Cancelled Charter Blues

[Deac in the Wake]

Just received the dreaded call: "sorry but due to engine issues, our charter this weekend is cancelled..." You don't really hear or care about anything after that. It's like it's 8pm, Dec. 24th and you're telling a kid there's no Santa tomorrow.

So I wrote this to the tune of "Yellowstain Blues" from the Caine Mutiny. Well, tried to.

I got those cancelled charter bluesFrom my mask to dive shoes



Looked forward to diving a lot
My plans got dropped like a shot



Got those cancelled charter blues
The old cancelled charter blues


One bad ol' dive boat engine
We all would've been swimmin


With my reg and my reel
Sad and blue's how I feel


Got those cancelled charter blues
The old cancelled charter blues


Sunny days and no waves just good viz
Salty water and diving is what I'll miss


Those ol' cancelled charter blues
Got me still in my dry shoes


No bottom time or safety stops
Just sittin' at home, me and my thoughts


When can I dive again is what I think
Cancelled charter blues make me get a drink


Got those cancelled charter blues
The old cancelled charter blues



I got those old cancelled charter bluuuuuuues.

 

[divemonkey33]

Your lucky you got a call. I woke up at 3 am walked the dog packed up some food drove for 2 hours ish unloaded all my gear and then the captain called it. Tried again 2 weeks later on the next trip got called again only this time they called the day before. There went my dive season.

 

[Kronek]

The only new diver friendly charter around me just got canceled too because all the deep divers don't want to go on a 60ft dive, and new divers don't know, or are to nervous to do a charter . Was just me signed up for it.

 

[Colliam7]

Great post. So, who are the equivalents of the Humphrey Bogart character, the Van Johnson character, and the Robert Francis (Ens. Keith) character, in this merry melange of topicality?

I have to admit, I someitmes question the ROI on coastal charters. I went to the NC coast in late August (drove 5 hours to get there) for what was supposed to be 5 days (Wed-Sun) of diving, including among other things a dive to a wreck at 235 ft that I had wanted to do for several years, and a day spent as a support diver for some others doing a deep (390') dive to a wreck in the Billy Mitchell fleet. NOT! What we did was still fun - a great day on a couple of shallow (90-100') wrecks, including one I had not dove before, three dives over two days on a moderate depth wreck (170') that I had also not dove before, an early Saturday departure for home, and a small refund for missed dive days (which my wife did not complain about, at all). I rarely seem to sign on for a coastal charter that goes the way it is planned.

In contrast, I just spent 6 diving days in Bonaire starting Sep 2, logged 27 dives, never had to cancel / change because of weather or sea conditions, had a wonderful time in 82 dgeree water with 60-100 feet of viz, went deeper than I did off the NC coast, saw more marine life, etc. AND the total flight time (air time) from Charlotte NC to Curacao, then Curacao to Bonaire (4:45), was actually slightly less than the car time it took to drive from my home to Cape Hatteras.

The total cost to spend a week in Bonaire was, admittedly, a bit more than the cost of the coastal charter (although not as big a difference when I considered the other costs of a coastal trip - fuel, food along the way, gas fills, etc. But, I am now thinking, why bother with coastal charters at all? Well, I do actually know the answer, but Bonaire is SO-O-O easy, and predictable, and relatively inexpensive.

Think about it.

 

[edclee]

My wife and I think about it all the time. We were in Bonaire the week before you, saw the Manta off Buddy's reef, celebrated out 100th dives that week. That was our 4th trip to Bonaire, and we are headed back in November, staying at Belmar. Love the place.
Ed

 

[Deac in the Wake]

Colliam: I dive Cayman (Brac and Little mainly) at least once usually twice a year; get to the Keys once a year; done Bonaire and will again next year. And I generally agree about the ROI on charter trips vs what you do on leisurely tropical getaways.

However, toughing out currents, cold, low viz, and challenging conditions just to see or touch a piece of history is pretty awesome. Some of my most favorite dives were ones I thought my fingers would freeze off or deco stops never ended.

 

[TMHeimer]

It can be a pain, especially if you're on some sort of time line. On the Gulf (of Mex.) I have had charters postponed a couple of times at least due to weeks of rough seas. Bigger problem is being there Jan.-March and getting a charter to fill up. Too cold...brrr.... for those 3 mil wetsuit residents. So, we leave around March 31 and the shops say "Hey, the season starts in April-we got 3 boats going out next week". The condo rates now cost the same for a week as what we just paid for a month.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Great lyric. There is no helping things beyond our control, but a cancelled dive day is a true buzz kill. Weather, boat issues, current, torrential rains killing the viz and interrupting even shores dives. Who's in charge? Something needs to be done about these things. But who is to blame? Let's blame PADI, or SSI, or NAUI or SDI. There, NOW I fell better.
DivemasterDennis

 

[TSandM]

The worst charter cancel I've been involved with was one I had booked for some friends from Southern California. We drove 90 minutes to the dock, and the boat never showed up, nor did the captain answer his cell phone. I was absolutely livid, being left at the dock with disappointed friends (and a local friend who had driven three hours to join us).

Turned out the captain's daughter had been admitted to the hospital that morning with meningitis. I had to forgive him, although I still to this day think he could have called us . . .

 

[Deac in the Wake]

Cancelled charters or called dives often remind me of canceled flights: there's a reason the plane can't take off. And the people who bitch and moan about not taking off would be the very first people to file a lawsuit if they got injured on a flight due to mechanical failure (assuming they live). I just keep (or really try) an even keel and remember that no dive is worth fighting through 5-10 ft seas, ripping 5kt+ currents, or storms. Though I admit it takes time to convince myself that's true... :cool2: