hobby and as we get closer to the trip and know who all is flying in vs. driving in, we'll set up carpool arrangements etc.

That is AWESOME girl! -ww

[Mitch0129]

Ya' know, I don't think I ever said 100% that I am going so let me make it official- I will be there! Took a look at airfares this weekend- I'll grab my ticket in the next two weeks. Gonna wait until mid week AM to book. From all the past suggestions i've read, it seems that prices will be better then. So, next step is to request the time off. I would like to carpool down with someone so which airport is better & who's willling to put up with a :marvel: for the drive down & back? :anna:

Marvel, that is great you will come here. You just get yourself here to Houston, we'll get you down to Freeport.

[scubafanatic]

Hi Matt,

...I'll answer as many questions as I can, having done a 3-day trip on Sea Searcher last Labor Day:

Single suppliment ? ...surely you jest ! ...there are a pair of 4 person rooms amid-ships.....and an 8 person room astern.......quarters will be tight.......so if you snore please bring a few spare sets of earplugs for your roomies......and if you're a light sleeper you might need earplugs too.........the boat's powered by 3 screws, massive turbodiesels, and they drive it FAST, so needless to say, it can be a bit noisy....it didn't bother me, but something to consider if you're sensitive to those sorts of things.

I'd been told we'd do 13 dives, but 'only' did 11........ there was some sort of minor disagreement between the captain and the LDS....I don't know any of the details, all I heard was the captain chose to do 11, and it's his ship.......so hopefully WW can establish that detail for us........ it was an issue for me since it's rare to visit the Flower Gardens...... I'd had 6 prior trips cancel on me due to weather, so it seemed a shame to not do 2 more dives while the circumstances were so favorable to us.

Required experience level: this is the subject of genuine debate in the diving community.......some shops I know refuse to take 'newbies' there......in my book 30 dives is pretty borderline.......and the crew won't be diving with us a guides...although they will do recon dives in advance of our dives to prepare our dive briefings. Since you have done ocean dives, if you are a relaxed, mature diver, I'd give you the 'green light'........you will have to have the maturity to know your limitations and don't push too far beyond your comfort zone if the dive conditions become questionable.

Dive sites: You'll dive one day at East bank, one day at West Bank, and the last 1/2 day at Stetson Bank.........it should include 2 night dives and 1 Oil Rig dive...however, I'm assuming WW has the captain's ear and will be open to suggestions at to exactly what we do.

Dive depths: East and West Banks expect a maximum hard bottom @ 90 ft. ( and I mean kneeling on the sand @ 90 ft.) Minimum hard botton is 60 ft.......expect a general hard-bottom depth in the 70--85 ft. range.

...however, on the Oil Rig dive the bottom is at 400 ft. .......and at Stetson you will moor in 70--80 ft. of water, but will be very close to the 'edge' of the mountain, so if you wish you can dive 'off the cliff' and into the abyss....... it was on the Oil Rig dive and the 2 Stetson dives I went to 130 ft. (which is the boat's requested depth limit).

Gas fills: Nitrox is --NOT-- available ( on the Sea Searcher anyway ) and the ship provides free AL 80's. ( I asked the crew about Nitrox, it's being considered, but nothing definite, I think the main problem is they say the boat doesn't have enough room to install a system......so I'd plan on not having Nitrox. It would have been nice to have it, but I found we did just fine without it.

Weights: don't forget to bring your own weights !!!

Food: the food was fine, nothing fancy, but you'll be fed. If you're expecting more than basic fare, you may want to skip this trip.......food isn't a big consideration for me...just quality diving.

Booze: it's not included in the basic price, you run a tab with the boat.....I didn't
drink at all on this trip.....I prefer the all-natural 'high' of great diving!

Gear: be self-sufficient, no rentals on board...or spares......I always bring 2 complete reg sets on all my dive trips...along with O-rings , tools, etc. ...usually there are enough divers on board to borrow something from as needed......on every dive trip I've even been on I've loaned a fellow diver either tools, spare parts, and once an entire reg set.

Lights: don't forget your tank marker light, as well as primary and back up lights, batteries. I always dive with 2 Halcyon Scout back-up lights, as well as a DiveRite 10 W canister HID 'cave' light........ not cheap, but once you've seen a 'real' light, UW you're gonna want one, trust me!

Safety: is a serious consideration when you're 120 miles off the coast......don't forget your signaling devices: I bring a whistle and safety sausage.

I also dive a dual bladder DiveRite 'Dual Rec Wing' ......as well as my own personal PST E7-120 steel tank with Y-valve, so I can run 2 independent 1st-stages off the tank valve.........yes, the crew gave me special permission to bring my tank since it fits inside their AL 80 tank racks......I prefer the added safety factor they provide.

Computers: I always bring 2 compters on my trips, and you'll get so much more bottom time computer diving. ( I use the hosed, AI Oceanic Datamax Pro Plus models) ......I also run a separate SPG off my left post, just incase the computer ever fails, hasn't happened yet though.......great computers!

Exposure protection: I dove a 3 mm farmer john with 3 mm extra top layer, and that seemed perfect in early Sept.....I think the temps would be the same in July.

...hope this helps,

Karl

[zendiver]

Karl

Very good Karl, but I would like to add and correct some information.

As for the amount of dives: ON just about EVERY 3 day trip, you can expect a total of 11 dives made available. The normal diving is as you stated, 5,4, & 2, but it can be broke up differently. ON most of your 3 day trips, we normally head over to Stetson earlier to do a night dive there instead of doing them on the West and East bank. It is also possible to do 2 Deep Water Platforms and seeing as how SD.com has the WHOLE boat for this and I am one of the DM's, we can pretty much dictate what and where we want to dive. Capt Bruce is very much open when we have a good crew and good customers.

As for the depths, it all depends on what buoys we get on. On the West Bank, if we get on Buoy 1 or 2, that is pretty close to the wall and you can reach 130+ very easily, I have been there. Now for the East Bank, it is shallower, but my favorite vs the West Bank. As you stated, the Deep Water Platform is open but we ask that you keep your depth to either 100 feet or the maximum depth of your previous dive. Now for my favorite place, Stetson Bank.....it doesn't matter what buoy you are on here as you can make ALL 3 or 4 buoys on one dive and all of them are on the pinnacles which separates the Flats from the Deep. Once over the pinnacles, it is like diving a wall dive with drop off of 10 to 15 feet stages. The pinnacles start at around 80 feet, the first stage drop-off will take you to 95, then 110, then 130, then....well we won't go there.

If you have never been to the Flower Gardens, you don't know what you are missing. I have dove quite a few places during my years, and I still get the chills when I am packing to head out. Over the past 3 years, I have been fortunate enough to have made 67 trips, yes, I said 67 trips. I work the boats so I don't get in as many dives as the customers do, but EVERY dive is a venture of its own. I love this place. For those of you that have fast internet connections and are thinking about going or what you can expect, check out my dive videos.

-ZD

[Marvel]

Well, if anyone was hesitating, I'm betting they're sold on this trip thanks to you two... evil, purely evil, guys!

[bluedolphin]

      Weights:  don't forget to bring your own weights !!!



     

No weights? What about people flying in from out of town? Just one of my curious questions. I simply don't see myself schlepping my weights along.

[scubafanatic]

Hi Zendiver,

......I had such a great time on Sea Searcher that I've put down my trip deposit 9 months in advance for my '05 trip....so I think that's a pretty strong endorsement of how highly I think of the Flower Gardens and Sea Seacher 'combo'....so I don't want to make too big a thing out of the 11 vs. 13 dives, although I was being honest about what happened to us....some sort of 'misunderstanding' did take place......but I went with the flow, no biggie..........hey, 11 great dives at FG with SSII, I'm there!

...... I'm pretty easy going/ flexible about the dive schedule......as long as I'm getting lots of bottom time somewhere, I'm usually happy......I'll trust your and WW's judgement as to the exact agenda......I'm sure I'll be good with whatever you guys come up with.

......interesting observation about night-diving Stetson vs. East and West Banks, I think I'd be happier doing the night dives on East and West Bank again........their topography is much flatter than Stetson, so it's much easier for night divers to keep an eye on the UW strobes for navigation.......... Stetson was much more pronounced 'hills and valleys', and all too easy to get disoriented once out of line-of-sight of the strobes.

...that sounds neat though.......... I'd have loved to do some 'deep' dives off East and West banks........and 2 Rig dives would have been cool too......but I know so much of what happens will depend on the vis/currents the days we dive, and can't be forcast in advance.......so again, I'm good with whatever you and WW deem appropriate.....I know you'll both want to show everyone a good time.

Karl

Edited by scubafanatic, 06 February 2005 - 03:08 PM.

[scubafanatic]

...well, bluedolphin, when I went, the LDS that ran the trip brought along a bunch of extra weights for out-of-towners or forgetful divers......so perhaps we need to touch base with zendiver and WW on the logistics for that for those flying in.

zendiver, I think what Marvel is trying to say is that I deserve a sales commission from Sea Searcher, isn't it?

Karl

[zendiver]

You are exactly right Karl....it is truely awesome. Don't get me wrong, I am NOT saying that we will stick to the 11 dives, and it is possible to get in another dive for 12 awesome dives, but like you stated, it all depends on quite a few variables: weather, conditions, and the quality of divers (this last one won't be a problem as SD.com divers are the best in the world. )

Just to give a brief dive itenirary, it will go something like this: (not set in stone)

Friday:
Board at 9pm sharp

Saturday: Diving
7 am, 10:30, 2pm, 5:30 & 9pm night dive

Sunday:
8 am, 12, 4, then 8 to 9 (depending)

Sunday:
7, 10:30 and possibly 1 more rig

Like I said, this is all based on quite a few variables.

None the less, it will be an experience you will not soon forget, that I can promise.

-ZD

[zendiver]

...well, bluedolphin, when I went, the LDS that ran the trip brought along a bunch of extra weights for out-of-towners or forgetful divers......so perhaps we need to touch base with zendiver and WW on the logistics for that for those flying in.

zendiver, I think what Marvel is trying to say is that I deserve a sales commission from Sea Searcher, isn't it?

Karl

Karl, I agree on both counts.

Linda, we will, when we get closer to departure date, get a count of people and the amount of weights needed and will be able to take care of this for those flying in.

[bluedolphin]

Linda, we will, when we get closer to departure date, get a count of people and the amount of weights needed and will be able to take care of this for those flying in.