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South Florida Divers, Inc.
October 2006 Newsletter
President's Message Still time left......
~ By Pete Stephinson
My condolences to those of you who missed the sea food fest. Over 80 members and guests attended and once again it was a great event. Thanks to John Kansman, Joe Smariga and the other members who assisted in making this a night to remember. I'm sure Captain Chris has put some photos elsewhere in this newsletter documenting another great seafood fest. So far, it's been a great summer with some great diving, with plenty more to come before those of you thermally challenged individuals hang it up for a month or three. Which brings me to my theme for this month - "there's still time left...." For those of you ladies competing fiercely for the right to be known as "the Lobster Queen", there's still plenty of time left. From the ever growing number of mails and photos in my in box, the lobster population out there is taking a hammering. There's still two full months to go so it's anybody's race - but it's certainly time to step on the gas!! Last month we announced the 2007 summer trips. The response was fantastic. The Cayman Brac trip is pretty much full and the Turks and Caicos Trip is getting there, but still has a few spaces. There's still time left, but not for long. If you want to join one of the club trips now is the time to get your deposit in. Club trips are always a great vacation and a ton of fun. With the group rates we negotiate they are also very reasonable when compared with what you would have to pay if you did the same trip individually. At our last monthly meeting, our treasurer was snowed under taking in the deposits for these trips. Please give him a hand by mailing checks for overseas trips directly to the treasurer. And lastly, we still have a couple of months of warm weather so there's still time left to get some good dives in. We have some exciting local dives planned including a full day Key Largo trip and a trip to dive the wall at Biscayne National Park. We also have some non-diving activities planned such as the weekend camping trip on the Dry Tortugas and a bicycling outing. The bottom line is that we have a ton of things going on. I know I'm having fun and I hope you are too. We still are looking for volunteers to help organize activities so if you have a good idea, or want to put something back into the club don't be shy. Come along to an eboard meeting and share it with us, or have a chat with myself or one of the other eboard members about it. The water is still warm, so I hope to see you in it some time soon. Pete email: President@SFDI.com
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WELCOME YOUR NEWEST DIVE BUDDIES!
We are delighted to welcome new members Steven Moore, Frank Salinas, Emil Miller and Joanie & Andy Tomlin !! 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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SFDI meetings are the first Wednesday of each month at the Ramada Inn Ft. Lauderdale Airport. 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! For driving directions to the meeting, visit our About Us page. 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. |
ATTENTION ALL BEACH DIVERS !
The water has warmed-up substantially and the urge to submerge has started to get to everyone. Fred Miller is our beach diving guru and wants to hear from anyone ready to start trekking over the sand and plunging into the water. Give him a call so he can start planning his weekend forays into the briny.
September Dinner at Large Pics
On Sept. 20, 25 Members joined John Kansman at Don Arturo's for an evening of fine Cuban Cuisine.
Photos by Capt. Chris
October Meeting
Who’s watching out for us when we dive the reefs and wrecks of Broward
County? On Wednesday, October 4th, we’ll learn all about police work that
takes place on and in our waters. Deputy Stephen Salach, the Chief Diver and
Trainer from the Broward Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit and Dive Team, will be
addressing us about the challenges that law enforcement officers face in their
marine rescue procedures and maneuvers. He will describe the marine unit and
the dive team, and discuss non-classified work his divers have done involving
rescue and recovery. Steve will also bring in some specialized equipment that
only tech divers may have seen before. Come and learn from a cop who dives the
beat!
ABOUT STEPHEN SALACH
Certified since 1973, Deputy Steve Salach is the Chief Diver and Trainer from
the Broward Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit and Dive Team. He is a PADI/SSI
Instructor and a Dive Rescue International Corporate Trainer.
October Dinner at Large
Seafood Fest 2006 Pics
Photography by Capt. Chris
Click Here
For More Seafood Fest 2006 Pics
A SAFETY MINUTE
This Month's Feature by Michele Ashby
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.
Octoberber 2006 Safety Minute
A safe and trouble-free dive starts ahead of time. Before
you dive, follow these dive safety tips.
Based on your own needs and experience, create an inventory
list of dive gear, no matter how large or small. It will help you to remember
what to bring with you. When you are finished with the dive, you can use it to
account for your gear to make sure you have everything. Make notes about which
equipment needs repair or replacement before your next dive.
Make sure that all your equipment and instruments are
working properly. This includes your gauges, regulator, dive computer, weights,
tank, BC, personal equipment, etc. If there is a problem it is better to
discover it and fix it before getting in the water. Also, get your navigational
bearings by orienting yourself to your compass before diving.
Spend some time with your buddy before the dive, especially if the person is someone you have not dived with before. You’ll get a feel for his or her personality, skill and comfort level, all of which can affect your dive. Also look for signs of fear, stress and nervousness. If you aren’t comfortable having that person as a buddy, you can request someone else or back out of the dive.
The dive briefing is important because it contains information on the dive conditions such as water temperature, currents, visibility, etc. If you have any questions about the conditions, ask before starting the dive. Always voice your concerns ahead of time. If you are not diving with a dive operator, then plan your dives accordingly
Donna and Chris went with Capt. Chris while Julie T went to the Dolphins Game.
Click Here For More
Trivia Question
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There are ...... feet in a fathom, 100 fathoms in a
......., ten .......... in a nautical mile, and a nautical mile is
.......... of the equator.
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TRIVIA QUESTION ANSWER
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Summer 2007 - Overseas Trips.
The following trips were selected based on input by the membership. The dates have been set so that you can plan to go on more than one trip. The price estimates below are based on the best information we have at the current time and may change. In particular airline prices are not published yet. We need deposits to lock in the reservations we are currently holding at the current prices. If you are planning to go on one of these trips please have a deposit of $200 at the September meeting.
June 17-21st 2007 Cayman Brac. Marine life of all shapes and sizes abound in the clear, warm waters off Cayman Brac. The recent sinking of a Russian Destroyer has only added to it's attractiveness as a dive destination. We plan to stay at the Brac Reef Resort, www.bracreef.com. Estimated cost is $1950 including air, lodging, meals, transfers, travel insurance and diving. Trip Organizer Dave Schneider
June 30-July 7th Exumas Liveaboard. A Bahamas dive trip aboard the luxurious AquaCat Catamaran ( www.aquacatcruises.com ). We will cruise the Exumas for the best in pristine Bahamas diving.... reef, wall, wreck, drift and Blue Hole dives. In addition to diving, snorkeling, kayaking and island exploration are available. Estimated cost $2200 all inclusive includes air, and tips. Trip organizer Fred Miller.
July 14-21st Turks & Caicos. Turks is known for it's spectacular wall diving. To satisfy recently acquired tastes for white chocolate bread we will be staying at the Club Med Turkoise ( www.clubmed.com ) The estimated cost is $1900 including air, lodging, transfers, travel insurance, drinks and diving. Trip Organizer Pete Stephinson.
South Florida Divers Club
By Brian Hufford
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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
The Webmasters Corner
A New Feature by Capt. Chris
I am going to give you a little insight to our club. We have a GREAT group of members. It is a pleasure to associate myself with these people. We dive together, socialize together and care about each other. If you are near us and enjoy diving, I would recommend the club highly. Come join us....Guests are always welcome.
Where's Kansman ??
Oh, there he goes !
LOTS OF LAUGHS and Other Wisdom
Sir, if you were my husband, I would poison your drink.
--Lady Astor to Winston Churchill
Madam, if you were my wife, I would drink it.
--His reply
To do is to be. -Descartes
To be is to do. -Voltaire
Do be do be do. -Frank Sinatra
Life's Goal --"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children ... to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.'' - Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Wet Zone
South Florida Divers, Inc.,
Copyright 2006
