Brian asked me to post this. It is a good trip with good divers. Also relitively inexpensive.

The Truth Trip!

Once upon a time, a group of avid underwater photographers and their friends wanted to spend a few days experiencing some of the best California diving at the best time of year. They wanted to go to the most photographically promising sites on a boat that had enough room for all their gear and that knew how to cater to experienced divers. The obvious solution was to charter a boat from Truth Aquatics in Santa Barbara for a three-day trip. That first trip was such a success that it became an annual event that is now in its eighth year. This annual trip has been fondly dubbed the “Truth Trip.”

The Truth Trip has long been known as the premier event in West Coast scuba diving. Icons such as Jacques Cousteau and Mike Nelson probably wished that they could have lived long enough to join this exclusive trip. The trip is organized by members of the Scuba Diving Magazine on-line community known as Diver-to-Diver (D2D). Participation in the Truth Trip has expanded beyond the D2D board to include divers who may not join in the D2D board, but still want to participate in one of the best dive trips of the year.

While the Truth Trip originally started out on the Truth Aquatics boat Truth, the group soon shifted to the largest boat in the TA fleet, the Vision. On the Vision, the finest boat in the finest fleet on the West Coast, we luxuriate in space and enjoy meals prepared by one of the best galley crews on a California dive boat. While the boat can accommodate 43 divers, we run the trip as a limited load and only take 24 (or is it 26?). The remainder of this space is filled with cameras, strobes, chargers, plugs, cords, laptops, beer, wine, and Bill's bar.

Each year, we alternate between northern and southern itineraries. On the northern itineraries we actually make it to our planned destinations - at least more often than on the southern trips. Yes, this is California diving and it ain't no Disney production. Mother Ocean has the final say in all aspects of our voyage. This year our plans are to dive one of the exotic and amazing California oil rigs (conditions permitting) and then visit some of the Northern Channel Islands. These islands are often described (by people more qualified than me) as the Galapagos of the North. Warm southern currents and cold northern currents meet there to create diverse and abundant habitats for ocean life.

We will meet and eat and drink and laugh on the evening of Wednesday, September 9. The boat will leave while we try to sleep. Our return will be on the evening of Saturday, September 12. The Truth Trip is run as a non-profit, shared-cost event. At 24 divers, the cost will be $532. That makes the Truth Trip the lowest cost 3-day live aboard trip on the California coast! If the group agrees to allow an additional diver or two, the cost for all will be lower.

What: Truth Trip VIII

When: September 10-12, 2009 (boarding the evening of September 9)

Where: Santa Barbara Harbor on the Vision

Who: For more information, email to bcorreiar@(no_spam)yahoo.com

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