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This years Holiday party will be held at Michael and Diane Daily's home.
We'll have our usual gift exchange, lively conversation, delightful food and drink. For the gift exchange you need to bring a gift to get a gift. Maximum price is $15.00 for the gift. Brownie points for creative gifts.
B.Y.O.Beverage of choice--sodas and water will be supplied.
| Last Names | food |
| A-O | please bring appetizer/finger food. |
| P-Z | please bring a dessert. |
However, if you have a specialty you're particularly proud of bring it also.
Plates, cups, silverware, ice and ice chests will be supplied.
Gary Schleimer is chairing the dive.
Pt. Lobos is considering changing its scuba diving reservation rules. See article below.
There may be an elephant seal walk at Año Nuevo State Reserve in March or April of 2001. We will watch the elephants seal breeding, reproducing, and nursing the young. Kevin Dalley is leading this dive, and will make the reservations. Tickets are $4 per person.
The walk will probably be in February or March.
Marilyn Johnson, a scuba travel agent we have often used, has a quote below. Note that her quote does not reflect any discounts. If we can get 11 rooms the rate could be as low as $607 + tax and air.
Please send your deposits directly to Inter Ocean Tours 510-638-3448 via credit card or check.
Call either Bernie or Marilyn with any questions.
Marilyn Johnson has reserved 11 rooms at Scuba Club for May 5-12, 2001. We receive one free room with 10 paid rooms. Marilyn hopes that we could get 2 free spots and reduce the cost. $1100 is due by April 22, 2000 to hold these rooms and get this years rates. Diver double is $750, diver single is $978, Diver triple is $696. Non diver double is $658. These rates do not include 12% tax or 10% club discount. You would also get a further discount by dividing 1 free with 10 paid.
Package includes:
Collect $100 deposit per person or have everyone send direct to us. I have requested airfare from Continental; but may not get a fare quote until 11 months out. The airline will want $40 per seat deposit later.
Marilyn Johnson
Inter-Ocean Tours
Box 27116
Oakland, CA 94602
Phone 510-638-3448
FAX 510-638-1741
email: Interocean@aol.com
http://www.interocean.com
Peter Hughes will be starting Galápagos on a brand new boat (still under construction, construction almost completed) in Spring 2001, meaning they would have about a year to shakedown before we went with them. Those of you who have dove with Peter Hughes know what a world class outfit they are. All staterooms on the boat, the Sky Dancer, will have private heads and portholes, either twin or queen beds (no bunks!) and all the over the top PH amenities (coffee delivered to your stateroom in the am!).
I have also concluded based on my research that if we are going to do this, that the ten day trip is much preferable to the seven day trip, as seven day trips do not include Wolf and Darwin, the two islands with the most fantastic diving (``Big Animal Heaven'' is how Kendra of Dive Makai describes it). The ten day trip does include a number of guided land excursions as well. Because of the land excursions the number of dives per day may be less than some of you are used to on liveaboards, but it would be crazy to go to the Galápagos and not do the land tours...They do four dives a day at Wolf and Darwin, two to three at the other islands. Probably only two or three night dives per trip.
Anyways, I have checked with Peter Hughes and two ten night trips in spring 2002 are wide open: One departing April 17th, 2002 and one departing May 19th, 2002. Bottom line: I would like to know how many are interested to see if this is doable (and affordable). So I need a ``show of hands'' of interest.
Cost: if we get 8 persons to go we only pay for seven, which would mean a cost for eight of $3240 to 3340 per person double occupancy depending upon stateroom category, plus airfare (more on airfare in a minute). If we get at least 14 paid we get space for 16, at a cost of $3150 to 3250 each for sixteen, and would have the whole boat to ourselves, though getting eight seems more likely. 9 to 13 persons, somewhere in between those two figures.
So what I want to know, is how many people are seriously interested; as in
interested enough to put up a cash deposit? There are two deposit options
that I will explain to folks who are seriously interested, (and since we
all have to choose the same deposit option I will probably get feedback but
as trip leader make the final decision on our deposit option)...but the
bottom line is: it will cost you between 
1000 per person to hold
your spot at time of booking, which may or may not be partially to largely
refundable depending on the deposit option we choose, with the balance due
90 days prior to the trip.
Airfare: West Coast to Quito or Guayaquil is currently running $800 to 1300 round trip. In addition, you must book separate airfare from one of those two mainland cities in Ecuador to San Cristobol, departure point of the boat, at a (current) price of between $340 and $380. So, depending on how well we can do booking the main part of the trip, count on $1400 to $1800 total per person for airfare and it may well be pleasantly less, or maybe not. Schedules are such that you almost have to overnight in either Quito or Guayaquil both coming and going; Peter Hughes does have packages and side trips available and apparently Quito is an interesting place to stay a few days if you want. Other mandatory costs are the Galápagos Park fee of $100 and a chamber contribution of $35.
As you can see, it is a pricey and for many of us probably a once in a lifetime type of trip. For that reason, I have not definitely committed to lead it, am still contemplating it, but your feedback will help me decide (I would want to get at least eight people so we could share the savings of the complimentary spot). So...count your pennies, check your credit card limits, and let me know via email or in person no later than the December General meeting if you are interested enough to be willing to make a cash commitment in December or early January...Feedback on whether you would prefer an April or a May 2002 trip would also be helpful...
blurb@alacosta.org