___1. DIVING GEAR & ACCESSORIES: Assemble items as detailed on the USDT Recommended Gear List, which is located in the Helpful Checklists Directory on our Home Page.

___2. CURRENT PASSPORT: If a passport &/or visa is required, make sure that yours is up to date. Many countries are requiring that you have at least six months validity left on your passport before you enter. If you need documents, please check with the federal Passport Agency nearest your home. Remember: all U.S. citizens need a visa for Australia. In many major North American cities, you may secure your Aussie visa from the local consulate, or via the new "E.T.A." procedure -- Electronic Travel Authority. Your airline sales rep or your travel agent can secure the ETA quickly by computer with this speedy new automated system.

___3. REQUIRED IMMUNIZATIONS: For all overseas dive trips that require it, please get your inoculation updates before you travel. We recommend that you get at least hepatitis-A & tetanus shots, if needed; & also malaria-prevention medications in countries where your local health department alerts you to be cautious. But be sure to consult your personal physician before getting any shots or taking any medications.

___4. PADI MEDICAL STATEMENT: This is an optional form & only need be signed by persons who know they have, or suspect they might have, serious medical conditions that can affect scuba diving safety. You will find the approved PADI form in the Helpful Checklists Directory, which you can navigate into from the Home Page. Read the first page of this PADI form carefully & if you answer "YES" to any of the obviously serious questions -- for example those regarding pregnancy, asthma, heart disease, diabetes, history of decompression sickness, lung disease, history of blackouts or epilepsy -- then please have your physician read the PADI-approved "Guidelines for Recreational Scuba Diver's Physical Examination" before giving you a pre-dive physical checkup. You can call USDT any time & we'll fax you a copy of these guidelines. Finally, please also have your examining physician sign the Medical Statement with a brief OK note to verify your fitness for this scuba diving trip. Mail all these materials back to U.S. Dive Travel at the address at the end of this document. .

___5. MEMBERSHIP in DIVERS ALERT NETWORK: This is optional but strongly advised. Based on many years of adventure-travel experience overseas, U.S. Dive Travel recommends that you get this DAN diver insurance policy, or else a similar policy sold by PADI. With the DAN policy, for a nominal fee, you'll be thoroughly covered under generous limits for one full year for any dive-related medical fees, hospital fees or costs of a ground ambulance, plus you get substantial emergency air evacuation coverage from anywhere in the world to a hospital or hyperbaric chamber. The policy kicks in when your personal medical insurance is exceeded. Given the exorbitant costs of medical emergencies today, USDT strongly recommends a solid backup of diver accident insurance. Call DAN's toll-free number (1-800-446-2671) to enroll. The other excellent option is PADI's Diver Accident Insurance, which also gives you strong medical & rescue coverage, plus a death benefit for modest annual fees. For higher fees, you can increase your PADI Diver Accident Insurance as high as $120,000 medical & rescue coverage plus a $35,000 death benefit. For PADI's policy call toll-free (1-800-223-9998, Ext. 212.)

___6. PERSONAL MEDICAL INSURANCE: Make sure your policy covers all illnesses, accidents or injuries outside the U.S., especially any serious scuba-related events. Best to always be prepared. You would be astonished at how expensive even one night in a recompression chamber can be. Nobody needs to be nailed with a whopping bill like that. And we hope you never encounter such an emergency.

___7. TRAVEL INSURANCE: This is optional but strongly recommended, especially for trips to remote regions, or to Third World countries. Whether or not you purchase travel insurance, please sign U.S. Dive Travel's Travel Insurance Advisory form. Travel insurance packages can help protect you against cancellation or interruption of your vacation due to unforeseen incidents such as: injury or medical condition; financial default of an airline, hotel or overseas dive operator; travel industry shutdowns or strikes; natural disasters such as typhoons & floods; or traffic accidents overseas. Travel insurance also can cover such unpredictable overseas events as long transportation delays in undeveloped countries; loss, damage or theft of your costly luggage; seriously delayed luggage delivery; or the need for legal help abroad. When you sign this advisory, it means that you acknowledge you are freely assuming all financial & legal responsibilities for any & all costs that stem from mishaps such as those stated above, which might occur during travel to & from your destination, or while you're overseas. For more information, please call World Access at 1-800-955-4002, or call Travel Guard at 1-800-826-1300. These long-established companies accept credit card payments over the phone.

___8. READ the "PADI SAFE DIVING PRACTICES STATEMENT." Call U.S. Dive Travel & we'll fax you a copy. Thank you for your help in setting a conscientious safety standard that will reflect well on all of us. If you haven't been diving in more than a year, please take a 1-day refresher course from a local instructor before you head overseas. If you live in Western Washington, call USDT & we'll help connect you to a top-notch PADI or NAUI instructor. Or call the nearest scuba instructor or divemaster with proper credentials from PADI, NAUI, SSI, NASDS, or YMCA, in your own home town.

___9. SIGN ALL 4 SECTIONS of the LIABILITY RELEASE & WAIVER. Have your signature notarized during the sign-up, please. Your local bank will likely do so in a quick three minutes for free. Our apologies for the minor inconvenience, but we have learned over the years that many couples, married or not, will leave travel documents until the last minute to sign, then in a rush one partner will sign for the other person. This renders the document invalid & unacceptable. Thank you for your patience & understanding. Our intent is twofold here: 1. to prevent needless litigation from bad-faith parties that will drive vacation-package costs skyward for all our good clients in the future; & 2. to remind all clients of some fundamental health & safety issues, since many of our destinations are remote & carry a small inherent risk for the unprepared or novice traveler. We care for our clients as if they were family; & U.S. Dive Travel will go to any lengths to prevent the likelihood of illnesses, injuries or accidents to our clients overseas. Your health & safety are infinitely more important to us than any profit motive.

___10. 75 DAYS BEFORE DEPARTURE: Not later than this deadline, please pay your fee balance by cashier's check or direct wire transfer. We accept Mastercard or Visa for published-fare air tickets only. The U.S. Dive Travel Network does not accept personal checks for any reason, any season. Also, please mail in all the following items, completed & signed: * Diver Registration Form; * Travel Insurance Advisory; * Liability Release & Waiver, signed & notarized. PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO TAKE YOUR SCUBA DIVING CERTIFICATION CARD WITH YOU OVERSEAS! No "C Card," no diving, no fun. Thank you & best of luck on your dive vacation!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please make your cashier's checks payable to:

-- U.S. DIVE TRAVEL --

Please have the bank teller print your name at the bottom of your cashier's check, then please mail all cashier's checks, or credit card authorization forms (notarized), plus your completed travel documents to:

Susan & John Hessburg
Managers
U.S. Dive Travel Network


Feel Free to Phone U.S. DIVE TRAVEL's
Reservations Office in St. Paul, MN (952-953-4124).