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Lionfish Invitational Research Expeditions
FAQ'S

The Application​

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  • My friend and I both want to apply.  Great! You each need to fill out an application. At the bottom of the application, you can let us know if you are co-applying with anyone, and if you'd like to share a double bunk with them.

  • I want to apply for more than one trip. Great! List them in order of preference and state that you'd like to do 2,3,or all 4 trips.

  • I've never harvested lionfish before or done any type of scientific diving. No problem! Most of our first-time participants are new to this...as long as you have a great attitude and are interested in learning, you'll find yourself contributing more than you expected.

  •  I’m not Nitrox/Advanced Open Water certified yet, but I will be before the trip date. Can I still apply? Yes you can, but please note: You will not be allowed on the boat without the required certifications.

  • I don’t have dive insurance, but I will purchase it if I’m selected for a trip, is this okay? Yes, absolutely. DAN offerers great diving and travel insurance bundles, for around $100 you can purchase medical coverage and trip insurance. Check them out at www.DAN.org.

  • I submitted my application....now what?  Your application is due by midnight on March 1st, 2025.  Chosen participants will be notified by email on Saturday, March 15th. You have included your email and phone number in your application, so if we have questions, we will reach out.

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M/V FLING

  • The FLING's website has a great FAQ page that provides information on what to pack and dive gear needed.  Their Facebook page is a great place to see current water temps, and we will also include that information in our pre-trip email updates.

  • You will pick your own bunk and your own dive buddy, we assign neither. You will receive an email about a week before the trip that will allow you to choose your bunk, notify the FLING of any dietary needs and fill out the FLING’s waivers.

  • There is no cell service. The FLING has StarLink, and you can purchase internet access from them directly once onboard the boat.  This is a new addition to the FLING. In the past, we have found that the lack of wi-if and cell service is actually quite nice.

  • We will not be eating any of the lionfish.

  • The FLING's captain and crew and Lionfish Invitational will cancel dives if needed to due weather. We are 100 miles offshore, and safety is 100% our first priority.

  • The FLING sells beer and sodas onboard. You make bring your own liquor or wine, which the FLING will store for you. Special food items can also be brought aboard, and stowed in the FLING’s galley. No food or drink is permitted in cabins.

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Before The Trip:

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  • Purchase travel insurance (consider bundling your medical and travel insurance at www.DAN.org). Purchase a refundable flight. Things happen — we cannot control the weather and sometimes boats break.

  • We travel to and from dive sites overnight, if you need sea sickness meds, TAKE THEM IN ADVANCE. 

  • Transportation to and from the boat is your responsibility. As we get closer to the trip, we will send you emails that include other participants’ contact info. Use that to coordinate travel, carpooling, car rentals, hotels, etc. You can also check our Facebook page to connect with your future trip mates.

  • There are 2 airports in Houston, HOU ( Houston Hobby) and IAH (George Busch Intercontinental ).  HOU is much closer to Clute where the trip briefing happens and is also much closer to Freeport, where the boat docks. While we always plan on waking up back at the dock on Thursday morning for breakfast and our post-trip briefing, weather and boat mechanisms sometimes have their own schedule. Book your return flight with this in mind.

  • Our MANDATORY pre-trip briefing is at El Toro Tex-Mex Restaurant located at 120 Commerce St, Clute TX 77531. Our federally approved permit that allows this trip to happen requires this meeting, if you are not at this meeting, you do not dive.

  • After the briefing, we will all drive to the FLING dock, located at: 726 W Brazos Freeport, TX 77541. Your car will remain in a parking lot by the boat dock during the trip.  While this is a very safe area, DO NOT leave firearms or valuables in your car. The FLING has an onboard safe where you can securely store these items.

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What To Pack:

  • Water temperatures in the Gulf can vary.  June through September is usually 80-86 degrees F, pack your wetsuit accordingly.

  • The FLING provides us with tanks, they are aluminum with yoke-style valves (if you are DIN, bring an insert or an adapter). If you are driving, you can bring your own tank as long as it is in hydro and up to date on its VIP. No exceptions. The FLING also provides weights, however, if you are driving feel free to bring your own.

  • Please bring a towel, clips for securing things to the deck, your dive gear, toiletries, comfortable clothes, including a sweatshirt (the boat has amazing air-conditioning).  A water bottle is a nice thing to have on the deck. The FLING provides bedding in your bunk, but bring your own pillow if you’d like.

  • The FLING’s dock is home to a swarm of the biggest meanest mosquitoes I’ve ever encountered. Bring bug spray and don’t be shy about using it while you load and unload gear. This is only an issue at the dock, there are no bugs 110 miles out in the Gulf.

  • 3 things that you CANNOT dive without: safety sausage, WORKING flashlight, and compass. We recommend the “One is None, Two is One” rule, please bring two of each if you have them (or three! Or four!)

  • We provide Zookeepers and pole spears. If you are driving and can bring your own, that’s very helpful! If not, we’ve got you covered.

  • Getting back onboard the FLING involves a long ladder. In heavy seas, it can be challenging. You have no way of handing your fins off, so make sure they can be secured to your body. The ladder ain’t no joke, you will NOT make it back onboard with your fins in your hands. (I have full-foot fins, so I have para cord looped through mine that I can slide over my wrists.) 

Cancellation Policy:​

  • Our crystal ball works just as well as yours does. Weather and mechanical boats occasionally conspire against us. Out of 14 planned trips, we've canceled 4 of them.  (We canceled 2 trips due to weather (Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and Hurricane Francine in 2024) and 2 trips due to mechanical issues (blew a motor in 2022 and blew a compressor in 2024).   

  • Can I email and call you and ask about the forecast? Please don't. As our trip gets closer, the FLING and I monitor the forecast. We hope and pray and light candles and have a bunch of ER nurses in Dallas that get weird with chicken, just for us!  We know you might be flying in as early as Saturday, so you will ALWAYS receive an email from us on the Friday evening before your trip if there is a weather issue (sometimes sooner, especially if its very obviously not going to get better).  But yeah, we're watching Mike's Weather Page and waiting, just like you are. 

  • If we cancel, believe me, its for a GOOD REASON. You will have the option of either receiving a refund, OR leaving your money in our capable hands and getting first dibs on the trip of your choice the following year AND you will also be placed on the Waitlist for all other trips that same year. 

  • If you opt to take the refund, and re-apply the following year, you will most likely be picked for a trip, but you will pay the fee for the new year, which may be more than the previous year.

  • I paid my fee, but now I can't go?  Let me know ASAP, even if you just THINK you might need to cancel. I have a long Waitlist of very enthusiastic divers that want to go, and the more time they have to make plans, the better. As long as I can fill your spot, you will receive a refund. I can honestly say I have NEVER NOT BEEN ABLE TO FILL A SPOT.

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