Do LDS get free trips? how do they go on all the trips?

[peterbj7]

when I pay to go on a Dive trip with the LDS ...is part of my cost paying for the LDS Dive master to go?

Of course it is! And they aim to make a profit as well!

But one or two caveats. They're not going as divemasters but as organisers, and they sure do earn their keep. You have no idea how much administration is necessary during a trip.

And they are taking a risk, these days a high risk. If they sell all the places then they should make a profit to help keep their business going. But if they don't fill the trip and they've already accepted money from some people then the trip happens anyway and they lose a bundle on it.

 

[Sas]

I didn't say that someone cannot do travel on their own or take care of their equipment, I was merely pointing out a few of the things a good trip leader does. If you somehow take offense to that it is your problem not mine.

I was not offended. I was disagreeing with you that it was a lot of work. Disagreeing with someone does not equal being offended with someone.

 

[Thalassamania]

Saspotato

Being a trip leader is a lot of work. If you're smart you do much of that work before the trip and the trip goes off without a single hitch that you did not plan and prepare for and then it all looks so effortless ... that appearance of effortlessness is the key to being a good trip leader. But you have to be "on" 24/7, you have to be not only dealing with making sure that the "here and now" is cool, but you have to be looking own the road an hour, four hours, eight hours, a day, etc., always making sure that the light at the end of the tunnel is not a fast freight train (and dealing with it when it is).

 

[Sas]

Saspotato

Being a trip leader is a lot of work. If you're smart you do much of that work before the trip and the trip goes off without a single hitch that you did not plan and prepare for and then it all looks so effortless ... that appearance of effortlessness is the key to being a good trip leader. But you have to be "on" 24/7, you have to be not only dealing with making sure that the "here and now" is cool, but you have to be looking own the road an hour, four hours, eight hours, a day, etc., always making sure that the light at the end of the tunnel is not a fast freight train (and dealing with it when it is).

I disagree I have led a number of group trips before (although never diving ones - the one I have organised for diving this year only has six people). I enjoy leading and organising trips so do not feel like it is much effort or work. Guess it depends on the person organising the trip as to how much work they feel it is.

I also think that people can easily organise their own diving trips. Group led trips would be more work of course for the leaders due to the number of people. But if a person or small group of people want to go and organise their own I find they can save money and there is less organisation overall because the group is smaller.

 

[Thalassamania]

I agree with you. I have to admit that the trips I've lead were not the simple, get on a plane, take a shuttle bus to the resort, dive for a number of days and then go home, they've, more often than not,involved things like launching inflatables from a nuclear powered ice-breaker in the Arctic Ocean so that the "tourists" could wander about on a tiny island crawling with walrus.

 

[Sas]

I agree with you. I have to admit that the trips I've lead were not the simple, get on a plane, take a shuttle bus to the resort, dive for a number of days and then go home, they've, more often than not,involved things like launching inflatables from a nuclear powered ice-breaker in the Arctic Ocean so that the "tourists" could wander about on a tiny island crawling with walrus.

Fair enough. Though my buddy has spent a lot of time in the Antarctic and is a physicist. I am sure he could help out with the nuclear powered icebreaker and inflatable launching if I wanted to do that. He's dealt with a lot of walruses too

Ok more seriously, most of the dive trips are the first you have described. The latter would require expertise in the organising part but that may not necessarily be found in an LDS owner/DM.

 

[Thalassamania]

Hm ... walrus in the Antarctic? Must be an alternate universe physicist, I know a couple of those too.

 

[Sas]

Hm ... walrus in the Antarctic? Must be an alternate universe physicist, I know a couple of those too.

Hmm they looked like walruses in the pictures... I can see now that they do not live in the Antarctic. I don't know what they are then but I remember he said they lay around all day but could be a bit aggro.

Off to google this

Edit: Ok they were elephant seals :blush:

 

[Thalassamania]

Leopard Seals, nasty buggers at times. They don't like to share their air hole, even if you're the one who made in and they just discovered it like Cook discovered Australia.

 

[getwet2]

From my experience, with the exception of the live aboards, it is cheaper to just book it and go yourself, especially if you can travel on short notice.

We went on 1 organized trip just to see what it was like with the LDS. You have to book well in advance because of the large group that is going, so you full price, which I knew when I was booking it. While at the resort everybody just went and did their own thing when we were not diving and everybody ate at different times as well. To top it all off, about 4 weeks before we left, we came across the same package for half the price just 1 week later then when we were going to be there. The wife was not impressed at all.

I have checked a couple of other trips that the LDS has gone on when their departure date approaches and I've always been able to find it cheaper. I do like to travel with people but I don't like the thought of paying their way. It's a perk for owning your own dive shop I guess.

Booking travel is not rocket science, do it yourself and you'll save a ton of money.