Friday, June 11
Volunteering at DUI DOG Days!
The DUI Dog Day event is not just the biggest and best of its kind, but it's set up to make it a very hassle-free afternoon of dry suit diving whether the diver is dry-suit certified or not.
The DUI Zip-Seal collars and wrist seals are hot swappable. At this first of seven stations, neck and wrist sizes are checked by trained professionals making it fun and convenient to have personal attention at each stage.
By the last stage, the diver finds them selves all completely suited-up and ready to get in the water.
Dock support even helps you out and assists you with your gear! It just doesn't get any more convenient than this!
At this particular event, we had a surprise visit by the owner of DUI, Dick Long! (green shirt at right). Here he spends some time talking to some practicing real-life rescue divers from a local Sheriff's dive team. DUI supplies nearly all public rescue teams and special forces teams in the U.S. military with the best in drysuit technology. I loved checking out the rescue diver's communication system, the OTS AquaComm! Very cool! Speaking of new technology, after speaking with Mr. Long, he invited me to try a prototype of a new electrically-heated DUI drysuit! 60 feet down, at 44 degree's and I was still nice and toasty! What a great day!
Monday, May 31
Sunny Scuba on Memorial Weekend!
White Star Park was crowded with divers....
I have to especially congratulate my best dive buddy and girlfriend Denise for completing her Advanced Open Water scuba certification! Here she and her classmates get a predive breifing from Dave (right) from Great Lakes Dive Center. They completed their Night Dive, Search & Recovery, Navigation, Deep Dive, and Peak Performance Bouyancy. Congratulations to her classmates too!
Saturday, March 20
Girl Scouts Go Girl!
Monday, February 8
Disneynature film will help save reefs
Disneynature launched last year with a tree-planting initiative for every ticket sold during the first week of its first documentary, Earth, and now the film company wants to help protect coral reefs in honor of its newest production, Oceans.
Disneynature has partnered with the The Nature Conservancy for "See Oceans, Save Oceans," in which a portion of every ticket sold for opening week will help establish new marine protected areas in the Bahamas to preserve coral reefs. Oceans opens in theaters April 22, which is Earth Day.
Monday, October 19
Popular SCUBA diving myths and urban legends exposed
Despite the beauty (and challenges) that go with SCUBA diving, there are many myths out there keeping people out of the water. Here's a brief look at SCUBA myths AND realities!
MYTH: Diving is a very dangerous activity
TRUTH: When done within the guidelines you’ll learn about in your open water certification course, diving has an extraordinary safety record. Diving is an exciting activity that combines all the thrills of exploration and adventure, with a safety record that compares favorably to sports such as bowling.
MYTH: Diving is complicated and difficult to learn
TRUTH: Learning to dive is easy today. Professional diving instructors use all the learning materials and proven strategies to make it simple and fun to learn. Before you know it you’ll be breathing underwater and using all the cool "toys" that make diving easier than ever before to learn and participate regularly.
MYTH: You have to be in top physical condition to dive
TRUTH: Like any active sport, diving is more enjoyable if you’re physically fit. And you do need some basic swimming skills in order to learn. But it’s nothing extreme; if you’re comfortable in the deep end of a pool, can swim, and you can walk for several minutes without getting winded, you can probably learn to dive.
MYTH: The ocean is full of dangerous animals like sharks
TRUTH: Most divers actually consider a shark sighting to be a special and memorable occasion, since it is rare to see them. While such critters as sharks and barracuda should be respected and treated as wild animals, the vast majority subsist on a diet of things considerably smaller than a scuba diver. In fact, most sharks and barracuda are somewhat intimidated by divers; with our long fins and other equipment, we appear big to them … something they don’t want to mess with! Besides, it’s a myth that sharks are perpetually hungry or are always on the attack. It’s not uncommon at all for a shark to go two weeks without hunting, and in one documented case, a healthy shark did not eat for better than a year.
MYTH: It’s expensive
TRUTH: When you put it up against other leisure activities, such as owning a quality mountain bike, golfing, boating, or skiing, diving compares very favorably. And the more you dive, the more true that becomes. Dive gear, for instance, is very durable and can last for years and years; after a short while, the cost of your gear can work out to just a few pennies per dive.
Credit to our friends at the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) for assisting in creating this list.
Sunday, August 30
Girl Power!
Then it was back out of the water to... dry their hair?? No. Some dry land navigation skills basics! Towel overhead, dive compass in hand, and guided by their dive buddy, the students perilously criss'd and cross'd the north side of the parking lot very successfully!
The girls seemed to be the dominant group today (who out-numbered the boys 2-1!). As you can see, they're very happy to show their scuba gender-team camaraderie! ;-)
After receiving their official Open Water Diver Certificate, Leslie & Nicole just had to show how they and all of us divers feel, "Like a Supa-Stahr!!" ;-)
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[Click here for a few more pics]