Fuel and Gilboa

[Barracuda2]

I have a meeting with Mike next Tues. a.m. and he's a little concerned about the rising fuel cost and how it might affect his turnout this season. I'm wondering:

Will the rising price of fuel affect the number of times you will dive Gilboa this season?

 

[do it easy]

I usually get out there once or twice a year, so the cost of fuel doesn't affect me as much as someone who goes every other weekend.

My local quarry is much closer, but I still try to carpool whenever feasible.

 

[trucker girl]

I deal with fuel more than the average motorist who goes to Gilboa...

In a big truck, you're buying fuel for fuel tanks with 300 gal capacity (2 150 gal tanks). The most I've ever bought at one time is about 225 gallons. But we only get... 5.2 mpg- some trucks claim to get as high as 10 mpg. But the new emissions requirements are making high fuel mileage a thing of the past- I know drivers getting as low as 3.7 and 4 mpg.

So... doing the math (math in public- not a good idea... plus I just had a beer)... if you've got a 100 mile round trip, which is roughly what I've got, at 17 mpg in my SUV, and if fuel is $1.50/gallon higher than it was last year (which it's not), the extra $1.50 adds $8.82 to my trip.

Compared to the cost of gear, tanks, entry/parking, eating out etc, the extra fuel is not going to affect me at all.

Now, with the truck, we're paying up to $4/gallon for diesel. Compared to $3 diesel, which was hard to handle, that's killer. A 2,000 mile trip at 5.2 mpg costs us $384 more at $4 than it does at $3/gal. I have actually written several fuel checks for more than $600- California gold (and Arizona gold, and Washington State gold...).

Prepare to pay more for your goods, folks...

 

[Dean810]

I think Trucker Girl hits the nail on the head. The fuel costs won't effect avid divers that much when it comes to travel, but will certainly effect other things. Expect to pay more for charters on the Great Lakes!

 

[Jchoby]

I may slow down on the single day trips...coming up for a few hours as it is a bit wasteful. However, I will camp out more often when I am there. Not particularly because the trip will cost a few dollars more but I am going to try not to feed the oil monster any more than I have to. Conservation is probably the only real voice we have in this mess, otherwise we'll just be a bunch of lemmings marching to the gas pumps.

 

[Scubadude773]

I think you are right Dean, but I would not surprised if there would be a fuel surcharge that local charters could charge. I would pay it, but I think alot of people would not pay it,and it might be a deciding factor for them to dive locally. Alot of the live-a-board companies such as Peter Hughes and Explorer Ventures have it clearly stated on thier websites about a fuel surcharge on thier bookings.
Also, I am now more open to carpooling to a charter or a weekend trip to somewhere as before I would rather travel by myself.
***I am watching WGN news as I type this post, and WGN just showed a couple of stations with prices of over 4.00 an gallon in Indiana. That will be here in Chicaoland area where we are soaked with high gas prices locally. I have sort of tailored my travel plans locally so I could purchase my fuel in the suburbs rather than in the city whenever possible.

 

[Geoff_H]

Great reading this thread - I love to see people modifying their behaviour to think more about fuel efficiency, and even change their plans accordingly.... this is the kind of real grass root effect than may have a big impact on how much fuel we human beings use.

 

[k4man]

The cost of fuel, alone, will not prevent me from diving...at Gilboa or any other of my favorite Ohio spots.

The combination of fuel AND the individual quarry's costs (entrance, air fills, overnight camping) WILL help me decide WHICH quarry (quarries) I frequent, without a doubt!

I hope the owners are keeping this in mind as they decide to raise their prices for 2008.

 

[Busdiver]

Fuel costs will be a factor this year. I will continue to look for closer dives that will cost less money. I know instructors who will be using Spring Mill instead of Gilboa on a more regular basis due to the cost of fuel. Instead of going down three weekends a month they will only going down for one weekend.

 

[MikeFerrara]

It's already effected how often I go there. It takes me a little more than a tank of gas to get there and back. Add to that entry fees and breathing gas for two and it just isn't worth it for a dive in any quarry. These days all of my local diving is really local. Given that I use my truck for work now and the cost to replace the truck, I don't even want to put the extra miles on the vehicle unless I'm the one getting paid.