I
know many solo divers out their just enjoy the serenity of the sea by
themselves. The peace of listening to
only your bubbles as you move at your own pace enjoying the activities of the creatures of our
great underwater world. But for me, scuba is totally a social activity and I
enjoy nothing more than diving with my friends, whether locally or on some
spectacular international adventure together.
I
started leading group trips for my husband's dive shop, our dive club, and now for my travel
company, a few years back now (time flies when you're having fun), and I have
had a great time doing it. I've led several groups to destinations in the Caribbean and
the Pacific, and loved every minute of it.
It
is so fun to come back from a day of diving, kick back over a nice drink and a
good meal, and share all our fish tales of the day with each other. Then at breakfast you meet again, smiles on
your face, and everyone ready to go for another fun day of diving. Sharing the experience is half the fun. You may not have been great friends at the
beginning of the trip, in fact you may have been complete strangers, but by the
end of this amazing bonding experience you are friends & dive buddies for
life.
Become your own group leader
I want to share with you how to become your own group leader so that you can look like a hero to your dive group, as you lead them on a
fantastic journey.
Did
you know that SCUBA resorts and liveaboards often offer discounts for
groups? Do you want to learn how take
advantage of these discounts yourself? Well, here's the scoop.
You
don't have to be a dive shop owner or a dive club president to take advantage
of group specials. The most common
discount offered is for a group of 11 travelers - "10 Paid/1 Free".
This generally means both accommodations and diving will be free for the group
leader, not including taxes and service charges. Sometimes there are other
added incentives like a
free night dive or free NITROX (for qualified divers) for the group leader.
Other times, the group requirements may be smaller to get that free spot. It
all depends on the resort, the season and the availability.
So how does this work for you?
Say you and a few friends are planning your next SCUBA adventure together and you have a destination or two in mind. Call your friendly dive travel specialist to find out what resorts or liveaboards in those areas offer group specials and how many people you need to make a group. Once you've got the details, then go out and recruit more friends to join you on the adventure. It's that easy.
Then
it is up to you how you want to use that free spot. 1) You can take the value of the free spot
and share it with everyone in the group as a discount on the regular retail
price, or 2) If you are the one keeping in contact with your dive travel specialist, organizing everyone
and everything, you can keep the free spot for yourself. You're doing the work - you deserve it.
Make dive buddies for life
Group travel is great for keeping dive buddies together by sharing awesome experiences, as well as family reunions and work retreats. And guess what - Not everyone in the group needs to be a diver to take advantage of these savings. So now that you know the basics of what to do to take advantage of group savings, go out there and form your own scuba travel group. It's pretty easy, and the right dive travel specialist will be there to book the travel and help you sort out the details - No Sweat!For tips on being your own group leader, click here:
Like what you've read? Want to learn how to better enjoy your scuba diving vacation? Maybe you'd like to travel with Delightful Departures on an upcoming adventure? Become part of the Delightful Departures community. Discover different destinations and travel tips in our biweekly newsletter. Join today.
Like what you've read? Want to learn how to better enjoy your scuba diving vacation? Maybe you'd like to travel with Delightful Departures on an upcoming adventure? Become part of the Delightful Departures community. Discover different destinations and travel tips in our biweekly newsletter. Join today.
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