Most reliable time for Flower Gardens?

[ligersandtions]

My husband recently moved to the Houston area....I'm still living in LA for a while. I've read some about Flower Gardens and it looks like pretty amazing diving, but seems like the charters get blown out somewhat frequently.

So I was just curious if there's a specific time of year (month?) that we'd have a good chance of actually making it out. Diving in LA is pretty consistent, so I figure he'll come visit me (and our friends) more often than I go out there, but when I do, it'd be awesome if it could coincide with some good diving

Also, just out of curiosity, are any of the dive ops scooter (DPV) friendly?

 

[Cyprian]

Welcome to Texas Diving.

I'm going to point you to this thread where we have been discussing gulf diving activities:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/te...-south-padre-great-american-barrier-reef.html

But then I'll going to declare my ignorance in the matter and defer to folks more knowledgeable than I. I'm sure Guba, or Wookie, members of the CHUM club, or some other diver better versed in the area will be along to help you soon.

 

[Chugwhump]

May I suggest that you contact "Wookie".

He runs a "liveaboard" vessel there some of the year.

Chug
Wants to go, but not gonna' make it anytime soon.

 

[redacted]

The calmest seas are August except when there is a tropical storm. July is the most reliable month with slightly heavier sea but less chance of tropical activity.

 

[DandyDon]

Does Wookie go back to the Flower Gardens? I thought he was permanently in Key West for the Dry Tortugas?

For Liger: I've done just a little of both the FG and the Channel Islands. The latter was great, but nothing like the coral reefs, warmer waters, and abundant life off of Texas. You'll love it, and you won't have to rent a car or book a hotel room before flying home like I did. The chances of being blown out are real, but since you will be in Houston some anyway - book the trip, with a backup plan for your visit.

 

[Wookie]

Does Wookie go back to the Flower Gardens? I thought he was permanently in Key West for the Dry Tortugas?

I went back and forth for a few years, but the price of this fuel, man.....

Awap has given the best advice here. However, my favorite time is in the spring when the hammerheads run. The reef seems to be fresh and crisp (if a reef can be those things) and when a trip finally makes, there is nothing like it. The Fling has cancelled every trip this year for weather, so it isn't something you can plan, it's something you have to do last minute.

This years weather will reflect on the Fling's bottom line for the next 5 years. It's why I left.

 

[ligersandtions]

Thanks to everyone for the info!

For Liger: I've done just a little of both the FG and the Channel Islands. The latter was great, but nothing like the coral reefs, warmer waters, and abundant life off of Texas. You'll love it, and you won't have to rent a car or book a hotel room before flying home like I did. The chances of being blown out are real, but since you will be in Houston some anyway - book the trip, with a backup plan for your visit.

That's kind of the plan....if it gets blown out, it won't be the end of the world since I'll be there to visit him for the most part (diving would be a bonus). That said, if I do bother to ship gear out, it would be great if we actually dived

I'll leave it up to him to figure out what to do if it gets blown out. Despite the fact that I was born in TX, I've never been back, don't remember it, and haven't the slightest clue what there is to do!

 

[DandyDon]

I went back and forth for a few years, but the price of this fuel, man....

Can't just pull that one out onto the trailer and pull it with your duelly huh? :laughing: I didn't know you had gone back some, but I miss a lot of news. The fly down, rent car, and book hotel room for the last night was just too much for me to repeat as much as I enjoyed diving with you so I didn't follow close enough. Flying to Coz was just not much more money from here.

That's kind of the plan....if it gets blown out, it won't be the end of the world since I'll be there to visit him for the most part (diving would be a bonus). That said, if I do bother to ship gear out, it would be great if we actually dived

I'll leave it up to him to figure out what to do if it gets blown out. Despite the fact that I was born in TX, I've never been back, don't remember it, and haven't the slightest clue what there is to do!

Hehe, checking gear from dive trips is something I have done for almost all of my dives so I'm more used to it. It's added to the adventures as well as the baggage fees, but just part of my deal.

There is lots to do in Texas tho, depending on what you like. I like the San Antonio-Austin area best, the craddle of our civilization, but perhaps it's my Texan heart. I don't care for the freshwater diving around Houston, and you have beaches with cleaner shore water in California - but south of Houston you can walk between semi-docile aligators in one park. The historical district of Galvestion is neat, and there's more.

Good luck either way...

 

[Guba]

Well, I'm weighing in a bit late, but I'll toss in my two cents worth (but that might be inflated). I've only been blown out (technically) once, and that was in June. That's a skewed statistic, because I've only booked trips in June and July. However, there was that one trip in July when we got chased out of the Gulf by Hurricane Dolly...
That said, awap and Wookie have steered you straight in my opinion. I've seen the Gulf absolutely flat as glass on several occassions in July. However, I've also been bounced off my bunk (actually bounced off the bulkhead above it, too) in late June, so there are no guarantees. But I'll say that the risk is certainly worth the trip, because the FG is a pretty unique place to dive. Fantastic structures, great benthic cover, and surprising amounts of life. While you might find greater diversity at other sites such as Indonesia, etc..., you won't find too many reef systems that are has healthy and pristine as the FG.
Okay, so I'm a FG cheerleader. But the reason I'm a fan is because diving out there has changed my perspective on diving and oceans in general. It was a game-changer for me, and I'll recommend it to anyone who's willing to give it a try.
Have fun, and hope to hear that you made it out.

 

[ReefHound]

Can't just pull that one out onto the trailer and pull it with your duelly huh? :laughing: I didn't know you had gone back some, but I miss a lot of news. The fly down, rent car, and book hotel room for the last night was just too much for me to repeat as much as I enjoyed diving with you so I didn't follow close enough. Flying to Coz was just not much more money from here.

There is Keys Shuttle if you don't want to rent a car. It'll probably cost you more than the rental car but at least you won't have to drive or incur the rental risk.

You don't have to get a hotel room the last night. The Spree will let you bunk on board the last night after you return to port. The galley will be closed and you'll have to be off the boat by 9am next morning but at least you'll have a place to stay.