Flower Garden trips CANCELLED

[Mopar]

I feel your pain. I had a trip for the Dry Tortugas scheduled for April and it got canceled because the Coast Guard had to their inspections to the boat. My LDS rescheduled for another week in April and it got canceled. I was told that was my LDS fault by a friend. The LDS said it was the Liveaboards fault. So know I rescheduled it for next month and left the LDS out of it. I bet the oil will keep me from going. It is a shame. These dives could very well be the last dives in these areas as we have known them.

 

[fire_diver]

With the uncertainty of the current economy + uncertainty of future tourist dollars diving the gulf, really how could you blame them?

Very easily. They had a contract with paying customers.

I hope they manage to stay in business AFTER sucking on the government teat, because I'm sure there are a LOT of regular customers who will never call them again after this. IF things were bad for them before, they will be even worse in the future.

 

[paulw]

paulw, you're forgetting the other half of capitalism

I'm not forgetting I'm just saying you cant do anything to change the situation except change the way you let it effect you.
If the Fling returns to running dive charters to FG and people choose to boycott them I could certainly understand but I can also understand that after the last couple of really bad years the owners of the boat get offered an opportunity to get out of a hole and they could even be in a position it saves their boat ("capitalism") so they do what they feel they have to. For both sides unpleasant at best.

 

[cruiser]

Won't customers (who paid for trips that are now cancelled due to the government contract) get a refund?

 

[ianr33]

Won't customers (who paid for trips that are now cancelled due to the government contract) get a refund?

I'm sure any paid for trips will be refunded. Hope no one paid for airline tickets though.

 

[halocline]

I'm sure any paid for trips will be refunded. Hope no one paid for airline tickets though.

I hope so too, but many FGB trips get cancelled at the last minute due to weather, and typically anyone flying to meet the Fling would lose the airfare in that case as well. It is a risk.

Personally I don't blame the Fling. Times are tough, and cleaning up this disaster is extremely important. If the Fling is helping in that regard, even if in a small way, I say good for them. BTW, I was planning on the first 3 day FGB trip in August, so I'm disappointed too.

 

[scubashawn123]

Anyone got a big live aboard boat? We could start running dive trips in the gulf right now. Put out a schedule and all.

I would be interested in another exciting and non-profitable business venture out of Galveston. Anything Scuba related is normally a life style, not a money maker.

very fun and rewarding life style in the aquatic world.




My opinion on this:

I respect the Flings owners and there decisions are honorable.


By the way Greed and SCUBA are opposites. Not enough mula in the Dive Industry to get into the greed thing. Now oil companies, pharmacuticals that is a whole different thread, now isn't it. Congress and Greed, now thats a topic to get angry about.

 

[Lake Travis Scuba]

It seems to me that being honest about making a few extra dollars assisting during a devastating tragedy to the aquatic life of the gulf is the only thing that the Fling did wrong, unless they do not refund the payments received in advance of their dive charters. How many cancellations do you think they have had because of people assuming the FGB is affected by this event? Would they be blamed for being selfish if they continued charters rather than assisting in any way possible during this tragedy? They chose to become part of the cleanup effort created by BP rather than turn away. Maybe you should be dumping on BP about the disaster they have created, which by the information I have read, was clearly a potentional hazard they were aware of. Why don't you put your efforts toward BP for the callous attitude they have presented with comments such as "this is a small part of a large ocean" and the other ridiculous statements they have made rather than dumping on a small business. If you have lost any money, submit a invoice to BP and stand in line while they jerk around the rest of the businesses losing revenue and potential livelihoods.

Just my opinion.

 

[cdreamer]

Just FYI for you guys - the Spree is going to the Flower Garden Banks for several charters
starting at the end of August and into September. There are spots available.

 

[scubafanatic]

folks, we're ALL gonna be losers here....I completely expected to see 'rolling' cancellations, and sure enough, my early Aug FLING trip is now toast, and I'm fully expecting my end-of-Aug FLING trip to perish, actually, this whole 2010 FLING season is finished, and I'm 'over it'.....so either/or SPREE or Cozumel is the likely 'plan B', FLING is no longer a consideration whatsoever for 2010 at least. My original intention was to 'do' FG with FLING to throw some $ support their way, but any single individual is too insignificant to appreciably tilt the balance, the issues involved here are way bigger than me.
Am I going to boycott FLING in 2011 ? NO, I understand the state of economy, all the issues Captain Frank (SPREE) has outlined, it's a complex issue with no easy out. If FLING is still in the scuba diving @ FG business in 2011, I'm willing to considering scheduling more trips, but honestly, I'm likely going to be focusing in future on more stable/likely trips first.....as I'm deeply troubled by both the apparent economics of operating in FG, and the age (66 yrs) of the FLING captain, retirement is right around the corner I'll bet.