From Singapore: Aren't you sick of depending on dive centres for yr trips?

[ShawnJ]

I would like cut down the dependancy of my trips with dive operators and do it on my own. Us couple of friends, 5 to be exact, make it a point to dive together once a month.

I guess what I need help in is, finding dive boat charters or rentals, do i require a divemaster or can i just plan the trip on my own, etc, and wht else is required to ensure a good trip for my buddies. to add to it, one of my dive buddies is has a powerboat license. If i'm right, it'll end up costing everyone less as well.

I would love to hear input from you disgruntled divers out there who've gone off the beaten track and done it on yr own. Do drop me advice. Much Appreciated!

 

[kimmymore]

hey shawn,
another singaporean diver. i am going Komodo diving this July for a 8 day liveabord. keen?

 

[victor]

Let’s see

You are all qualified so you can dive as a buddy pairs; you don’t need to be led.

However it would be very foolish to go somewhere new and not get some local knowledge to insure it is a safe place.
Do you have a compressor? If not then you will need to be close to a dive shop to get fills.
Do you have tanks? If not then you will need to rent tanks from the dive shop.
I am assuming that you have all the other gear.

Here is what I would suggest
Form a club
Do some research on the net and find a nearby dive destination with sufficient sites such that you can go there a few times.
Phone up all the dive shops at that destination and see what deal they will give you if you bring say 6 divers. If you can fill a boat you will get a much better deal.
See if they can recommend local accommodation but also phone around yourselves.
If you are in a marine park they may insist you have a DM with you.
Once you have a working relationship with the dive shop repeat booking get much easier and more flexible.
If you are looking for more courses then investigate a group discount.
As soon as you have done a couple of dives at the first destination start looking for another one, maybe slightly further away, for a long weekend.

Finances Always a difficult issue
My suggestion is everyone pays up front.
Write up the rules in advance
What happens if someone can’t go?
What happens if the weather does not allow any diving?
Do you have a club account?
If you are offered 1 free place is the discount spread between the group?
How do you insure that the work is spread equally?

 

[ShawnJ]

hey shawn,
another singaporean diver. i am going Komodo diving this July for a 8 day liveabord. keen?

Hey kimmy, thanks for the offer. But 8 Days away from the office?

Don't think i'll be able to get away.. it does sound pretty tempting though.

Usually we try to dive once a month or once in 2 months, over a weekend. Perhaps when we plan our next trip, you could join us, if you'd like. The more the merrier. And we could try to insist for discounts from other dive centres cause we're a group =)

 

[ShawnJ]

Let’s see

You are all qualified so you can dive as a buddy pairs; you don’t need to be led.

However it would be very foolish to go somewhere new and not get some local knowledge to insure it is a safe place.
Do you have a compressor? If not then you will need to be close to a dive shop to get fills.
Do you have tanks? If not then you will need to rent tanks from the dive shop.
I am assuming that you have all the other gear.

Here is what I would suggest
Form a club
Do some research on the net and find a nearby dive destination with sufficient sites such that you can go there a few times.
Phone up all the dive shops at that destination and see what deal they will give you if you bring say 6 divers. If you can fill a boat you will get a much better deal.
See if they can recommend local accommodation but also phone around yourselves.
If you are in a marine park they may insist you have a DM with you.
Once you have a working relationship with the dive shop repeat booking get much easier and more flexible.
If you are looking for more courses then investigate a group discount.
As soon as you have done a couple of dives at the first destination start looking for another one, maybe slightly further away, for a long weekend.

Finances Always a difficult issue
My suggestion is everyone pays up front.
Write up the rules in advance
What happens if someone can’t go?
What happens if the weather does not allow any diving?
Do you have a club account?
If you are offered 1 free place is the discount spread between the group?
How do you insure that the work is spread equally?

Hey Vic, Thanks for yr advice.
Fact of is, we're all new divers (ie less than 10 dives under our belt).

Re: the equipment, i've had the opportunity to meet with a certain dive op who'll rent us his equipment at a very nominal price. so thats taken care of.

Re:Tank, We can get the tanks filled at the dive resorts (although i'm not really sure how much that'll cost) will have to research.

Re: DM Will I have to pay for the services of a DM? or Will it be free, however all the other charges will be beared for him (ie marine park fees, food, lodging, etc)

What is a club account?

Thanks for the tips bud!

 

[victor]

Fact of is, we're all new divers (ie less than 10 dives under our belt).

Then I feel you should take a DM with you for a while yet. Especially if you are diving a site you are unfamilliar with.
They know the dive sites, currents etc.
You will get a lot more out of it as they can find things that you would never see on your own.

Re: the equipment, i've had the opportunity to meet with a certain dive op who'll rent us his equipment at a very nominal price. so thats taken care of.

Re:Tank, We can get the tanks filled at the dive resorts (although i'm not really sure how much that'll cost) will have to research.

Are you going to be driving, by boat, or flying? You cannot fly with tanks. Best to rent the tanks and lead where ever you are diving at that time.

Re: DM Will I have to pay for the services of a DM? or Will it be free, however all the other charges will be beared for him (ie marine park fees, food, lodging, etc)

I would expect the local LDS will build all those costs into the hire of the boat. The difference would be if one of you was a DM or instructor. In this case that does not apply.

What is a club account?

I am unsure what the banking rules are in singapore, they have become much more restrictive recently.
I would sugest that one of your group agrees to be the treasurer, they open an account specifically for the trips and the only thing the account is used for is these trips.
If you go further then you will need to form an Official Club with a charter etc.

Hope this helps

 

[frogfish]

I would like cut down the dependancy of my trips with dive operators and do it on my own. Us couple of friends, 5 to be exact, make it a point to dive together once a month.

I guess what I need help in is, finding dive boat charters or rentals, do i require a divemaster or can i just plan the trip on my own, etc, and wht else is required to ensure a good trip for my buddies. to add to it, one of my dive buddies is has a powerboat license. If i'm right, it'll end up costing everyone less as well.

I would love to hear input from you disgruntled divers out there who've gone off the beaten track and done it on yr own. Do drop me advice. Much Appreciated!

Well - You can organize a Tioman trip yourself, i.e. arrange transport to Mersing, book ferry transfer, book room on the island and arrange for a local LDS to provide tanks, fills and the boat; I guess that as long as you don't know the sites you'd be better use the service of a DM...

 

[dive_lover88]

why don't you do a trip there once with a dive op and do another by yourselves,compare the cost of the trip see if it's worth it. For me ,i'm gonna stick with dive ops first,until i have a good knowledge of the area then i might spread my wings and fly.

 

[Quero]

I would like cut down the dependancy of my trips with dive operators and do it on my own. Us couple of friends, 5 to be exact, make it a point to dive together once a month.

I guess what I need help in is, finding dive boat charters or rentals, do i require a divemaster or can i just plan the trip on my own, etc, and wht else is required to ensure a good trip for my buddies. to add to it, one of my dive buddies is has a powerboat license. If i'm right, it'll end up costing everyone less as well.

I would love to hear input from you disgruntled divers out there who've gone off the beaten track and done it on yr own. Do drop me advice. Much Appreciated!

I think the first thing to consider is what your motivation is for wanting this independence. I mean, why "disgruntled"? Is it because you don't want to be limited on bottom time? Or do you want to do some exploration at a place not often dived? Or do you think you'll save a a lot of SGD? I think the first two of these possible reasons are good ones. But I seriously doubt you'll save enough money to make it really worthwhile (at least here in SE Asia where diving is already quite cheap in global terms) as well as safe.

Some people do boat dives very cheaply around here by hiring a fisherman with a boat to drop them off where they want to dive. It's important to keep in mind, though, that these boats may not have a radio or emergency O2 or any other kind of safety equipment should you have a diving accident.

As far as needing a DM, as long as local laws permit it, you can dive with your buddies without a DM in the same way you can hike around a forest without a ranger. However, some marine (and forest) preserves require that all visitors be guided. If regulations require you to dive with a DM, there are plenty of freelance instructors in Singapore; I'd be surprised if they would work for free, but you never know.

 

[Zippsy]

Fact of is, we're all new divers (ie less than 10 dives under our belt).

Wow. 10 dives or less and you are already sick of depending on dive centres for your trips? You must have had a very bad experience with the one shop you been with since your OW course. I also assume you mean that you plan to dive once per month rather than you make it a point to.

At any rate, most LOB boats will give a discount for a full charter. If they are big enough, they'll even have half charter rates that are better than retail. Dive shops that organize resort trips will also like have group discounts. FYI, years ago there was a club in Singapore that organized weekly DIY weekend trips but they stopped doing that when all the diveshops started competing. They ease of using them out-weighed the savings.