Trips

2009 Trip Information

NEW! DAN TRAVEL INSURANCE!

ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT A DIVE ACCIDENT OR REIMBURSEMENT FOR CANCELLED TRIPS DUE TO WEATHER? WHAT ABOUT A TRAFFIC JAM THAT CAUSES YOU TO MISS A FLIGHT? HOW ABOUT LOST DIVE EQUIPMENT OR OTHER UNFORSEEN CIRCUMSTANCES? WITH TRAVEL AND DIVE INSURANCE OFFERED THROUGH DIVERS ALERT NETWORK (DAN) YOU CAN BOOK IN CONFIDENCE, KNOWING THAT, IF ANYTHING HAPPENS, YOU'RE COVERED!! CLICK ON THE DAN LOGO AND CHECK IT OUT!!

NEW! JOIN DIVERS ALERT NETWORK (DAN) TODAY!

DAN is on the cutting edge of diving medicine and has a worldwide reputation for providing divers with solutions for diving medical emergencies. You can join DAN today and be eligible to receive one of the best diving accident insurance policies available anywhere. Don't dive without DAN!! CLICK ON THE DAN LOGO BELOW AND JOIN TODAY!!

CoCo View Resort in Roatan, Honduras from July 31 - August 7, 2010. CoCo View is a fantastic dive destination and is ranked consistently among the most popular dive destinations in the world. All meals are included, BBQ and picnic on the cay (weather permitting), unlimited wreck, wall and night diving which can all be done from the shore in front of the resort. In addition, you'll get two 2-tank boat dives per day. You will arrive at the resort on Saturday and can get in the water that afternoon. You will depart late in the afternoon of the following saturday so you will actually have 8 days (count 'em) to soak up the tropical atmosphere.

We've purposely omitted the airfare from this package since we've discovered that you, as an individual, can do much better than we were able to do with our "group airfare". This will free you to shop for lower fares and also use your frequent flyer miles if you so choose. Here's what you do: Fly from your chosen airport to Roatan (RTB) on Saturday, July 31, 2009 and return on Saturday, August 7, 2010. Continental and TACA both fly this direct route out of Houston (IAH). I'd recommend Continental since TACA is a Houduran owned airline and we've had problems with them in the past. Plan to arrive in Roatan on the 31st as early as practical and plan to leave on the 7th as late as possible. This will give you more time on the island. You will be met at the Roatan airport by CoCo View staff and transported to the resort as a part of your trip package. Of course, return transportation to the airport is also included. If you need additional information, please give me a call at the shop (337-430-0073). The new trip price is: $1,219.00, all inclusive except airfare.

Want to dive Nitrox? It's available at the resort for a very nonimal fee. Not certified? We can certify you in advance or you can take a Nitrox course at the resort. Simply let me know what you'd like to do and we'll take care of it. Our special price ($100) includes all course materials, tuition, taxes and certification card processing.

Want more? O.K. if you want to get your Advanced Open Water Diver certification, we'll do that in CoCo View as well. The cost will be $100. Again, that includes all course materials, taxes and certification card processing. This course normally runs $165.

Flyers for CoCo View are available by request or you can go to www.cocoviewresort.com and check out all the goodies.

I have 9 rooms. All are over-water cabanas so you have the Caribbean Sea literally under your cabin floor. All are air conditioned and have private porches with hammocks overlooking the Caribbean. All rooms are double occupancy so bring your buddy!! If you don't have a buddy, don't worry...we'll find one for you!

The price for this fantastic package is only $1,219.00, all inclusive except airfare. Again, this includes all diving, all meals, all taxes and tranfers. I don't like to be "nickel and dimed" to death so it's all here in one terrific and all-inclusive package. We've got to get this thing rolling so grab your buddy and call me as soon as possible. A deposit of $200 will hold each spot with the balance due by June 30, 2010.

Please call (337.430.0073) or e-mail me (mikescuba@earthlink.net) if you have any questions. I want to see YOU in CoCo View with us!

GULF DIVING

We offer trips to the offshore rigs for spearfishing and photography. These trips are entirely weather dependent and prices will vary depending on the arrangements made. Please check with the shop for availability.

FLORIDA

We have made several trips to the Pensacola area of Florida to dive the wrecks and structures. Most of these trips require the use of a boat and we have contracted with dive operators in the Pensacola area to provide transportation to the sites. Check with Mike's Dive Center to see what's coming up.

DRY TORTUGAS

The Dry Tortugas are a group of five small islands located about 70 miles west of Key West, Florida. They were discovered by Ponce de Leon in 1513 and named for their abundance of sea turtles (tortugas) and the total absence of fresh water (dry). The United States began construction of a remote military base (Ft. Jefferson) in the Dry Tortugas in 1846 but the invention of the rifled cannon made the fort obsolete and it was never completed. Ft. Jefferson was used as a staging area during the Spanish-American War and, for a brief time, it was used to house prisoners. It was designated as a National Monument in 1935 and redesignated as a National Park in 1992. The location of the Dry Tortugas in the major shipping lane between Florida and Cuba and the shallow reefs in this area have contributed to hundreds of shipwrecks in the 1500's through the 1800's.

Currently, the only commercial way to get to the Dry Tortugas is by seaplane or a 70 mile ride by ferry from Key West. There are no accommodations, water, electricity or food available on the islands. This keeps it off the radar for most divers and the site is little-known in most diving circles.

Our dive boat, the M/V Spree, will serve as our dive platform and will take us to several of the most spectacular dive sites within the park. The shallow nature of the Dry Tortugas means that most of our dives will be in the 40-80 foot range and will allow for extended bottom times. Expect warm waters (80-84 degrees) and visibilities ranging from 80 to 120 feet. It contains healthy and vibrant coral reefs and all of the critters normally found in the Caribbean. It's remote location and the protection afforded under the National Park Service insures that the Dry Tortugas remains a pristine dive site.

M/V Spree. The Spree is a 100 foot aluminum hulled dedicated dive boat and carries 24 divers and a crew of 7. The boat is fully air-conditioned, provides private bunks for divers (all linens supplied) and has a galley with hot meals prepared three times per day with snacks in between meals. There are four heads (bathrooms) on the boat with two fully enclosed showers and two dive deck showers. The boat has a fully digital entertainment system, large movie selection and a library of books. It has a dedicated, expanded camera table with separate dedicated rinse tanks for both cameras and dive gear. There is a 110 volt charging system. Air and Nitrox tanks are provided for all divers. Air and Nitrox are supplied by on-board compressors. Both air and Nitrox are included in the trip cost. All divers are expected to bring all necessary dive gear. Computers are highly recommended due to the depth, duration and frequency of dives.

DRY TORTUGAS 2009 TRIP SCHEDULE

July 15-18 (Wed-Sat) on the M/V Spree - $1050 *Free Nitrox

As an added benefit to our divers, we will now have spaces on ALL trips to the Dry Tortugas aboard the M/V Spree. These spaces are included in the "Open Booking" section of your selected trip. You are welcome to join us on our reserved trips as shown in the schedule but you also have the option of selecting any other Spree trip shown with an "Open Booking". In order to make this work, YOU MUST ACCESS THE SPREE'S WEBSITE THROUGH OUR WEBSITE, WWW.MIKESCUBA.COM, each time you visit the Spree website. Doing so will tag you as having come from Mike's Dive Center and this tag will follow you when you book on any of the trips on the Spree's website. Simply go to the "TRIPS" section of our website and click on the Spree Booking Link. THERE IS NO ADDITIONAL COST FOR USING THIS LINK. It will not make any difference in your booking costs but it will help me immensely as having served as a "sponsor" for you. Although you can go directly to the Spree's website, doing so will not identify Mike's Dive Center as your sponsor. You cannot add "Mike's Dive Center" after you enter the Spree's website. Please remember to link through us first. If we get enough "sponsored" divers on a trip, I will be able to accompany you as a trip leader and I usually bring a few "toys" for divers to try out. Please follow this procedure even if you are booking on one of our reserved trips.

To book a trip with M/V Spree, you'll need to click here.

FLOWER GARDENS [Detailed Description]

The Flower Gardens and Stetson Bank make up a National Marine Sanctuary and is actually the tops of three ancient salt domes located over 100 miles offshore near the Texas-Louisiana border in 400 feet of cobalt blue water. The diveable part of the sanctuary is composed of live coral reefs on the tops of these salt domes with depths ranging from 60 feet to well over 100 feet. The Flower Gardens is consistently listed amoung the Top Ten diving destinations in the world according to reader surveys. We use a liveaboard dive boat, the M/V Fling. It is100 feet long, fully air-conditioned and provide all the amenities expected on a modern liveaboard dive boat. Divers enjoy such things as a fully staffed galley for meals, private bunks, onboard air and Nitrox compressors, digital entertainment systems, dedicated camera tables and rinse tubs, 110 volt power stations and fully carpeted dive deck and sun deck.

FLOWER GARDENS 2009 TRIP SCHEDULE

June 20-21 (Sat-Sun) on the M/V Fling - $510 *add $65 for Nitrox
Sept 26-27 (Sat-Sun) on the M/V Fling - $510 *add $65 for Nitrox

NOTE: Sat-Sun trips will depart on Friday night at 8:30 p.m. Be on the dock by 8:00 p.m. to unload gear and park vehicles. Thu-Fri trips will depart on Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. Be on the dock by 8:00 p.m. to unload gear and park vehicles. All trips will return to port around 6:00 p.m. on the last day of the trip. Maps and driving directions will be provided to all registrants.

NITROX ADDER: Nitrox for trips with M/V Fling is $65.

A $125 deposit is required to reserve your spot and the balance is due three (3) weeks prior to departure date. Cancellations within 30 days of departure date will forfeit $30 each. If you have a last minute request to join us, please call the shop for availability and we'll be happy to assist you.

For information on these and other possible trips, please contact the shop.

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