TexasMike
Contributor
I'm on board.... but then again, you already knew that 
ut:
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Full boat charter for Flower Gardens
- Thread starter TwoBitTxn
- Start date
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OP
Consider this...
There is a way we can start getting ALL our trips at wholesale cost. No more dive shops, no more lining someone elses pockets.
We book the trip directly, we get the trip at wholesale prices, we take responsibility.
It can be done.
TwoBit
There is a way we can start getting ALL our trips at wholesale cost. No more dive shops, no more lining someone elses pockets.
We book the trip directly, we get the trip at wholesale prices, we take responsibility.
It can be done.
TwoBit
R
redacted
Guest
My impression is the LDS is not making a lot of money on these trips so the savings potential is fairly small. I'm guessing 10 to 20% including the 3 DM slots that wrestle the whips. Let's make sure it will be worth the work trying to organize this loose TSDT into a formal TSDC (club). Then again, if enough folks are interested, I would welcome seeing a dive club that is not organized around an LDS.
Catch22
Contributor
Tell me more.
OP
Awap hit it on the head.
We would have to become official. I said it in another thread. If we were official and had our own insurance we could deal direct with the operators instead of dealing with the dive shops.
The key point is having our own insurance.
Becomming official, I'm sure, probably is not an easy prospect. Paper work, bank accounts, etc...
Lots to do... there are some definite advantages and disadvantages. I'm sure there are plenty of people who like things just the way they are.
As I understand it the dive shop makes somewhere around $50 per diver give or take a little.
To some thats no big deal, to others 50 bucks is well...
TwoBit
We would have to become official. I said it in another thread. If we were official and had our own insurance we could deal direct with the operators instead of dealing with the dive shops.
The key point is having our own insurance.
Becomming official, I'm sure, probably is not an easy prospect. Paper work, bank accounts, etc...
Lots to do... there are some definite advantages and disadvantages. I'm sure there are plenty of people who like things just the way they are.
As I understand it the dive shop makes somewhere around $50 per diver give or take a little.
To some thats no big deal, to others 50 bucks is well...
TwoBit
TexasMike
Contributor
Speaking as one of the original 7 founding members (and someone who is pleased as punch to see this "Team" grow to the size that it is), I've always like the way we've conducted things to date. The few times we had to deal with money (Pumkin Dive at Travis, original shirt sales, last year's FG trip) it worked out that folks volunteered to be the 'treasurer' for that event and everything got handled pretty well.
My next thought/opinion is probably better for a spin-off thread. I'm not so certain organizing to an official (aka insured, bank acounts, officers, etc) would be neither a good thing nor easy to do. The few clubs in the local area I've been exposed to have had some really harsh group politics happen and other things that turned me off of them. And it was always hard for new divers to break into the existing cliques. One thing I've always enjoyed about the TSDT is that we have no politics and everyone always welcomes each other heartilly.
"Easy to do" has to do with just how spread out we are. Organization means by-laws, officers, Non-profit Fed and State paperwork, and much more. For a time I was involved with LadyDiver and KingNeptune's attempts in putting together Neptune Divers International and each time we chatted about it, the challenges kept being added to. It's all doable, but a huge animal to tame.
As TwoBit said, having our own insurance coverage would allow us to book trips direct with the dive operators. But this insurance is not cheep (if you think coverage for Divemaster and Instructor is expensive, ask your LDS how much they have to pay just to safely open their door and turn on the lights). We'd have to honestly ask the question of ourselves, are we going to actively schedule, book, sell, and execute enough dives to make the expense of obtaining/maintaining coverage feasible?
These are just a few of the worms that I see that are going to crawl out when we decide to kick over the "official" can. I will support formal organization if that is what the group wants to do, but I will also advocate that we make sure that we "do it right" (There's that phrase again) the first time.
Turning back to the original focus of the thread, I'm still in favor of booking as much of the M/V Spree as we can. If we can get 20 folks, it would be a blast. And I want to commend TwoBit for doing all this legwork in talking with Capt. Frank and LDS's.
Right now we need to hear if you are even interested in having TwoBit book the trip with Capt. Frank. After the Spree's schedule is announced in October (at DEMA), then we can get serious about reserving spots and collecting money.
So if you're interested, let's hear a yes.
If you want to discuss formal organization, click here to jump to a thread I've started for this purpose.
--TexasMike
Twobit,
Chris, my son, and I met you on the FLower Gardens trip Aug 1 and 2. We would definitely be interested in possibly participating in chartering the Fling or Spree for a trip. The only problems we run into are schedules, work and school.
Regards
Marc
Chris, my son, and I met you on the FLower Gardens trip Aug 1 and 2. We would definitely be interested in possibly participating in chartering the Fling or Spree for a trip. The only problems we run into are schedules, work and school.
Regards
Marc
OP
Welcome yall,
You both are actually official members of TSDT if you want to be.
Hmmm... 4 definites, 12 maybees... 3 possibles, and a no...
I was hoping to do better than that...
TwoBit
You both are actually official members of TSDT if you want to be.
Hmmm... 4 definites, 12 maybees... 3 possibles, and a no...
I was hoping to do better than that...
TwoBit
Todd
Registered
Howdy TwoBit:
Please count me as a maybe.
I like the three day trips as they turn out to be a much better deal, in several ways, for me.
On my previous Fling trip, I, nor anyone in my group, did not much care for the on-board divemasters, but perhaps that was just that trip.
I would likely bring three friends, other Austin divers, with me as well.
Todd.
Please count me as a maybe.
I like the three day trips as they turn out to be a much better deal, in several ways, for me.
On my previous Fling trip, I, nor anyone in my group, did not much care for the on-board divemasters, but perhaps that was just that trip.
I would likely bring three friends, other Austin divers, with me as well.
Todd.
OP
Todd,
You are all welcome to come.
Keep in mind this... the boats changed owners last year. The year before was a rough year. They were right on par with DAN statistics for accidents.
Things have changed a little bit. The rules are still there, but they are in place to keep divers safe.
Its a long way home.
TwoBit
You are all welcome to come.
Keep in mind this... the boats changed owners last year. The year before was a rough year. They were right on par with DAN statistics for accidents.
Things have changed a little bit. The rules are still there, but they are in place to keep divers safe.
Its a long way home.
TwoBit
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