CHUM - Houston's SCUBA Club is the sponsor of the 
- First Name
- Roger
Everyone always looks forward to the long Memorial Day weekend. This year we're gonna give you one more reason to look forward to it - a CHUM trip.
WHEN? Friday evening, 26 May - Monday, 29 May, 2023
Arrive at the the M/V Fling by 7:00pm on Friday.
The address for GPS is 750 W 2nd St, Freeport, TX 77541
(The Fling website shows the address as 726 West Brazos Blvd, Freeport, TX 77541. I couldn't get that to pull up in Apple maps. YMMV)
We'll get back to the dock on Monday, 29 May around 6:00pm.
WHERE? To the beautiful Flower Garden Banks for an expected 11 dives!
Per the Fling, the schedule for 3-day trips this year should be (conditions permitting):
Day 1
Wake-up at 7AM
Dives 1 & 2 at the West Bank, famous for cruising Manta Rays
Lunch, then Oil Platform Dive
Dives 4 & 5 at the East Bank, (hopefully) visit with the turtles, Dive 5 is a night dive
Day 2
Wake-up at 7AM
Dives 6 & 7 at the East Bank, “the wall” with the sun coming up bathing it in light
Lunch, transit to Stetson Bank
Dives 8 & 9 at Stetson Bank, including the famous night dive at Stetson!
Day 3
Wake-up at 6AM
Dives 10 & 11, Stetson Bank
Return to Freeport at about 6PM
HOW MUCH?
$885 for standard bunks. There are a limited number of larger bunks and hallway bunks - the larger bunks are more expensive and the hallway bunks are less expensive. Choose whichever suits you and is available.
Nitrox is now included in the base pricing. You're welcome to dive air if you prefer, but there is no discount for air fills.
(Nitrox is highly recommended due to the dive profiles.)
Refunds are determined by the Fling's refund policy.
Nurse Sharks must become Tiger Sharks in order to participate in this CHUM trip ($35 CHUM dues can be paid here).
Submit your Fling Waiver via the link provided in your confirmation email from the operator.
Please also compete a CHUM Waiver (print and fill out). Please fill these out ahead of the trip. I'll be on this trip, so you can either message them to me beforehand or bring them to the dock.
Dive insurance (DAN, DiveAssure, etc) is HIGHLY recommended.
HOW TO PAY?
The Fling has a new booking process this year. Rather than paying the club, each participant will register for and pay for the trip through the Fling's 3rd party booking provider. All payments, potential refunds, etc will now be handled by Texas Caribbean aka the Fling. This is a change in procedure.
It's important that for you to be considered as part of the CHUM group, you register using the following CHUM registration link:
***USE THIS LINK TO REGISTER FOR THE CHUM TRIP***
After clicking, you'll be directed to the 3rd party booking site.
Once there, select the "Scuba Diving" button and then FOR THIS TRIP select "Three Day Extended Flower Garden Tour".
That will bring you to a page with a calendar on the right side.
Use the calendar navigation buttons to go to the MAY calendar and then select the trip beginning May 26th.
Once you do, a box like this should pop up below the calendar:
Click on that box (not here, on the booking website). When you do that, you'll be taken to a screen where you can SELECT YOUR BUNK at the time of booking
, note any dietary concerns, and handle a few other administrative details including payment.
Once you've registered using the above link & have received a confirmation, please post in this thread so we can make sure our manifest agrees with what we expect it to be.
Please note that when registering via the link, there is a 6% booking fee charged by the Fling's 3rd party booking provider. Please come to a CHUM meeting to learn more about that.
Please also note that crew tips will be handled differently going forward than they have been on past CHUM FG trips. This is a change in procedure. Come to a CHUM meeting for additional details.
Please remember to bring CASH on the trip for crew tips at the end. Recommended tip amounts can be found at the Fling FAQ. The volunteer crew works very hard to make sure you have a great trip. Please make sure to show your appreciation.
Please note that there are several changes to the Fling registration policies and procedures this year. We ask for your patience and understanding if there are hiccups along the way. We'll do our best to get everything sorted out.
Before the trip, we recommend you read both the Fling FAQ and also CHUM's Flower Gardens Primer for some useful details.
This trip will be open to current Tiger Sharks through Feb 1st, after which we'll open it up to everyone.
Please note we have now please noted enough.
Now for the most important detail - WHO WANTS TO GO DIVING?
WHEN? Friday evening, 26 May - Monday, 29 May, 2023
Arrive at the the M/V Fling by 7:00pm on Friday.
The address for GPS is 750 W 2nd St, Freeport, TX 77541
(The Fling website shows the address as 726 West Brazos Blvd, Freeport, TX 77541. I couldn't get that to pull up in Apple maps. YMMV)
We'll get back to the dock on Monday, 29 May around 6:00pm.
WHERE? To the beautiful Flower Garden Banks for an expected 11 dives!
Per the Fling, the schedule for 3-day trips this year should be (conditions permitting):
Day 1
Wake-up at 7AM
Dives 1 & 2 at the West Bank, famous for cruising Manta Rays
Lunch, then Oil Platform Dive
Dives 4 & 5 at the East Bank, (hopefully) visit with the turtles, Dive 5 is a night dive
Day 2
Wake-up at 7AM
Dives 6 & 7 at the East Bank, “the wall” with the sun coming up bathing it in light
Lunch, transit to Stetson Bank
Dives 8 & 9 at Stetson Bank, including the famous night dive at Stetson!
Day 3
Wake-up at 6AM
Dives 10 & 11, Stetson Bank
Return to Freeport at about 6PM
HOW MUCH?
$885 for standard bunks. There are a limited number of larger bunks and hallway bunks - the larger bunks are more expensive and the hallway bunks are less expensive. Choose whichever suits you and is available.
Nitrox is now included in the base pricing. You're welcome to dive air if you prefer, but there is no discount for air fills.
(Nitrox is highly recommended due to the dive profiles.)
Refunds are determined by the Fling's refund policy.
Nurse Sharks must become Tiger Sharks in order to participate in this CHUM trip ($35 CHUM dues can be paid here).
Submit your Fling Waiver via the link provided in your confirmation email from the operator.
Please also compete a CHUM Waiver (print and fill out). Please fill these out ahead of the trip. I'll be on this trip, so you can either message them to me beforehand or bring them to the dock.
Dive insurance (DAN, DiveAssure, etc) is HIGHLY recommended.
HOW TO PAY?
The Fling has a new booking process this year. Rather than paying the club, each participant will register for and pay for the trip through the Fling's 3rd party booking provider. All payments, potential refunds, etc will now be handled by Texas Caribbean aka the Fling. This is a change in procedure.
It's important that for you to be considered as part of the CHUM group, you register using the following CHUM registration link:
***USE THIS LINK TO REGISTER FOR THE CHUM TRIP***
After clicking, you'll be directed to the 3rd party booking site.
Once there, select the "Scuba Diving" button and then FOR THIS TRIP select "Three Day Extended Flower Garden Tour".
That will bring you to a page with a calendar on the right side.
Use the calendar navigation buttons to go to the MAY calendar and then select the trip beginning May 26th.
Once you do, a box like this should pop up below the calendar:
Click on that box (not here, on the booking website). When you do that, you'll be taken to a screen where you can SELECT YOUR BUNK at the time of booking
, note any dietary concerns, and handle a few other administrative details including payment.Once you've registered using the above link & have received a confirmation, please post in this thread so we can make sure our manifest agrees with what we expect it to be.
Please note that when registering via the link, there is a 6% booking fee charged by the Fling's 3rd party booking provider. Please come to a CHUM meeting to learn more about that.
Please also note that crew tips will be handled differently going forward than they have been on past CHUM FG trips. This is a change in procedure. Come to a CHUM meeting for additional details.
Please remember to bring CASH on the trip for crew tips at the end. Recommended tip amounts can be found at the Fling FAQ. The volunteer crew works very hard to make sure you have a great trip. Please make sure to show your appreciation.
Please note that there are several changes to the Fling registration policies and procedures this year. We ask for your patience and understanding if there are hiccups along the way. We'll do our best to get everything sorted out.
Before the trip, we recommend you read both the Fling FAQ and also CHUM's Flower Gardens Primer for some useful details.
This trip will be open to current Tiger Sharks through Feb 1st, after which we'll open it up to everyone.
Please note we have now please noted enough.
Now for the most important detail - WHO WANTS TO GO DIVING?
