Non-bias Flower Gardens review

[scubasaint]

I couldn't agree more with the posts in this thread. Last summer I made my first visit there and thought it was great. The fact that it is more or less a local trip (5 hour drive) for me as well just adds to it.

I've already booked a 4-day trip there for this Labor Day, which has a potential of 17 total dives, and the greatest thing besides the actual diving is that I only have to take one day off of work!

 

[diver 85]

Great little trip----but as all Gulf fising/diving trips go, it's completely weather dependent........Can be flat as a piece of glass out there or can be 5-6+ foot seas(like we had last July--very borderline trip but MOST MADE IT-- a couple got VERY sick the whole trip)...

As far as the F.G.'s for diving goes, one needs to make that a must trip, @ least once(lol--some go & say never again)....made my 1st one last summer, after many years of planning to go, & will go on @ least one a year from here on...As we speak, I'm looking @ their schedule to plan for this summer....

 

[redacted]

I've already booked a 4-day trip there for this Labor Day, which has a potential of 17 total dives, and the greatest thing besides the actual diving is that I only have to take one day off of work!

I believe the potential is 15 dives on a 4 day trip. 5 on the first day with 2.5 hr SI, 4 each on the next 2 days with 3 hr SI, and 2 on the last day before heading in. Enjoy.

 

[Wookie]

I believe the potential is 15 dives on a 4 day trip. 5 on the first day with 2.5 hr SI, 4 each on the next 2 days with 3 hr SI, and 2 on the last day before heading in. Enjoy.

Gary is correct. We would dive 17 dives on a 4 day Dry Tortugas trip (it's much shallower), but only 15 on a 4 day FG trip.

 

[scubasaint]

Gary is correct. We would dive 17 dives on a 4 day Dry Tortugas trip (it's much shallower), but only 15 on a 4 day FG trip.

Is the 4th dive of teh day a night dive or a late afternoon dive?

 

[Pearldiver07]

I've had several of the best trips of my life with these guys, but also a total write off due to having to use one of their EANx tanks that had a bad tank oring.

The shop DM, boat DM and captain all knew of it, but I finally got a tank when we had to lift a diver off for getting bent. No one secured his gear, and then separated it. I used that tank to finally get a dive over 20 minutes.

I pointed out the problem before leaving the dock, in the first morning, and before EVERY dive.

Seemed that no one felt it was their issue.

I don't dive that boat. But the othe is a great trip.

 

[ReefHound]

Your post makes no sense at all to me. There must be more to the story.

1st, even on a chock full boat there are extra tanks. Many of the crew members like to dive when the passengers are on surface interval. They don't unhook tanks from passenger's gear to do so.

2nd, if no other tanks are available, it should take about a minute to change out a bad o-ring. I would expect any DM or instructor to know how to do this. You should have spares in your own parts kit but if not the boat will give you one.

3rd, I don't know which boat you were on but all the crew I know that work either boat would do back flips to help get your dives in. Customer satisfaction is of tremendous importance to crew as well as owners. What did you say and what was the response? I'm having a hard time imagining a diver saying "my tank is leaking" and everybody on the boat saying "too bad, get over it".

You apparently made the dives, abbreviated ones with the bad o-ring and full ones after getting another tank. Not sure how that is a "total" write off. BTW, a tank o-ring leaking so badly as to significantly shorten your dive is unsafe to be using at 80 to 100 feet.

 

[jac]

I've had several of the best trips of my life with these guys, but also a total write off due to having to use one of their EANx tanks that had a bad tank oring.

The shop DM, boat DM and captain all knew of it, but I finally got a tank when we had to lift a diver off for getting bent. No one secured his gear, and then separated it. I used that tank to finally get a dive over 20 minutes.

I pointed out the problem before leaving the dock, in the first morning, and before EVERY dive.

Seemed that no one felt it was their issue.

I don't dive that boat. But the othe is a great trip.

you can't change an o-ring?

when you leave the shop, you are responsible, as a diver, to make sure your gear is in working order.

i gotta agree with reefhound on this one, more to the story.

 

[ReefHound]

jac, these boats provide the tanks on board so one might not be aware of a bad o-ring until one is already on the boat. But that doesn't explain the inability or refusal of anyone to replace it. Now sometimes people don't say what they mean, and perhaps he meant the tank valve had a bad o-ring seat such that replacing the o-ring would not help. I still find it hard to believe there weren't any extra tanks on board, and even harder that the captain and crew didn't make it right.

 

[RAD Diver]

I have to agree that if any of the crew knew of a problem that they wouldn't do everything possible to make it right. They were very attentive on my trip to the Gardens onboard the Fling.
So back on point of this thread. My trip was awesome, we had some of the most calm conditions I have ever seen, of course diving in the Mid-Atlantic that might not seem too bold of a statement, but it was close to glass out there. The food while not fancy was very good & the menu was well thought out, the crew was 1st class. I thought the floor limits were a bit extreme, but the rules are the rules & when I broke the floor by a foot I sat the next dive as requested without a thought. As did another diver the next day.
I've dove Utila, St. Thomas, St Marteen & Nassau & would do the Gardens again before any of them. Probably before the Great Lakes too, but that would be a toss-up as I can drive to the Lakes.
I don't know when I might get back down there as we try to hit someplace different when we decide to travel. But I highly recommend the Gardens to everyone I talk to.