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South Florida Divers, Inc.
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Jump in...the water's warm(ing up)! ~ By Jeff Guzowski
It’s April already but the weather
is feeling more like June. Just a reminder for the divers who don’t
like the cold water, you may be diving earlier than usual this year, so
don’t forget to get your gear
tuned up for early diving.
In April we have a lot going
on. Starting April 3-6, the Dania
Beach Marine Flea Market is being held at the Dania Jai Lai, where
you can pick up the best prices for dive gear.
Then just three days later on April 12, is the Pig Roast. This is a great party, where the club barbeques a pig and chicken, and to wash that down we have beer, wine, soda, and water. All you need to do is bring a covered dish, $5 and your appetite. Guests are welcome, $5 for the first, $10 for each guest after. If you don’t know what to bring for a covered dish, see Don at the signup desk, he has a list of foods to bring.
May 2-4 will be the Air & Sea Show. This year the main event is the USAF Thunderbirds, and the Canadian Snow Birds. I have been told that even if we are at war during these dates, there still will be military fly bys and demos as planned. This is one of the best air shows in the country and it’s here and it’s free. Summer is approaching and we are in need of private boat owners to help run private boat dives. John Kansman and I are running a private boat dive on April 26 and need your help. Please see me or John at the April meeting if you are interested. (Click on this poster for a high resolution image!) Dive safe, ~ Ski
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WELCOME YOUR NEWEST DIVE BUDDIES! We are delighted to welcome new members Kit Ferrer and Rick Goldberg and welcome back Paul Hittler! We look forward to diving with you! |
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Phone numbers of trip coordinators are not posted here to ensure privacy. If you are a club member, consult your Buddy List for numbers; if not, and you wish to contact a trip coordinator, e-mail the web divemaster.
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 Maureen, of the National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation, Inc., will tell us about our beautiful friends the sea turtles at our April 9 meeting. Her presentation will be based mostly on sea turtles, not the foundation, but if we have questions about their projects, she will be happy to respond. The NSTSTF was founded in 1987 with the hope that through education, protection and awareness we can help guarantee that the children of tomorrow will be able to enjoy the wonderful benefits of the natural environment that we enjoy today. Locally, they sponsor programs for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts at the International Game Fish Association Museum, assist with funding for important sea turtle research at Florida Atlantic University and the Marinelife Center of Juno Beach, and participate in numerous beach and waterway cleanups. They have also recently established a sea turtle conservation project on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. Located in one of the most biologically diverse regions of Costa Rica, the beaches of the Osa Peninsula, which are just south of Corcovado National Park, are important nesting grounds for thousands of endangered sea turtles, including the Olive Ridley, Leatherback, Hawksbill, and Pacific Green. Humans, wild dogs and pigs poach many of the nests that are laid on these beaches. For eight months, June-December, a small crew of biologists, volunteers and members of the local community work together to protect an eight kilometer section of nesting beach. It is their hope that by relocating the eggs to a protected hatchery they will reduce the number of eggs lost and increase the number of hatchlings that will make it to the sea. There is an urgent need for people power to patrol the beaches and protect these vulnerable turtle eggs. Aside from relocating the eggs, they also count, tag and measure the nesting female turtles and walk the beach during the day looking for signs of poaching from the previous night. The 2002 season proved to be a great success with the release of 10,400 hatchlings. They encourage anyone interested in helping out to contact the Foundation for more information. |
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The Key
Largo Chamber of Commerce has announced that the Spiegel Grove Lifetime
Medallion Sponsor plaques that include names and numbers of sponsors 1
thru 500 have arrived in Key Largo. The plaques will be on display at the
Key Largo Chamber of Commerce Florida Keys Visitor Center at mile marker
106. These permanent plaques are scheduled to be attached to the wheelhouse
in May prior to the first anniversary of the sinking.
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~ by Dale
Swift - SCUBA Cowboys
Happy New Year, as we start a
new calendar year it is also interesting to turn the clock back 60 years
to an event that from humble beginnings has grown into the sport we all
love and enjoy.
I'm not sure what first piqued my interest, maybe it was remembering all the Undersea World of Jacque Cousteau and Sea Hunt episodes I watched as a kid, but lately I've grown more and more interested in diving's past history. As an instructor and technical diver, I embrace with open arms the technology of today's dive gear, knowing the fact that it's safer and more reliable than the old gear that was first available to divers. But something inside me wants to keep the past alive, to remember and help others remember how this great sport of diving came to be. And I'm not alone as a number of groups have been formed for just this purpose. When I began diving in 1974 we were using gear configurations a lot different than what we use today. Single hose regulators but no alternate air source, our buoyancy compensators were horse collars with no power inflation, emergency lift provided by a CO2 cartridge that was usually rusted and worthless by the time you needed it. We were taught antiquated skills like free ascents and buddy breathing, while class times were spent learning instructor level academics and pool time spent swimming our brains out. But this was far from diving's roots. The hard hat divers started this journey in the 1800's with their heavy helmets and outfits that relied upon surface help. These were used primarily by military and salvage divers who had the resources to make this system work. Collectors today pay thousands of dollars for this original equipment and groups like the Historical Diving Society are still diving with their Mark 5's and other antique gear. What really opened up diving to the general public was the invention of the double hose regulator in 1943. A diver could now enter the underwater world on his own with much lighter and less expensive gear. This is the beginning I remember as a child, watching Lloyd Bridges and Cousteau exhaust bubbles from behind their heads. Today, these old regulators are still popular with a lot of people, and collectors will pay several hundred dollars for an old Aqua Lung in good shape. Some parts are still available and many of the old models can be made divable again, thanks to people like Vintage Scuba Supply who can rebuild many makes and models and sell replacement parts. Recently I acquired a 1960 U.S. Divers Aqua Master double hose regulator, rebuilt it and have a couple pool dives with it. I'm in the process of assembling a complete vintage outfit, from round mask to solid rubber fins so I can experience what the pioneers of scuba felt. I've also been in touch with a group called the California Classic Equipment Divers who have several exhibitions each year diving with their members' hard hat and scuba equipment. Groups like this one are doing a great service of educating the public about diving's past. Back in high school, history was one of those subjects I hated the most. Memorizing war dates and learning about land acquisitions meant nothing to me. But I can relate to diving's history, and after diving for almost 30 years, I guess I'm now part of it. I believe recreating diving's past helps me appreciate that much more where diving is today. And it helps to remember and honor the pioneers who made it possible for us to enjoy the oceans the way we do. Here's to you Augustus Siebe, Jacque Cousteau and Mike Nelson, as well as many others. Thanks for the great gift. Note from your web divemaster: this article originally appeared at Deeperblue.net and I enjoyed it so much that I requested the author's permission to reprint it for you. |
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Diving DVD: Florida Keys ~ by Howard Allen Cohen
 This
DVD is the first of a series of DVD dive guides that are being prepared
by Fort Lauderdale underwater cinephotographer R. Brien Mastriana. Each
of twenty-six reef or wreck dive sites are profiled by giving an information
and history page (including depth range, skill level [novice, intermediate,
or advanced], and latitude and longitude to the second), a video, and in
most cases, a diagram of the site or wreck. Fish that can be often found
on each site are stated. The videos, which seemed to run from several minutes
to as long as twelve minutes (I did not time them), are excellent quality,
with no back scatter or silt, and except for an occasional free diver thrown
in as a prop, no divers to get in the way of your view of the sites. The
most prominent sites and wrecks in the Keys, including the Spiegel Grove,
shot a few months after it was sunk, are included.
The DVD is structured into Upper Keys and Lower Keys sections, plus a "bonus" section with footage of night and shark dives. Unfortunately, no information as to the locations or dates of the night and shark dives are given, and the sharks are not identified. Brien Mastriana responded to my e-mail: "the Night dive location was in the Keys on a little reef that I call Shark Reef. It is not protected by the National Keys marine sanctuary, therefore, I did not include its location in the dive guide. It is located about 5 miles off Duck Key, 23 feet deep and the pipes that you see are actually masts from an old shipwreck named the Adelade Baker. It is a fun little reef with a lot of marine life for its relatively small size.The viewer can easily traverse the menus by using the navigational keys on a DVD player's remote control or a mouse if the DVD is played on a computer equipped with a DVD reader. In addition to watching each selection individually (which gives access to the information and diagram selections for each site), the videos on the DVD can be played straight through for about two hours of underwater footage, together with the usual nondescript audio accompaniment (there is no speech on the disk). You can buy this DVD for $24.99, including tax and shipping, at www.DivingDVD.com or by calling 954-537-9080. In addition to describing the DVD, the web site has links to other SCUBA related web sites. Note from your web divemaster: we will return to your regular book review feature next month. We took a "Spring Break" from book reviews in order to bring you this DVD review by SFDI member Howard Cohen. Click
here for book reviews!
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MacGillivray Freeman's Coral Reef Adventure ~ by Dave Montalbano, Broward
County Library
 Reality
television during my youth was educational. The ABC network used
to broadcast the intrepid adventures of Jacques Cousteau and the crew of
the Calypso. Cousteau and the narrator, usually Rod Sterling,
would end each documentary with a plea to protect, preserve and conserve
the ocean environment. MacGillivray Freeman's Coral Reef Adventure
is a worthy follow up in the footsteps of the inventor of aqua lung, Jacques
Cousteau.
This 46 minute IMAX motion picture features crystal clear cinematography and island hopping adventure. On the surface, the viewers visit picturesque Australia, Fiji, the French Polynesia and meet the island natives. Life below the ocean surface is a different story, many of these ocean reefs are sick and dying.
Despite the technological advancements since Cousteau's first aqualung, the water pressure remains constant. With MacGillivray Freeman's Coral Reef Adventure one eyewitnesses a camera being crushed while filming. Despite his experience as a diver, Howard Hall becomes a victim of the bends and suffers from deprecompression sickness. Yet, all is not doom and gloom. MacGillivray Freeman's Coral Reef Adventure focuses on the rejuvenation of life. The film humorously documents the symbiotic relationships; whether between between a gobi fish and a shrimp or when Michelle allows a creature to explore her teeth and gums. The world's first child scuba diver and son of aftermentioned inventor-explorer, Jean-Michel Cousteau makes an appearance in Fiji. Jean-Michel leads a group of Fijian children on a kinesthetic exploration of their local Coral Reef. The classic songs by Crosby, Stills & Nash recreates the spirit of exploration that was exemplefied by the Apollo 11 astronauts in 1969. Liam Nesson's narration glues the storyline together. MacGillivray Freeman's Coral Reef Adventure is infectious fun. Click here for the official MacGillivray Freeman's Coral Reef Adventure website. Click here for showtimes. Note from your web divemaster:
we will return to your regular Website of the Month feature in May.
We took a "Spring Break" from website reviews in order to bring you this
movie review by local film critic Dave Montalbano.
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It
was 60 years ago that an invention by two French men gave birth to scuba
diving. This sport has seen many innovations since then but it remains
basically the same, one individual exploring an alien environment, carrying
his only means of survival on his back, the self contained underwater breathing
apparatus.
