Flower Gardens in late February or March

[flowerpecker]

Hey y'all -

I'm going to be home (I grew up in Texas but have been living in Alaska for the last 20 years) for a couple of weeks next Feb/Mar and wanted to try to get out to the Flower Gardens. Everything I've found online indicates that the M/V Fling is the only boat operating out there, and that all the bookings are done through various dive shops rather than directly with the boat. I e-mailed Tom's Dive and Swim and Sea Sports Travel, but neither of those shops bothered to respond.

Can anybody out there give me some recommendations for either other boat operators or at least other dive shops (ones that are willing to communicate with prospective customers)? One of the things I'm most interested in finding out is how/where I can get a tank and weights for the trip, as I don't want to lug that stuff all the way across the continent, especially with airline baggage requirements these days.

Also, are there any other dive areas/trips you'd recommend? I'm going home primarily to visit family rather than dive, but would love the opportunity to get a couple days in warm water while I'm there.

Thanks in advance -

 

[thevalkyry]

Alaska... for 20 years... that's some hard time....

You can email Kevin, he is the booking agent for the Spree. He can set you up. I'll PM you his email.

 

[Guba]

First, I can't imagine why Tom's isn't responding, although it could be because the Fling hasn't posted their 2009 dive schedule yet. I've used Tom's a couple of times to book on the Fling, and they've always done a great job. I'll see what I can find out for you. If I can't get through to them either, I'll look for another shop for you (though the Fling website is pretty easy for you to navigate through). If you haven't gone there yet, hit Fling Charters There is a full page of dive shops through which you can book trips.
There is a dive shop almost right across the street from the Fling's berth in Freeport. I can't remember the name of the shop, but they can provide tanks and weights, but you can also arrange for a tank and weights directly through Gulf Diving (the Fling). However, you have to contact them well ahead of time so that they can make sure to have the right number of tanks and amount of weight (they don't routinely keep spares on board).

And good luck on getting fair weather for a Feb/March trip. It can be pretty dicey out there that time of year. However, some spectacular things happen out there in Feb (hammerhead shark schooling, for example) so it's worth pursuing.

Have a great time, and be sure to post a report!
Bill

 

[flowerpecker]

Hey, thanks to all of you who've responded - hopefully things will work out and I'll be able to set up a trip while I'm home. Anybody have any recommendations on camera equipment? Wide angle or macro, still or video? I'm sure I'll bring a camera if I go, but I want to limit how much stuff I'm bringing from Alaska.

 

[dannod1948]

Adventure out of Plano TX has a trip in March on a Thursday and Friday.

Adventure Scuba 2007 Travel Calendar

Try this website.

If you do Nitrox, which is the way to go you don't need a tank as the boat will provide that, but if you do air you will have to work that out on your own.

I have been on this trip several times and it is good diving. I wait until the gulf warms a little more than March.

If you need any more help let me know.

 

[Guba]

Anybody have any recommendations on camera equipment? Wide angle or macro, still or video?

Yes, to all. Sorry if that desn't help, but you'll find targets for just about any type of photography you can lug gear for. In that time frame, you could see schooling hammerheads, turtles, and huge schools of a variety of fish, so video and wide angle would be good. (And then there's the platform dive...always good with wide angle!) However, the FG just got named as the second healthiest and most diversified marine environment in the US (Scuba Diving mag, Jan/Feb 2009 edition), so macro gear would be great, too. The FG is one of the most pristine reef environments on the planet, so much so that it serves as a benchmark by which other reef systems are compared.
The way I cut down on the gear I take on board (space is at a premium, of course) is to use a SeaLife mini with external flash. It takes pretty good photos, has multiple settings, and even records pretty decent video (provided the light is fairly good). However, I also take my video and housing, too. It's pretty compact, so getting it through the airport is pretty easy.
You can probably tell that I'm a fan of the FG, so much so that I volunteer with the FGB National Marine Sanctuary. It's a great place and I think you'll have a grand time exploring it.

 

[PeppermintPaddi]

I have to chime in on this one, since my pocketbook says I already spend too much time at Tom's, and they don't answer my email very often either

The phone works better. I just called and they do indeed have trips scheduled for Feb 14-15, Feb 28-Mar 1, and Mar 14-15. The tickets can be bought online via a link at from Dive Trip menu. There's a trip meeting for Tom's sign-ees before hand where folks get together and talk, but there's no organized carpooling set up by the shop.

 

[Heavy D]

Can't help you out with the Flower Gardens stuff, but you might want to checkout American Diving too and see if they have a trip going out to the Texas Clipper when you are down this way.

 

[TwoBitTxn]

You didn't say where home is. From your interest in the gardens I'm guessing it's Houston area.

Since no one else has I'll post Spree Expeditions Diving Flower Gardens and Dry Tortugas They are running in the gardens in the spring.

South Padre isn't exactly a day trip from Houston. American diving is a great org though.

Scuba Instructor Training - American Diving - Diving the South Texas waters of the Gulf of Mexico

Ok, so I just looked at the spree's website. They aren't running charters in Feb and Mar. Sorry. Adventure scuba would be willing to help you with tanks and weights. We (I work for them) just need to know what you need.

 

[flowerpecker]

Thanks to everyone who's posted here - I appreciate all the replies and PMs. I'm set up for a trip at the end of February - keep your fingers crossed that the weather's good for boating and diving, since it'll probably be a couple years before I'm home again! I got the trip through Tom's as they're the closest to me (I'll be near SA at my folks' place) and am already pretty excited about the possibility of seeing hammerheads. I dive about once a week here in Alaska and have NEVER seen a shark while diving, though I know they're around because we used to catch them when I worked on commercial fishing boats.

Cheers!