Welcome to the Travel Forums


Why join TravelBlog?

  • Membership is Free and Easy
  • Your travel questions answered in minutes!
  • Become part of the friendliest online travel community.
Join Now! Join TravelBlog* today and meet thousands of friendly travelers. Don't wait! Join today and make your adventures even more enjoyable.

* Blogging is not required to participate in the forums
Advertisement


No Fly Times

Advertisement
Do you travel with a dive computer? Have you ever been watching the minutes tick by waiting to board?
11 years ago, October 6th 2012 No: 1 Msg: #161778  
B Posts: 897
So as I am now single I have decided to spend the month of January in the south pacific diving. Specifically, Rangiroa, Fakavara, Bora Bora and Moorea however, just calculating my no fly times and having to add them into bookings from island to island flights is driving me nuts.

I got to Port Moresby airport with 17 minutes no fly time still showing on my computer (weather not stupidity) - have you ever been caught by no fly times and had to delay, reschedule or miss a flight? Reply to this

11 years ago, October 14th 2012 No: 2 Msg: #161994  
18 hours for my side...

The basic rule is...I will never ever dive and fly the same day....

Never had a single issue with my dive computer...guess I'm a good boy...lol!

Now I'm very curious of th situation between Fakarava and Rangiroa as it is a pretty short and low flying flight....you'll let me know...

Reply to this

11 years ago, October 17th 2012 No: 3 Msg: #162086  
Our GOLDEN RULE: never fly and dive within 24 HOURS and most of the good dive operators are quite strict about that rule. It just isn't worth it to put your life at risk. We have been witness to a diving accident in the Red Sea and thankfully everything turned out well in the end, with prompt response from the medical teams on board and on the land. This is one area that I err on the side of caution! Life is too short and besides, it could spoil your travels - now who would want to do that!! Reply to this

11 years ago, October 17th 2012 No: 4 Msg: #162096  
B Posts: 897
Wow Alma that sounds like a serious incident. I too try and stick to 24hrs a minimum of 18 if need be island hop. I had an interesting experience in Sumatra with a dive guide asking if I was ready to dive AT the airport....ahm, no thanks, prefer to settle in first then dive tommorow. The reason i have asked this question is I have conceded and allowed my sister the travel agent to book some of my flights so she gets the commission but she just cannot seem to understand why I cannot fly on certain days.....Im with you guys, Life is too short...and I hate missing a dive...i can deal with missing a flight, but not a dive 😊

Travel agents sometimes have no clue.......! Reply to this

11 years ago, October 18th 2012 No: 5 Msg: #162143  
Hi Cindy, there will definitely be some dive guides taking chances and as tempting as what it is to want to dive straight away, it is a risky sport if you don't know what you are doing and I would hate taking a chance and that being my last dive ever!

With regards travel agents ( your sister excluded 😊 of course!) they often don't listen or give you correct advice - on a previous occasion we have asked specifically for a hotel near, if not on a beach - then get told about a 'lovely' hotel - but it is right on top of a hill and miles from a beach and will take ages to get down to the beach front - DUH! After that incident we decided it best to do our own bookings where ever possible. We have had a couple of other incidents as well where they haven't listened to our priorities.

Back to diving...hope you enjoy your next trip wherever and whenever that may be.. Reply to this

11 years ago, October 18th 2012 No: 6 Msg: #162149  
B Posts: 897
My sister is learning independant travellers usually book their own travels for this reason 😉 - and I think she is realising I am not your average bali package deal person after I just sent her a request to find me a horse on Bora Bora..but not a mare, must not be chestnut nor over 15hh - im an evil sister!

PA you raise an interesting question..I will email the dive centre on Fakarava and ask them the altitude they are flying at...I seem to recall flying to Vietnam and being coerced for one more dive because it was only a 16000feet flight from Phuket...??....hopefully my almost non existant french and their almost non existant english we can work it out. Reply to this

11 years ago, October 18th 2012 No: 7 Msg: #162154  
Cindy, not the last 16 years for sure....the only aircraft that did fly to Phuket from Vietnam was with Air Asia few years ago...and that was for sure not a propeller...

Don't think any of those flights did it between 1973 to 1996...

I once had one of the owner of a huge travel agency in South East Asia...calling me to ask advise on places for his family holidays...took it as a nice gesture...

But we are getting away from diving...next dive in 25 days...counting... Reply to this

11 years ago, October 18th 2012 No: 8 Msg: #162158  
B Posts: 897
Hah coincidence..I was on the last ever flight from Phuket to Saigon with Air Asia...to be honest im having fun with my outrageous demands to my sister...ive just had to send her agency she works for the link to the Tuamoto Archipeligo skypass ..

I am looking at this time without diving in blocks of weeks now. I do PLAN on having a dive here on saturday to ..clean the bottom of a boat..however, our beaches are being closed daily due to sharks. I kind of find it ironic that im going to the middle of nowhere to dive with sharks yet my own hometown wont let me dive because of sharks. Reply to this

11 years ago, December 21st 2012 No: 9 Msg: #164528  
B Posts: 897
Into the days countdown now! Was just reading a divers log on wannadive and he mentioned how low the planes flew as he could see coral and the motus very clearly on the trip to Rangi...I will know in 15 DAYS!!!! Now that I know I do not have pneumonia....another misdiagnosed sicko story! Reply to this

11 years ago, December 25th 2012 No: 10 Msg: #164631  
B Posts: 897
Hmm..interesting snippet on one of the dive centre who operates on multiple FP islands website....only ONE dive site mentioned ''This dive requires a mandatory 24 hour no fly time due to depth".......can anyone enlighten me??? Reply to this

11 years ago, February 3rd 2013 No: 11 Msg: #165885  
B Posts: 897
Ok in French Polynesia the pilots are usually divers and the dive industry is economically critical to FP so the planes all fly at very low altitudes..around 3000m max unless they have to go around weather. I did dive and fly on the same day when I arrived in Rangiroa.

This is very much the exception to the rule but again, FP looks after their divers because without divers, they would be struggling with the cruise shippers.

I was picked up from the Airport after leaving Bora Bora and met by Frank from the dive centre whos first words were "So are you ready to dive? how about we meet in an hour and I will explain the pass".

Its a common practice there...again, not the normal but FP does look after their divers. Its a standing joke if the plane is late its because the pilot and stewardesses all have gone for a dive.

That is not to say that everything went fine in Rangi as we did have a dive accident which I will blog about seperately as it was a big wakeup call for me and for all divers. Reply to this

11 years ago, February 3rd 2013 No: 12 Msg: #165893  
Cindy, will share middle of the year my experience about FP...

But there is Djibouti....diving in the afternoon....with F16 pilots who flew above the whalesharks the same morning...

So now the question is...flying a F16 in the morning...and diving in the afternoon? Good idea??? Reply to this

11 years ago, February 4th 2013 No: 13 Msg: #165950  
B Posts: 897
If you are an adrenaline junkie...and you would have to be to fly F16s..I guess the answer is Yes 😊 Reply to this

Tot: 0.049s; Tpl: 0.006s; cc: 6; qc: 30; dbt: 0.0297s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1023.2kb