Texas

M/V Fling, July 1997, Willa Rosen, Austin, Texas. $445 for a three day trip. Conditions excellent; smooth seas, warm water (81-84), blue skies, and crystal clear visibility (75-150). First day did five dives at the Flower Gardens. Beautiful coral, a plethora of Barracuda, thousands of schooling jacks, a turtle or two, and reefs teeming with tropicals. Night dive filled with biolumenescence than either of us had ever seen. Next day on safety stop a whale shark came within five feet, so close I could touch its rough skin. I grabbed onto the gigantic tail fin, my buddy grabbed my fins, and we rode for three minutes, surfacing about 750 yards from the boat, and in a breach of diving protocol, preceded to high five each other with abandon, instead of give the OK to the boat. Made the swim for the boat and were promptly chastised by the divemaster (I thought he was just jealous at the time, but have since learned the error of my wildlife molesting ways). The next dive, a curious manta circled the group, observed us within arms distance; 10 foot bull shark made an appearance. . . . Stetson Bank: African Pompano, schools of tarpon and snapper. On the way back to port, we stopped to do a rig dive about 20 miles offshore, but it was a let down. . . . Food was tasty and plentiful. Nobody became seasick, largely due to the calm conditions and pre-trip medication suggestions from the crew. Sun deck a comfortable place to relax. Only complaint: lack of privacy and space in the cabins. You claim one of four bunks in each room shortly after boarding. (Ph: 409-233-4445, Fax: 409-233-0040)

M/V Fling, July 1998, Tom Rain, Irving, TX. Flower Garden Banks, 100 miles out in Gulf of Mexico. Spend 2 nights on boat. Dorm-like sleeping arrangements, but adequate. Tons of good home-cooked food. Current a factor in each dive but manageable. Vis: 100-150 ft, water: 80-85 degrees. Little intimidating for novice divers. Visibility variable. $275 for 8 dives in 30 hours!

M/V Fling, July 1998, Mary K. Wicksten, Bryan, TX. Curtained bunks. Camera table and camera rinse tank. Crew is professional, rigs up lines so nobody has to fight surface currents too much. Swim along the boat to the anchor line, then go down against the current. Lines for decompression stops and raising/lowering cameras. Food is good: morning snacks, breakfast, lunch, afternoon munchies, dinner and dessert after the night dive. Flower Gardens Banks and Stetson Bank is remote. Surface currents and depth (much diving at 70 ft. or more) means divers should be experienced and in good shape. Flower Gardens have corals, Stetson is a shale bank with sponges. Lots of schooling jacks; Flower Gardens with many tropicals, some large groupers; Stetson with big angelfish, lots of macro. Saw a few (nurse, reef, sandbar); also couple of rays. Vis: 40-60 ft. Water: 78-86 degrees. Diving restrictions: 100 ft. max. without special permission.

M/V Spree, August 1998, Gary Trommer, Austin, TX. Great two day trip. Lots to see. Flower Gardens Temp was 78 to 82 degrees. Stetson Bank was 88 to 91! Vis: 100 ft. Only 15 people on boat (full is 30) so plenty of room and food. (Ph: 409-233-4445, Fax: 409-233-0040)

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