DiveHatteras 

Group Charter Information

DiveHatteras home page

Shipwrecks

Area Info

Hatteras Diving

Dive Charters

Dive Links

Weather

About Us

The Dive Boat

Dive Photos

Ann's  Seashells

Divers

 

DiveHatteras Terms and Conditions for Group Charters ©2017-2021

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 dive insurance with an organization such as DAN.

  • All divers are required to dive with surface signaling devices; SMB, whistle/air horn, etc. 

Deposits.  DiveHatteras requires a 50% deposit at the time you book the charter.  The balance is due 30 days before your charter date, unless other arrangements are agreed to 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 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 may be charged as well, based strictly on the distance traveled.  Wreck site destinations outside the “normal” range, ie: U701, Manuela, Tamaulipus, will be charged an additional fuel surcharge for the cost of travel to these more distant sites and this cost is based upon the cost of the fuel to operate beyond our normal range and back. 

Payment.  Payment for all charter services is by Cash or Check, Electronic Transfer, US Dollars only.  We do not accept credit cards for charter deposits or final payments.  Checks are made out to “Dive Hatteras LLC”.  Payment from individual divers in your group for equipment or breathing gas costs can be by cash, check or CC. 

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 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 generally 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/gas 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 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.  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 may be restricted according to the site chosen and the dives planned.  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 normally 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 nor will DiveHatteras personnel attempt rescue of divers from the bottom in tech diving depths.  These operations and equipment needs must be considered and provided for by the Dive Team Leader.  

100% Oxygen in High Pressure scuba cylinders is not allowed on our boat.  The exception are cylinders specifically designed for use in CCR units.  Do not bring any scuba cylinders with anything over 40% Oxygen without prior authorization.  Call and discuss the dive plan and we will probably authorize it.

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 beyond 60 to 90 minutes 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 and be prepared to enter the water prior to Open Circuit divers so the generally longer CCR runs times will blend with the overall dive plan more readily.  

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

Air/Nitrox 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 or “top off” tanks prior to departure.  Nitrox is available from banked 40%.  We will not do O2 partial pressure blending.  We generally do not provide air fills for divers not diving on a charter with us and we do not provide “cave fills” or fill out of date tanks.

Diving the U-701. Trips to the U-701 are possible; however, the U-701 is outside our normal range and there is no guarantee that once we get there, conditions will allow diving the site.  If it is not possible to dive the U-701, we cannot guarantee that any of the other wrecks in the area will be dive-able as a fallback.  Travel to 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 DiveHatteras vessels.

Spear Fishing. Spear fishing is allowed from our 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.  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, behave responsibly, and be prepared to abandon the catch to the sharks to avoid being bitten.  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

Summer address: P.O. Box 513, Frisco, NC, 27936

Winter address:  5213 High Grove Hills Lane, Centreville, VA, 20120

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

DiveHatteras Home