I LOVE the Flower Gardens, and August is an especially good time to go.
That water is quite warm and comfortable (in the 80's), but I would suggest you bring some sort of thermal protection, anyway. That fifth dive on Saturday, a night dive, comes when your core temp has dropped quite a bit. I usually bring at least a shorty for the day dives, with my 3mm jumpsuit in reserve for the night dive. Use gloves, since the mooring lines are covered with stinging hydroids.
I wouldn't worry too much about your experience if you already have an AOW and are comfortable in the water. The main concern, as others have already pointed out, is your distance from medical help and the unpredictibility of the conditions. You have to DIVE SMART.
On my last trip there, a diver on another boat had to be air evac'd when his rebreather failed. It was pretty ugly and sad to see.
August is USUALLY flat calm and a safe time to go, barring hurricanes in the Gulf. If you go at or near the time of the coral spawning (10pm CDST, 7 or 9 nights after the August full moon, I think.), you are likely to see some big pelagics, including mantas and whale sharks taking a shot at all the fresh gametes in the water.
Of course, on all of my trips there, summer or winter, I have seen manta rays. On one of the August trips, we saw a huge whale shark several weeks after the spawn, so they can come by anytime during the summer. (Hint: To "ride" the Mantas you are advised NOT to hold on. Besides harassing the ray, the accompaning remoras will take offense and bite you.
Instead, jump in the water with mask and snorkel only, no gloves. Swim parallel to the ray and he will often approach. Otherwise, you can angle in toward him very slowly. A gently rub with your bare hands and you have a friend for life...or at least for the duration of your surface interval. You can ride gently in his slipstream and he will stay right there. Often, they come back, like kittens, for some more of that therapeutic rubbing.)
In the winter, the hammerheads school around the reefs and silkies (a type of requiem shark)surround the nearby HI A389 Mobil(ex) platform. It is WAY cool, so if you like the summer trip, get a bit more experience and try a winter run out there. The weather is even rougher and more unpredictible but well worth having 8 of 10 trips blown out for that one spectacular one......
(water temps in the high-mid sixties).
Gary Rinn sold his operation of these boats, but I have heard they are maintaining his solid and safe approach. You WILL have a good time.
I think the only complaints I have heard on these trips are from divers expecting the Fling or Spree to be luxury type liveaboards. They are not. You will be sleeping "bunkhouse" style, with up to four folks in a room unless you get lucky and land one of the "couple" beds. For this, you need to have a "significant other" buddy on hand to share the bed. If you don't, you have to get double lucky and pick up such a suitable buddy on site (someone tried that on the last trip with my "reggler" buddy, a woman, but I would have none of that on MY trip. She was my "wife approved" buddy and I wanted to keep her. The problem is, she almost took him up on it.....)
You supply one tank, which remains mounted on the rail all weekend and is filled on the spot after each dive. You simply remove and plug your first stage after every dive. When you see the stage remounted, you know that the tank has been filled.
There is a note board for entry/exit times, but you are responsible to keep up with your bottom times and depths. Computers are not require but BRING ONE (and a backup). Table divers can't keep up on this kind of trip, since everyone will be trying to make up to 8 dives in two days. The first dive is limited to 130fsw (don't do it-it messes up your second day) and subsequent dives are limited to 100fsw. Computers are necessary.
You will be pushing deco by the time you get to Stetson on Sunday, so watch out when you get there (great dives, btw. Lots of fish! Go in first, in the early darkness, and you will likely see the resident bull shark.), .
Use that hang time a the end of your dives to watch for the pelagics. I almost always see a shark on at least one of my stops.
If you get seasick, come prepared. Don't each too much of that "Texas health food" while on the boat (brisket, greasy sausage, etc.). Wear seabands, practice yoga, do whatever works, but be prepared.
For comfort, bring a pillow of your own, if you want, and plenty of spare parts, including batteries.
Bring your log book and your C-Card. They do ask for the C-card and your DAN or PADI insurance cards if you have them.
Have fun. I had a chance to go in August, but now I have this nagging ear problem (sensorineural loss from unknown causes) and have been advised not to dive until it is fully diagnosed and treated. Sigh.
