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| | A Monthly Magazine About Scuba Diving in the Northeast | |
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| This Month's Features |
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Frogmen's 50th - Scuba was a new adventure sport 50 years ago when 20 Cape Ann-area divers got together to compare notes. Today, the club they formed, North Shore Frogmen, is stronger than ever.
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S.S. Mohawk - Hundreds of divers have visited the S.S. Mohawk, a 73-year-old time capsule that still yields artifacts, lobsters and record-sized taugogs and sea bass.
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Appomattox - More than 100 years after grounding in fog, Appomattox reigns as one of Milwaukee's signature wrecks. The shallow dive site is perfect for novices as well as seasoned divers who want to refine new skills and check out new gear.
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Diving into photography - This month, an underwater photography column by Larry Cohen devuts. Today, he is underwater imaging technical writer at B7H Photo, New York.
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Manatees and more - On Florida's Gulf Coast, Crystal River is the destination for snorkeling with manatees as well as tremendous cave and cavern diving trips.
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May 3-4: Dive Rite Tech Tour, Dutch Springs, Pa. www.diverite.com.
May 3-4: Diving Unlimited International DOG Demo Days. Test dive DUI suits and gear. Stage Fort Park, Gloucester, Mass. www.DUI-Online.com.
May10-11: Dive Rite Tech Tour, Brownstone Quarry, Conn.
www.diverite.com
May 17-18: Diving Unlimited International DOG Demo Days. Test dive DUI suits and gear. Dutch Springs, Bethlehem, Pa. www.DUI-Online.com.
May 17-18: Dive Rite Tech Tour, Gilboa Quarry, Ohio. www.diverite.com
May 17: Beach dive and barbecue, Fort Wetherill, N.Y.
www.thescubasportsclub.org.
May 18: Season opener dive and picnic, Haigh Quarry, The Tritons Dive Club.
www.thetritons.com.
May 21: Dive season divemaster meeting, Scarborough Underwater Club Scarborough, Ontario.
www.suci.homestead.com.
May 23-26: The Future of Cave Diving, National Association of Cave Diving’s annual workshop, Marianna, Fla. Presented by National Speleological Society. www.nsscds.com.
May 24: Night dives begin by appointment, White Star Quarry, Gibsonburg, Ohio.
www.whitestarquarry.com.
May 24-26: Northeast Diving Equipment Group Rally, Willow Springs, Reading, Pa. www.willowsprings.com.
May 15: “Incidental Capture of Sharks in High Seas Fisheries,” 7 p.m., Harborside Learning Lab, New England Aquarium, Boston. www.neaq.org.
May 20: “Shark Repellents,” 7 p.m., Harborside Learning Lab, New England Aquarium, Boston. www.neaq.org.
May 30-June 1: Diving Unlimited International DOG Demo Days. Test dive DUI suits and gear. Gilboa Quarry, Findlay, Ohio.
www.DUI-Online.com.
May 31: “Secrets of the Reef,” new film by Jonathan Bird, 7 p.m., Harborside Learning Lab, New England Aquarium, Boston. www.neaq.org.
June 1: Underwater cleanup, Nelson Ledges Quarry Park, Garretsville, Ohio.
www.nlqp.com.
June 2: New England Aquarium education department, 7 p.m., Harborside Learning Lab, New England Aquarium, Boston. www.neaq.org.
June 7-8: Diving Unlimited International DOG Demo Days. Test dive DUI suits and gear. Haigh Quarry, Kankakee, Ill. www.DUI-Online.com.
June 9: “Celebes Sea Research,” 7 p.m., Harborside Learning Lab, New England Aquarium, Boston.
www.neaq.org.
June 11: Hoboken, N.J. Dive Center celebrates Jacques Cousteau’s birthday at the Hoboken Elks Lodge. www.gohdc.com.
June 14: Demo Day, Dutch Springs, Bethlehem, Pa.
www.sherwoodscuba.com,
www.genesisscuba.com,
www.akona.com,
www.hendersonusa.com,
www.princetontec.com,
www.dutchsprings.com.
June 13-15: New York State Divers Association convention, St. Lawrence River, Clayton, N.Y.
www.scubany.org.
June 21-22: May 17-18: Diving Unlimited International DOG Demo Days. Test dive DUI suits and gear. Wazee Lake, Black River Falls, Wis. www.DUI-Online.com.
July 4-5: Digital Underwater Photography Contest, White Star Quarry.
www.whitestarquarry.com
July 19: Great Annual Fish Count, Stage Fort Park, Gloucester, Mass.
environment@neadc.org.
July 20: Jim Haigh Memorial Dive / Diver Appreciation Day, Haigh Quarry, Kankakee, Ill. www.haighquarry.com.
Aug. 30- Sept. 1: Northeast Diving Equipment Group Rally, Willow Springs, Reading, Pa. www.willowsprings.com.
Sept. 6-7: Dive Rite Tech Tour, Haigh Quarry, Ill. www.diverite.com.
Sept. 13-14: Dive Rite Tech Tour, Mermet Springs, Ill. www.diverite.com.
Oct. 3: Boston Harbor Islands National Park science symposium focusing on marine and terrestrial research within its boundaries.
University of Massachusetts-Boston. nercms.nps.gov/boha/
Oct. 26: Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest, White Star Quarry. www.whitestarquarry.com
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| What's Going Down - Northeast |
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Check out dive gear
Sherwood, Genesis, Akona, Henderson, and Princeton Tec will host a joint a Demo Day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 14 at Dutch Springs, Bethlehem, Pa. There will be an array of products such as regulators, buoyancy compensators, wetsuits, and lights to view and test in the water. Demo lights will available for the night dive starting later that evening. Divers must have valid driver’s license, certification card and credit card to try products in water. For information, email kpascal@princetontec.com. Products that will be shown and directions to the event can be seen at
www.sherwoodscuba.com
www.genesisscuba.com
www.akona.com
ww.hendersonusa.com
www.princetontec.com
www.dutchsprings.com
Divers gain a voice
Diving and marine heritage interests now are represented on the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s Stellwagen Bank Marine Preserve Advisory Council. Heather Knowles is the primary diving member and Robert Foster is the alternate. David Robinson is the primary marine heritage member and Mark Wilkins is the alternate. Knowles co-founded Northern Atlantic Dive Expeditions, captains the dive boat Gauntlet and is a certified cave diver. Foster founded BostonDeepWrecks.com. Robinson is senior marine archaeologist with Public Archaeology Laboratory. Wilkins is director of the Cape Cod Maritime Museum. The 17-member council advises the staff that oversees the 842-square-mile underwater preserve between Cape Ann and Cape Cod, Mass.
Learn more at stellwagen.noaa.gov.
More rides to Long Island sites
Sea Turtle Charters has added a second boat to his operation that will docked at Shinnecock Canal this summer. Neal Stark will captain the 25-foot Privateer, which will run dive trips to the many wrecks on Shinnecock Reef. Although a six-pack, the operators plan to limit the trips to four divers for enhanced comfort. Captain Charles Wade also will continue to operate his Sea Turtle dive boat out of Montauk, N.Y., offering trips to wrecks and reefs of Long and Block Island sounds plus shark dives. www.seaturtlecharters.com.
Divers Needed for TV Production
Divers who have a week or more this fall can help on the set of Liquid Assets’ TV shows that will focus on the world of diving. Production on two pilots runs Sept. 6 through Oct. 4 aboard Turks & Caicos Explorer II. Five weeks of shooting in the Turks & Caicos Islands will produce episodes “The Over/Under” and “Into The Drink.” “Over/Under” goes behind the scenes in days of a live-aboard dive crew. “Into The Drink” will explore destinations. Viewers will not only learn who’s maintaining the ocean’s treasures and how they can get involved, but also discover the best local foods and spirits and where to
enjoy them. liquidassets.tv
Hybrid diving system unveiled at Boston
Divers got a first look at a new hybrid diving system for manned ocean explorations at Boston Sea Rovers in March. Integrated Life System was developed by student engineers from at University of Rhode Island and Massachusetts Institute of Technology along with Ocean Opportunity. This system incorporates the best of existing diving systems into iLS, including a commercial diving helmet, an umbilical with communications and a reserve gas supply back to the surface, with a closed-circuit rebreather. Researchers took almost six years to develop the system. “We intend to open a new market opportunity here for the future diving scientist,” Michael Lombardi said. He founded Ocean Opportunity in 2003. Ocean Opportunity is a not-for-profit organization that based in Providence, R.I. It promotes projects and programs in the marine science and technology communities that will foster a new global appreciation for a developing
ocean-literate society. www.oceanopportunity.com.
Dive with giants in Georgia
Visitors to Georgia Aquarium can swim or scuba dive with whale sharks in aquarium’s Ocean Voyager exhibit. Swim with Gentle Giants is a new immersion program at the aquarium where people can be in the water with whale sharks and thousands of fish including zebra sharks, sawfish, bowmouth guitarfish and schools of tarpon, cownose rays and more. In addition to a 30-minute guided exploration of Ocean Voyager and access to behind-the-scenes areas, guests receive admission to the aquarium, all equipment provided, log book, certificate of participation, T-shirt and souvenir photo. The program is open to all guests age 12 and older. Participants under age 18 must be accompanied by a participating adult. georgiaaquarium.org.
Jeweler dives world for inspiration
Tiverton, R.I., artist Roland St. John has been creating diving jewelry and other sea life gifts for his company Big Blue Aquatic Gifts for more than 10 years. He designs and sculpts from a studio in his home and distributes his artwork globally. Since childhood, Roland has been fascinated with all species of animals and was drawn to diving in 1990. He has been traveling to dive sites around the world filming video, which inspire him to capture accurate and detailed images of each species. This footage helps him create amazingly detailed work. His passion for oceans has also led him to create exclusive items for organizations including Save Our Leatherback Operations and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. www.bigbluedive.com.
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| What's Going Down - Midwest |
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Michigan registers shipwreck
The Hennepin is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Michigan Shipwreck Research Association discovered the wreck in 2006 and pushed for its inclusion on the list. The Hennepin is the first shipwreck in Michigan’s eastern water to receive such recognition. Michigan Shipwreck Research Association will place a site marker on the wreck this summer. The group revealed the exact location earlier this month. www.michiganshipwrecks.org.
‘Mysteries and Histories’ in Michigan
Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates will present its 10th annual Mysteries and Histories Beneath the Inland Seas show at 7 p.m., Saturday, May 3, at Knickerbocker Theater, Holland, Mich. Presentations include A Piece of a Ship, a mood-setting opener; NUMA Revealed, by Ralph Wilbanks of Clive Cussler’s NUMA search team; Cutting Across Time, 30 years of Great Lakes wreck discoveries by David Trotter; A Freshwater Monsoon, the identification of a 19th century schooner by the MSRA team; and Gone Missing, Western Michigan’s most enigmatic shipwrecks by the MSRA team. Tickets will be available at the door or on line through the MSRA Web site, www.michiganshipwrecks.org.
Midwest divers plunge for DAN
This summer, divers in the Midwest have opportunities to dive and support DAN. May 31, Four Lakes Scuba Club presents Dive for DAN at Mendota County Park in Madison, Wis. Early entry fee is $15, after May 15, fee rises to $18. divefordan@fourlakesscubaclub.org. July 19 and 20, TA Dive Club, Sub-Aquatics Dive Shop and Portage Quarry presents the 23rd DAN treasure hunt and barbeque at the quarry near Bowling Green, Ohio. The underwater treasure hunt is July 19; July 20 is the barbecue, prize drawing and raffle. www.subaquatics.com www.portagequarry.com.
Researchers probe deadly fish virus
Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, which has devastated fish populations in the Great Lakes, is getting a closer look thanks to $750,000 in grants. Researchers in the Great Lakes will study ways to manage the fatal disease and predict outbreaks. Studies will look at how VHS affects native species and sport fish in the Great Lakes plus how to develop faster detection methods. VHS caused a large kill of freshwater drum in Lake Ontario in 2005. By 2007, there had been outbreaks in all but Lake Superior. More than 25 fish species are affected and large losses have been noted in populations of bluegill, black crappie, gizzard, muskellunge, smallmouth bass, walleye and yellow perch. www.michigan.gov.
DEMA counts
new divers
A DEMA census shows 160,249 divers were certified at the open water level in 2007. “By industry estimates, this benchmark figure represents more than $214 million in sales of equipment, educational products, travel and other categories from newly certified divers in the U.S.,” Tom Ingram, executive director of DEMA, said. Diver certification data is collected quarterly from participating training organizations by a third party research firm. The complete report is at
www.dema.org.
Team Scuba on a NASCAR roll
Ray Black, Jr., and the Team Scuba vehicle lapped up the attention at the Goodyear Late Model Challenge in Florida, March 15. NAUI is an anchor sponsor of Team Scuba along with DAN and Dive Training. NAUI representatives were at the race, giving away Team Scuba swag and recruit new divers. Black, who is a NAUI diver, and the Team Scuba car placed 16 in a field of 22. www.teamscuba.com.
Aggressor hosts
Stan Waterman
Make dive trips on Aggressor Fleet liveaboards memorable by spending a week with diving legend Stan Waterman. During four charters this year, Waterman will share his diving adventures with Aggressor Fleet guests using his trademark wit and charm. Join Waterman aboard Belize Aggressor III May 10-17; Palau Aggressor II July 13-20; Cayman Aggressor IV July 26-Aug. 2; Turks and Caicos Aggressor II Oct. 11-18.
www.aggressor.com.
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