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The Boat
Where is the boat docked?
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CAD2 is docked at 11 Parker Street, Gloucester, MA 01930. There’s a parking lot at 3 Parker Street, next to the Three Lantern Marine Store where you can park your car. ONLY PARK IN SPACES LABEL "HOH". If you park in any spaces labeled "7 Parker" you will be towed. On the other side of Three Lantern there is a fire lane where cars can temporarily stop on the left side to load/unload gear. More info on parking and loading can be found below.
What type of boat is CAD2?
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The Cape Ann Diver II is a 45-foot U.S.Coast Guard Inspected Dive Vessel. The vessel is powered by an 8 cylinder, 325HP Detroit Diesel engine. It's licensed to carry up to 31 passengers with two crew. The vessel features a raised enclosed wheelhouse, on-deck bench seating with tank storage for up to 20 divers, an enclosed salon with a dinette and forward berths, and an enclosed head.
How many divers can CAD2 take?
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CAD2 is the largest dive boat in New England and, to allow for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, can take a maximum of 12 divers at one time.
Does CAD2 have a bathroom?
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Yes, CAD2 has a bathroom with a fully-functional marine head. Our crew will instruct you on the head's use in your boat briefing at the start of every charter.
The Dives
Where does CAD2 take divers?
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CAD2 runs to a variety of dive sites from the rocky ledges in the waters off Cape Ann, to wrecks in Stellwagen Bank. For a full list of the main sites we dive, check out our Dive Sites page.
What certifications do I need to dive on CAD2?
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Click here for complete information on how you can make sure you have the right certification and experience for a particular dive.
Do you do tech charters or allow tech diving?
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Yes, we do offer tech charters in addition to our Tech Season Pass. Tech charters can be found on our schedule or if you are interested in booking a full boat for a tech charter with specific sites or goals in mind, you can reach out to us directly at the email address on the footer of this page.
Will there be a Divemaster in the water?
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Traditionally, New England dive boats do not provide an in-water guide. The crew will provide a comprehensive briefing on the dive sites you visit and can assist you with basic surface support but they will remain aboard the vessel while there are divers in the water. The dive shops in the area can provide guide services for individuals or small groups if you would like an in-water guide. Reach out to training@ecdivers.com if you’d like to book a local guide.
Do I need a dive flag or buoy?
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No, you do not need to have a dive flag float with you the way you do when shore diving. The boat will have multiple dive flags in use which serves as notification of dive activities for the area around the boat. We do recommend that you have a surface marker of some type in case you get separated from the boat. This is an added safety measure that makes it easier for us and other boaters to see you on the surface if far away from CAD2.
What if I'm a beginner diver?
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Whether you're new to diving or new to New England's cold water environment, CAD2 has you covered. Our schedule will show you which charters are appropriate for beginner divers. All dives are briefed onsite by Dive Professionals so you can make an appropriate dive plan for the conditions. If you have any questions before your dive don't hesitate to reach out. Our goal on shallow/beginner charters is to share the joy we feel for diving off Cape Ann!
Logistics
When should I arrive for my charter?
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We recommend arriving at least 45 minutes prior to your scheduled departure time. Our intention is to leave the dock at the scheduled departure time to ensure we can get you to your scheduled site and back on time. The boat may leave without you if you are not on board, make sure you're there on time.
Where should I park and load/unload my gear?
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There is a fire lane to the left of Three Lantern Marine and Fishing. Only the LEFT HALF of this area can be used as temporary loading and unloading. This provides the shortest walk to the dock. As soon as you are done loading, you must move your car to the parking lot on the other side of Three Lantern. You can also walk your gear from the parking lot if you wish.
Does CAD2 provide equipment or amenities?
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CAD2 does not provide equipment. If you need it to dive, you must bring it with you (including tanks and weights). We also encourage you to bring your own snacks & drinks for the charter. This is especially important during COVID-19 since we don't want to have any shared amenities if we can avoid it.
Do I need to sign a waiver?
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Yes. All divers must sign our waiver before diving. The waivers will be distributed to individual divers and can be signed electronically during the booking process. If you are part of a dive group, the leader will distribute the waivers and guest forms. Please make sure to complete your waiver promptly upon receipt to ensure a smooth departure and avoid dive-day issues.
When is the dive season?
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Weather always plays a part in deciding the true start and end of the dive season, but the CAD2 will be running regularly and generally runs from April 1st to October 31st.
Season Passes
What are Season Passes?
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You can think of Season Passes as buying a package of charters. The benefits of this are that we structure the Season Passes to have good dive site variety spread out across the season so that you know you will always have an amazing summer of diving. Also, you know you'll always be with the same people on the boat, therefore creating a safer and more fun environment.
What if I can't make one of the dates in the Season Pass?
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If you are unable to make one or more of the charters in your Season Pass, you are allowed to give or sell your seat to another diver provided that the diver you give/sell to has the minimum necessary certification(s) required for that Season Pass (with one exception below). Furthermore, because the Season Passes are built around a core group diving together all season long, we encourage you to think carefully about who you give/sell to. If they are unsafe divers, break boat rules, or are rude to other divers, that will reflect badly on you.

There is one exception to the above which is for any Tech Season Pass charters going to 150ft or deeper. For these dives, we do not allow Season Pass holders to give or sell their seats to others. Please understand that this is not an arbitrary rule. Deep technical dives carry increased risk and we require a certain level of comfort with the divers on our boat before we will take them on such dives. These dives are not open to the public the way our recreational dives are and so we carefully control who we take.
What if a Season Pass dive is cancelled due to weather?
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We have built in "rain dates" for the Season Passes which are stated when you book your pass. If a dive is cancelled due to things outside of our control (like weather), we will do our best to rebook it to one of the rain dates. If the end of the season is reached and a dive is unable to be rescheduled, a credit will be given to divers that can be used towards Season Passes or dives the next season.
What if a Season Pass dive is rescheduled for non-weather reasons?
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Though rare, the CAD2 team might need to reschedule a planned Season Pass dive. If this happens for reasons other than weather and you are unable to make the rescheduled dive, we will credit you for a future dive with us.
How Can I get on a Tech Season Pass?
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If you are interested in joining one of the Tech Season Passes, please reach out to us via email or the contact form on this website. If we don't already know you well, we will find a time to dive together and get to know you as a diver. This is not a test nor instruction. It's just our way of helping maintain a safe and responsible group for our private invite-only tech dives.
Miscellaneous
Am I expected to tip the crew?
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Dive Professionals much like other Service Professionals work very hard to make sure those under their care are happy and have an amazing experience. While they do have a pretty awesome job, it's not the most lucrative career in the world. Tipping isn't mandatory but it certainly goes a long way to help those of us who work in the dive industry. We recommend having some cash with you to tip your professionals and crew if they do a particularly good job for you.
Can I book the whole boat?
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Absolutely. When you book for groups of divers on our website you’ll automatically access our group discounts: book five, get one free, book 10 get two free! Group bookings can also be scheduled by reaching out to us at the email in the footer of this page.
Can I bring a non-diver on the charter?
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No. Non-divers are not allowed on the boat unless they have reserved a spot on that charter.
Do you do winter and offseason diving?
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Winter and off-season diving is available but it is highly dependent on weather, demand, and other factors. Make sure you are connected with us on Facebook and subscribed to our newsletter to ensure you get info regarding off-season charters we offer.

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