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A Deep Dive into Restoration Aquaculture: The Long-Spined Sea Urchin and its Significance for Coral Reef Ecology. (In Person speaker) *** In Person Speaker *** Please join us for dinner at 6 p.m. Dr. Aaron Pilnick’s dedication to marine ecology and conservation began in his In 2018, Aaron returned to his home state of Florida to help develop a burgeoning coral restoration program alongside The Florida Aquarium, working on aquaculture critically important reef species at their land-based conservation facility. At the same time, he pursued graduate studies at the University of Florida. He earned his Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Ecology in December 2022, focusing on restoration aquaculturing and coral reef ecology with an emphasis on marine invertebrate biology. Now a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the University of Florida, Aaron continues to develop reef restoration solutions while also researching topics such as coastal sponge enhancement and marine disease ecology. Aaron’s talk will explore his work developing a restoration aquaculture program for the long-spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum), a critically important reef herbivore. His research on overcoming production challenges has contributed to new strategies for advancing restoration goals in Florida. Through this work, his talk will provide broader insight into science-based solutions for reef restoration and ecosystem recovery.
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childhood, when he and his brother developed a shared interest in keeping reef aquariums while growing up in the suburbs of New York. This early fascination with aquatic life led him to pursue a career in marine science, gaining his first professional experience at the New England Aquarium while studying at Tufts University. After graduating, he completed multiple research internships studying fisheries ecology in the Northern Gulf and cold-water coral reef ecology in New England. He later worked as a full-time Aquarist at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, where he managed live coral reef exhibits and developed a passion for life support engineering and coral reef conservation.
Overseas Diving Update
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Upcoming trips 2025: See details for all trips on: https://usadiveclub.org/Obverseas
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VP Overseas Diving
Welcome to Spring, The Board of Directors has listened to the complaints about the noise at the Aloft. March 24th Ronnie and I were initiated as Elks so we can move our meetings to the Pompano Lodge. Clare will be initiated the 4th Monday of April as she had a conflict. We will have our April meeting at the Aloft as this was too soon to be established with the Elks. The BoD was able to get the Aloft to terminate our contract without any penalties, big think you to Ronnie, Nils and Julie for their work on this. The Elks has a projector and a sound system in their facility, Nils and I visited and tested their sound system and one of their projectors, but they still need to mount the projector. The Lodge anticipates having food available for our meeting, but they are working out volunteers, so the menu may change or be limited depending on the volunteer that particular evening. There is one aspect that we need to be aware of, because this is a private club only members(Elks) can purchase alcohol. Everybody else will need to pay the member(elks) for any drinks they order on that member(Elks)’s tab. Noticed will be sent out after our April meeting with directions and more details about the Elks Lodge. As always, we would love members that are interested in helping or getting to know the club better to join the Board of Directors. We would enjoy some new blood and the perspective of new members. Our schedule is filling up with new Local Dives and Social Events, please come out and join your fellow members. We all joined the club for these activities and the friends we have made through the years. Happy diving, Chris Hardham Hospitality HutGreetings From The Hospitality Hut, We had a very informative meeting in March. We learned new and surprising characteristics of the sea cucumber. Unfortunately, I have no guests to report. Hopefully, in the upcoming months, that will change. In the meantime, keep enjoying our monthly meetings and keeping up with our old and new friends. The weather has been beautiful and with our extra hours of daylight, we are able to enjoy even more of what living in Florida has to offer. I encourage you to visit our home page usadiveclub.org Please click on the calendar and keep up to date on all the diving and non-diving scheduled activities. You may also take a look at the photo gallery and take a peek at past events. Please click on the calendar and keep up to date on all the diving and non-diving scheduled activities. You may also take a look at the photo gallery and take a peek at past events. I wish you all Happy Diving. Clare Anthon Hospitality Coordinator
Local Diving
Overseas Dive Trips
Educational BlogThis article represents the views of the author. The article has not been fact checked by myself, the Board of Directors or any member of the USA Dive Club. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyrightstatute that might otherwise be infringing. 5 Tips To Stay Safe On Your Next Dive Trip Commit to these rules before you dive By Brooke Morton Scuba Diving Magazine 1 Get Cleared To Dive If any aspect of your health has changed since your last dive trip, book a checkup. “Encourage your doctor to get on the phone with us” if they’re not familiar with dive safety, says Brian Harper, director of communications for Divers Alert Network. DAN has doctors who are experts in dive medicine and offers doctor consults daily. Another tip: “You’ll want to have been stable on any medications for a month prior to your trip.” 2 Bring Safety Gear If a destination is remote, has currents or allows divers to explore with a buddy and no guide, you’ll want to bring a personal locator beacon. At the very least, you’ll need a surface marker buoy—and the know-how to deploy it at depth. “That does a number of things: It allows the crew of your dive boat to keep tabs on your location and mitigates your risk of being lost or left behind, and it broadcasts your location to other boats, which reduces risks of propeller injuries,” says Harper. 3 Have Your Own Emergency Plan Every dive destination comes with a different set of risks. Research what those might be, and take the time to develop your own emergency action plan, or EAP. “Being an advocate for your own safety can pay dividends in terms of keeping yourself safe,” says Harper. On a liveaboard, for instance, plan how to get from your cabin to the emergency stations—and be able to do it blindfolded. “Chances are, in an emergency, you may not have lights.” 4 Take A Class If you don’t know the first thing about what to do in various emergencies, take a class. Some of the most relevant for divers include the DAN first-aid courses, Oxygen Administrator, CPR, Basic Life Support, and Hazardous Marine Life Injuries. “Becoming proficient in Basic Life Support is especially important if you’re traveling to remote locations and access to hospitals is delayed,” says Harper. 5 Invest In Peace Of Mind DAN membership and DAN Dive Accident Insurance are two separate purchases. DAN membership covers the transport to a treating facility, and accident insurance covers the cost of medical treatment. Without membership and dive accident insurance, each can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
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Let’s all give a warm welcome back to Brad Baron. Brad has such a rich history with the USA Dive Club, dating back to the 1990s, and he’s filled with great memories of his diving adventures both locally and abroad. In the mid 90s, his employer, IBM, transferred Brad and many of his colleagues to Texas. But Brad was able to rejoin the Club from 2017 to 2019 and has now found his way back again. It’s always nice to have him here when he travels from Texas to visit family in South Florida. He's not just an experienced diver—having become certified by the International Association of NITROX and Technical Divers in 1995 and racking up over 500 dives—but he's also a Divemaster who loves sharing stories about his incredible dive Club trips. Remember that liveaboard to Belize? Or the fun dives and hikes in Dominica? He surely has some amazing tales to tell. Recently, Brad joined us for a USA social event hosted by Kathi in the Big Cypress Swamp, capturing memories with lots of photos and enjoying the company of fellow USA divers. So, if you spot Brad at an event while he’s in the area, be sure to say hi. Let’s make him feel right at home! Join us at our in-person meetings to connect and socialize with fellow dive enthusiasts and be entertained and educated by our guest speakers. Feel free to bring along a friend or two. It's a great way to make new memories together. As always, we invite you to browse through our extensive Photo Gallery to take a look at our social and diving activities. Happy diving, everyone. Let’s keep the good vibes going!  Social Activities Day Trip to Big Cypress Swamp
The USA Dive Club flag shone brightly over Big Cypress Preserve during our March social gathering. The group included Lisa Kennedy and Brad Baron riding along with Kathi McCutcheon, Clare Anthon and guest Eugene, John Ficarra, Julie and Russ Manhold, and Lee Ann Waggener and guest Susan. We drove along the newly raised portion of the Tamiami Trail and witnessed the advancing progress on the largest hydrologic restoration project in history. This $10.5 billion dollar environmental solution to save the Everglades is on schedule to be completed in 2035. As each section of the road is elevated, more water will be able to flow south again into Florida Bay, replenishing and nourishing this sensitive ecosystem. For more information about this project, click the following link: Saving the Everglades
When we reached the Oasis Visitor Center, we viewed a beautiful film about the preserve, its history, wildlife, and educational value. Next, we watched the alligators alongside the boardwalk and decided to have lunch there. We hung our Club banner on the fence behind the picnic tables and shared our lunches in the shade. The weather couldn’t have been better, with clear blue skies and cooling breezes.
The final stop was a visit to the nearby Clyde Butcher Big Cypress Gallery. Out front is one of the nicest examples of swamp beauty in the area. There were wood storks in the cypress trees, Spanish moss on the branches, and wading birds in the pond. The winter dry season was evident in the lowered water levels of the pond, yet new greening of the cypress trees revealed the coming spring.
After a short walk through the forest, we went into the gallery where Clyde Butcher exhibits his world-famous black and white photos of the swamp and other natural areas around the world. His work has become very popular and quite expensive. This little outing was a relaxing, low-key change from our often hectic adventures. It was so nice to just get outdoors and be with our friends. If you would like to view the photo album, click the following link:
Kathi McCutcheon, Event Leader |
LOBSTER POT
USA's Lobster Pot drawings Include CASH prizes, and a variety of PRIZES donated by Sponsors or Club Members.
Funds from ticket donations help to support our many club activities. Congratulations to all our Lobster Pot participants. Be sure to visit our Local dive shops who support us and say 'Thanks'.
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