Membership blog

George Cathcart is a returning USA Dive Club member.  Originally, he heard about us from long-time USA Hall of Fame member, Marie York.  George holds Rescue Diver, NITROX and Solo Diver certifications.  He has accumulated more than 1,000 dives by traveling around the world with camera in hand.  George enjoys topside and underwater photography.  His main interest in diving is using his camera to capture creatures and landscapes below the surface.

His most memorable dive was with whale sharks in the Galapagos, and he would like to witness the sardine run in the Indian Ocean in the near future.  

Wanda Frazier was invited to join the USA Dive Club by George Cathcart. They are a couple and frequent dive buddies.  Wanda is certified as a Rescue and NITROX diver with over 300 dives.  

Wanda's most memorable dive was her first open water dive experience.  Her dream dive would be on Mars and when not diving, Wanda enjoys poetry, music and opera.

Melissa Hanono was certified for the first time before 2015 and made about 20 dives.  She is currently taking advanced classes from SDI and has made an additional two dives.  Melissa heard about us from Divebuddy.com.  Bavaro Beach in the Dominican Republic ranks high on her list of memorable dives, and she hopes to explore the Great Barrier Reef someday.

Other interests include Star Wars, and geeky things like movies and comic books.  She is a cat-loving newlywed teacher from Brooklyn and wants to dive as much as possible.

The USA Dive Club welcomes George, Wanda and Melissa and hope they enjoy their time with our scuba diving family.

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

Cassandra Weith has lived in Florida for decades.  Being a long-time Florida resident, she couldn't help but hear about the USA Dive Club.  Cassandra has been SCUBA certified since 2001 and holds Open Water, Rescue Diver and NITROX certifications.  

She has 435 dives with her most memorable dive on the Wall of Cuda out of Palm Beach.  Other favorite dives are with REEF dives and Ned and Anna DeLoche.

Cassandra's favoite type of diving is with a great dive buddy, anywhere with clear water and lots of marine life.   She's a party girl and looks forward to joining us in all social activities with SCUBA-loving buddies.

Matthew Williams went "Bowling for Turtles" with Force-E not long ago and met USA Dive Club member, Ellen Reinhart.  Ellen and Matthew starting talking about diving, and Ellen invited Matthew to a USA General Membership meeting.  He visited us and filled out his application the next day.

Certified in Syracuse, NY in 2004, Matthew is a Divemaster with over 3,000 dives.  His most memorable dive was his final checkout dive because it was this dive on which he became a SCUBA diver.  Sightseeing, drifting, wreck and fish/wildlife diving are among his favorite underwater activities, and his favorite dive site is the Keystone wreck in the St. Lawrence River in Albany, NY.  Matthew hopes to dive on a German U-boat someday, and a trip to Roatan is another destination on his list.  

When not diving Matthew enjoys kayaking, camping, hiking and photography.  He has never made a dive in salt water and looks forward to doing some serious local diving with us.

The USA Dive Club extends Cassandra and Matthew a warm welcome. 

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

Fabian Lago was certified in South Florida in November 2022 and, because he became certified within a year of his USA membership application, will receive a "First Year Free" membership in the USA Dive Club.  Fabian found our Club while browsing the Internet.  He holds both a PADI Open Water certification as well as Enriched Air and has accumulated 17 dives.

His most memorable dive was on French Reef in the Keys because this is the dive on which he saw his first shark.  He hopes to dive the Spiegel Grove in the near future.

Fabian is new to diving, is a quick learner, and is looking forward to meeting more people with whom he can enjoy the sport.  When not diving, he works as an IT consultant and enjoys technoloy and all sports. 

The USA Dive Club welcomes Fabian and hopes to see him on a local dive or social event in the near future.

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

 

 

Mike Wiener discovered the USA Dive Club while surfing the Internet.  He was certified as an Open Water diver in Pennsylvania back in 2005 and, more recently, has certifications in Advanced Open Water and NITROX.  His favorite dive site is the Spiegel Grove in the Florida Keys.

Mike has 60 dives, with his most memorable dive taking place in Cabo, Mexico.  He would enjoy diving in warm waters with lots of life including tons of lobster and pelagic fish.  A pelagic dive in the Bahamas is something he hopes to add to his log book.  Besides spearfishing and lobstering, as a licensed boat captain, you'll find Mike on the water enjoying boating and fishing.

Janice Garvey was invited to join the Club by long-time member, Jerry Linker.  Janice was certified less than a year ago and, as a newly-certified diver, will be able to take advantage of USA's "First Year Free" membership.  

Janice will be traveling with the Club on an overseas dive to Little Cayman Beach Resort in May of this year and will have a wonderful opportunity to get some great dives under her weight belt.  Her dream dive would involve seeing a whale.

When not diving, Janice enjoys cooking, golf, gardening and knitting.

The USA Dive Club extends a warm welcome to Mike and Janice and looks forward to seeing them in the near future. 

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

Danielle Marchante went diving on the Loggerhead boat on a Saturday morning, and less than a week later she was a member of the USA Dive Club.  While on the Loggerhead, Danielle met USA Dive Club member, Laura.  During conversation, Laura told Danielle about our Club and the rest is history. Danielle holds an Advanced Open Water/NITROX certification and has made lots of dives...too many to count.  Her most memorable dive was in the Galapagos when two whale sharks paid her a visit during her safety stop.  A trip to Thailand is high on her list of dream dive locations and, when not diving, she spends time with family, friends and her doggies.  

David Beckhouse and Rachel Dunn are a married couple and joined the Club together.  David was previously a Club member.  He is an Open Water/NITROX diver with 110 logged dives, and would like to visit the Great Barrier Reef.  His favorite dive was in Cozumel and, when not spending time in the water, he enjoys cycling.  

Rachel is recently certified with 12 open water dives.  David and Rachel are joining USA Dive Club member Nancy Styles and other family members on a USA Dive Club multi-generational overseas dive to Bonaire.

Hector Piza and granddaughter Holly Piza are two more family members re-joining the Club to travel with Nancy Styles on the overseas dive trip to Bonaire.  

Hector Piza is an Advanced Open Water/NITROX diver with over 300 dives.  His fondest memory of diving was on a night dive in Nassau and he hopes to explore the underwater world in the Galapagos Islands.  He thinks a trip to CoCo View Resort in Roatan, Honduras, would be a great trip for the Club to plan in the future.

Holly Piza was certified in 2002 as Advanced Open Water/NITROX.  Diving with a manta ray in Bali is something she will never forget.  Her dream dive would be in clear water with lots of diversity.  Living in Colorado, Holly is happy spending time on the slopes and practicing yoga.

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

Along with a brand new year, we have a brand new meeting place for our monthly General Membership meetings.  On January 5, 2023, join us at the Aloft Hotel Delray Beach.

This beautiful new venue is located at 202 SE 5th Avenue in Delray Beach.  Meet up at 6:00 pm, before the meeting, and socialize with friends during Happy Hour for dinner, snacks and drinks in the stylish hotel bar and restaurant.  Hope to see you there.

At the end of December, the USA Membership Directory will be published.  Please look for your name and make sure the contact information is correct.  If anything needs to be changed, just let me know and I'll make sure it is updated.

Also, January brings with it USA's annual membership renewal season.  Don't miss out on the action.  If you haven't done so already, please renew in order to maintain good standing in your favorite club. 

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

Amy Wellman is Newest Hall of Fame Inductee

This month I would like to begin by congratulating Amy Wellman for becoming the USA Dive Club's newest Hall of Fame member.  Amy, along with her husband, Roger Cooper, joined USA in October 2009.  

Right from the start, the couple became active in social events, local diving and overseas diving.  Through the years they have opened their home to the Board of Directors multiple times for meetings and holiday parties.  Amy has been a regular contributor to the USA Photo Gallery which displays many of her colorful underwater photos.

Amy was elected USA's Secretary in January 2016 and has done an exemplary job in the position.  In order to attain Hall of Fame status, Amy served on the Board of Directors for a total of 84 months, or the equivalent of seven years.  

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 those Hall of Famers who have passed away. 

The USA Dive Club welcomes Amy to the Hall of Fame and wishes her many more years of enjoyable experiences with the Club.

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

Not only is Thanksgiving a time to spend with family, friends and loved ones, it's also a wonderful opportunity to meet new friends sitting at the Thanksgiving table.  Open a conversation about your scuba diving adventures.  Maybe mention that large, friendly grouper, the one that allowed you to approach closely enough to touch.  What about the out-of-season lobster that examined your mask with his antennae as you looked into his eyes?  Don't forget the fast-swimming shark that made your heart skip a beat.  

You may discover that your new acquaintance is a SCUBA diver willing share adventurers... or a bubble watcher with aspirations of becoming a SCUBA diver.  It's fun to exchange "SCUBA" tales.  Be on the lookout for future dive buddies and invite them to join our Club.

However you spend your Thanksgiving, have a safe and enjoyable day.

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

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

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