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#88
Flower Gardens Live Aboard - MV/Fling May 12 -14 [Dive Buddy Wanted]
aquabill - 2/27/2017 11:45 AM
Category: Buddy Wanted
Replies: 6

Looking for a Dive Buddy to go on the MV/Fling out of Freeport, TX 60 miles south of Houston.

The boat leaves port about 10PM on Friday and you wake up and dive in the morning about 100 miles off shore. Its a really great experience, however I would caution that you should have ample dive experience as this not your typical tour boat or drift dive situation.

You can find more information here:
flingcharters.com/

Rates

Divers - $585 (rates subject to change)
An incredible diving vacation!

The Flower Gardens Banks National Marine Sanctuary is a region of the Gulf of Mexico roughly 110 miles due south of the Texas-Louisiana border. It was designated a National Marine Sanctuary in 1992. The Flower Gardens Banks consist of two salt domes which have raised the ocean floor from the 400-foot depths in the immediate area to just under 70 feet in the center of the banks. These two plateaus are home to the northernmost coral reefs in the Gulf, hosting several different species of hard coral. The Flower Gardens Banks are also home to hundreds of species of Caribbean fish, and sightings of large pelagics are frequent!

Please note: Trips depart the evening prior to the date shown from Freeport, TX.

seasportstravel.com/wordpress/home-full-screen/sst-flowergarden1/
#472
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Boo-v - 3/01/2017 12:11 PM
Question, what is difficult about the dive? I’m looking to make this trip soon
#88
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aquabill - 3/01/2017 2:56 PM
I wouldn’t say hard necessarily, but you should be a reasonably experienced diver. This is the open ocean and on a couple of these dives you can very easily lose track of how deep you are. So you need to be very aware and stay close to your buddy and have a plan and stick to it. You could go too deep and blackout or you could get swept away by current to depth. I had heard from a seasoned dive master that he was on this trip and someone got away from the group and they aren’t sure if that person blacked out or had some other medical problem, but the diver was too far and deep for anyone to safely recover. The diver was lost at sea.

This boat is typically well equipped with extremely well trained professionals, but each diver needs to be prepared and understand this is more advanced diving not dive beyond your capabilities.

I can tell you that over the years I have had to assist dive buddies that were not prepared for relatively easy shipwreck and very easy reef dives at night. If I had not been aware of their problems things could have been bad. I have learned to ask dive buddies about their experience with a bit more skepticism.
#472
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Boo-v - 3/01/2017 3:24 PM
Wow, definitely understand that, I was certified last year and dived in Cozumel and Grand Cayman, guess I will have to get a few more in before I go this route
#4002
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WarmWaterTurner - 3/10/2017 1:40 PM
I would also brush up on my navigation skills. With the exception of Stetson Bank - the East and West Banks reef structure look very similar. Its all low lying corals of various types. It is really a good thing to be able to navigate out and back to catch the mooring line. Otherwise if you drift off in a current the likelihood of finning back is tough. Then you get to ride the boat of shame when they have to come and pick you up.

And +1 for aquabill - the staff of the Fling is fantastic. BUT, if you break their rules you will not be allowed back in the water. They check you time/depth and consumption after every dive. If you break their deep limit - you are out. If the current is blowing at a site then they move elsewhere. It is great trip - you never know what you will see in the open ocean but yes....it really calls for a solid bit of experience. Dive safe!!!
#88
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aquabill - 5/06/2017 11:48 AM
Less than a week
#472
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Boo-v - 5/25/2017 8:44 PM
How was the dive?