Dive Hatteras 2008 Charter Costs

DiveHatteras

2008 Group Charter Information

DiveHatteras home page

Shipwrecks

General. When you book the boat, you are paying the entire charter fee whether you fill it with 6 divers or less. If you choose to put fewer than 6 divers on board the vessel, ensure that you charge accordingly.

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

Trip Costs. The charter cost is for the boat transportation only and does not include personal dive equipment, air or nitrox fills, nor any other equipment needs of individual divers – see equipment rentals section for these details. The charter cost for 2008 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.

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 is not responsible for hotel fees or other fee penalties that you may incur as a result of any trip cancellations. If we 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 Akyla is an un-inspected passenger vessel (UPV) meaning we cannot carry more than 6 passengers. This is a federal regulation and we will not violate this passenger limitation. Weight Constraints: The Akyla does not have unlimited weight capacity. We do not carry more than 18 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 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 further diving. A dive briefing will be conducted that details how divers are expected to prepare for the diving, ingress and egress from 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 passengers. We will make every attempt to dive specific sites when 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.

Technical Diving. The Akyla is not configured to accommodate technical diving with respect to deep diving. We do not dive the deeper Hatteras wrecks (i.e., EM Clark).

Equipment Rentals. DiveHatteras can provide a limited amount of dive gear for rental use, to include SCUBA cylinders (100s and 80s). Extra weights/belts for emergency use are available on board. Discuss any rental needs with DiveHatteras prior to the trip date for assistance in this area if needed. If DiveHatteras 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 diveable 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 Akyla.

Spear Fishing. Spear fishing is allowed form the Akyla, 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. 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. It is every diver’s obligation to assess conditions that could lead to shark attacks and behave responsibly.

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

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