The Barefoot Blue, "where do you want to go on the Great Escape" thread!

Dear SCUBA Magazine Community. . my diving brothers and sisters.

Barefoot Blue has entered into an agreement with Captain Tim Burke of the Great Escape to step up; stand behind him and crew, and charter the dates recently made available.

This is the new thread to fill these boats:

Time to step up and stand behind the best and the brightest that the SoCal Captains have to offer.

Please share. . .

If you had your dream of the perfect charter. . .

what would it be . . .

where would you want to go. . .

We are going to expand our holdings and offer beginning boats with independent instructors and classes. . .

The intermediate boats will run for those whom have a 25-95 dives under their belts. WE will see the most beautiful places that So Cal has to offer at intermediate recreational depths . . .

And continue to run the 'experienced divers charters' where we will go to the most advanced and utterly pristine charters we are so well known for.

As as the Barefoot Blue promise states, we will offer you resort pampering in the Pacific, for the cost of traipsing over to Catalina Island for the day.

I will post the dates and the experience requirements charters here on SB and on www.barefootblue.com

A coupla' things. . .

1) I am my brothers' keeper!
2) Barefoot Ahead!

Written by Michael Kane:

Local Boat Owners need our help

Please help our local boat owners during a difficult time. It seems that Sport Chalet ( Chris Robinson in particular ) called a meeting with several of the local boats and threatened to cancel all of the Sport Chalet chartere's from several boats unless the boats were willing to accept drastic reductions in pricing. This is all done despite the fact that contracts were in place, dates were reserved by the boats and not offered to other shops and/or clubs, and it's in mid-season.

Please vote with your wallets and boycott anything at all to do with Sport Chalet until they honor their agreements and support our local boats. I'm all for fair and reasonable negotiations, but once the contracts are signed and once the boats save the dates and don't offer them to anyone else, it is unforgiveable for Sport Chalet to demand contractual reductions in mid-stream when it's too late for the boats to fill their trips now.

Contact your local Sport Chalet and let them know that your wallet will not be opening at their stores any longer.

Sounds like the 'boats' need to get a good lawyer. It would be funny if it really backfired in Sports Challet's face if they were made to pay for all of the charters that they cancelled even if the boat did not leave the dock!

The other opotion is for the boats to accept his deal at a reduced price. Remember it is the Captains discression on how to handle his boat. He could call 1/2 of the trips do to bad weather. He could take the divers to the worst places to dive and offer the worst service with Sports Challet groups.

THEN, on the way back to the shore give all of the divers handouts explaining the situation and how Sports Challet strong armed them.

The final blow...all of the Boats need to get togehter and not allow Sports Challet to book with them again. Let them find some beach to dive off.

Great observations. This is a classic example of the power being able to afford more justice than the injured. The dive boat Captains dont have the funds necessary to afford the legal muscle to make Sports Chalet do right.

That is unless you folks know an attorney that will take on Sports Chalet pro bono. . .


Now, in the interim. . .lets fill these boats!

The other option is to call their bluff! How bad would it be if they had to tell all of their customers that have paid for dives that they can't fufill their end of the deal. The customers would wind up finding the dive boats on their own anyway. There are only a limited number of dive boats out there and the divers will dive regardless of what sports challet decides to do.

Better than calling their bluff, tell them there is an increase in price due to fuel costs increasing. Make the increase at least as much as they are trying to take away.

Bottom line is they don't have their own boats or captains, they need you as much as you need them.

GOOD LUCK!

Sigh, in a perfect world, the little guy (boat Captain) would be able to prevail over the 850 lbs. Gorilla in the room (Spts Chalet).

Folks on dialysis would get the kidney that they need and the physician's mercedes payment wouldnt be the deciding factor.

We could have a war, and nobody dies. . . .

Perhaps this is the reason we all go diving. . .

Speaking of diving, anybody here in So Cal wanna get on a cool boat?

Tevis

I used to dive on the Great Escape when it was called the Charisma 25 years ago!

Tim is a great Captain, but unfortunately, they do not allow rebreather divers on, so that rules me out!

Archangel,

Next time I am in California I will let you know! If I would have known you before I would have gone on your charter. I went to California in May and dove on the Sceptre at Anacapa Island. It was nice, but the boat was a little ratty. Do you have a web page for your boat?