Cheap dive options

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Ramtin

Registered
Messages
10
Reaction score
1
Location
USA - Houston
# of dives
0 - 24
Hello
what are cheap dive options in Houston? Charter Boats are 300 $ min for a double dive, which sound expensive.
 
It's because the run out to blue water or the rigs is like 30? miles.

I have a friend living in Galveston, he bought a big enough boat to get out there to dive.
I've been out on it a couple times, everything near Houston is chocolate milk colored.
Literally where he takes the boat out into the channel for the run out to the Gulf is 4-5' deep but you can't see the bottom.
Blame the Mississippi River Delta.

The only nearby inland diving my friend ever mentioned near Houston is Aquarena Springs. (Spring Lake)
To get in there you have to take a Scientific Diving Course with them first.
 
One other option for multi-day trips might be the Fling. It's out of Freeport - about an hour drive south of Houston. Fling Charters
Flower Gardens is arguably the best diving in that area.
 
Canyon Lake, Lake Travis, Blue Lagoon, 288 Lake, Medina Lake...Clipper out of S. Padre and Flower Gardens out Freeport. Lots of lake diving within 3 or 4 hr drive.
 
Undercurrent's got a free access Sept. 2014 review of a trip on the Fling. If I lived in Houston, it'd be on my priority list.

I'd like to take a stab at the Flower Gardens someday, but living in KY, I'd pretty much have to commit to either round trip airfare (& associated costs) or a miserably long drive down to boat a fairly short live-aboard trip in an area where I might not find fairly short trip 'day boat' options readily available, if the trip got cancelled due to bad weather. So for me, it becomes a question of why not go somewhere with a longer trip option, and perhaps a lower risk of cancellation?

Then I took a look at your profile, and now I'm a bit confused.

You live in Australia, but you're asking about Houston (presumably the city in Texas, U.S.A.). Are you coming over for a trip? How long will you be here? Will you only be in Texas?

You're listed as new to diving; 0 - 24 dives. From what I understand the Fling trips tend to involve rather deep diving, and they don't put a free guide in the water, either. A new diver expecting the kind of hand-holding, following the leader (guide) boat trips popular in parts of the Caribbean might find the Fling to be a different experience. Are you going to get more training before this trip?

Richard.
 
The Texas Flower Gardens/Stetson are considered 'big-boy' diving, not for newbies. Under benign weather and current conditions (usually mid summer in the Northern Hemisphere) it can be a gentle as a kitten, but other times the waves and currents (and depths) are going to be VERY challenging, even SCARY! As mentioned, the boat doesn't deploy divemasters to babysit divers while diving, so you'll want to hook up with a trip leader or other experienced divers. If you've dove the Flower Gardens with any frequency, you'll gain invaluable real-world dive experience for other challenging dive locations around the world.
 
Richard I hav just moved to Houston

---------- Post added November 16th, 2015 at 10:31 AM ----------

The Texas Flower Gardens/Stetson are considered 'big-boy' diving, not for newbies. Under benign weather and current conditions (usually mid summer in the Northern Hemisphere) it can be a gentle as a kitten, but other times the waves and currents (and depths) are going to be VERY challenging, even SCARY! As mentioned, the boat doesn't deploy divemasters to babysit divers while diving, so you'll want to hook up with a trip leader or other experienced divers. If you've dove the Flower Gardens with any frequency, you'll gain invaluable real-world dive experience for other challenging dive locations around the world.

do you know how can i book this dive and how much is average cost?
 
Diver Steve gave you the link for the Fling. You'll be booking through a 3rd party dive shop; I don't believe the Fling does 'open seating.' Shouldn't be a problem, just be aware.

Oh, while it's of less significance to you than to me, due to location, I did ask someone who'd know what date range he'd recommend for the best odds of a successful trip (preferring warm water conditions); he suggested July 15 to September 15. Be mindful water temp.s will vary with the season in that region.

Richard.
 

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