Just curious, what makes this a private charter? ..
I know FSC and Captain Dustin also. The 3 key differences between a private charter and a regular scheduled trip is both :
*) Times - Departure, return, travel time, & surface interval times, Within reason-It is the group leader that tells/negotiates with the captain when to leave, when to return, how long the bottom time will be and how long the surface interval will be. For example, the drop site is very small. Instead of doing a full 40 minutes of bottom time, the group agrees to 15 minutes, on surface at 20, and no less than 2100 psi. Thereby potentially getting in 6 drops on his 3 tank trip. For spearo's this is very advantageous since if you can't find a fish to harvest in 10 minutes on a tug boat wreck, screw it - we're outta here to the next drop.
*) Drop sites -
@caruso drops in on his 1st wreck- The Danny and the current is just screaming at 3 knots. His captain Dustin, calls me on the radio since he knows I'm 4 miles north but in 105 feet deep and asks me howz current on my dives?. The group leader can change the original list of wreck sites and move up towards me since current is only a knot & a half instead of going south as originally agreed.
*) Passengers - On a private trip divers like to have similar experience, training, and objectives. The group leader is responsible for "vetting" the other divers. He wouldn't want to put a 10 dive/new BOW/ air diver with his AOW & EAN divers. After researching his prospects he can always just say "Boat's Full, but I'll let you know " if they don't meet his requirements. This is much more common on tech trips and you start asking what equipment they have and who have they dove with so you can check there references with a phone call.
Within reason,,on a private trip the group leader makes the decisions on when and where. The captain usually just has a "Veto" vote ---which can be sometimes over-ruled with more $$$$$. That never happens on a regularly scheduled trip.
