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South Florida Divers, Inc.
January 2009 Newsletter
President's
Message Out with the old....... For those of you who missed the holiday party --- you missed a good one !!! We had over 100 members and guests attend and once again it was a great party. From the comments I have heard, everybody had a great time. Good food, good entertainment and a great group of people - what more could you want? You can see photos of the party elsewhere in this newsletter. Thanks to John Kansman, Joe Smariga, Donna Eades, Gail Rand, and all the other club members who pitched in to make this an even better event than last year. If you couldn't make it, don't worry, we're going to do it again next year, only better. Our charity at this year's holiday party was SUDS (Soldiers Undertaking Disabled SCUBA). SUDS is run out of the Walter Reed Army hospital and helps rehabilitate returning disabled veterans by teaching them to dive. Sam Rich informed me that people donated generously - so thanks to all. If you didn't get to Sam during the party he will still take your donations. Also, Sam is looking for help to run a Flea Market in March to raise money for SUD - we will have a sign up sheet at the January General Meeting. As I write this, I am looking forward to this coming Saturday and the annual "trim the tree dive", to be followed in the evening with the annual holiday lights cruise along the intracoastal - and after that, SFDI activities for 2008 will be done. So now we're into 2009. The 2009 eboard was elected at the December meeting. Most of the eboard members are continuing from 2008 but we do have several new members and members moving in to new positions. Congratulations to all, I look forward to working with you during the year to keep up the quantity and quality of our dives and other activities. The club is totally run by members giving up their time to help run club activities so to see so many members willing to support the club is very gratifying. To those members who are not on eboard -- your help is welcome too. To run a dive or an activity you don't have to be on the eboard. And we do need members to pitch in and help run our various activities. At the end of the day, you get out of the club what you put in. I look forward to seeing more members step up and offer to take an active part in helping with club activities. As you can see on the calendar section of this newsletter we already have a number of events planned for the early part of the year. We have local dives, bike rides, and our annual Camp and Canoe weekend at Jonathan Dickenson State Park. We also have overseas trips planned to Belize, Saba, Fiji and Raja Ampat Indonesia. If you haven't signed up for one of these I suggest you check with the organizers to see if space is still available (there are often cancellations so at this point you can most likely still get on a trip) Of course you can't participate in any of these events if you're not a member - and it's that time of year again, it's time to renew. We have held our membership fee at $55 (additional family members $15) for 2009 which is a great deal. We charge an additional $5 if you renew after the February meeting so I recommend you renew early. As usual, we will be having the "wacky gift exchange" at the January General meeting. This is always a lot of fun -- so come along, and don't forget to bring a gift. This is an ideal opportunity to get rid of that gift you received over the holidays, that you didn't want, and accepted out of politeness. As an alternative, you could bring back the wacky gift you picked up last year....... There are some great activities being planned for 2009, I know we're going to have another great year See you in the water some time soon Pete email: President@SFDI.com |
MEETING LOCATION !!!
Location for General Meeting
Lauderdale Isles Yacht Club, 2637 Whale Harbor Lane, Ft. Lauderdale
The Same Place We Have The Pig Roast and Seafood Fest !!
Directions:
1. Take I 95 to Davie Blvd. Head West.
2. Turn Left on 27th Ave, (Riverland Road ).
3. Follow around and Stay on Riverland Road
4. Turn left at Whale Harbor Lane.
5. Lauderdale Isles Yacht Club is on the Right
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PLEASE SEE NOTE ABOVE !!
SFDI meetings are the first Wednesday of each month at Lauderdale Isles Yacht Club. The meeting starts at 7:30 If you are not a member, and you are reading this on the Internet, please join us because visitors are ALWAYS WELCOME! In an attempt to condense the length of the meetings, we are going to start the meeting PROMPTLY at 7:30. Please come earlier to socialize before the meeting starts. |
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WELCOME YOUR NEWEST DIVE BUDDIES!
We are delighted to welcome new members Greg Taffet, Gayl Canfield and Laurie Hendrickson !! We look forward to diving with you. As a Reminder to Everyone, We are a NO-DECOMPRESSION Dive Club. Always adhere to Safe Recreational Dive Depths and Limits.
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January 2009... - By Dave Schneider, Vice President, Calendar
Phone numbers of event coordinators are not posted to ensure privacy. If you are a Club member please consult your Buddy List for the number you need. If you do not have a copy of the Buddy List one will be available for you at the next General Meeting. Just a quick reminder.. The Calendar exists for the information of all our members. Should you see an event that is of interest to you please contact the Coordinator directly. You can sign-up for the event's) of your choice at any time of the month. The Coordinator will be more than pleased to place your name on the list and tell you where to mail payment. HELP MAKE YOUR CLUB BETTER ! .... We need more people to step up and run events. If you are interested in coordinating a dive.. a trip.. a dinner or any other type of event please contact an E-Board member. Any member of the Board will be more than happy to assist you.
December 20: 8:00 AM Show 8:30 AM Go Annual "Trim the Tree" Dive Always a lot of fun, this year we plan to use the Blue Runner out of Dania Beach. At this time we are planning for two dives, one to sink and trim the tree and the second on a shallow reef. The cost should be $55.00, tax and tip included. Call Gerry Cowen or Joe Smariga for details and call Dave Schneider to sign-up. December 20: Annual Intracoastal Lights Cruise This year the cruise will move a little north to view a different section of the Intracoastal. We will be boarding theLady-Go-Diver out of Deerfield Beach. The cruise will run from 7:00 to 10:00 PM (or longer if everyone is so inclined). We will be able to board 40 people, but since this "sells out" quickly you will want to sign-up at the November meeting or give Dave Schneider a call to be added to the list. The cost will be $20.00 per person and, as always, a covered dish or appetizer is a must. December 22: Hanukkah begins December 25: Christmas Day December 26: Kwanzaa begins January 1: Happy New Year! January 7: General Meeting 7:30 PM (Sharp!) Lauderdale Isles Yacht and Tennis Club. It's "Gift Exchange Night" so wrap up something old, something new or something you sure as heck don't want and bring it on down. Directions to the meeting elsewhere on the website. January 12: SFDI Executive Board Meeting at Connections for Business, 2843 Pembroke Road, NE corner of I-95 and Pembroke Road. Everybody welcome, so come join us. Meeting starts at 7:30 sharp. January 17: Wine Tasting! (Saturday) What a great way to spend a chilly January evening! Susan and Ray will once again host this popular event at their home. Starting time will be 5:00 PM. As always, bring a bottle of your favorite wine and a tasty side dish (please let Susan know what you are bringing so we can get a good spread). Call them for more details and directions. January 22: Dinner-at-Large (Thursday) Leave it to Captain Chris and Pat Kahl to co-host our first dinner of the new year. How about some Tex-Mex chow and libation? It's all there at Tequila Sunrise, 4711 Dixie Hwy in Oakland Park. The dinner bell will ring at 7:30 so don't be late. Call either Pat or Chris for more information or go to www.tequilasunrise.us. January 24: "Hair of the Dog Party" (Saturday) The Tomlin's are back again for the third straight year and this one promises to be the best one yet with plenty of food, beverage, karaoke and possibly even a live band!! You won't want to miss this first big bash of the new year! The fun will start at 3:00 PM and go on until....? Bring only your appetite and please RSVP by January 15. Call Joanie for directions January 25: Coral Gables Bike Ride (Sunday) Dave & Kit Wills want y'all to work off some of the party excess from the day before and join them as they navigate through scenic Coral Gables. The starting point will be their home at the "sensible" hour of 1:00 PM. The ending point, after some 5 - 10 miles, will also be their home where a sumptuous repast of beer and burgers is planned. Call them for more details. February 1: Super Bowl February 4: General Meeting 7:30 PM (Sharp!) Lauderdale Isles Yacht and Tennis Club. Directions to the meeting elsewhere on the website. February 7: 12:30 PM Show 1:00 PM Go (Saturday) Let's all jump in the water and get wet! Joe G. has us booked on the Big Com-Ocean out of Miami. This is our first weekend dive of the year so let's have a good turn-out for Joe. After dive dinner at Monte's is always an extra treat. Cost for the dive is $55.00, tax and tip included. Call Joe for more info or go to www.rjdiving.com. February 9: SFDI Executive Board Meeting at Connections for Business, 2843 Pembroke Road, NE corner of I-95 and Pembroke Road. Everybody welcome, so come join us. Meeting starts at 7:30 sharp. February 19: Dinner-at-Large (Thursday) Bruce Wills wants to put an Oriental slant on our culinary tastes and will host this month's dinner at Kyojin Buffet 3485 N. Federal Hwy. in Fort Lauderdale. Great food, great prices... how can you go wrong? The fun starts at 7:30. Bruce will be glad to give you more details or go towww.kyojinbuffet.com. February 21: Markham Park Bike Ride (Saturday) Time to get in shape again as Julie Taylor will lead a pack of rugged cyclists through the wilds of Markham Park. Julie appreciates the benefits of a good nights sleep so the jump off time will be 11:00 AM. Call her for more information March 4: General Meeting 7:30 PM (Sharp!) Lauderdale Isles Yacht and Tennis Club. Directions to the meeting elsewhere on the website. March 9: SFDI Executive Board Meeting at Connections for Business, 2843 Pembroke Road, NE corner of I-95 and Pembroke Road. Everybody welcome, so come join us. Meeting starts at 7:30 sharp. March 14-15: SUDS Flea Market (Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba) - more about this incredibly important program elsewhere in the Newsletter. March 18: Dinner-at-Large (Wednesday) Where in the world is John Kansman? At Don Arturo's, and he wants everyone to join him for some exceptional Cuban cuisine. As always, he will ring the dinner bell at 7:30 PM. Call him for more information. March 21: Shark Valley Bike Ride (Saturday) Julie has her bike greased up and ready to go again, this time into the depths of Shark Valley. It's a good bet that you won't see any sharks but Julie cautions all not to play with the alligators. The ride will start at 11:00 AM... Julie needs that beauty rest, you know. Call her for more details. March 28: Pig Roast! The first of our signature party events. As always, at the Lauderdale Isles Yacht and Tennis Club. More details to follow. April 3-5: 4th. Annual Spring Camping Weekend Okay, it's really a long way off but Craig and Linda have so much fun in their tent that they have reserved the sites and have given us another reason to look forward to 2009.
INTERNATIONAL TRIPS FOR 2008 - 2009 June 4 - 13, 2009: Beqa Lagoon, Fiji - Susan Judah & Ray Gonzalez It's too early to nail down the details so keep an eye out for more information. At this point it looks like the trip will run $3300.00 +/- plus air from here to California (and back, presumably). We will have 7 nights on Beqa, which will include all meals and 10 dives plus unlimited shore diving. A sign-up sheet will be at the next meeting and deposits will be accepted from people who sincerely want to go. June 7 - 14 2009: Saba - Details forthcoming. Pete Stephinson, Coordinator Call Pete for details. July 11 -18 2009: Belize - Dave Schneider, Coordinator Call Dave for details
AND SOME LAST IMPORTANT NOTES... Club Policies on Dives and Trips: Dives, Trips, Activities and events are run according to the SFDI Policies and Procedures, which are available to everyone. If you don’t have a copy, please ask the Membership VP, or other E-Board member at the next General Meeting. Here is a summary of some of the important ones: 1. Payment for Dives, Events and trips: A member is confirmed on a dive, trip or event only after they have paid. Payments for dives should be made when signing up. Payments for trips should be made according to the schedule as outlined by the trip coordinator. In the event that a dive/trip/activity is oversubscribed, then those confirmed will be determined by the order of payment. 2. Cancellation: Once a member signs on for a dive/event he or she is obligated to pay for that dive/event unless they contact the coordinator for that dive/event and cancel by the specified cancellation time. Not paying immediately does not eliminate the requirement to make full payment if you do not cancel within the designated cancellation period or simply fail to show up for that dive/event. 3. Certification Requirements: Some dives will be restricted to divers with certain minimum certification levels. For example Advanced Open Water. In some cases, these requirements will be set by the dive operator. In others they may be set by the dive organizer in conjunction with the E-Board based on the profile and characteristics of the planned dive. In these cases the minimum certifications required for the dive will be clearly identified on the sign up sheet and in the published calendar. No exceptions will be made for any reason. 4. Special Needs: Some of our members have “special needs” when participating on a dive or trip. These can be cases where the diver needs extra assistance on a dive boat or a member has particular requirements regarding accommodations. Dive organizers will check for the common ones, such as the requirement for extra assistance getting into or out of the water. However, it is the responsibility of the member to make sure that his/her needs are known to the organizer and if there is any doubt the member should contact the operator in advance. It is the responsibility of the club member to verify that their needs can be accommodated prior to the event/trip/activity.
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For
Immediate Release
Divers
Discount Florida is proud to announce their sponsorship of the 1st
SUDS (Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba) Flea Market
March
14 & 15, 2009
Fort
Lauderdale, Florida
50%
of the tuition from our SDI (Scuba Diving International) Online Openwater Course
from
now until March 30, 2009
is
being donated to SUDS
Please
visit the new website for this event: SUDSfleamarket.com
Interested
sponsors please contact us immediately (see details below & in the
attachment)
S.U.D.S.
Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba at
Walter Reed Army Medical Center is designed to help improve
the lives
of injured soldiers returning from Iraq & Afghanistan. By training the
soldiers in a challenging & rewarding activity it can help facilitate the
rehabilitation process & promote mobility. Offering this venue provides the
soldier with a sport they can enjoy throughout their life. Operation Bottom Time
is a SUDS fundraising event. It focuses on engaging the diving community in the
ongoing support of newly certified SUDS divers through participation in the
completion of the soldiers open water certification. SUDS is a 501 (c) 3
non-profit organization & a chapter of the Wounded Warrior / Disabled Sports
Project.
Divers
Discount Florida, with volunteers from South Florida Divers, Inc is sponsoring
the Fort Lauderdale SUDS Flea Market to raise funds for our disabled heroes.
Hours are 10am – 4pm Saturday and Sunday. Throughout the day, prizes will be
auctioned to the highest bidder via silent auction and sold at the tables.
We
are accepting donations of new and used snorkeling and scuba equipment for the
SUDS Flea Market. We are accepting donations, prize donations, travel,
entertainment, recreation and dining gift certificates. Show your support for
our wounded warriors. Sponsor a hero.
Silver
Star Sponsors
($500 donation) will have their logo posted as a Silver Star Sponsor on the SUDS
Flea Market website and may display a table banner at the SUDS Flea Market.
Bronze Star Sponsors ($250 donation) will have their logo posted as a
Bronze Star Sponsor on the SUDS Flea Market website.
Purple Heart Sponsors ($100) donation will have their name listed as a
Purple Heart Sponsor on the SUDS Flea Market website.
All donations are tax deductible. The proceeds from all areas of this
fundraising effort go to SUDS.
Capt. Sam Rich, President
Divers Discount Florida
2071
South Federal Highway
Ft Lauderdale FL 33316
954.761.1H2o (1426) 954.523.8354
800.PLAN.FUN (752.6386)
On January 7 we will have our forth annual "Wacky Re-Gift Exchange" at
the general meeting. We are sure you got a Hanukah or Christmas or or
Kwanzaa or holiday or birthday gift that made you say "thanks, but you really
shouldn't have." Wrap it up and bring it to the January 7 meeting and
see if you can get something better!
Here's how it works. Bring along an unused, unwanted gift...look around, you know you have at least one somewhere...and wrap it real purty-like. Everyone who brings a gift gets a raffle ticket.
We
will draw the tickets in "Chinese Auction" style. The first
person whose ticket is pulled gets the pick of the unopened gifts, and must open
it in front of everyone. The second person whose ticket is pulled can take
the first person's gift away from them, or choose another unopened gift.
If they take the gift from the first person, the first person gets to go back
and pick and open another gift. The third person whose ticket is pulled
can pick a third unopened gift, or take a gift away from the first or second
person, and so forth.
Yes, it takes awhile to go through all the gifts and you will not want to miss the fun. This is the most hilarious event of the year. Actually, the majority of the gifts are nice items, just unwanted by the original recipient. Surprisingly, at the end of the evening, nearly every unwanted gift goes home with someone who actually wants it. See you January 7, gift in hand! You are not required to participate, but if you don't, you'll probably regret it!
in Dominica - July 2008
Holiday Party 2008 Pics
Photos by Capt. Chris
For More Holiday Party 2008 pics CLICK HERE !!
On December 20, 2008 , SFDI Members Boarded The Lady Go Diver for an Evening of
Good Food, Drink and Friendship !!
Click Here to See Some Photos !!
A SAFETY MINUTE
This Months Feature by Joe Giandinoto
Diving is all about safety. After all, the equipment we wear is designed to let us humans go safely into an environment that we otherwise could only stay in for maybe a minute (or seven minutes if you’re a trained free diver). Following good, safe diving practices and having the right safety gear makes our diving experiences that much more enjoyable.
Christmas Tree Dive 2008 Pics
Click Here for John Beals Lembeh Straights Muck Diving Video
Please Visit Sanda Hoffer's Website at
South Florida Divers Club
By Brian Hufford
Trivia Question
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When Do Baby Dolphin Sleep ?
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TRIVIA QUESTION ANSWER
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