GENERAL INFORMATION on DIVING with the BFDC |
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| WHAT is the BFDC?: The BFDC is a "club" in the loosest sense of the word. There are several hundred of us now on the email list and facebook, but we don't have meetings, we don't have dues and we don't have elections....in other words, we avoid most of the unfortunate ego and organizational dynamics that afflict many diving groups. The one thing we do is dive. We dive the coast of North Carolina and have fun. Some of our "members" have been diving together for over 20 years, while others have know each other less than 20 days. We come from all walks of life and from all parts of the United States. Our only requirements are that you love NC wreck diving, that you are a good, aware and safe diver with deep NC (or elsewhere) wreck diving experience, that you can take care of yourself, that you leave your ego at the dock and that you have a sense of humor...not necessarily in that order. As with all North Carolina wreck diving and multi-day diving, it is highly recommended that a diver carry DAN insurance in case of a diving accident and be well versed in decompression safety stops and techniques. Want to join the BFDC? Just drop me an email at bfdc@nc-wreckdiving.com with your name, address, etc. and I will put you on our mailing list and you will get the very infrequent BFDC newsletter or email. | ||||
| PHILOSOPHY: BFDC dives are generally made up of small (4-7) groups of experienced divers who are interested in diving the deeper and/or more difficult and unusual dive sites off of North Carolina. These NOT guided trips. They require competent divers with solid NC (or equivalent) diving experience. There is no one assigned or getting paid to watch over you to make sure you know what you are doing. We don't want anyone getting hurt. The rule of thumb is pretty simple: "Each diver/diver buddy team is responsible for their own safety, providing proper equipment and making their own diving decisions and should be willing and able to help out if anyone else gets in trouble." What constitutes "experience"?: BFDC trips are not guided trips and NC diving can range from "like a swimming pool easy" to "Hell No, this isn't fun" and there is no predicting where in the range it will fall until you arrive on site and roll into the water. By signing up, divers are claiming they are competent with solid NC, or equivalent open ocean diving experience and can independently manage their dives and dive prep within the confines defined by the captain and crew of the boat. There is no one assigned or getting paid to watch over you to make sure you know what you are doing. Divers should have experience and skills navigating a wreck site, regardless of viz or currents, monitoring their gas supply, and returning to the anchor point and ascending to the surface. IOW, Divers should be able to handle water conditions as they find them and adjust their dives and plan accordingly to ensure the completion of a safe and successful dive. And the judgement of knowing when to say NO is the best skill a diver can possess. |
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| BOATS:
The Atlantis IV, captained by Bobby Edwards. The Atlantis IV is moored on the Atlantic Beach Causeway. Trips on the Atlantis IV will leave at 7:00 am. Be packed, loaded and ready to go at that time. 6:30 am is our usual "be at the boat no later than" time. Please be at the boat and ready to leave at the designated times — Time, tide and dive boats wait for no one! Also, the morning of the trip is not the time to figure out where the boat is. You may be wrong! Nothing worse than having to pay for a dive that you didn't go on.DIVE SITES & SCHEDULE: All trips are "two-dives-per-day" trips [except if we go somewhere unusually deep or if the weather starts going to hell]. The group will pick the site of the second dive on the day of the trip. The dive sites were selected based on the premise that this group tends to be interested in dive sites that are: |
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| PRICES: The charter price is only for the boat ride and does not include equipment, gas/air, or food, etc. See the schedule for prices for the dive trips. The economics of "6-pack" boats also lend themselves to greater year-to-year price fluctuation as there are fewer paying passengers to spread the costs over. The BFDC likes to dive in and with small numbers and there is a cost/value to that preference. Additionally, some of the charter boats now have a "fuel surcharge". This is a $ amount which will be added to the cost of the charter. It will vary according to how much fuel is burned — the longer trip burns more fuel! While I know this is somewhat unpopular, I think it is a fact of life until the fuel situation settles down. Still a great deal for the adventure of a life time! | ||||
| SIGN-UPS & CANCELLATIONS: Sign-ups for trips are on a "First Come/First Serve Basis" - except priority is given to divers who sign up for both days of a weekend. If you have never dived with the BFDC before, please contact me before signing up on a dive. We need to have that Jimmy Hendrix talk (aka "are you experienced?") before you can be confirmed on a dive. The song lyrics sort of say it all -- If you can just get your mind together Then Dive with the BFDC We'll hold hands and then we'll watch the sunrise From the bottom of the sea ---- But first, are you experienced? Have you ever been experienced? Once a trip is full, a waiting list is maintained. If I know you, I have not required advance payments or deposits in the past and will not require them this year. Don't abuse this privilege. Simply call me up and tell me what dives you want to go on. That will reserve you a spot. I expect you to be there and/or pay for the spot if one is available. If I don't know you (or if I know you really well), I may require advance payment or a deposit. Anyone who CANCELS LESS THAN ***N I N E T Y (90)*** DAYS before the dive will lose their deposit, be required to pay for the spot or find a replacement. ***NOTE POLICY CHANGE***: If you don't show up for a dive, and there is no replacement, in addition to the charter fee, you are now also responsible for any fuel surcharge levied by the boat. For further information email at bfdc@nc-wreckdiving.com |
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| Unless otherwise noted, all images, photos, text are Paul M. Hudy © 2013 (bfdc@nc-wreckdiving.com) | ||||
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