Remaining MV Spree/flower garden trips canceled for 2008

[redacted]

.....also remember, don't waste your time bringing any HP tanks on FLING, they can't do HP fills....hope you're going to be happy with 3000 psi fills max. ...and as an additional 'bonus'....FLING charges double for 100 cu. ft. tank or larger NITROX fills, SPREE does not...plus, NITROX is an extra charge on FLING....together, these 'fees' will run a FLING trip to be MORE expensive than a comparable SPREE trip......also, FLING has added a fuel surcharge, SPREE did not......plus, FLING is 33% more crowded (33 versus 24 divers max)...and, of course, the thing I hated most about FLING is having all those dang wetsuits slapping me in the face, hanging over my gear station while gearing up...arrggh !!!

Looks like you may have slept thru a few math classes also. The Spree now carries 33% less passengers so the Fling carries 50% more passengers (more crowded). It's that changing denominator. That is, 22 is 33% less than 33; but 33 is 50% more than 22.

I had no problem getting good fills on my HP 100 on either boat (the Spree was a couple 100 psi better) with no extra charges involved for the HP100. For me, the difference was in how much gas I was bringing back in my HP100. The Fling trips were still a bit less than the Spree even after the extra charge for nitrox as the Spree never did adjust its prices to fully compensate for the reduced capacity.

I never saw that much difference between the 2 boats and their crews. The extra room now on the Spree is quite nice but just not an overwhelming consideration for me. Same size bunks, same great food, SAME DIVING.

 

[river_sand_bar]

I never saw that much difference between the 2 boats and their crews. The extra room now on the Spree is quite nice but just not an overwhelming consideration for me. Same size bunks, same great food, SAME DIVING.

Except for that NOW there will only be 1 boat running... thus they will be able to dictate how the trips go.... No free market here... its either you dive with us or not at all.

Thats the part I have a problem with.

 

[ReefHound]

...whatever is 'wrong' with the economics of running a dive boat in FG...there's more to it than the general U.S. economy/fuel prices which only appeared on the radar a year ago....remember that until fairly recently there were 3 FG liveaboards (Sea Searcher / FLING / SPREE)...the drop down to only 1 boat happened WELL BEFORE the general economy/fuel prices became newsworthy.

That's not really true. See this post. Fuel was $1.50/gallon or less when there were 3 FG boats running full. The spike to $2.50, which seems cheap now but was a shocker at the time, was one of the factors that did in the Sea Searcher. It also preceded the Spree's search for more profitable waters.

The causes are many which include fuel costs, general inflation, consumer confidence, and I believe inadequate dive shop support. (Exceptions notwithstanding.)

 

[amascuba]

Here is a chart that shows the average cost of fuel over the last 6 years. Fuel costs certainly haven't been a concern just within the last year. It's been eating into my dive budget for atleast 3 of the 4 1/2 years that I've been diving.

 

[amascuba]

Except for that NOW there will only be 1 boat running... thus they will be able to dictate how the trips go.... No free market here... its either you dive with us or not at all.

Thats the part I have a problem with.

Have a problem with it? It's a free market. Buy a boat, run a business, take people out to the flower gardens.

 

[archman]

I hear the new catamaran hulls get better mileage...

 

[redacted]

Except for that NOW there will only be 1 boat running... thus they will be able to dictate how the trips go.... No free market here... its either you dive with us or not at all.

Thats the part I have a problem with.

I would not worry about it. Even with only one boat, I don't think the lines will be too long for those trips until the economy gets much better. The Spree was in KW through the first part of the summer so the Fling owned the market. I don't believe demand was out pacing supply.

 

[Wookie]

I hear the new catamaran hulls get better mileage...

Nice!!

 

[LVX]

Open mouth, exchange feet. Just because you are a former shop owner, does not mean that you have a single clue how my shop or any other shop in the state operates. Whether or not a shop chooses to market FG trips is a business decision made by the owner of that shop. For some it is lack of demand and for others it is the hassle of refunding canceled trips, still others have a preference for more distant travel. The shop owners are not to be blamed for a business decision made by Gulf Diving.

Thanks Mack. I completely agree. Tom's does and will continue to promote diving the Flower Gardens and using the Fling. As for diving becoming an elitist sport, I completely disagree. I am not a rich person but I continue to dive and I continue to travel. It is a matter of priorities. If your priorities have changed, then diving far off destinations may not be in the cards but that does not mean it couldn't be. I teach many, many divers who are in no way rich and who still plan trips. I am also involved with the travel industry and have seen the statistics that show people are still traveling and still diving so you cannot convince me it is changing to just be a rich person's activity. It is all about priorities...

Layne

 

[texdiveguy]

Copied from TDS:

"I'd like to request a favor. Richards parents would like copies of any diving related pictures that you might have.

If you would be willing to share picture with his parents please e-mail them to me at dan@weyant.net. I will compile all of them, put them on a CD and make sure they get to his Mom and Dad.

If you'd like to include any comments about the pictures I will make sure they get included as well.

Thanks, Dan"