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  • March 11, 2024 6:45 PM | Julie Manhold (Administrator)



    John Fisher is a former member of the USA Dive Club.  Since he was last with us, he has achieved the rank of Master Diver with over 1,000 dives under his belt. 

    One of John's most memorable dives was with mantas in the Maldives, an archipelagic state in South Asia situated in the Indian Ocean.  He enjoys wall diving, drift diving, and sightseeing.  John is planning to spend at least 10 days diving in the Pacific. 

    We are delighted to welcome John back to the Club.

    As always, we invite you to browse through our extensive Photo Gallery to take a look at our social and diving activities.

  • February 10, 2024 2:01 PM | Julie Manhold (Administrator)


    Remembering Dave Smith

    I am saddened to inform all the members of the Club about the passing of our fellow member Dave Smith on January 12, 2024. Dave was a long-time member of our Club, joining us in January 1995.  He was a familiar face to many of us, always keen to participate in our monthly meetings, try his luck at the Lobster Pot, and attend social events.  Occasionally, Dave was a part of our overseas dives.

    Fellow member, Russ Manhold, recently spoke to Dave's family.  They informed us that no obituary or memorial service is planned at this time.  However, if you are friends with Dave on Facebook, you may leave a message on his page, David Barclay Smith, which is being actively managed by his daughter.

    In honor of Dave's memory, we have created a photo album that showcases his fond memories with the USA Dive Club.  We invite all of you to take a look at the album by clicking on the link below.

    Remembering Dave Smith

    Please keep Dave's family and loved ones in your thoughts during this difficult time.


    Sheila Ott is currently residing in Switzerland and has recently become a member of the USA Dive Club.  She joined the Club to participate in our upcoming overseas dive trip to the Solomon Islands, a nation of hundreds of islands in the South Pacific.  We would like to express our gratitude to Lureen Ferretti, a fellow member of the USA Dive Club, for introducing Sheila to our community.

    After diving in the Galapagos Islands, Sheila is excited to revisit them, but her most unforgettable diving experience was on Komodo Island in Indonesia.

    Sheila is an alumni PADI Open Water Instructor and loves to capture photographs of the beauty and diversity of the underwater world while diving.  She has already logged an impressive 1,284 dives and is looking forward to increasing that number when she travels to the Solomon Islands with us this year.

    Apart from traveling the world, Sheila is also interested in hiking and exploring new places.

    Josh Leigh, resides in Ft. Lauderdale and discovered us on the Internet.  He has an Advanced Open Water certification and has completed more than 70 dives.

    His most memorable diving experience was with bull sharks in Cabo Pulmo, Mexico.  When he's not diving, he enjoys losing himself in a good book.

    Ryan Page joined the Club on the recommendation of a family member and resides in St. Petersburg, FL. 

    Ryan is excited to join the Club's upcoming overseas dive trip to Little Cayman.  He holds an Open Water certification from PADI and dreams of diving on the Great Barrier Reef.

    We are excited to welcome Sheila, Josh, and Ryan to the USA Dive Club family, and we look forward to exploring the wonders of the underwater world with them.

    As always, we invite you to browse through our extensive Photo Gallery to take a look at our social and diving activities



  • January 08, 2024 10:03 PM | Julie Manhold (Administrator)

    A Google search lead Mike Bothwell to the USA Dive Club.  He attended our January 2024 General Membership meeting, and by the end of the meeting, he had completed an online membership application and electronically transmitted his dues to the Treasurer.

    In 2001, Mike was certified in the chilly waters of Madison, Wisconsin.  He holds an Advanced Open Water certification and has approximately 150 dives.  He recently relocated to Florida from Denver, Colorado, and is looking forward to exploring Florida’s local reefs to sightsee and dive on a few wrecks.

    His most memorable dive was in Barbados, and Mike looks forward to diving in the Philippines sometime in the future.  Other than diving, Mike enjoys having dinner with friends.

    He has been renting equipment and would appreciate advice on where to buy gently used or reasonably priced new equipment.  Members may contact him by going to the USA website at usadiveclub.org.  Sign into your account, click DIRECTORY, and enter Michael Bothwell in the Search box.  

    Let’s give Mike a warm USA Dive Club welcome when we see him on a dive or any other USA event.


    As always, we invite you to browse through our extensive Photo Gallery to take a look at our social and diving activities.



  • December 20, 2023 4:43 PM | Julie Manhold (Administrator)

    As always, we invite you to browse through our extensive Photo Gallery to take a look at our social and diving activities.





  • November 14, 2023 3:33 PM | Julie Manhold (Administrator)

    USA welcomes two new members into the Hall of Fame

    Congratulations to USA Dive Club’s Hall of Fame most recent members, Roger Cooper and Howard Ratsch.  To attain Hall of Fame status, one must serve as a Board of Directors member for 84 months or the equivalent of seven years.

    Roger and Howard have become lifetime members in a group of people who worked hard to shape the Club into what it is today.  Click on the 'CONTACT' button at the top of this page and take a look at the list of other current Hall of Fame members.  USA Dive Club includes an "In Memoriam" section to remember our deceased Hall of Fame members. 

    Roger Cooper


    Roger Cooper has been a member of the USA Dive Club since October 2009.  He and Amy, his wife, have been active members in all aspects of the Club. Since joining, they participated in most of the social and diving events the Club offers.  They are eager to open their home to the Board of Directors and members for meetings and holiday gatherings.  Besides diving, Roger enjoys biking, kayaking, and photography, and if you look at the USA Photo Gallery, you will see many of his beautiful underwater photos.

    Newsletter, President and Webmaster are the positions Roger held during the last seven years.

    Howard Ratsch


    Howard Ratsch joined the Club in September 2016.  He accepted an invitation to attend a USA General meeting from Ken Glaser, a former USA member.  Howard is an Open Water Scuba Instructor certified by PADI and an active diver.  Howard had accumulated over 3,500 dives when he became a member.  He demonstrated his photographic skills when, in June 2018, he volunteered to be USA’s Guest Speaker at a General meeting where he presented an in-depth show featuring Yap and Palau.  

    Positions held by Howard over the past seven years include Newsletter/Webmaster Co-coordinator, Social Media, Safety, and most recently, Education Coordinator. 

    Thank you Roger and Howard.  The USA Dive Club salutes the members of the Hall of Fame.  


    As always, we invite you to browse through our extensive Photo Gallery to take a look at our social and diving activities.



  • October 21, 2023 1:41 PM | Julie Manhold (Administrator)

    Remember to fall back on November 5th.  


    It's the perfect time of year to celebrate with family and friends while giving thanks for all our blessings.  

    The USA Dive Club wishes you a wonderful, happy Thanksgiving.   

    As always, we invite you to browse through our extensive Photo Gallery to take a look at our social and diving activities.

    Keep on bubbling with your Club

    Julie Manhold, Membership Coordinator 


  • September 10, 2023 5:42 PM | Julie Manhold (Administrator)

    Roy Cozart loves sailing.  He loves SCUBA diving, too.  Roy holds Advanced and Deep Diving certifications and has 103 dives.  He came across the USA Dive Club while on the Internet.  

    Roy's most memorable dive was on the wreck of the M/V Castor, a popular hangout for goliath groupers.  When asked what his dream dive would be, he responded, "The next one."  A Caribbean Sea adventure is first on his bucket list.

    Chris Burden, firefighter/paramedic for 20 years, RN for over 30 years, and a certified Divemaster since 1998, discovered the USA Dive Club while doing a web search for local dive clubs.  Included in his 200+ dives is St. Croix, Virgin Islands.  Here is where he had his most memorable dive: The Wall Shore Dive, Cane Bay.  Chris saw eagle rays, sea turtles, and moray eels.  In the future, he hopes his travels will include a liveaboard on the Great Barrier Reef.

    Diving and traveling are only part of Chris’ interests.  He enjoys free diving, kayaking, sailing, triathlons, archery, and hiking.  Chris and Margaret, his wife of over 22 years, have three daughters and a female dog.  He joined the USA Dive Club to meet like-minded people and would like to start diving much more.

    Please give Roy and Chris warm USA welcomes when you see them on a dive, at a meeting, or any other USA event.  

    Have a happy and safe Halloween...and beware of ghosts, goblins, and haunted pumpkins.

    As always, we invite you to browse through our extensive Photo Gallery to take a look at our social and diving activities.


  • August 19, 2023 4:57 PM | Julie Manhold (Administrator)



    For me, Labor Day brings back memories of the beginning of the school year.  But Labor Day is much more than that.  It's an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers, and you may even get the day off.  Whatever your plans, we wish you a very happy and safe day.

    For divers, September brings back the goliath groupers.  These huge fish have love on their minds.  Actually, they congregate in August and will continue this behavior until October.  At times they gather in large groups of 100 or more to spawn - it's called the goliath grouper aggregation.  It's a great reason to join the USA Dive Club.  We have a trip each year to try and catch the groupers getting down to business.

    We have very active overseas and local diving programs and, although this year's overseas diving is over, Nils Jacobsen, VP of Overseas Diving, is hard at work on the 2024 and 2025 seasons.  Ryan Goheen, VP of Local Diving, will keep his program going strong through October.  Ryan, along with USA's year-round divers, will continue diving together through the winter months.

    Just to keep things interesting, from time to time we'll come up with a non-diving event.  Guests are welcome to attend all of our functions.

    What are you waiting for?  It's simple to join us.  From our Home page just click "JOIN US" and follow the easy-to-understand instructions.  Even better, visit us at one of our meetings.  We meet on the first Thursday of every month at the Aloft Hotel, Delray Beach.  We'd enjoy meeting you. 

    As always, we invite you to browse through our extensive Photo Gallery to take a look at our social and diving activities.

  • July 20, 2023 3:03 PM | Julie Manhold (Administrator)

    More than half the year is behind us, and our overseas diving trips have been completed.  We broke records with our trips to Indonesia, Little Cayman and Bonaire this year, and reports of beautiful diving, great food and warm cameraderie came pouring in.  The photographers have been keeping me busy with their wonderful photos that are now in USA's photo gallery.  Take a peek!  All overseas photos are posted with the exception of Bonaire, our most recent trip.  Bonaire photos are still coming in. 

    Local diving is in full swing, and what better way to beat this record heat wave than to make a dive into the beautiful waters of South Florida with your USA dive buddies?

    Keep spreading the good word about the USA Dive Club.  There are divers all around us looking for buddies.  

    As always, we invite you to browse through our extensive Photo Gallery to take a look at our social and diving activities.

  • June 17, 2023 5:59 PM | Julie Manhold (Administrator)

    There is no General Membership meeting in July due to the close proximity of the 4th of July holiday.  We hope you, your friends and family enjoy a safe and happy holiday, and look forward to seeing you at our August meeting when we will have another great presentation.

    Michael Mullins has been diving since he was 16 years old.  Certified as an Open Water Rescue Diver in 1990, he has made hundreds of dives.

    While participating in Coralpalooza Dive Day and Festival 2023, Michael met USA member Ryan Goheen and was invited to join the USA Dive Club. 

    Michael's most memorable dive was 30 years ago in St. Lucia when corals blanketed the walls.  His dream dive would be on the Great Barrier Reef.  Trips to Bonaire, Bay Islands, BVI Liveaboard, Galapagos Islands, Fiji and Indonesia are also dive destinations he hopes to visit one day.  When not diving you can find Michael riding his motorcycle, fishing, woodworking and traveling.  

    The USA Dive Club welcomes Michael and looks forward to seeing him soon on a local dive or other USA event. 

    Our membership is continuing to grow, and our local and overseas diving is in full swing.  Don't forget to pass the good word about the USA Dive Club when making new friends on dive boats, overseas trips and any other places you meet people.

    As always, we invite you to browse through our extensive Photo Gallery to take a look at our social and diving activities.




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