Dutch Springs isn't Wreck Valley

[weekender]

Start by looking here. njscuba.net this is an excellent site that list plenty of local charters. many people dive with a club or through the LDS they like. this gives them a group of people they are familiar with and comfortable. of course you dont need to. i search around for a wreck i like. find a charter going there and sign up. then notify friends, if none join me, i make new friends on the boat. i do this almost every weekend and cannot remember the last time i got shut out of a dive. there are plenty of charters, if you look around you can find a spot. it is only a concern if you are loyal to only one boat or LDS (sorry guys, im a *****). yes a deposit is required, thats fair in my opinion. if your an honest person who intends on diving then the deposit is mute. ok i done.

 

[fashionablylate]

yes a deposit is required, thats fair in my opinion. if your an honest person who intends on diving then the deposit is mute.

I'm not arguing against the practice of requiring a deposit, as it's a logical thing to expect for any sort of trip. The reason I mentioned the deposit was not the deposit, but the timing of the deposit.
For example, if I want to go dive a particular wreck in November, I have to start looking and depositing NOW for that theoretical trip. Personally, my issue is that I don't know what I'm doing tomorrow, let alone what I'm doing three months from now. But I do know that I can wake up on Saturday morning and say to myself, "I think I'll go to Dutch today," and then make it happen.
Thanks for the links. I'm checking it all out now.
-Andrew

 

[weekender]

i understand your point. hopefully after looking at njscuba.net and talking to some other divers you'll realize you dont need to plan months out for a run of the mill wreck dive. thats my entire point. with exception for deeper dives, i plan a week or mostly a few days out. if your flexible you can too. now stop bringing up DS and sign up for a charter already!!! (smiling)

 

[Jersey Chris]

Anyone up for Dutch this weekend.. :joke:

 

[fashionablylate]

Anyone up for Dutch this weekend.. :joke:

Dude, that was so wrong. LOL. :lol2:

 

[padiscubapro]

I'm not arguing against the practice of requiring a deposit, as it's a logical thing to expect for any sort of trip. The reason I mentioned the deposit was not the deposit, but the timing of the deposit.
For example, if I want to go dive a particular wreck in November, I have to start looking and depositing NOW for that theoretical trip. Personally, my issue is that I don't know what I'm doing tomorrow, let alone what I'm doing three months from now. But I do know that I can wake up on Saturday morning and say to myself, "I think I'll go to Dutch today," and then make it happen.
Thanks for the links. I'm checking it all out now.
-Andrew

Booking on the best boats usually requires you to commit well in advance. My favorite local boat is Dan Berg's "Wreck Valley" We book his boat in January and still sometimes have tbls getting specific dates in july and august...

When you get known by the boats they typically relax their deposit fees considerably..

The boats I usually use I just pay the day of the trip and if I miss it they get a check or CC the next day..

 

[wrekdiver2]

What I'd like to know from the members of the salt water community is...how does someone go about finding a boat?

checkout the site already suggested. The deal with deposits is that shops and boats have been taken a hit in the past using the honor system. You say you will be there and they count on you being there. You don't show, they eat the charter fee. When I put together charters, I have to watch out because I 've been screwed over in the past.

The other option is to check out to see what boats run open boats. I know for a fact that the Dina Dee runs an open boat for 1 tank on Wednesday nights leaving at 6:30pm ($35) and a 2-tank Thursday charter that leaves at 8:00am ($70).

Dina Dee

 

[fashionablylate]

Okay, I'm signed up for three charters, two on the John Jack, and one on the Venture III. Wish me luck...
By the way, where do you rinse out your gear? Do you wait until you get home, or is there a fresh water rinsing sink on the boat? I hate to ask the stupid questions, but when you have absolutely no clue...pretty much any question seems legitimate.
-Andrew

 

[weekender]

Okay, I'm signed up for three charters, two on the John Jack, and one on the Venture III. Wish me luck...
By the way, where do you rinse out your gear? Do you wait until you get home, or is there a fresh water rinsing sink on the boat? I hate to ask the stupid questions, but when you have absolutely no clue...pretty much any question seems legitimate.
-Andrew

There are no stupid questions, just stupid people! ok, kidding. i used to be an instructor in the army and i love getting to use that old line. in my experience boats do not have a rinsing tank on board. you probably can use the fresh water at the marina, however, ive never noticed anyone but crew doing that. most simply go home and take care of it. keep in mind traffic is always and issue and most of us are always trying to stay ahead of it. especially on sunday. my 2cents

 

[diverbrian]

... as the local quarries are to the Great Lakes divers. They are a place to dive when we run out of money for charters every weekend and serve as a gathering area for the wreck divers where we can practice skills and try out new gear.

No different, if you check out the Great Lakes Wrecking Crew, many of the posts are about dives at Gilboa, Whitestar, or Portage quarries. For the Illinios side of our area, Haigh is a popular quarry.

I have dove Dutch Springs. Due to the company of other divers, I had a great time. I was able to hear from people who have dove the deep wrecks in the Northeast. Believe it or not, I even got asked about some people up in my neck of the woods. I got invites to dive some of the wrecks in that area (If only I had the vacation time.)

The quarries are great for practice when the boats aren't running. So, give me my compressed nitrogen fix! I don't care what the source is.

And enjoy your shipwrecks! Hopefully, they will have a low replacement rate.