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South Florida Divers,
Inc.
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We are delighted to welcome new member Jean Ordonez! We look forward to diving with you! 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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 November 2004
Calendar and beyond
~ By Cheryl
Teugels, Vice President of Calendar
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The December 1 meeting will be our annual E-Board election and social time. Here are the nominations for officers that were made at the November 3 meeting. We actively seek more nominations for EVERY position. That could be YOU and new members are welcome to run for E-Board. Call any current E-Board member to see what is involved, our phone numbers are on your buddy list. See you there!
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SEAFOOD FEST / 30th BIRTHDAY PART
Every year our club has a Seafood Fest party in September, but this year Hurricane Charley and Hurricane Jeanne changed our plans and it was held November 6th. This was a special one, since our club is celebrating its 30th birthday at the same time. Click here for some pics of this years Party !!
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G. Rose Our November guest speaker was G. Rose, Vice President and Director of Marine Conservation Programs for Ocean Watch Foundation, Inc. Ocean Watch Foundation is a 105(c)(3) non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of the South Florida coral reef ecosystem, thru Education, Marine Conservation Programs, and Ocean Cleanups. This year our signature event, Reef Sweep and Beach Cleanup netted over 800 pounds of marine debris with the help of over 900 volunteers. Rose has been a member and active volunteer with Ocean Watch Foundation since 2000, running the REEF Fish Id Class and Survey Dive Program, and became Director for all the conservation programs in 2002. Elected vice president of the organization in 2004. The REEF Fish Id Program is a fun and easy way to learn the common fishes found in the Tropical Western Atlantic. These areas include Florida and the Keys, the Bahamas and Caribbean, and Central and South America. Using Paul Humann's Reef Fish Identification Guides and the Roving Diver Method of surveying, recreational divers collect information and send it to Reef Environmental Education Foundation, where it is uploaded into a database that is used by scientists, researchers, and marine managers. This valuable data provides information on fish species and abundance that help determine marine management policies. Divers participating in this program not only contribute to this important data collection, but also enhance their diving experience with the learning of fish species and behavior. The presentation to the South Florida Divers club was an overview of the program, covering just a few of the hundreds of species of fish that call South Florida waters their home.For more learning, join Ocean Watch Foundation for their monthly, ongoing REEF Fish Id Classes. Check out the website, and contact Ocean Watch Foundation for more information. This was a wonderful program. THANKS ROSE !!
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Our Holiday party is on Saturday, December 13, at the I.T. Parker Center in Dania Beach (click here for map and interactive directions). The party starts at 7 PM and ends at 1 AM. For those of you who have never been to this party, it is the best of the year. The club provides a buffet style dinner, where we provide 3 turkeys, 2 spiral hams, and all the beverages, which include a full bar with mixers, beer, wine, sodas, water, and the frozen drink of the night, made by John Kansman and his magical blender. We have a new special DJ for dancing, and a tank raffle with a lot of door prizes. All you have to do is dress up, wear your dancing shoes, and bring $10, a covered dish, and your appetite. A toy for tot is optional. If you are at a loss for what to bring for a covered dish, you can see Gerry Cohen at the sign up table; he has a covered dish sign up list with a lot of suggestions. If you would like to help set up, we are starting at 6 PM.
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June 18-25,2005
We are planning a trip to the Turk & Caicos Islands. We will be staying at Club Med
(www.clubmed.com/) which is an all-inclusive resort. The diving is great - checkout the photo's in
Julie Taylor's Turks & Caicos Gallery. To reserve your place, sign up at the September meeting.
The cost for the trip, which includes all transportation, accommodation, food, premium drinks, entertainment and water sports is expected to be $1500 per person plus you will have the option of taking either a 6 day or 3 day dive package ($305 or $180).
Commonly referred to as the Florida spiny lobster, the Caribbean spiny lobster inhabits tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.
Spiny Lobster:
Commonly referred to as the Florida spiny lobster, the Caribbean spiny lobster inhabits tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Spiny lobsters get their name from the forward-pointing spines that cover their bodies to help protect them from predators. They vary in color from almost white to dark red-orange. Two large, cream-colored spots on the top of the second segment of the tail make spiny lobsters easy to identify. They have long antennae over their eyes that they wave to scare off predators and smaller antennae-like structures called antennules that sense movement and detect chemicals in the water.
Adult spiny lobsters make their homes in the protected crevices and caverns of coral reefs, sponge flats and other hard-bottomed areas. The lobsters spawn from March through August and female lobsters carry the bright orange eggs on their undersides until they turn brown and hatch. Larvae can be carried for thousands of miles by currents until they settle in shallow nearshore areas among seagrass and algae beds. They feed on small snails and crabs. The lobsters are solitary until they reach the juvenile stage, when they begin to congregate around protective habitat in nearshore areas. As they begin to mature, spiny lobsters migrate from the nursery areas to offshore reefs.
Lobsters stay in their dens during daylight hours to avoid predators, emerging a couple of hours after dark to forage for food. While lobsters will eat almost anything, their favorite diet consists mostly of snails, clams, crabs and urchins. The lobsters return to the safety of their dens several hours before sunrise.
The recreational fishery for the spiny lobster begins in July with a two-day sport season. This season is the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday of July each year. The regular season opens August 6 and closes March 31. All recreational harvesters of spiny lobsters must possess a valid saltwater fishing license and a crawfish stamp. Spiny lobster is a regulated species and harvest is limited to lobsters with a carapace over three inches in length. The animal must be measured while still in the water. Females carrying eggs are not to be harvested. Recreational harvest during the two-day sport season in Monroe County is limited to six lobsters per person per day. Night diving for spiny lobsters in Monroe County during the sport season is prohibited. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Monroe County is closed to spiny lobster harvest during the two-day sport season. Recreational harvest outside of Monroe County during the two-day sport season is limited to 12 lobsters per person per day. Recreational harvest during the regular season is limited to six lobsters per person or 24 per boat, whichever is greater. Spearing lobsters is never allowed.
It takes a spiny lobster about two years to grow to the three-inch carapace legal-harvesting size and they can grow as large as 15 pounds. The typical recreational harvest is 1.5 to 2 million pounds between the start of the two-day sport season and Labor Day. The commercial harvest averages 6 million pounds per season, with an average annual value of $20 million. Measured in dollars, the spiny lobster fishery is the largest commercial fishery in Florida.
October 28 thru November 7, 2005
Join Fred Miller for a ten day live aboard dive trip scheduled for
Papua New Guinea aboard the Peter Hughes dive boat " Star Dancer ". i The trip is scheduled for October 28 thru November 7, 2005. These dates
put us in the area at a time when there is little rain, the least wind and
with clear waters of 84 to 88 degrees.
Papua New Guinea is noted for the diversity and abundance of fish life,
creatures, corals and is one of the best areas for photographers.
Current price for the live aboard portion of this 10 day trip is $ 3006.00
before any discounts.
This trip will start from Walindi, on New Britian, PNG, travel thru Kimbe Bay,
and end at Kavieng, New Ireland, noted for its large pelagic sea life.
For more information on this dive trip, please go to www.peterhughes.com
and click on Star Dancer at the top.
