TX Flower Gardens Hammerhead Trip 2006

[Hemlon]

Have any of my fellow Swampers gone on the annual hammerhead shark migration trip?

I am considering it this coming spring and I have been getting conflicting advice.

My potential buddy was told that she would need AOW and additional navigation training.

While I have AOW and am a rescue diver, I want to make sure that I'm ready for this trip.

Is it REALLY THAT brutal??

:11:

 

[TwoBitTxn]

It can be.

1) Are you totally comfortable in the water.
2) Are you confident you can climb a ladder in full gear with the boat rocking in 4-6 foot waves?
3) Are you comfortable in currents?
4)Are you willing to listen to and FOLLOW the instructions given in the dive briefing?

It may not be that tough. It may start easy and turn crappy or vice-versa.

Read back through trip reports. That will help a little.

2-bit

 

[Hemlon]

It can be.

1) Are you totally comfortable in the water.
2) Are you confident you can climb a ladder in full gear with the boat rocking in 4-6 foot waves?
3) Are you comfortable in currents?
4)Are you willing to listen to and FOLLOW the instructions given in the dive briefing?

It may not be that tough. It may start easy and turn crappy or vice-versa.

Read back through trip reports. That will help a little.

2-bit

Yes, I am comfortable with all of the above mentioned criteria.

Do they require you to go with a buddy or will they buddy you up on the trip?

 

[redacted]

Yes, I am comfortable with all of the above mentioned criteria.

Do they require you to go with a buddy or will they buddy you up on the trip?

They will make sure you have a buddy. It is a much better trip on nitrox. You can get more bottom time or you can just use it to make the diving a little less tiresome.

There are no special certification requirements, but basic navigation skills are a must if you want to venture out of sight of the mooring line.

 

[ianr33]

I was on a trip a few years ago when the weather went downhill on the saturday evening.10 foot waves,high winds and the boat rolling through 100 degrees at times. Every so often you had to grab hold of the bunk so as not to get thrown on the floor. Definitely an adventure.

The hammerheads are pretty cool

 

[Debraw]

Yes, I am comfortable with all of the above mentioned criteria.

Do they require you to go with a buddy or will they buddy you up on the trip?

When you book through a dive shop that has a trip leader on the trip then they will make sure you have a buddy to dive with. I was on the March trip last year and seas were 3-4 feet. The diving is the easy part, it's the in and out of the water portion that is a lot harder. Just be ready to grab a ladder in 4- 6 foot seas and ride it like a bucking bronco. I have seen some people hit their mouths on that ladder on the way up. I usually end up with a few bruises, but nothing bad, very minor. Would I do it again? Heck yeah! It's worth it to see a hammerhead swim by. I saw one last year and I was in awe of it's power as it glided by effortlessly. We have started asking people to be at least AOW certified due to the currents and depth. We definitely recommend Nitrox. Start booking early and expect cancellations due to wave height. As a shop who books these trips I book them 3-4 weeks apart. If the first one cancels, everyone moves to the next one that I have spots on. Have fun and go for it!!!

 

[redacted]

The diving is the easy part, it's the in and out of the water portion that is a lot harder. Just be ready to grab a ladder in 4- 6 foot seas and ride it like a bucking bronco. .... Have fun and go for it!!!

And some folks have the good sense not to try it at night.

 

[LVX]

Yes, I am comfortable with all of the above mentioned criteria.

Do they require you to go with a buddy or will they buddy you up on the trip?

I lead trips out to the Flower Gardens all the time. I have seen brand new divers out there as well as the highly trained divers. Navigation is a must. You need to know where you are and how to get back to the boat. Everything looks the same once your head goes under the water and making sure you know where you are is important. You can swim a long way thinking you are near the boat and then see a down line only to come up under a different boat. Also, the currents can be heavy especially at Stetson Bank.

The dive shops offering the trips want the divers to be AOW but the operation running the trip (Gulf Diving) only requires that you have OW training. There are many good divers who don't care about certification cards and only have their OW cert who are more than qualified to make these trips. There are also Dive Masters I have seen out there who don't have any business being there.

Know your limits and don't be afraid to call a dive if you think it is over yours or your buddy's head.

L

 

[LVX]

And some folks have the good sense not to try it at night.

Night diving is the best part..... IMO - especially if there are sharks

 

[Daylonious]

My LDS is planning a trip out there March 4-5 and right now I'm planning on going. I did a week-long flower garden trip a couple of years ago during the coral spawning and it was a lot of fun.

Would be great to see hammerheads... maybe a few bulls and tigers...

D.