Any day trips from Houston/Galveston to the Flower Gardens

[BrianV]

Maybe a boat that leaves at 6am and returns in the evening. I figure a fast boat could get there in 2-3 hours, stay out there for 6-8 hours for 3 or maybe even 4 dives and then return.

Does such a trip exist?

 

[redacted]

If you are willing to pay for it, I'm sure you could find someone who would take you. But I don't see where there could be much demand at the price it would likely carry. I suspect it would be as expensive as available liveaboard trips.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Maybe a boat that leaves at 6am and returns in the evening. I figure a fast boat could get there in 2-3 hours, stay out there for 6-8 hours for 3 or maybe even 4 dives and then return.

Does such a trip exist?

It would be an odd day indeed that you could make that trip in the Gulf at that speed and arrive with all your teeth
Rick

 

[redacted]

It would be an odd day indeed that you could make that trip in the Gulf at that speed and arrive with all your teeth
Rick

But there are those periods with nary a ripple. Some of them might even last long enough. Are you feeling lucky?

http://seaboard.ndbc.noaa.gov/images/climplot/42019_wh.jpg

 

[ReefHound]

Maybe a boat that leaves at 6am and returns in the evening. I figure a fast boat could get there in 2-3 hours, stay out there for 6-8 hours for 3 or maybe even 4 dives and then return.

Does such a trip exist?

Why? Most of the cost is in the fuel. Once you've paid for that and endured the long ride, why not stay awhile and get in more dives? The 2 day trips works out to about $50 to $70 per dive, which is much cheaper than the day trips to the rigs.

 

[BrianV]

Well mainly because my g/f has family in Houston so a day trip would allow us to dive and still spend time with them. I also figured it would be a little cheaper. $400 per person is a lot to me considering I can get as many dives in the carribean for half that much. Because of my work travel, we rarely pay for airfare or hotel because of the points I earn. For $800 we could pretty much dive anywhere in North/South America for a week. Also, my g/f loves diving but she isn't the type who would like to make an entire weekend out of diving and for her being on a boat that long might be too much ocean/diving/divers.

 

[ReefHound]

Well mainly because my g/f has family in Houston so a day trip would allow us to dive and still spend time with them. I also figured it would be a little cheaper. $400 per person is a lot to me considering I can get as many dives in the carribean for half that much. Because of my work travel, we rarely pay for airfare or hotel because of the points I earn. For $800 we could pretty much dive anywhere in North/South America for a week. Also, my g/f loves diving but she isn't the type who would like to make an entire weekend out of diving and for her being on a boat that long might be too much ocean/diving/divers.

Few are in your lucky position that they can go to Cozumel and the only costs be $200 in dive charters. I suspect far too few to support a day trip business to FG. For the rest of us, the FG trips are much cheaper when you add travel, room, and board.

I'm not sure how much you had in mind for a FG day trip but consider that day trips to rigs 25 miles offshore run about $200.

 

[BrianV]

It's all supply and demand, they're filling up boats at their prices then good for them. I will go because I live in Texas and definitely want to see the hype, but I just don't think I could go on a regular basis with prices like that. We'd also have to take a day off of work to go and the travel time exceeds the travel time of flying to Florida or California. I My family lives in Palos Verdes which has multiple day trips to diving in Catalina. Their weekend trips would have you on the island at night so I could probably convince the g/f to do that more regularly.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[chairmanTARAC]

Have you ever tried a rig dive, or V A Fogg/conoco Lets hope we can get the clipper down off south padre this summer. The oriskany just got epa approval so ours should be soon

 

[Cudabait]

Well mainly because my g/f has family in Houston so a day trip would allow us to dive and still spend time with them. I also figured it would be a little cheaper. $400 per person is a lot to me considering I can get as many dives in the carribean for half that much. Because of my work travel, we rarely pay for airfare or hotel because of the points I earn. For $800 we could pretty much dive anywhere in North/South America for a week. Also, my g/f loves diving but she isn't the type who would like to make an entire weekend out of diving and for her being on a boat that long might be too much ocean/diving/divers.

Sounds like Coz or Roatan is for you. Also, depending on your GF's level of dive skills, you could always do the FG's without her and tell her about them.

Regards,