BVickery
Contributor
Best of luck for you guys getting some more dive sites.
Proposed Ship Reef off Galveston Texas
- Thread starter chairmanTARAC
- Start date
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Good information, thanks for passing it along! I've left my comments and we're encouraging our club members to do the same.
Cyprian
Contributor
Excellent!
I have submitted my comment, will post information to my personal FB page as well as our club FB page, and I will provide this information to some of the local dive shops in the DFW area.
I certainly believe if the project happens off the coast of Galveston, that a multitude of divers from Texas will dive it often.
Thanks Chairman.
I have submitted my comment, will post information to my personal FB page as well as our club FB page, and I will provide this information to some of the local dive shops in the DFW area.
I certainly believe if the project happens off the coast of Galveston, that a multitude of divers from Texas will dive it often.
Thanks Chairman.
We are gaining some attention: Houston divers rally to support multi million dollar reef project - Houston Chronicle
Time is running out to submit comments. Please share the info via social media, email, etc. The more comments they get, the more likely the project will be to move forward!
Bill Parker
Contributor
There's already plenty of stuff in the Gulf off of Freeport (liberty wrecks , star reef, active rigs, etc.) a short distance from Galveston (a one hour drive) that few ever bother to dive. The fishermen will drop lines on it every weekend but I bet I'll never even see any underwater photos or videos of it. :-( Now call me negative.
Now, now. Haven't you been on star Reef with me and Garnett? We will go out there any time we have decent seas and willing divers. Star Reef, VA Fogg and Liberty ships, and rigs. We've even stopped at the Vancouver about 7 miles out but it's only 50' and usually murky. All that said, those wrecks are badly deteriorated. It would be nice to have a new ship reef in bluer water.
Bill Parker
Contributor
Oh I remember the two trips I was able to make to rigs on Captain Beard's boat. It was a
blast. I saw he went to star reef last summer but I couldn't make. Make this year I will
be able to make it if he goes back. I WANT to go.
I submitted a comment. I told them I was against the Galveston proposal but for the
others. The reason is the Galveston wreck is too far out to be practical. It's 67 miles
off shore. And the trip will be even farther because it doesn't start at the closest
beach but wherever the boat is docked. Fish N Divers are based in Galveston and they
want $500 to go to Stetson Bank (about 60 miles from Freeport) and you only have
time for two tanks because it's so far. So it will cost even MORE to get to the
Galveston wreck. And the depth of the Galveston wreck is a whopping 135 feet. We
don't know how tall the wreck would be at this time but even using a nitrox and a
dive computer you won't get much bottom time at those depths. That's a long way
to go and a lot of money for two short dives. About the only boat that would visit a
site at a reasonable cost this far out would be the M/V Fling. Comparing the proposed
Galveston wreck to existing dives sites along the coast and the additional proposed
dive sites further South you'll get more dives and more bottom time and shorter bumpy
boat rides for a lot less money.
blast. I saw he went to star reef last summer but I couldn't make. Make this year I will
be able to make it if he goes back. I WANT to go.
I submitted a comment. I told them I was against the Galveston proposal but for the
others. The reason is the Galveston wreck is too far out to be practical. It's 67 miles
off shore. And the trip will be even farther because it doesn't start at the closest
beach but wherever the boat is docked. Fish N Divers are based in Galveston and they
want $500 to go to Stetson Bank (about 60 miles from Freeport) and you only have
time for two tanks because it's so far. So it will cost even MORE to get to the
Galveston wreck. And the depth of the Galveston wreck is a whopping 135 feet. We
don't know how tall the wreck would be at this time but even using a nitrox and a
dive computer you won't get much bottom time at those depths. That's a long way
to go and a lot of money for two short dives. About the only boat that would visit a
site at a reasonable cost this far out would be the M/V Fling. Comparing the proposed
Galveston wreck to existing dives sites along the coast and the additional proposed
dive sites further South you'll get more dives and more bottom time and shorter bumpy
boat rides for a lot less money.
But lobbying against that ship reef doesn't get us a better ship reef, it gets us concrete rubble at a nearshore fishing site. Having that ship reef would make it easier to get another one, in my opinion. Success breeds success and it usually takes more than one big attraction to make a destination popular, it takes a critical mass of attractions. That ship reef project would drive further support and keep TPWD active in ship reef projects and help them build experience.
I believe Stetson is at least 70 miles from nearest land. Me and Garnett have discussed making it that far. The fuel would be close so we would have a spare bladder, only go on flat seas, and make it two tanks. Pricing not set but would probably be closer to $300.
But we live where we live and the cost per dive here is never going to be cheap.
I believe Stetson is at least 70 miles from nearest land. Me and Garnett have discussed making it that far. The fuel would be close so we would have a spare bladder, only go on flat seas, and make it two tanks. Pricing not set but would probably be closer to $300.
But we live where we live and the cost per dive here is never going to be cheap.
Bill Parker
Contributor
Trip #1: Weekend trip on small boats as day trips to remote Gulf sites
Drive down on a Friday night. Eat dinner on the way at a quick food
place for $5. Spend the night in a local hotel at a cost of around
$60. Get up early on Saturday and eat the hotel's breakfast. Do two
tanks on remote (and deep sites) on a small boat for $300. Add $20
for renting two tanks or air. Eat a nice dinner for around $10.
Spend Saturday night for another $60. Get up early on Sunday and
eat the hotel's breakfast. Do two tanks on remote (and deep sites)
on a small boat for $300. Add $20 for renting two tanks or air.
Drive back home assuming you're not so exausted you don't just check
into a hotel again for the night.
$5+$60+$300+$20+$10+$60+$300+$20=$775 buys four tanks at deep
sites with short dives.
Trip #2: Routine M/V Fling weekend trip
On Friday use a day of vacation time. Or maybe come to work early
and leave early if they will let you do that. Drive down to
Freeport and board the Fling which costs $570. Room (admittedly
modest but more than adequate), food, tanks, air, and everything
else included. Do seven tanks if you have the stamina for it.
(Maybe toss in $3 for a Cyalume stick.) Tip the crew $60. Drive
back home from Freeport on Sunday.
$570+$3+$60=$633 buys seven tanks.
Trip #3: Weekend trip on small boats to close Gulf rigs
Drive down on a Friday night. Eat dinner on the way at a quick food
place for $5. Spend the night in a local hotel at a cost of around
$60. Get up early on Saturday and eat the hotel's breakfast. Do
three tanks on close sites on a small boat for $200. Add $30
for renting three tanks or air. Eat a nice dinner for around $10.
Spend Saturday night for another $60. Get up early on Sunday and
eat the hotel's breakfast. Do three tanks on close sites on a small
boat for $200. Add $30 for renting three tanks or air. Drive back
home assuming you're not so exausted you don't just check into a
hotel again for the night.
$5+$60+$200+$30+$10+$60+$200+$30=$595 buys six tanks at
multi-level sites that gives you long dives.
I'm using Captain Beard's pricing for a small boat. All the other
small boats I know of ask for a lot more money for similar trips.
If I ever did the Galveston wreck it would probably be a one time
thing just to say I had been there.
Drive down on a Friday night. Eat dinner on the way at a quick food
place for $5. Spend the night in a local hotel at a cost of around
$60. Get up early on Saturday and eat the hotel's breakfast. Do two
tanks on remote (and deep sites) on a small boat for $300. Add $20
for renting two tanks or air. Eat a nice dinner for around $10.
Spend Saturday night for another $60. Get up early on Sunday and
eat the hotel's breakfast. Do two tanks on remote (and deep sites)
on a small boat for $300. Add $20 for renting two tanks or air.
Drive back home assuming you're not so exausted you don't just check
into a hotel again for the night.
$5+$60+$300+$20+$10+$60+$300+$20=$775 buys four tanks at deep
sites with short dives.
Trip #2: Routine M/V Fling weekend trip
On Friday use a day of vacation time. Or maybe come to work early
and leave early if they will let you do that. Drive down to
Freeport and board the Fling which costs $570. Room (admittedly
modest but more than adequate), food, tanks, air, and everything
else included. Do seven tanks if you have the stamina for it.
(Maybe toss in $3 for a Cyalume stick.) Tip the crew $60. Drive
back home from Freeport on Sunday.
$570+$3+$60=$633 buys seven tanks.
Trip #3: Weekend trip on small boats to close Gulf rigs
Drive down on a Friday night. Eat dinner on the way at a quick food
place for $5. Spend the night in a local hotel at a cost of around
$60. Get up early on Saturday and eat the hotel's breakfast. Do
three tanks on close sites on a small boat for $200. Add $30
for renting three tanks or air. Eat a nice dinner for around $10.
Spend Saturday night for another $60. Get up early on Sunday and
eat the hotel's breakfast. Do three tanks on close sites on a small
boat for $200. Add $30 for renting three tanks or air. Drive back
home assuming you're not so exausted you don't just check into a
hotel again for the night.
$5+$60+$200+$30+$10+$60+$200+$30=$595 buys six tanks at
multi-level sites that gives you long dives.
I'm using Captain Beard's pricing for a small boat. All the other
small boats I know of ask for a lot more money for similar trips.
If I ever did the Galveston wreck it would probably be a one time
thing just to say I had been there.
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