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 most of 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!) OR do back to back Treasure Adventures and Join us diving the Atocha July 19th to 25th!
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 as an investor!)
Who's Going:
1. Kamala aka WreckWench - Group Leader
Payments Summary To Date: $2500 PAID IN FULL + Vandenburg
Atocha Pkg: $2500 PAID
Extra Nites/Days: night of the 25th
Vandenburg: Yes $???
D/O or S/O: D/O
Documents: SD Waiver - Rec'd SD Survey - Rec'd Atocha Contract - Rec'd
Dive Insurance Current: YES
Trip Insurance: YES I have current trip insurance that covers this trip.
Flight or Driving Details:
Add'l Tours/Diving (List Out): Staying for 2nd Atocha Week July 26th to Aug 1st.
Other:
Payment & Docs in the mail:
2. Heidi aka uwfan
Payments Summary To Date: $2500 echeck received = $2500 PAID IN FULL
Atocha Pkg: $2500
Extra Nites/Days:
Vandenburg:
D/O or S/O:
Documents: SD Insce Info - Rec'd SD Waiver - Rec'd SD Survey - Rec'd Atocha Contract - Rec'd
Dive Insurance Current: Yes, DAN
Trip Insurance: No
Flight or Driving Details:
Add'l Tours/Diving (List Out):
Other:
3. Butch aka Cajun Diver
Payments Summary To Date: $2500 echeck received = $2500 PAID IN FULL
Extra Nites/Days: No
Vandenburg: Yes
D/O or S/O: D/O
Documents: SD Waiver - ____ SD Survey - Rec'd Atocha Contract -Rec'd
Dive Insurance Current: DAN 1872595 current to March 2011
Trip Insurance: Yes, #10181W0758
Flight or Driving Details: Flight to Fort Lauderdale; rental car to Key West
Add'l Tours/Diving (List Out): none at this time
Other:
4. Bruce aka Palaulover
Payments Summary To Date: $500 + $1000 + $1000 = $2500 PAID IN FULL
Atocha Pkg: $2500
Extra Nites/Days:
Vandenburg: Yes
D/O or S/O:
Documents: SD Waiver - Rec'd SD Survey - Rec'd Atocha Contract -Rec'd
Dive Insurance Current: DAN Yes
Trip Insurance: Plans to get trip insce
Flight or Driving Details:
Add'l Tours/Diving (List Out): No
Other:
5. Steve aka SparkySteve
Payments Summary To Date: $500 dep + $1000; + $1000+fees: PAID IN FULL
Atocha Pkg: $2500
Extra Nites/Days:
Vandenburg: No
D/O or S/O:
Documents: SD Waiver - Rec'd SD Survey - Rec'd Atocha Contract - Rec'd
Dive Insurance Current: Yes, DAN 1336672
Trip Insurance: Waived
Flight or Driving Details: Driving
Add'l Tours/Diving (List Out):
Other:
6. Kenny aka Kenny
Payments Summary To Date: $500 + $1000; + $1000+fees: PAID IN FULL
Atocha Pkg: $2500
Extra Nites/Days:
Vandenburg: No
D/O or S/O:
Documents: SD Waiver - Rec'd SD Survey - Rec'd Atocha Contract - ____
Dive Insurance Current: Yes, DAN 101887
Trip Insurance: Waived
Flight or Driving Details: Driving
Add'l Tours/Diving (List Out):
Other:
7. OPEN
Payments Summary To Date:
Atocha Pkg:
Extra Nites/Days:
Vandenburg:
D/O or S/O:
Documents: SD Waiver - SD Survey - Atocha Contract -
Dive Insurance Current: -
Trip Insurance: -
Flight or Driving Details:
Add'l Tours/Diving (List Out):
Other:
Trip Instructor: N/A (Divers need to be comfortable in the water to make these dives.)
Trip Videographer:
Trip Photographer:
Those Celebrating a Milestone on this Trip (Birthday, Anniversary, Significant Dive, Etc):
1.
Waiting List:
1. There are currently available spots, so there is no waiting list.
Interested but can't quite commit
1.
You have seen us on TV . . . Now it's your turn to live the Atocha Dive Adventure!! Your Adventure Week, day-by-day......
Monday
Arrive in Key West and your home for the week.
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. SINGLEDIVERS.COM will help coordinate people wanting to share rides from different airports!)
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 the orientation package you got the night before 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 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. NOTE: You 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.)
3 Days of diving with Captain Chris Norwood (reef dives and the 2 day of Atocha Dives)
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
Indepth view of the conservation lab and preservation techniques!
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'/Transportation to Key West, and to your Key West lodging
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 of the Salty Dog (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 A SPOT ON THIS TRIP:
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.) You MUST tell us what package you want or we will NOT accept your booking until you do. NOTE THIS TRIP ONLY HAS ONE PKG OPTION. 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 or $2500 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. In addition to the base package, we need to know if you need rental gear, will be diving nitrox on the Vandenburg etc 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.
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. 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.
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 not total your trip choices nor add the 3% non-cash convenience fee if you are paying via credit card. You will need to enter that data manually to proceed with your payment.
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
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.
PROGRESS PAYMENTS:
PRICE SUMMARY: $2500 for Special Treasure Week
a. 11/09/2009 $500 non-refundable deposit due at booking to hold a spot payable only via
b. 02/15/2010: $1000 progress payment due
c. 04/15/2010: $1000 final payment + any balance due.
d. 05/15/2010: ALL add-on tours must also be paid in full by this date including the Vandenburg dive if doing it.
Full Payment: Trip must be paid in full no later than 90 days prior to departure or your spot can be given to another member/person on the wait list! There are a total of 38 spots all year...and once they find the Stern Section...there will be no more Atocha Dive Adventure Weeks!
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 after 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 via our new secure webpay.
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 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 30-60 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.
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 THIS LEVEL OF TRIP YOU CAN ALMOST 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 TRIPS ...it is VERY inexpensive and will protect your investment. 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!
LOOK HERE FOR ONGOING IMPORTANT TRIP UPDATES SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ EVERY POST TO BE IN THE KNOW:
Edited by cat fish, 28 July 2010 - 05:26 AM.