Texas Flower Gardens and Stetson Bank

Trip overview – Texas Flower Gardens and Stetson Bank

In the Gulf of Mexico, 100 miles from Freeport, TX, there’s a treasure hiding on the bottom of the ocean. The Flower Garden Banks are salt domes that rise from deeper water (300+ ft) and reach as high as 50 ft from the surface. Warm water and nutrient-filled currents created the perfect place for coral reef caps to form on the domes. These coral reefs are isolated from the pressures of urban development and other stresses that affect many coral communities. While the average water depth in the area is far out of reach by sport divers, the Flower Garden Banks are perfectly suited to scuba exploration!

The M-V Fling has been carrying scuba divers to explore the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary for more than 30 years, longer than the formal Sanctuary has been established! In that time, the reefs have remained much the same as they have for more than 10,000 years of reef building. And thousands of divers have been thrilled by the animals and other life that builds there.

The Fling carries 30-32 divers into the field with an endurance of 5 days. Our excursions range from 1-day (30-hours) trips to weekend and long-weekend routine trips, to 4-day trips that explore more sites and other styles of diving (blackwater drift dives, Sargassum snorkeling, etc). Field researchers find the Fling a suitable work platform for documenting or collecting data in far-flung locations at sea.

• $100 deposit books your trip
• New itineraries added for 2023
• Book any Flower Gardens date/trip you would like directly with Island Divers to save money
• 7 Island Diver Staff Led Trips Planned for 2023
• Free Nitrox on All trips

Feb 24 Weekend Trip

Schooling Hammerheads Likely

7 dives

8 spots available

Price: $794 pp

Weekend Flower Garden Tour

7 dives

This is our most popular tour of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.

We depart Freeport in the evening and motor out to the West Bank, famous for sighting manta rays, so divers must remember to LOOK UP!

After lunch we stop off at an oil platform. Be prepared to be impressed. Divers often go on this dive with modest expectations, but the deep-water oil platforms change a lot of minds. And many divers tell us the rig dive is the best we offer.

The evening is spent at the East Bank where divers will usually find turtles that hang out and aren't shy about getting their photo taken.

Overnight we motor to Stetson Bank for two more dives before heading back to port for a Sunday evening arrival around 5-6PM.

Departs Friday evening at 7PM

Saturday Wake-up at 7AM

 Dives 1&2 at the West Bank, famous for cruising Manta Rays

 Lunch, then Oil Platform Dive

 Dives 4&5 at the East Bank, visit with the turtles, Dive 5 is a night dive

Sunday Wake-up at 6AM

 Dives 6&7 at Stetson Bank, nowhere for the critters to hide

 Return to Freeport at about 5:30-6PM

Mar 16 3 day spring break weekend

Schooling Hammerheads Possible

11 dives

8 spots available

Price: $945 pp

3-Day Extended Flower Garden Tour

(long-weekends, holiday weekends, weekday excursions)

11 dives

Day 1 Wake-up at 7AM

 Dives 1&2 at the West Bank, famous for cruising Manta Rays

 Lunch, then Oil Platform Dive

 Dives 4&5 at the East Bank, visit with the turtles, Dive 5 is a night dive

Day 2 Wake-up at 7AM

Dives 6&7 at the East Bank, “the wall” with the sun coming up bathing it in light

Lunch, transit to Stetson Bank

Dives 8&9 at Stetson Bank, including the famous night dive at Stetson!

Day 3 Wake-up at 6AM

 Dives 10&11, Stetson Bank

 Return to Freeport at about 5:30-6PM

July 9 Gulf of Mexico 4 Day Tour

Everything the Fling/Flower Gardens has to offer

16 dives

10 spots available

Price: $1326 pp

Gulf of Mexico Tour 4-Day

17 dives

New for 2023

For divers who want to get away for a longer trip, we’re offering a tour of all the features described on other trips. Designed to capture the divers who will travel from further in order to see all the Gulf has to offer, this trip has it all:

• The Flower Garden Banks
• Oil Platforms (variety, including Cerveza)
• Deep-water (6000+ ft), Black Water Drift Dives
• Toppled rigs
• Stetson Bank
• The Kraken Reef

Sunday, Arrive at 7PM, board at 7:30, depart shortly after

Monday Wake-up at 7AM

 Dives 1&2 at West Flower Garden Bank

 Lunch

 Dive 3 at Oil Platform HI376-A (or other nearby)

 Dives 4&5 at East Flower Garden Bank

Tuesday Wake-up at 7AM

 Dives 6&7 at Cerveza Platform

 Lunch

 Dives 8-10 Stetson Bank

Wednesday

 Dives 11&12 at Stetson Bank

 Lunch

 Dive 14&15 at Oil Platform (intersection rigs)

Thursday

 Dives 16&17 Matagorda toppled rigs

 Return to port at about 5:30PM

Aug 17 3 day weekend

11 dives

8 spots available

Price: $945 pp

3-Day Extended Flower Garden Tour

(long-weekends, holiday weekends, weekday excursions)

11 dives

Day 1 Wake-up at 7AM

 Dives 1&2 at the West Bank, famous for cruising Manta Rays

 Lunch, then Oil Platform Dive

 Dives 4&5 at the East Bank, visit with the turtles, Dive 5 is a night dive

Day 2 Wake-up at 7AM

Dives 6&7 at the East Bank, “the wall” with the sun coming up bathing it in light

Lunch, transit to Stetson Bank

Dives 8&9 at Stetson Bank, including the famous night dive at Stetson!

Day 3 Wake-up at 6AM

 Dives 10&11, Stetson Bank

 Return to Freeport at about 5:30-6PM

October 5 3 day weekend

11 dives

8 spots available

Price: $945 pp

3-Day Extended Flower Garden Tour

(long-weekends, holiday weekends, weekday excursions)

11 dives

Day 1 Wake-up at 7AM

 Dives 1&2 at the West Bank, famous for cruising Manta Rays

 Lunch, then Oil Platform Dive

 Dives 4&5 at the East Bank, visit with the turtles, Dive 5 is a night dive

Day 2 Wake-up at 7AM

Dives 6&7 at the East Bank, “the wall” with the sun coming up bathing it in light

Lunch, transit to Stetson Bank

Dives 8&9 at Stetson Bank, including the famous night dive at Stetson!

Day 3 Wake-up at 6AM

 Dives 10&11, Stetson Bank

 Return to Freeport at about 5:30-6PM

October 19 3 day weekend

11 dives

8 spots available

Price: $945 pp

3-Day Extended Flower Garden Tour

(long-weekends, holiday weekends, weekday excursions)

11 dives

Day 1 Wake-up at 7AM

 Dives 1&2 at the West Bank, famous for cruising Manta Rays

 Lunch, then Oil Platform Dive

 Dives 4&5 at the East Bank, visit with the turtles, Dive 5 is a night dive

Day 2 Wake-up at 7AM

Dives 6&7 at the East Bank, “the wall” with the sun coming up bathing it in light

Lunch, transit to Stetson Bank

Dives 8&9 at Stetson Bank, including the famous night dive at Stetson!

Day 3 Wake-up at 6AM

 Dives 10&11, Stetson Bank

 Return to Freeport at about 5:30-6PM

Nov 23 3 day post Thanksgiving

11 dives

8 spots available

Price: $945 pp

3-Day Extended Flower Garden Tour

(long-weekends, holiday weekends, weekday excursions)

11 dives

Day 1 Wake-up at 7AM

 Dives 1&2 at the West Bank, famous for cruising Manta Rays

 Lunch, then Oil Platform Dive

 Dives 4&5 at the East Bank, visit with the turtles, Dive 5 is a night dive

Day 2 Wake-up at 7AM

Dives 6&7 at the East Bank, “the wall” with the sun coming up bathing it in light

Lunch, transit to Stetson Bank

Dives 8&9 at Stetson Bank, including the famous night dive at Stetson!

Day 3 Wake-up at 6AM

 Dives 10&11, Stetson Bank

 Return to Freeport at about 5:30-6PM