Interested in doing the Flower Gardens (Aug-Sep)

[Illini_Fan]

August-Sept time frame seems to have the best odds of seeing Whale Sharks and big Mantas. That also gets into coral spawn season.

It's a great time of year to go. I'm trip leading a trip the beginning of August if you're interested. It has a couple spots open.

Tom -- are you leading the August 2nd - 3rd trip on the Fling?

 

[TwoBitTxn]

Tom -- are you leading the August 2nd - 3rd trip on the Fling?

Yup, that's me.

 

[diver 85]

I went on the Fling last year I think in July and had a great time. I guess I got lucky with the weather.

Best thing I guess would be the diving. We got in Seven dives. Five on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. Great food after each dive and lots of fun discussions and movies in the galley. They had a place to charge batteries and a big screen TV to check out video from past dives or movies. The whole upper deck is open for sun bathers and the Camera Table and Rinse bin seemed well taken care of. I saw lots of cool fish (Trunk, Squirrel, File, Angle), a couple of moray eels (including one baby), a sting ray, and off in the distance an eagle ray.

Worst thing? I really don't know. Like I said I lucked out with the weather. Anyway I don't think we had many hurricanes last year. I've heard the current can get stronger and the waves a little bigger than they were on my trip. The water was nice. I dove in a full 3mil I might have even bee a little warm.

My shop is Scubaland Adventures and they are leading several trips out there this year.
Texas Flower Gardens

I've heard the Spree takes fewer divers so that the ship is less crowded. But again I was on the Fling and had a great time too.

The Gulf is a crap shoot when it comes to weather, I know, I own a 29' Wellcraft
(started out with a 25' twin OB Wellcraft) & have been out well over 300 times over 30 miles out......When it's good, it's great & you can say the opposite is true also...We went on the Fling last July 20th??? I believe( a Wed, Thurs, Fri trip), seas were 4-6+ most of the time...Out of 30 divers, I believe 16 or 17 of us got all 7 dives in---it was ruff but that's the Gulf, you go when you can or have the balls to........

 

[diver 85]

Yup, that's me.

How bout June 6th (or so), we'll scheduled for that weekend on the Fling........Here's our crew from last July(about the 18th I believe).........

 

[RTRski]

I've only been on the Fling or Spree a total of 3 times now, but all three were July and Aug/Sept (Labor day long weekend). I was cancelled out of a June trip.

I know the hurricane season is in full swing in July - Aug timeframe, but that's not the only indicator. Look at how spring trips are much more likely to be cancelled, and that's not hurricane season, just rough seas and general crap weather.

Would be interesting to see if Gulf Diving has recorded the trips they've had to cancel over the years. Like with investments, past performance is no guarantee of future returns, but I'd be willing to perform a statistical analysis and post the results...even build an Excel spreadsheet for them to keep updated in the future that would autoprocess the results out to some sort of bar-chart with historical cancellation percentages by week of the year, or something...

 

[diver 85]

I've only been on the Fling or Spree a total of 3 times now, but all three were July and Aug/Sept (Labor day long weekend). I was cancelled out of a June trip.

I know the hurricane season is in full swing in July - Aug timeframe, but that's not the only indicator. Look at how spring trips are much more likely to be cancelled, and that's not hurricane season, just rough seas and general crap weather.

Would be interesting to see if Gulf Diving has recorded the trips they've had to cancel over the years. Like with investments, past performance is no guarantee of future returns, but I'd be willing to perform a statistical analysis and post the results...even build an Excel spreadsheet for them to keep updated in the future that would autoprocess the results out to some sort of bar-chart with historical cancellation percentages by week of the year, or something...

July & August IMO are the best 2 months to try to make a run in the Gulf---that's when I hit it the most.....hurricanes happen then(the peak is actually the month of Sept) but thank goodness they are far & few between AND you have advanced notice(usually....lol---good example is Rita in '05, we caught it when Houston was supposed to get it)........

 

[RTRski]

I know for us here in TX the notice isn't bad - I can actually wait until the noon go/no-go call and still make it down from DFW with plenty of time to spare, although I hate to rush and will usually jump the gun a bit and call on the way so I can get my Chuy's fix for an early dinner as I pass thru the Highlands just north of Houston. But for those flying in, I really think it would be cool to have stats of cancellations over the years...might help those out of state 'commit' to the plane flights if they knew the odds were good although of course there'd still be no guarantees.

Then again...do I want more competition for the seats? Hmmm...well, maybe, if it keeps the boats full and the owners profitable and happy, then I'm helping subsidize my own diving interests as well. I wouldn't be surprised if frequent early-summer cancellations was part of the Spree's motivation to shift venues to the Dry Tortugas for that part of the season, for example. And while I'd love to dive there as well, that's more than a 'long weekend' trip for me.

Who should I ask about the cancallation data availability?

 

[Wookie]

Who should I ask about the cancallation data availability?

Ummm. Me In September. Melanie and I were just talking about this very subject on the ride over from Texas, and how this spring was better weather than any since '99. I would love to have the data compiled, but it is in Mel's daytimer, and you aren't likely to get the only copy. We will have to make one for you, in September.

Frank

 

[RTRski]

If you're willing to share it, I'd be happy to do the number crunching and provide you a macro-ed up Excel worksheet. I don't blame you for not wanting to pass over the only copy...I wouldn't want that responsibility anyway, even with no dogs to eat the homework anymore.

I'm working on scheduling a trip anyway, so I'll hopefully talk to y'all in person about it sometime soon. But briefly...I know there wouldn't be time to do a data dump during the season; you guys all work way too hard while we slacker passengers are off blowing bubbles.