Texas??

[coldsmoke]

Unfortunately I'm an 8 hour drive away from Hill Country... Hill Country is the Austin/San Antonio area. I could make some trips down that way though. I have family in Austin.

Yeah - Amarillo is pretty far. My family is north of San Antonio about 40 miles. Is there much diving in the Hill Country area? I know there are several lakes around. I was just at Canyon Lake a few months ago, but it didn't seem like it was very clear.

I was also thinking of getting to the coast near or around Corpus Christi. Or anywhere else within a couple hours drive. I am not sure how close Galviston (SP?) is. The Flower Garden seems fun - but I didn't like the operator that I found. Maybe there's another one - more tech friendly.

I know I will be there in Oct 2008 for about a week or ten days. I will also likely be there this spring for a week or so. I'll give you plenty of heads up.

Hunter

 

[coldsmoke]

I would like to agree, but I was born there. And there is something DIR about Texas - the Mexican Food.

Hunter

 

[RTodd]

Lake Travis in Austin is your best choice for lakes. But, it is just a lake. Corpus in the summer has some decent rig diving. That requires a 30 mile boat ride in the Gulf which can be unpleasant to get to the stuff worth diving. Great spearfishing if you enjoy that. I have never done the flower gardens but I do believe they occassionally run tech trips. I doubt they are remotely DIR. Honestly, the best part of Texas diving is how short the flights are to Mexico.

 

[Zinc]

Sorry, that was me. My last act as a DIR moderator. Because everyone knows there is nothing DIR about Texas. The only thing there is queers and steers.

JeffG, I hope this really is your last act as DIR Moderator, b/c you don't know how to DIR in TEXAS.

You'd have to first learn some MANNERS to Do It Right in TEXAS.

:texas:

 

[amascuba]

JeffG was a great DIR moderator. I think we should have a SB day of thanks for all the moderators that we have lost.

Texas has better mexican food than Mexico! Although, technically our version of mexican food is Tex Mex. We also know how to cook some mighty fine steaks.

I haven't done any diving in the Hill Country. Some of it's been on my list though:
Aquarene Springs - You have to take a "Scientific Diving" course. It seems interesting and I would do the course to dive at the site for a couple dives.
Lake Travis - Lake diving, but it could be fun.
I've read some reports of Canyon Lake.
I'd like to do the flower gardens. I think that their is only one operation that goes out there, but they do run "tech" trips.

Let me know though. All I need is an excuse to drive to the hill country, dive, and visit family.

 

[Zinc]

Texas has better mexican food than Mexico! Although, technically our version of mexican food is Tex Mex. We also know how to cook some mighty fine steaks.

I haven't done any diving in the Hill Country. Some of it's been on my list though:
Aquarene Springs - You have to take a "Scientific Diving" course. It seems interesting and I would do the course to dive at the site for a couple dives.
Lake Travis - Lake diving, but it could be fun.
I've read some reports of Canyon Lake.
I'd like to do the flower gardens. I think that their is only one operation that goes out there, but they do run "tech" trips.

Let me know though. All I need is an excuse to drive to the hill country, dive, and visit family.

My opinion differs on who's got better Mexican food, Mexico or Texas
But I do appreciate that you recognize that there IS a difference.

All the spots you mentioned above have their merits:
-I volunteer at Aquarena (Spring Lake) often and it has great vis and 69-72 degree water year round
-Lake Travis has many good spots, scuba parks (Windy Point and Old), dams, dark and deep; vis varies year round anywhere from 0' t0 24' (at least that I've seen...)
-Flower Gardens can be awesome with good weather and reasonable seas
-The San Marcos river (from Spring Lake) makes for a fun drift dive with good visibility and lots of aquatic life

 

[Wookie]

...and the dive operator that goes to the Flower Gardens doesn't care if you drink the kool-aid, just don't expect the rest of us to. Where in Montana? My Dad lives in Seeley lake, just north of Missoula. I used to spend winters there, before my blood thinned.

 

[coldsmoke]

...and the dive operator that goes to the Flower Gardens doesn't care if you drink the kool-aid, just don't expect the rest of us to. Where in Montana? My Dad lives in Seeley lake, just north of Missoula. I used to spend winters there, before my blood thinned.

Don't worry, I don't care if you drink the kool-aid or not and I certainly don't preach, but it goes both ways. I don't like to be patronized for not doing 100 foot dives on single 80's near mdls with 32%. To each their own.

With that said - I live in Bozeman. I am thinking of making a trip to Seeley for some ice diving later this winter. Does your dad dive?

Hunter

 

[Gillty]

I live in Dallas Fort Worth area. If you or any other DIR/GUE trained divers are in the neighborhood and looking to dive just send me a pm. I am willing to drive to Hill Country area.

 

[Wookie]

only with me as a "resort course" diver, in warm places like Belize. We had a DIR group from Dallas that inquired about chartering the whole boat once, but didn't want to share with non-DIR divers (I can understand that), and couldn't come up with enough folks to fill a whole boat charter. With that said, we have had DIR groups that come on tech charters and dive off by themselves. This years tech trip will be primarily to the Brine Seep, a site on the East Flower Garden that has only been dived once before. Depths are in the 220 foot range.

Is Seeley deep enough to dive? I think of it as shallow, but maybe that's because I cross it by snow machine, and don't want to think how deep it really is. I think the crazy folks dive Flathead. All the depth with lots of fish.

I had a girlfriend that went to school in Bozo. Are you a student?