CHUM - Houston's SCUBA Club is the sponsor of the 
- First Name
- Jennifer
There's no better way to beat the summer heat than a weekend in the Flower Gardens!
WHEN? Friday 8/25 - Sunday 8/27
Arrive at the the M/V Fling by 7:00pm on Friday.
The address on the Fling website is 726 West Brazos Blvd, Freeport, TX 77541. It's listed under Google as "M-V Fling." Apparently, you Apple people have some issues finding it in Apple maps, so you may need to use 750 W 2nd St, Freeport, TX 77541 for the address.
We'll get back to the dock on Sunday 8/27 around 6:00pm.
WHERE? To the beautiful Flower Garden Banks for an expected 7 dives!
Per the Fling, the schedule for weekend trips this year should be (conditions permitting):
Day 1
Wake up at 7 am.
2 morning dives at West Bank, which is famous for manta rays. The West Bank is most reliable manta sighting in the US!
1 dive at a deepwater oil platform, where you can see everything from corals to big sharks. This is a spectacular dive that you definitely don't want to miss.
1 evening dive at East Bank, where you can find turtles prowling the reef and sand patches.
1 night dive at East Bank
Day 2
Wake up at 6 am.
2 morning dives at Stetson Bank, an uplifted geological structure about 40 miles northwest of the Flower Gardens.
Return to Freeport at about 6 pm.
HOW MUCH?
$794 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. The link should take you directly to the dates for this trip. Once there, click on the "7 pm" box:
When you do that, you'll be taken to a screen where you can select your bunk, let them know about any dietary concerns, and give them your money.
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 14th, 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 8/25 - Sunday 8/27
Arrive at the the M/V Fling by 7:00pm on Friday.
The address on the Fling website is 726 West Brazos Blvd, Freeport, TX 77541. It's listed under Google as "M-V Fling." Apparently, you Apple people have some issues finding it in Apple maps, so you may need to use 750 W 2nd St, Freeport, TX 77541 for the address.
We'll get back to the dock on Sunday 8/27 around 6:00pm.
WHERE? To the beautiful Flower Garden Banks for an expected 7 dives!
Per the Fling, the schedule for weekend trips this year should be (conditions permitting):
Day 1
Wake up at 7 am.
2 morning dives at West Bank, which is famous for manta rays. The West Bank is most reliable manta sighting in the US!
1 dive at a deepwater oil platform, where you can see everything from corals to big sharks. This is a spectacular dive that you definitely don't want to miss.
1 evening dive at East Bank, where you can find turtles prowling the reef and sand patches.
1 night dive at East Bank
Day 2
Wake up at 6 am.
2 morning dives at Stetson Bank, an uplifted geological structure about 40 miles northwest of the Flower Gardens.
Return to Freeport at about 6 pm.
HOW MUCH?
$794 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. The link should take you directly to the dates for this trip. Once there, click on the "7 pm" box:
When you do that, you'll be taken to a screen where you can select your bunk, let them know about any dietary concerns, and give them your money.
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 14th, 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?
