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South Florida Divers,
Inc.
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Time to get wet.......
~ By Pete Stephinson
We were also very fortunate to have Barry Kulick as speaker. Barry presented his year in pictures and they were as good as they usually are. I was particularly impressed by the way Barry is able to capture amazing images across the complete spectrum. From amazing close ups of the tiny creatures we find off the Florida coast to magnificent wide angle photos of the whales at Galapagos. Barry 's presentation is always one of the highlights of the year and we hope he will come present to us again next year. For those of you who didn't come (and that's nearly all of you !!!), you missed out on some good dives yesterday (Feb 11th) out of Lantana. I was surprised to find that there were only three of us on the dive, myself and two of our new members. We had good weather and even though there was a good south westerly breeze the sea was comparatively calm. The water was a balmy 72 degrees. We saw a good selection of sea life -- a couple of turtles, a large nurse shark and a several green Morays. I also netted my first bug for 2006. So for those of you who who missed out, or have yet to get wet in 2006, you can fix this problem during March. We have two club dives scheduled, one from Key Largo and one out of Port Everglades. We also have a number of other activities scheduled so check out the calendar and sign up for those that interest you. As a club, we negotiate rates for dive charters that are usually less than you would pay if you were to go as an individual. We will continue to do that but expect the rates to be higher during 2006. This is because a significant portion of the cost of running a charter boat is fuel. Dive boats, like other businesses have had to raise their costs to cover the increased cost of fuel. We may be paying more, but it will still be more economical to dive with the club. And while on the subject of economics, I'd like to ask all of you who haven't renewed yet for 2006 to do so. The annual membership fee, at $55 is very reasonable considering what you get for it. Membership is required to participate in Club dives or events other than the monthly meeting. We increase the fee to $60 after the end February so You may want to act fast to save yourself the additional $5.00. I won't be at the March meeting. I'll be out in Colorado checking out the slopes. But for those of you in town, you won't want to miss out on hearing Dr Ivan Montoya present on the subject of Dive Medicine. As active divers, having a basic knowledge of some of the problems which divers can experience, where to get help, and what facilities are available is extremely useful information to have. I'm sure that Dr Montoya's presentation will be both interesting and useful. See you in the water some time soon Pete email: President@SFDI.com |
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WELCOME YOUR NEWEST DIVE BUDDIES! We are delighted to welcome new members Robert Cohen, Harry Haeseker
and Steve Hamburg !
As a Reminder to Everyone, We are a NO-DECO Dive Club. Always adhere to Safe Recreational Dive Depths and Limits.
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March 2006 Calendar and
Beyond
Feb.
18 : Shark
Valley Bike Ride You'll
need a good nights sleep to keep up with Julie Taylor as she hosts a
scenic tour through Shark Valley. The ride begins at
11:00 AM and promises to be a fun day. For more details
give Julie a call. Feb
.22 : 8:00
Show 8:30 Go
George has personally invited SFDI to join him as he celebrates
his birthday with a morning of diving on the Lady Go Diver
out of Deerfield Beach. Both dives will be in the 60 + foot
range. Cost is $48.00 including tip. Advanced
certification not required but suggested. Sites have not been
selected yet, but thoughts are running to a wreck and a reef.
Après dive lunch at The Cove is anticipated. Call Dave
Schneider for more information or visit www.dixiedivers.com. March 1 : 7:00PM Show,7:30PM Go General Meeting: RAMADA INN FORT LAUDERDALE AIRPORT, 2275 State Road 84. [Driving directions here] [Map here] . Enjoy a social drink with your dive buddies before the meeting which starts promptly at 7:30PM. NOTE: additional parking on west side of Ramada. Oh !! It's also Chris Hinckleys Birthday. Wow, he is getting old. March 6 :7:30 PM: SFDI Executive Board Meeting at Connections for Business, 2843 Pembroke Rd. NE corner of I-95 and Pembroke Road. Members please feel free to sit in and join us! March
9 :
Dinner-at-Large
Gerry Cowen wants to
see everybody at his favorite Chinese restaurant for a dinner to
remember. Dinner to commence at 7:30, so
come sample some of the world's best Chinese food at the
Silver Pond Chinese Restaurant located at 4285 N. SR 7, Ft.
Lauderdale. March 11 : 1:00 Show 1:30 Go It's time to head on south to the Keys, y'all, for some good divin' out of Slate's Atlantis Dive Center. Where we're going we don't know but we're gonna get wet and have some fun. Advanced certification may be required. Cost: $48.00, tip included. And afterwards, we'll be going for some local food and beverage. Need more information? www.captainslate.com March 19 : 1:00 Show 1:30 Go Kim Hunziger wants a whole bunch of people to jump off the stern (that's the non-pointy end) of the American Dream II and have a couple of great dives with him. Dive sites will be announced. Cost: $50.00, tip included. Directions; www.scubafortlauderdale.com March 24 - 25 : Camp & Canoe Weekend Dave Wills and Dave Schneider invite one and all to join them at Jonathan Dickinson State Park (Tequesta) for a weekend of fun, food and canoeing and/or kayaking. Tents only. Details below. For information on the park go to.... www.floridastateparks.org/jonathandickinson April 1 - 2: The 28th annual Dania Marine Flea Market. Need some dive gear...? Or something for the boat...? This annual event is a must for those needing to find equipment at reasonable prices. This year the event will be held at Dolphin Stadium. For full details including directions check out the web site at www.thedaniamarinefleamarket.com/ April 8 : Pig Roast !! 5:30 PM Once again at the ever-popular Lauderdale Isles Yacht Club, 2637 Whale Harbor Lane, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33312 [Map here] For the bargain entrance fee of $5 per member and first guest, $10 for each additional guest, plus a dish to share you will be able to feast on the likes of pork and chicken, quaff beer, wine, soft drinks and water, all to your hearts content. Remember... all YOU provide is a side dish or dessert! This is always one of the most popular events of the year - come along and join the party. (Should we be victimized by bad weather the back-up date will be April 22) April 9 : 1:00 Show 1:30 Go Join Chris Higgins and Stan Pierce for an afternoon of fun with Divers Paradise Dive Center at Key Biscayne Crandon Marina (next to Sunday's on the Bay). Cost: less than 20 divers - $55. tip included 20 + divers - $50.00 tip included For more info and directions; www.keydivers.com And for more fun !! Join us afterward for Jimbo's Birthday Party at Jimbo's on Virginia Key. This legendary landmark is one of the best locations in Miami and has been seen on the Discovery Channel as well as in music videos and the movies. No entry fee, food and drinks extra. Of course, non-divers are welcome. www.jimbosplace.com
Our South Florida Divers 2006 President Pete Stephinson with the Infamous SFDI Custom Tank |
March 9th
Gerry Cowen wants to see everybody at his favorite Chinese restaurant for a dinner to remember. Dinner to commence at 7:30, so come sample some of the world's best Chinese food at the Silver Pond Chinese Restaurant located at 4285 N. SR 7, Ft. Lauderdale.
KIM HUNZIKER'S TENNECO TOWER DIVE
MARCH 19
Sunk in 1985 by the Tenneco Oil Company, the decommissioned oil platform was hauled from the Gulf of Mexico on a massive barge and deployed in three sections, each one a little deeper than the other, in a straight east-west line. Only two towers are in recreational depth at 70 -110'. The plan is to do the one that bottoms at 105' and tops out at about 62'. Most of the "good stuff" goes down to around 90'. Advanced Certification required and you should have at least 20-30 dives, some at depth. Sign up sheet at March Meeting.
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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. |
LEARN ABOUT DIVE MEDICINE
Februarys Dinner at Large
Don Arturo's
Cuban Restaraunt
On Febuary 18, 2006, John Kansman and other SFDI Members Enjoyed A Fantastic Dinner at Don Arturos.
It was muy bueno !!
Photos by Capt. Chris Hinckley
2006 Shark Valley Biking Adventure with Julie Taylor
Shark Valley Bike Ride February 2006
Lot's of teeth...no sharks.
What a glorious day for a bike ride. Perfect weather. An excellent group of
friends from SFDI met at Shark Valley in the Florida Everglades for the 15 mile
nature/bike ride. We enjoyed numerous alligator sightings. (some within feet/or
inches depending on how daring you are) There was also a large variety of birds
egrets, herons, wood storks, roseate spoonbills, anhingas. A great time was had
by all. We look forward to even more SFDI members joining us on the next club
ride.
Click Here for More Julie Taylor Shark Valley Pics
MARCH 24-26
Located just north of Tequesta off US 1, Jonathan Dickinson State Park encompasses 11,500 acres and offers a wide variety of activities, including camping, canoeing, kayaking, nature trail hiking, biking and river tours.
We have secured three contiguous campsites for Friday and Saturday nights. This will allow us up to 24 people. If the response warrants we can probably rent more sites but they may not be adjoining the first three. Tenting only.. sorry, no camper units. Each site has an electric hook-up, water and fire ring. A Bathhouse with sanitary facilities and showers is very conveniently located.
The plan is to eat, drink and be merry. Amidst all that, we will be canoeing (or kayaking) along the Loxahatchee River to the former homestead of Trapper Nelson, the "Wildman of the Loxahatchee".
The campsite cost per person for both nights will run less than $15.00 (final cost will base on turn-out). Canoes rental is $14.00 for the first two hours, $6.00 each additional hour. Kayaks are slightly more. Of course, you are welcome to bring your own. Everyone will be responsible to bring their own camping gear as well as food and beverage. A small convenience store is on premises with basics. Fire wood is generally available at the store but bringing a bundle with you is a wise idea (most Supermarkets have wood this time of year).
More details will be available at the February meeting or you can call Dave Wills or Dave Schneider.
For park details go to: www.floridastateparks.org/jonathandickinson
Join Barbara Sabattini and friends at The Greek Island Taverna for a night of good food on April 27th.. So bring your appetite and a smile. Dinner is at 6:30. The Restaurant is located at 3300 North Ocean Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale. Phone 954-568-0008
A Monthly Feature by Brian Hufford
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.
Boat Safety
Part 3
Small Craft Advice
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by Marjory Meechan
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by Marjory Meechan
| Everyone
who attended the November meeting will remember George Cavros from the
National
Environmental Trust and the COOL
(Conserve Our Ocean Legacy) Campaign. Following the meeting,
George asked if we would be interested in expressing our support for
the cause as a group. As a club, our focus is on getting together to
go diving and have fun. So, while we are individually interested in a
number of worthy causes and sometimes even construct activities around
them (see the calendar for a
fun bike trip in May that also has a worthy cause), we cannot endorse
any organization or cause on behalf of all our membership. However, if
you personally were impressed by George's presentation on the
environmental damage caused by overfishing, please feel free to visit
the links above and find out how you can support this cause.
And, speaking of worthy causes that can be fun, Earth day is coming up on April 22nd. If you're looking for an excuse to plan a fun meaningful event for the club, this could be it! Come to the e-board meeting and pitch your idea. We're always looking for new ways to have fun and be environmentally responsible. |
By Brian Hufford
Oh, there he is !
Member Photos
Click Here to See Pete Stephinsons Fiji 2005 Photos
photo by Pete Stephinson
Click Here to See John Beals Paupa New Guinea 2005 Photos
photo
by John Beals
Click Here to See Christmas Tree 2005 Pics
( comming soon )
San Salvador, Bahamas
June 17th-24th, 2006
The SFDI group that just returned from the Turks & Caicos Islands had such a great time that a number of them decided to do a similar trip in 2006. Check out the photos in this month's Newsletter and on the site to see what great diving they enjoyed, and the fun times which they had on land. On returning, Pete Stephinson, trip organizer checked out the prices and availability and secured an even better deal for 2006 at the Club Med Columbus Isle on San Salvador Island in the Bahamas.
"What San Sal offers divers is vertical walls, populated shallow
reefs ideal for macro photography, groupers so friendly they will lay in
your arms and the ever-present chance of spotting big creatures, such as
Hammerhead Sharks and Manta Rays. San Sal was one of the very first
destinations to develop wall diving and this is still the reason most
divers visit. The south and western sides of the island are lined by one
of the most impressive walls in The Bahamas, starting as shallow as 40
feet and dropping to thousands of feet. "
For more info visit http://www.about-the-bahamas.com/bahamas/sansalvador.cfm
The cost for the trip includes:
We have over 20 people signed up. Don't miss out, if you want to sign up you are recommended to do so at the September Meeting. A $200 deposit is required to confirm your place. Payments will be accepted monthly with full payment due by April 2006.
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Check The Weather
Check the weather from Joe Smariga's
Weather Station. Thanks Joe !!
Click Here www.sfdi.com/wx.htm
LOTS OF LAUGHS and Other Wisdom
Can't eat Beef, Mad cow....
Can't eat chicken....bird flu!
Can't eat eggs ....Salmonella!
Can't eat pork.....fears that bird flu will infect piggies!
Can't eat fish....heavy metals in the waters have poisoned their meat!
Can't eat fruits and veggies....insecticides and herbicides!
I believe that leaves Chocolate!!!!!!!!
The Wet Zone
South
Florida Divers, Inc.,
Copyright 2006
My first inclination on sighting
them was to wonder who had left all those strange little blue
balloons all over the beach. After I worked out what they
were, my second thought was to worry about how many more of
them could be found bobbing around out in the sea and if this
was going to be a problem for my future snorkeling/shore
diving plans. I was comforted to learn that they usually spend
their time bobbing around in the Sargasso Sea or in bunches of
seaweed along the Gulf Stream and are only pushed into shore
occasionally by strong inshore winds. More seasoned club
members have assured me that they are not a big problem and
are easily avoided when diving. 