Texas Swamp Diver Late Spring Fling

[BlazerDiver]

I'm new to the group, but an old friend to the texas swamp!

Will be glad to help with whatever... on this spring fling.

Unless it's 5/30 - 6/6... I'll be in Honduras.

Looks like most popular is Mem day.
That'll work, WP is a big place.

I placed a GeoCache u/w out there!

 

[ScubaTexan]

Could it have something to do with the hundreds of inexperienced / careless boaters or the hundreds of inconsiderate campers?

Yes...

 

[Foo]

Is the scuba park roped off from boats, or protected in any manner? Or do you have to worry about boaters coming over your head?

 

[driftwood]

There are buoys, but do you really expect the boats to respect them.

 

[BlazerDiver]

I haven't had a problem at WP. Even on busy weekends.
If you come up within the park, it's not so bad.
It's coming up near the point, that's when you get boat traffic!

All ya gotta do is, come up close to shore! It's really easy to find that! It's East!

 

[Foo]

There are buoys, but do you really expect the boats to respect them.

...kinda.

I've never been there, so I didn't know if they mind the rules or not. Evidently not.

 

[Zinc]

Howdy ya'll,
I'm glad to see everyone participating in the poll! It looks like promising tool to see who's available & when. Please cast your available dates if you haven't already, and by March we should have a pretty clear idea of the most widely agreeable options.

I do feel that I need to address the subject of Memorial Day, and downplay the drama that it's not a safe weekend worth considering, especially since early polls show it as one of the most available times for many.

This is a private park, with entry fees per person, not by carload like the public parks. I've never seen Windy Point (Private) park out of control or over crowded, & I've been diving and camping there on both Memorial & Labor day weekends.

Yes, I've seen it pretty full of campers and divers, on many weekends in the summer, but the only complaint I've had during those times are the classes mucking up the viability (this is usually in the areas surrounding the platforms) and is not really an issue for Swamp Divers anyways.

Yes, there is more boat traffic on Travis and any lake during Memorial day, but Windy Point Park has a clearly defined, very well known swim/dive area with deep water clearly marked off with several buoys. I've seen boats enter the area by mistake, but it's a rather rare occurrence, and generally nowhere near shore or divers, dive floats and flags. When it does happen, those on shore are quick to shout out and waive off the offending boats.

In my personal opinion, based on experience, I do think it is as good a weekend as any to consider, but yes, there will be more divers and campers(including Swamp Divers). Yes, this might be a good reason to choose a different weekend. Either way, we're lucky to have some Swampers close by to show up early and designate some space for our Fling!

Please consider all the options and choose the weekends that work best for you, because "IT'S ALL GOOD!"Regardless of the weekend, it promises to be a fun, safe time for everyone who attends.

Safe diving and looking forward to fun times together...

 

[Zinc]

One more thought to consider...

Why don't we let this poll run till March 1st to determine the top two weekends, then post a tie breaker poll beginning March 2nd and ending March 20th, to determine the final dates. That ought to give plenty of time for everyone to check their schedules, evaluate the pros/cons, and cast a final vote between the top two.

There is obviously no weekend perfect for everyone, but this should help us have the biggest turnout with enough time to gather the most input, and still leave over a month and 1/2 to finalize plans once the dates are settled

 

[driftwood]

...kinda.

I've never been there, so I didn't know if they mind the rules or not. Evidently not.

95%+ do mind the rules. The buoys are in deep water and if you do your safety stop within sight of the bottom, there will be no problems. WP is a safe place to dive and Zinc is very correct in stating that divers loudly protest when the buoys are not respected by boats.

Just a thought, lets try and get the dive boats on Travis permission to operate from WP for the Spring Fling weekend. Opens up a lot more places to dive.

 

[ZzzKing]

Why don't we let this poll run till March 1st to determine the top two weekends, then post a tie breaker poll beginning March 2nd and ending March 20th, to determine the final dates. That ought to give plenty of time for everyone to check their schedules, evaluate the pros/cons, and cast a final vote between the top two.

You're probably one of those commies that think the BCS should be modified to a +1 format. We need a full playoff bracket for this thing!!!

I'm still checking Natalie's calendar to see what dates work best for her.