ScubaToys Blackbeards Trip--the Aftermath

[CrzyJay456]

sounds like fun. Black Gorrilla wants to go at the end of the year, and i was going to go to Bazil with his brother, but now we cant... and BG wants us to do one of these with him. who knows?
you spoke of the sleeping areas as like a community area? not individual cabins? how is that? do they have private cabins available?
thanks

[namabiru]

Naw mate, it's not private cabins. You have bunk beds in 3 separate holds (one area the 'main salon', where you eat, one area in the middle, and one area at the front of the bow) and there is a privacy curtain you can pull for at night while you sleep.

Really, though, you don't spend any time down in your 'rack' unless you're sleeping. And it's not because of the setup, but because most people are chilling topside. Or you're having a meal before a dive, or getting ready for a dive, or what have you.

I just opened up Scuba magazine, and learned that Blackbeard's is offering $100 off the trip cost from October--February. Quite seriously, it's good value for the amount of diving you do. Figure in maybe at least $150 for a crew tip (they mostly rely on tips for their wages), plus your spending money. If you can get a good flight to/from Freeport, you're fine. The Port Lucaya Yacht Club is seriously the cheapest accommodation with the BlackBeard's rate. You just get them on the horn directly for that. My rate was $62, off season. Plus the govt tax and a resort fee, I paid $78 a night total. Just so you're aware of hotel costs.

Do recommend you go the day before. We were fine in that ST chartered the boat, so they went back to the docks twice for people, but if you go independently and you can't get there on time, you're getting left. Two people had to be collected separately, and one other person who flew AA didn't have his bag delivered. All the snafus were with AA out of DFW. Be warned. Anymore, though, any air travel in the States is dodgy, I'm afraid to say.

[nightdiver]

Ok after it was all said and done, exactly how much did it cost including airfare from DFW?

What is the best time of year to go? Right now is hurricane season, did that have any impact on the September trip?

[CaribbeanDiver]

thanks Namabiru. I knew you would have a good time and it sounds as if you enjoyed every second of it. There are so many dive sites that you could go Blackbearding 10 times and still not see them all.
So when are you going back?

[namabiru]

Originally Posted by nightdiver

Ok after it was all said and done, exactly how much did it cost including airfare from DFW?

What is the best time of year to go? Right now is hurricane season, did that have any impact on the September trip?

I dunno how much airfare from DFW is /was. I flew out of Spokane. I started out, in spirit, with a $1500 budget, and was looking for an inexpensive vacation as a treat for finishing grad. school. Plus I needed to do something while waiting for my paperwork to get processed in Qatar so I could move. Anyway, with buying the trip, my airfare ($575 total roundtrip), 2 nights' hotel in Freeport, 1 night in Spokane, my travel cost to Spokane, food, etc., I spent roughly $2,000. So not too bad. Freeport was my Waterloo, with going out. So it goes.

I suppose best time of year would arguably be summer, as the water is warmer. Most of us were in swimsuits. But even winter they only recommend a 3 mil, I do believe. That's not so bad at all.

There was no hurricane-type impact on our trip, although the last day we did run into a bit of weather, presumably from the hurricane which hit north. There was a rainstorm, it was windy, and the sea was extremely choppy. Not so much fun. Had the patch, but I'm just still very prone to motion sickness. So much that car trips bother me unless I drive. Didn't yak, but sure didn't feel well either. Found it better to stay on the bed. Especially with the boat rocking at least 45 degrees to each side. It really helped when they put the sail up, as it stabilized the boat a bit.

I don't know when I'm going back on Blackbeard's. I'm relocating to Qatar on Tuesday, so I'll be halfway around the world. I have no real inclination to ever live in the States again (I'd love to say 'return' instead of 'live', but I know that's not in the cards since my parents are still fortunately in this lifetime and will be for quite a while), so BB's may have been a one-shot deal. If I were near the Bahamas again, though, and had a week, I'd do BB's again.