Dive Hatteras 2008 Charter Costs

DiveHatteras

2010 Group Charter Information

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Shipwrecks

DiveHatteras llc Terms and Conditions for Group Charters ©2010

General. When you book the boat, you are paying the entire charter fee whether you fill it with the agreed upon number of divers or less. If you choose to put fewer divers on board the vessel, ensure that you charge accordingly. Tech trips will have a fewer number of allowed divers due to the enormous amount of equipment tech divers tend to bring along.

All divers/passengers will be required to sign a liability waiver prior to boarding the vessel.
All divers must have a valid certification from a nationally recognized certification agency.
We strongly recommend insurance with an organization such as DAN.

Deposits. DiveHatteras llc requires a 50% deposit at the time you book the charter. The balance is due 30 days before your charter date, If we do not receive the balance, DiveHatteras llc reserve the right to re-book your trip and you will forfeit your entire deposit unless other arrangements are agreed to between you and DiveHatteras llc. Please contact us to discuss the costs and details of your planned charter trip.

Trip Costs. Contact us directly to discuss the cost and conditions of the charter for your group. The charter cost is for the boat transportation only and generally does not include personal dive equipment, air or nitrox fills, nor any other equipment needs of individual divers – see equipment needs section for these details. The charter cost for 2009 is based upon diesel fuel cost that does not exceed $3.50 per gallon. If the cost of diesel fuel exceeds that amount, a fuel surcharge equal to the cost increase over $3.50 will be charged as well, based strictly on the distance traveled. Wreck site destinations outside the “normal” range, ie: U701, Tamaulipus, will be charged an additional fuel surcharge for the cost of travel to these more distant sites. Additional fuel surcharges are calculated upon the actual cost of the fuel required to travel to and from the site beyond the normal range limits.

Cancellation. If you cancel the charter 60 days prior to the charter date, your deposit will be refunded; if you cancel 59 days or less prior to the charter date, no refund is granted. If we are able to rebook the date we may return your deposit, but are under no obligation to do so. On rare occasions, we must cancel trips. If this occurs, our responsibility is limited to a refund of any deposits you've already paid. DiveHatteras llc is not responsible for hotel fees or other fee penalties that you may incur as a result of any trip cancellations. If we must cancel the trip, we will notify you (the point of contact for your group); it is your responsibility to notify the other divers.

Weather Cancellations. The Hatteras area is very changeable in nature and cancellations due to weather are generally done on the day of the dive, at the dock, and based upon what is actually happening in conjunction with the best available forecasts. DiveHatteras llc will make weather cancellations in advance of the scheduled dives if it is very apparent that the weather forecasts will prevent safe conditions and are likely to be accurate. It is not our desire to have you drive down to Hatteras if there is no chance of making a dive; however, we will make the weather cancellation decision, based upon real information and the current sea conditions and in consultation with you.

Again, if we must cancel the trip, we will notify you (the point of contact for your group); it is your responsibility to notify the other divers.

Charter Capacity. Passenger Constraints: The Dive Boat is a small passenger vessel (SPV) meaning we have a specific number of paying passengers (6) that we are authorized to carry. These are federal regulations and we will not violate our passenger limitations. Weight Constraints: The boat, though a large vessel, does not have unlimited weight capacity. We do not carry more than 24 passenger tanks total. It is not necessary to carry excess dive gear or equipment that you are not likely to use during the planned dives.

Divers and dive skills. Mid-Atlantic wreck diving is considered advanced sport diving. When you book the boat, it is your responsibility to accurately assess the ability of all divers on your charter. We do not routinely offer the services of a Dive Master nor do we accompany divers underwater. It is the responsibility for all divers to monitor their own air supply and depth. If we see any behavior that we consider dangerous to themselves or other divers, we reserve the right to restrict the diver from diving or from further diving. A dive briefing will be conducted that details how divers are expected to prepare for the diving, ingress and egress the water, location of safety/rescue equipment, and any other details necessary for that specific day of diving. It is the diver’s responsibility to listen to and understand the dive briefing.

Dive Sites. The captain will review wind and sea conditions and discuss dive site possibilities with the group leader and/or passengers. We will make every attempt to dive specific sites when the group leader and/or passengers state a preference. We reserve the right to change course and dive a different site if sea conditions do not appear to be conducive to safe diving at the original site. Dive sites beyond the normal range (U-701, Manuela, Tamalipus, etc) will incur an additional fuel surcharge calculated upon the actual cost of the fuel required to travel to and from the site beyond the normal range limits.

Technical Diving. The Dive Boat is not specifically configured to accommodate technical diving with respect to deep diving. We do not generally dive the deeper Hatteras wrecks (i.e., EM Clark) with normal dive groups. Persons requesting to charter the boat for specific technical diving trips must discuss their desires in detail when making the charter reservation. Standard charters will not become technical dive trips regardless of the equipment you show up with unless proper arrangements are made prior to the day of the trip. It is the sole responsibility of the group making the charter to ensure that all divers have the skill level and equipment to participate in the diving that is planned. The number of passenger divers for technical dives is restricted according to the site chosen and the dives planned and the dive day is usually longer for the crew and therefore the cost is greater per diver. There is no dive mastering or assistance provided to technical divers other than help entering or exiting the water. DiveHatteras llc does not provide any gas mixtures beyond standard 21% for in water decompression needs. DiveHatteras llc will not be responsible for positioning stage bottles or other specialized equipment required for the technical dive operation and these operations and equipment needs must be considered and provided for by the Dive Team Leader.

CCR Use. Divers may use Closed Circuit Rebreathers when diving from our boat for any dive trip, but extended run times with lengthy decompression requirements are limited to Technical Diving Trips. CCR divers must discuss their intended dive plan/run time with the crew prior to the dive so that the dives can be conducted safely.

Equipment Needs. DiveHatteras llc can provide a limited amount of dive gear for your use, to include SCUBA cylinders (100s and 80s). Extra weights/belts for traveling divers or emergency use are available on board. Discuss any equipment needs with DiveHatteras prior to the trip date for assistance in this area if needed. If DiveHatteras llc cannot assist you, arrangements can be made with a local dive shop to provide any equipment needed by your group.

Air Fills. Air fills that exceed grade E standards are available right at the boat while dockside in the marina; there is no compressor on board the boat. Divers need to bring full tanks for the first day of diving, as there will not be sufficient time in the morning to fill tanks prior to departure. We do not provide air fills for divers not diving on a charter with us.

Diving the U-701. Trips to the U-701 are possible; however, the U-701 is outside our normal range and there’s no guarantee that once we get there, conditions will allow diving the site. If it’s not possible to dive the U-701, we cannot guarantee that any of the other wrecks in the area will be suitable for diving as a fallback. The U-701 will cost extra due to the distance to the wreck site and there is no guaranteed diving. In addition, absolutely no U-701 artifacts are permitted on our boat.

Spear Fishing. Spear fishing is allowed from the boat, but divers are required to follow all common safety procedures and not enter or exit the water with loaded guns. Spear fishing may attract the attention of sharks; either at depth or on the surface. It is every spear fishing diver’s obligation to assess conditions that could lead to shark attacks and behave responsibly. Although we will attempt whatever is practical given the conditions/danger, we will not place ourselves or anyone else on the charter in danger trying to affect a rescue. This statement is not made lightly and should be taken as a serious possibility.

We look forward to diving with you and your group, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Dave and Ann Sommers

DiveHatteras llc

If you have any questions, please email or give us a call at 703.818.1850 or 703.517.3724.