Women divers please read

[ScubaSam]

I appreciate all your responses. Just a note...there are a lot of dive operators and dive trips out there for the serious diver that wants to dive the entire trip.
My goal is to provide a more relaxed diving trip, with diving being the main focus but offering other fun activities as well. The participants in the group can choose to be active or relax as well as shop or not. I'm not a big shopper either, but do enjoy roaming thru the towns I've visited. I'm an active traveler and want to experience what's above the water as well as below the water. In other words I want to do it all.

I'm not a big shopper when I travel. I do enjoy visiting the local town when I'm offgassing but diving is the main focus for me. I'm usually do five dives, two morning dives, two afternoon dives and a night dive so little time for shopping.

Just make sure you're up front on pricing and anyone that goes at no cost.

For example. If you take a group of 10 to 12 women divers, are you paying equal share or going for free (or greatly reduced cost) since you arranged the trip?

Good point, Mike.

 

[TSandM]

Having organized a trip, I have NO problem at all with the organizer going at reduced, or no cost (and no, I didn't manage it on mine at all -- I paid full freight). There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into organizing a trip, and sometimes a frightening amount of financial risk. (Many boats and resorts require you to book a certain number of places and PAY for them in advance, and then you just hope you can fill the spots . . . which I didn't.) And once you get going, the group will look to the organizer for solutions to anything that goes wrong, whether it could have been predicted, prevented, or is even amenable to solution. Organizers EARN their free spots.

 

[PreciousOne]

I'm brand new to diving, and this sounds great !!! Diving with women with similar interests as myself would be really nice.... Count me in !!

 

[mike_s]

Having organized a trip, I have NO problem at all with the organizer going at reduced, or no cost (and no, I didn't manage it on mine at all -- I paid full freight). There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into organizing a trip, and sometimes a frightening amount of financial risk. (Many boats and resorts require you to book a certain number of places and PAY for them in advance, and then you just hope you can fill the spots . . . which I didn't.) And once you get going, the group will look to the organizer for solutions to anything that goes wrong, whether it could have been predicted, prevented, or is even amenable to solution. Organizers EARN their free spots.

It's just good to be up front about this is all.

especially when you're pitching a trip to friends, fellow board members, etc.

We've had instances here of where organizers of trips got to go for free based on they had organized X number of people, then a few people dropped out which causes a dilemma over the "free spot" and who should pay more because of it.

In some of those cases, the trip organizer required the other paying members to pony up more money at the last minute because she didn't cover this "policy" when organizing the trip up front. People who paid to go on a trip don't like to pay more when someone doesn't meet their responsibilities of the trip, especially if someone is going for free.

Throwing others under the bus when the minimum number of people required for the discount is not met is just not a good thing.

 

[down4fun]

Not the first travel agent who tried to work the female angle of diving and I am sure not the last. And you may have a fair bit of interest from the vacation first, diving is second crowd. As for me I, and i suspect a few that have already replied, hardcore diving comes first, then food and finally a place to sleep. I understand that my views and the kind of diving I do may not reflect the general female population.

 

[judykendall]

Thanks everyone! I love all the feedback. Stay tuned as Girlfriends Scuba Adventures will come live after the 1st of the year! I will announce our first trip as soon as the plans have been set.
I've got a spot in mind, but what's on your wish list?

 

[TheScubaCenter]

This sounds like a great time!!

My friend (a female diver) and I backpacked around Asia last year and we did a lot of diving - we also took some time to take a trip around Bali (rice paddies, traditional dance shows, temples), we got the chance to do some sightseeing in Singapore, and I LOVED eating at street markets in Thailand. Those were some pretty low key events that really added to our dive trip, maybe you could incorporate some things of those natures. (OK, I'll be honest, it was supposed to be a sightseeing trip with a little diving on the side, but I turned it into a dive trip with a little sightseeing on the side, hehe.)