Under Sea Adventurers Dive Club President

April President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:55:25 GMT

HAPPY APRIL AND SPRING

Hard to believe Spring has sprung already. The new year is progressing quickly, please continue to be active in our activities. If you have any requests or suggestions we would appreciate any ideas.

REMINDER, our meeting location has changed to the Pompano Beach Elks Lodge. The new room is large and much better acoustics than our previous location. The Lodge opens at 5:00 and they have food available, so please come and learn about our new location. The meeting will start at 7:00 since the Lodge closes at 9:00 and we need to be out of the building. We are required to prepare and clean up the space (part of the savings) so any help is appreciated. 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 cash as the bartender is working with us.

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
President

March's President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:21:34 GMT

HAPPY MARCH

The new year is progressing quickly, please continue to be active in our activities. If you have any requests or suggestions we would appreciate any ideas.

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.

I received the following information that people may find interesting.

The Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI) is a collaborative partnership of government agencies, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, private partners, scientists, and reef stakeholders working together to identify and implement priority actions that reduce key threats to southeast Florida’s coral reef ecosystem. SEFCRI supports the protection and management of the Kristin Jacobs Coral Aquatic Preserve (KJCAP) by combining scientific knowledge, stakeholder input, and community engagement to guide effective local action planning.
SEFCRI is now accepting applications for new team members for the 2026–2030 term through March 14, 2026.
Please note: SEFCRI Team membership is not a job position. Team members serve in a voluntary, advisory capacity.

What do SEFCRI Team Members do?
The SEFCRI Team includes agency and non-agency participants who are expected to share relevant information with their respective organizations, professional networks, or community groups and to relay updates to the Team. Members may include agency representatives, technical experts, non-governmental organizations, researchers, and local resource users.

Team members are expected to serve as an informational point of contact, attend the majority of SEFCRI Team meetings, and dedicate the necessary time to assist KJCAP staff with implementing the strategies outlined in the management plan. They are also expected to respond to the majority of SEFCRI communications and help identify potential funding mechanisms and other opportunities to support management plan implementation.

We encourage you to apply if you are a local stakeholder interested in preserving and protecting the Kristin Jacobs Coral Aquatic Preserve.

There are 40 open positions available across the following stakeholder groups:
·         Diving (5 seats)
·         Fishing (5 seats)
·         Academic (8 seats)
·         Non-Governmental Organizations (8 seats)
·         Private Business (8 seats)
·         Other (e.g., Citizens at Large, Ports, Water Sports, Zoos & Aquariums, Local and Indigenous Communities) (6 seats)

Application Information
The attached packet includes the background information on KJCAP and the SEFCRI Team, the SEFCRI Team Charter with eligibility requirements, and the application form.

If partners or other local stakeholders would like to receive an application packet, please ask them to fill out the request form by visiting https://southeastfloridareefs.net/contact/. A KJCAP staff member will follow up with them directly.

All applications must be received no later than March 14, 2026.
For more information about the SEFCRI Team, visit www.southeastfloridareefs.net.
If you have any questions, please contact: taylor.tucker@floridadep.gov

Kind regards,

Mo Morrow
CRCP Associate Coordinator
Coral Reef Conservation Program
Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Mo.Morrow@FloridaDEP.gov
Office: 786-798-4498

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

February's President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:44:37 GMT

HAPPY FEBRUARY

The new year is progressing quickly, please continue to be active in our activities. If you have any requests or suggestions we would appreciate any ideas.

Thank you for everybody who participated in our annual election. The full Board of Directors has been appointed, so we are fully functional. A special thank you to the Board for their continued support and dedication.

President (Chris Hardham)
VP of Programs (Rick Dayan)
VP of Overseas Diving (Nils Jacobsen)
VP of Local Diving (Ryan Goheen)
Secretary (Amy Wellman)
Treasurer (Ronnie Farr)
Hospitality (Clare Anthon)
Membership (Julie Manhold)
Photo Gallery Coordinator (Julie Manhold)
Photographer (Laura Moran)
Social Media Coordinator (Laura Moran)
Newsletter (Roger Cooper)
Education Coordinator (Howard Ratsch)
Historian (Robert Shearer)

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.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

January President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 19:04:42 GMT

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I hope everybody enjoyed the Holidays with Family and friends safely.

Thank you for everybody who participated in our annual election. The following are the elected officers for the club. The remainder of the Board of Directors will be appointed in the January BoD Meeting.

President – Chris Hardham
VP of Programs – Rick Dayan
VP Overseas – Nils Jacobsen
VP of Local Diving – Ryan Goheen
Secretary – Amy Welman
Treasurer – Ronnie Farr

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.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

December President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 18:18:33 GMT

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

I hope everybody enjoyed their Thanksgiving with Family and friends safely. The same well wishes are expressed for the upcoming holiday season.

It is that time of year again for our club Officer Elections, the following is the slate of electors for this year. Elections will be held in December, dates to be confirmed.

President – Chris Hardham
VP of Programs – Rick Dayan
VP Overseas – Nils Jacobsen
VP of Local Diving – Ryan Goheen
Secretary – Amy Welman
Treasurer – Ronnie Farr

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.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

November's President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 18:12:33 GMT

It is that time of year again for our club Officer Elections, the following is the slate of electors for this year. Elections will be held in December, dates to be confirmed.

President – Chris Hardham
VP of Programs – Rick Dayan
VP Overseas – Nils Jacobsen
VP of Local Diving – Ryan Goheen
Secretary – Amy Welman
Treasurer – Ronnie Farr

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.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

October President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 16:01:55 GMT

Special thank you to Russ volunteering for adding events to our social activities, including Elks activities.

It is that time of year again for our club Officer Elections, the following is the slate of electors for this year. Elections will be held in December, dates to be confirmed.

President – Chris Hardham
VP of Programs – Rick Dayan
VP Overseas – Nils Jacobsen
VP of Local Diving – Ryan Goheen
Secretary – Amy Welman
Treasurer – Ronnie Farr

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.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

September's President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 14:54:18 GMT

Special thank you to Russ volunteering for adding events to our social activities, including Elks activities.

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.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

August's Presidents Waves

Chris Hardham — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 19:39:11 GMT

Special thank you to Russ volunteering for adding events to our social activities, including Elks activities.

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.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

June's President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Wed, 28 May 2025 16:34:26 GMT

Special thank you to Russ volunteering for adding events to our social activities, including Elks activities.

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.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

May's Presidents Waves

Chris Hardham — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 22:29:05 GMT

REMINDER, our meeting location has changed to the Pompano Beach Elks Lodge. The new room is large and much better acoustics than our previous location. The Lodge opens at 5:00 and they have assured us they will have food available, so please come and learn about our new location. The meeting will start at 7:00 since the Lodge closes at 9:00 and we need to be out of the building. We are required to prepare and clean up the space(part of the savings) so any help is appreciated. 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.

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.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

April's Presidents Waves

Chris Hardham — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 01:13:15 GMT

Welcome to Spring,

The Board of Directors has listened to the complaints about the noise at the Aloft. March 24^th Ronnie and I were initiated as Elks so we can move our meetings to the Pompano Lodge. Clare will be initiated the 4^th 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.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

March's President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 20:18:07 GMT

Happy March,

The year is progressing awfully fast, hard to believe it is time for St Patrick’s Day already and Spring will be here soon. The weather is nice and the water is warming up, this is why we are here in Florida.

I would like to address some of the concerns that have been voiced recently about our meetings. I have been working with other BoD members to address the technical issues. We have eliminated some and are working on the rest. Additionally, we have found a potential new location in Pompano Beach where the acoustics should be drastically improved. This location also has food and adult beverages for those that partake. I will be visiting this location next week with other BoD members. Our contract with Aloft requires a 4 month notice, so the move won't be instant, but we are working on improving our meetings.

The BoD has heard the complaints and we are working to address them as much as we can.

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.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

February's Presidents Waves

Chris Hardham — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 08:40:06 GMT

Happy February, I hope everybody has transitioned into 2025 successfully. Your Board of Directors met and appointed the members not elected in December. The following is your Board of Directors for 2025:

President (Chris Hardham) Elected
VP of Programs (Rick Dayan) Elected
VP of Overseas Diving (Nils Jacobsen) Elected
VP of Local Diving (Ryan Goheen) Elected
VP of Social Events (Lureen Ferretti) Elected
Secretary (Amy Wellman) Elected
Treasurer (Ronnie Farr) Elected
Hospitality (Clare Anthon) Appointed
Membership (Julie Manhold) Appointed
Photo Gallery Coordinator (Julie Manhold) Appointed
Photographer (Laura Moran) Appointed
Social Media Coordinator (Laura Moran) Appointed
Newsletter (Roger Cooper) Appointed
Education Coordinator (Howard Ratsch) Appointed
Historian (Robert Shearer) Appointed

As always, we would love members that are interested in helping or getting to know the club better to join the Board of Directors.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

January President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Thu, 26 Dec 2024 01:33:00 GMT

Happy New Year to everyone.

Thank you to everybody that joined us at the Holiday party, it was a fun gathering for everybody.

Please sign up and join the club out diving. Please keep an eye on upcoming dives and join in if you are inclined. It is always a lot of fun catching up on the boat and having lunch afterward with friends. The Blue Heron Bridge crowd is still very active also.

Our Board of Directors election has been completed. The following is your Board of Directors. At the January BoD meeting the remainder of the BoD will be appointed.

President – Chris Hardham
VP of Programs – Rick Dayan
VP Overseas – Nils Jacobsen
VP of Social Events – Lureen Ferretti
VP of Local Diving – Ryan Goheen
Secretary – Amy Welman
Treasurer – Ronnie Farr

We would love to have new members join the Board to learn more about the club and get to know our membership better. There are many appointed positions available for members interested in joining.

Please come to meetings and help our club grow.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

December President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 21:28:53 GMT

Happy Holidays to everyone. Please join us at our Holiday party, I believe there are seats available still.

It is that time of year again for Board of Director elections, the Board is proposing the following slate of electors.

President – Chris Hardham
VP of Programs – Rick Dayan
VP Overseas – Nils Jacobsen
VP of Social Events – Lureen Ferretti
VP of Local Diving – Ryan Goheen
Secretary – Amy Welman
Treasurer – Ronnie Farr

As in recent years, the election will be held online for a week closing with the Holiday Party.

There are several positions on the Board of Directors where help would be greatly appreciated. It is a great opportunity to learn about the club and our membership. The members that volunteer their time would appreciate some new blood to join the BoD and help guide the club into the future. Additionally, there are several appointed positions that will be filled after the new year, please reach out if you are interested.

Please come to meetings and help our club grow.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

November President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 12:41:35 GMT

I hope everybody is enjoying the start of weather cooling down. Please double check your Hurricane Plan and be prepared since we still have a month of the season remaining.

Our November speaker is Shark Team One which will be a in person speaker.

It is that time of year again for Board of Director elections, the Board is proposing the following slate of electors.

President – Chris Hardham
VP of Programs – Rick Dayan
VP Overseas – Nils Jacobsen
VP of Social Events – Lureen Ferretti
VP of Local Diving – Ryan Goheen
Secretary – Amy Welman
Treasurer – Ronnie Farr

Our overseas participation has dropped this year compared to last year, this is a major benefit of our club and source of revenue. If you have locations you would like to visit, please let Nils know so he can look for good deals at DEMA this fall.

Please come to meetings and help our club grow.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

October President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 00:21:57 GMT

Fall has officially started. I hope everybody is enjoying the start of weather cooling down. So far this year it doesn’t seem very significant though. Please be aware that we are entering the most active portion of the hurricane season. Please double check your Hurricane Plan and be prepared since it is projected as an active season. We dodged a serious hurricane with Helene.

Local diving is in full swing with many options available, please sign up and join the club out diving. Please keep an eye on upcoming dives and join in if you are inclined. It is always a lot of fun catching up on the boat and having lunch afterward with friends. The Blue Heron Bridge crowd is still very active also.

Our October speaker is Plant a Million Corals Foundation which will be a zoom speaker.

It is that time of year again for Board of Director elections, the Board is proposing the following slate of electors.

President – Chris Hardham
VP of Programs – Rick Dayan
VP Overseas – Nils Jacobsen
VP of Social Events – Lureen Ferretti
VP of Local Diving – Ryan Goheen
Secretary – Amy Welman
Treasurer – Ronnie Farr

There are several positions on the Board of Directors where help would be greatly appreciated. It is a great opportunity to learn about the club and our membership. The members that volunteer their time would appreciate some new blood to join the BoD and help guide the club into the future.Additionally, there are several appointed positions that will be filled after the new year, please reach out if you are interested.

Please come to meetings and help our club grow.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

September President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 00:18:34 GMT

The Summer is nearing the end and hurricane season is getting to the most active part. Please prepare your houses and have a plan in case a hurricane takes aim at our area.

Goliath Grouper season is here, I went this weekend and the Castor had 5 Goliath on it. We had a surprise a manta ray was feeding at the wreck. We were lucky enough to see it at the beginning and it returned at the end of the dive. I hope this special guest sticks around for others to enjoy.

Ryan has a lot of local dives scheduled, come out and look for the flora and fauna we hear about in our monthly presentations. Many of our members are diving actively currently in addition to our dedicated bridge divers. Please keep an eye on upcoming dives and join in if you are inclined. It is always a lot of fun catching up on the boat and having lunch afterward with friends.

The club has been growing at a faster rate than since I joined the club, please come to meetings and help our club grow.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

Picture by Karen Hausheer

August President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Sun, 28 Jul 2024 18:03:49 GMT

Our summer travel for the club has started with the BVI trip. Looking forward to pictures and the trip report. The trip to The Solomon Islands has departed, we look forward to pictures and that trip report.

Summer is here and the weather is ready to cool off diving. Ryan has a lot of local dives scheduled, come out and look for the flora and fauna we hear about in our monthly presentations. Many of our members are diving actively currently in addition to our dedicated bridge divers. Please keep an eye on upcoming dives and join in if you are inclined. It is always a lot of fun catching up on the boat and having lunch afterward with friends.

The club has been growing at a faster rate than since I joined the club, please come to meetings and help our club grow.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

July President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 14:37:09 GMT

Our summer travel for the club has started with the BVI trip. Looking forward to pictures and the trip report.

Spring has sprung and the weather is ready to cool off diving. Ryan has a lot of local dives scheduled, come out and look for the flora and fauna we hear about in our monthly presentations. Many of our members are diving actively currently in addition to our dedicated bridge divers. Please keep an eye on upcoming dives and join in if you are inclined. It is always a lot of fun catching up on the boat and having lunch afterward with friends.

The club has been growing at a faster rate than since I joined the club, please come to meetings and help our club grow.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

June President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Sun, 26 May 2024 18:44:46 GMT

Hello from Bali. Our summer travel for the club has started with the BVI trip. Looking forward to pictures and the trip report.

The club has been growing at a faster rate than since I joined the club, please come to meetings and help our club grow.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

May President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Sun, 28 Apr 2024 00:38:58 GMT

Water temperatures are hitting 77/78, so our local diving season is effectively here. Ryan has a lot of local dives scheduled, come out and look for the flora and fauna we hear about in our monthly presentations. Many of our members are diving actively currently in addition to our dedicated bridge divers. Please keep an eye on upcoming dives and join in if you are inclined. It is always a lot of fun catching up on the boat and having lunch afterward with friends.

The club has been growing at a faster rate than since I joined the club, please come to meetings and help our club grow.

Happy diving,
Chris Hardham
President

April President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 00:22:51 GMT

Spring has sprung and Florida has started to warm up. Soon the water will be warming and our dive season will be in full bloom. Many of our members are diving actively currently in addition to our dedicated bridge divers. Please keep an eye on upcoming dives and join in if you are inclined. It is always a lot of fun catching up on the boat and having lunch afterward with friends.

The club has been growing at a faster rate than since I joined the club, please come to meetings and help our club grow.

Happy diving,
Chris Hardham
President

March President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 22:27:22 GMT

Now that the Board of Directors has been installed, please come and join us. There are several positions where help would be greatly appreciated. It is a great opportunity to learn about the club and our membership.

I was recently contacted by an organization ADFC(Aquarium Divers for Coral Society) about an upcoming webinar about coral restoration in the Keys. They plan to plant heat resistant corals in the Keys to help restore coral to the Keys. Please send an email to the following if you are interested. adfcinfo4@gmail.com

ADFC has an upcoming webinar, this LINK will register you if you are interested. The Webinar is “Turn the Tide with Volunteers!” and is March 19 @12:00 PM EST

The club has been growing at a faster rate than since I joined the club, please come to meetings and help our club grow.

Local diving is continuing this winter, so if you are brave enough to dive in “cold” water come join us. Please keep an eye on upcoming dives and join in if you are inclined. It is always a lot of fun catching up on the boat and having lunch afterward with friends.

Happy diving,
Chris Hardham
President

February President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 02:03:52 GMT

The Board of Directors had our first meeting and approved the volunteers to the Board, lucky for us everybody that served last year agreed to continue to serve the Club this coming year. The following is our Board of Directors. Anybody interested in joining, please reach out as several Board Members would appreciate some help and would enjoy teaching others about the club.

President	Chris Harham
VP of Programs	Rick Dayan
VP of Overseas Diving	Nils Jacobsen
VP of Local Diving	Ryan Goheen
VP of Social Events	Lureen Ferretti
Secretary	Amy Wellman
Treasurer	Ronnie Farr
Hospitality	Clare Anthon
Membership Photo Gallery Coordinator	Julie Manhold
Photographer Social Media Coordinator	Laura Moran
Newsletter & Website	Roger Cooper
Education Coordinator	Howard Ratsch
Historian	Robert Shearer

The club has been growing at a faster rate than since I joined the club, please come to meetings and help our club grow.

Happy diving,
Chris Hardham
President

January's President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 01:48:03 GMT

I hope everybody had an enjoyable holiday season and enjoyed time with friends and family. This is what the holiday season is about, friends and family.

I would like to thank the members that took the time to vote in our annual election of officers to serve the club and our membership. Unanimously the voters supported the following officers. We will hold our first meeting as the Board and appoint the remainder of the Board to serve the upcoming term.

President – Chris Hardham
VP of Programs – Rick Dayan
VP Overseas – Nils Jacobsen
VP of Social Events – Lureen Ferretti
VP of Local Diving – Ryan Goheen
Secretary – Amy Welman
Treasurer – Ronnie Farr

The club has been growing at a faster rate than since I joined the club, please come to meetings and help our club grow.

Happy diving,
Chris Hardham
President

December President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 13:06:28 GMT

It is the holiday season already; this year has flown by. Just a reminder that we don’t have a December membership meeting but we do have our annual membership Christmas party on December 7. I hope to see everybody at the party.

It is that time of year again for Board of Director elections, the Board is proposing the following slate of electors. We are very happy that Lureen has agreed to join the Board.

President – Chris Hardham
VP of Programs – Rick Dayan
VP Overseas – Nils Jacobsen
VP of Social Events – Lureen Ferretti
VP of Local Diving – Ryan Goheen
Secretary – Amy Welman
Treasurer – Ronnie Farr

The voting period will run from December 7 to December 14, please remember that voting will be online.

Happy diving,
Chris Hardham
President

Novermber President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 22:23:38 GMT

I hope everybody is enjoying the start of weather cooling down. Please be aware that we are entering the most active portion of the hurricane season. Please double check your Hurricane Plan and be prepared since it is projected as an active season.

Just a reminder that we have a November membership meeting with a live speaker. The subject is The Bermuda Triangle. Please come join us for drinks and dinner before the meeting and a great speaker.

It is that time of year again for Board of Director elections, the Board is proposing the following slate of electors. We are very happy that Lureen has agreed to join the Board.

President – Chris Hardham
VP of Programs – Rick Dayan
VP Overseas – Nils Jacobsen
VP of Social Events – Lureen Ferretti
VP of Local Diving – Ryan Goheen
Secretary – Amy Welman
Treasurer – Ronnie Farr

The voting period will run from December 7 to December 14, please remember that voting will be online.

Happy diving,
Chris Hardham
President

October President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 21:08:11 GMT

Just a reminder that we have an October membership meeting with a Zoom speaker. The subject is Whalesharks. I remember every encounter I have had with whalesharks, so I personally look forward to learning more about them.

It is that time of year again for Board of Director elections, the Board is proposing the following slate of electors.

President – Chris Hardham
VP of Programs – Rick Dayan
VP Overseas – Nils Jacobsen
VP of Social Events – Open
VP of Local Diving – Ryan Goheen
Secretary – Amy Welman
Treasurer – Ronnie Farr

Reminder: The BoD has voted to rescind the requirement to have a valid COVID-19 vaccination in order to attend a USA function. We hope this allows some members to come and join us at our meetings. The only exception is overseas travel, trips will comply with the local requirements.

Happy diving,
Chris Hardham
President

September President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 14:49:28 GMT

I hope everybody is enjoying their summer, but be aware that we are entering the most active portion of the hurricane season. Please double check your Hurricane Plan and be prepared since it is projected as an active season.

Just a reminder that we have a September membership meeting with a Zoom speaker. The subject is Solar Power Sea Slugs. We all enjoy finding different nudibranchs while diving, so I personally look forward to learning more about them.

It is that time of year again for Board of Director elections, the Board is proposing the following slater of electors

President – Chris Hardham
VP of Programs – Rick Dayan
VP Overseas – Nils Jacobsen
VP of Social Events – Open
VP of Local Diving – Ryan Goheen
Secretary – Amy Welman
Treasurer – Ronnie Farr

Happy diving,
Chris Hardham
President

August President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:42:58 GMT

Just a reminder that we have an August membership meeting with an in-person speaker.

Please consider joining the Board of Directors and filling the following open positions. Joining the BoD helps to get to better know our membership even better. Several of our board members have filled these positions in the past and would be glad to help with the positions.

VP of Social Events – Open

Happy diving,
Chris Hardham
President

July President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 00:51:44 GMT

Welcome to Summer

We have trip reports, a very special thank you to Roger and Nils for publishing trip reports for Indonesia and Little Cayman. Our club provides some great opportunities to travel with friends and enjoy exotic locations. Please sign up for upcoming trips and enjoy these locations and great camaraderie. We have a group in Bonaire currently, so look next month for the trip report.

Just a reminder that we do not have a July membership meeting.

VP of Social Events – Open

Happy diving,
Chris Hardham
President

June President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Mon, 29 May 2023 01:51:46 GMT

Welcome to Summer

The group from Little Cayman just returned, I am looking forward to great stories of the diving forthcoming.

Local diving is in full swing with many options available, please sign up and join the club out diving.

Local Diving has started with the first dive scheduled for April 1. Please keep an eye on upcoming dives and join in if you are inclined. It is always a lot of fun catching up on the boat and lunch afterwards.

Just a reminder that our June meeting is virtual, the hotel had a conflict. Another reminder we do not have a July membership meeting.

VP of Social Events – Open
Audio Visual – Open
Promotions Coordinator – Open

Happy diving,
Chris Hardham
President

May President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 12:07:41 GMT

The water is warming up,

Speaking for the two groups that were able to participate in the trip on Damai 1 in Indonesia, this was a great bucket list trip. The club makes many trips more affordable and we should try and take advantage of these opportunities.

Florida Fish and Wildlife is having a meeting in Miami and one of the subjects we are interested in is Goliath Groupers. We had an amazing speaker last month on this subject, so if you can attend this meeting, please do.

Link to FWC meeting webpage https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLFFWCC/bulletins/356f86d

Local diving has started with the first dive scheduled for April 1. Please keep an eye on upcoming dives and join in if you are inclined. It is always a lot of fun catching up on the boat and lunch afterwards.

Just a reminder that we have a new location for our monthly meetings. We will now be holding our meetings at the Aloft Hotel in Delray Beach. Please come join us and check out our new location.

VP of Social Events – Open
Audio Visual – Open
Promotions Coordinator – Open

Happy diving,
Chris Hardham
President

April President's Wave

Chris Hardham — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 02:22:08 GMT

Welcome to Spring,

Greetings from Indonesia, group two has arrived and will arrive at the boat Saturday March 24, so this newsletter is a little early.

DEP Announces 2023 Florida's Coral Reef Webinar Series

Every year, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Coral Reef Conservation Program celebrates Earth Month by offering a series of classes about Florida's Coral Reef. Join us to learn from staff and local experts on topics including how to identify corals and fish, the threats facing our reefs and how you can help.

WHAT:          2023 Florida's Coral Reef Webinar Series
WHEN:          April 4 - 27, 2023
HOW:           View the schedule and register at our Earth Month Webinar Series webpage

Just a reminder that we have a new location for our monthly meetings. We will now be holding our meetings at the Aloft Hotel in Delray Beach. Please come join us and check out our new location.

VP of Social Events – Open
Audio Visual – Open
Promotions Coordinator – Open

Happy diving,
Chris Hardham
President

March President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Sun, 26 Feb 2023 18:56:31 GMT

Here comes Spring,

March has a large number of our members traveling to Indonesia between the two trips and a few lucky enough to participate in both trips. It is almost time to get back in the water for the rest of the membership. Our local dives will be become more regular occurrences as the water warms. We hope to see you out there.

Just a reminder that we have a new location for our monthly meetings. We will now be holding our meetings at the Aloft Hotel in Delray Beach. Please come join us and check out our new location.

Please consider joining the board and filling the following open positions. Joining the BoD helps to get to better know our membership even better. Several of our board members have filled these positions in the past and would be glad to help with the positions.

VP of Social Events – Open
Audio Visual – Open
Promotions Coordinator – Open

Happy diving,
Chris Hardham
President

February President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 00:49:26 GMT

Happy New Year,

I hope everybody enjoyed their holiday season. The Board is very proud to announce that we have secured a new location for our general membership meetings after the Marriott increased our rent again. We will now be holding our meetings at the Aloft Hotel in Delray Beach. Please come join us and check out our new location.

The following is our complete Board of Directors.

President – Chris Hardham
VP of Programs – Rick Dayan
VP Overseas – Nils Jacobsen
VP of Social Events – Open
VP of Local Diving – Ryan Goheen
Secretary – Amy Welman
Treasurer – Ronnie Farr
Hospitality – Claire Anthon
Membership – Julie Manhold
Photo Gallery Coordinator – Julie Manhold
Photographer – Laura Moran
Newsletter – Roger Cooper
Education Coordinator – Howard Wratch
Social Media – Open
Historian – Robert Shearer
Audio Visual – Open
Promotions Coordinator – Open

Please consider joining the board and get to better know our membership. Several of our board members have filled these positions in the past and would be glad to help with the positions.

The BoD has voted to rescind our previous requirement to attend a USA function, members must have a valid COVID-19 vaccination as defined by the CDC. We hope this allows some members to come and join us at our meetings. The only exception is overseas travel, trips will comply with the local requirements.

Happy diving,
Chris Hardham
President

January Presidents Waves

Chris Hardham — Wed, 28 Dec 2022 15:45:14 GMT

Happy New Year,

I hope everybody is enjoying their holiday season, even if it is a bit chilly for local diving. The Board is very proud to announce that we have secured a new location for our general membership meetings after the Marriott increased our rent again. We will now be holding our meetings at the Aloft Hotel in Delray Beach. Please come join us for another great speaker that Rick Dayan has lined up for us and check out our new location.

The following are the officers elected to serve on the Board of Directors by our membership. The appointed members will be appointed at the first Board meeting on January 12.

President - Chris Hardham
VP of Programs - Rick Dayan
VP Overseas - Nils Jacobsen
VP of Social Events – Open
VP of Local Diving - Ryan Goheen
Secretary - Amy Welman
Treasurer - Ronnie Farr

Please consider joining the board as the VP of Social Events. Several of the existing board members have filled this position in the past, the BoD has many great ideas to share and would be glad to help with the position.

We also need someone to volunteer for the Promotions position to run the Lobster pot at our meetings. Please consider joining the Board. Also, if you would like to donate for the Lobster Pot, any donations would be appreciated.

To attend a USA function, members must have a valid COVID-19 vaccination as defined by the CDC.

Happy diving,
Chris Hardham

December President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Sat, 26 Nov 2022 21:44:55 GMT

Happy Holidays,

I hope everybody enjoyed their Thanksgiving with family and friends. For a second month in a row, our general membership meeting had a substantial attendance in person. Please come out to the meetings and socialize with our friends. Plus, Rick has been doing a great job of finding very interesting speakers. Please come out to our next meeting.

It is that time of year for our annual election. The Board of Directors is proposing the following list of officers for 2023.

President - Chris Hardham
VP of Programs - Rick Dayan
VP Overseas - Nils Jacobsen
VP of Social Events – Open
VP of Local Diving - Ryan Goheen
Secretary - Amy Welman
Treasurer - Ronnie Farr

The election will be held in December in accordance with our bylaws. If you don’t want to vote online, you are always welcome to attend the Christmas Party and we will help you vote. The one week of voting will commence with the meeting and close a week later in compliance with the bylaws.

Please consider joining the board for the VP of Social Events. Several of the existing board members have filled this position in the past, the BoD has many great ideas to share and would be glad to help with the position.

To attend a USA function, members must have a valid COVID-19 vaccination as defined by the CDC.

Happy diving,
Chris Hardham

President

November President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 01:00:44 GMT

Welcome to November,

Our membership meeting last month set a record for the most attendees live since Covid. With a combination of our speaker Dr Gary Rose and members in town for the Saba trip, we had a total of 25 people in the room. We hope that this is a sign that members are willing to come out and enjoy our friends and some great speakers that Rick has been lining up. Please come out to our next meeting.

It is that time of year for our annual election. The Board of Directors is proposing the following list of officers for 2023.

President - Chris Hardham
VP of Programs - Rick Dayan
VP Overseas - Nils Jacobsen
VP of Social Events - Open
VP of Local Diving - Ryan Goheen
Secretary - Amy Welman
Treasurer - Ronnie Farr

To attend a USA function, members must have a valid COVID-19 vaccination as defined by the CDC.

We still need volunteers to help run the club. We need a VP of Social to fulfill duties like monthly outings. We also need someone to volunteer for the Promotions position to run the Lobster pot at our meetings. Please consider joining the Board. Also, if you would like to donate for the Lobster Pot, any donations would be appreciated.

Happy diving,
Chris Hardham

President

President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 01:21:12 GMT

Happy October,

I hope everybody enjoyed their Labor Day and September.

It is that time of year for our annual election. The Board of Directors is proposing the following list of officers for 2023.

President - Chris Hardham
VP of Programs - Rick Dayan
VP Overseas - Nils Jacobsen
VP of Social Events - Open
VP of Local Diving - Ryan Goheen
Secretary - Amy Welman
Treasurer - Ronnie Farr

The Board just finished our meeting and resolutions have been passed regarding masks and vaccinations. While encouraged, masks are no longer required for USA sponsored events, unless required by local law(think travel).

To attend a USA function, members must have a valid COVID-19 vaccination as defined by the CDC.

Happy diving,
Chris Hardham

President

September President's Waves by Chris Hardham

Roger Cooper — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 15:02:40 GMT

Happy Labor Day to everybody. I hope everybody enjoys the long weekend. Please remember that the Club does not have a meeting in September due to the holiday weekend.

It is election time of year again, the Board has a meeting on September 7th to review the proposed slate of officers to present to the membership for your consideration in the upcoming election.

We still need volunteers to help run the club. With Alan traveling more, we need someone to help with social duties like monthly outings and the Lobster pot at our meetings, please consider joining the Board and helping with our Social Program. Also, if you would like to donate for the Lobster Pot, any donations would be appreciated.

President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 23:31:08 GMT

I hope this newsletter finds everybody doing well and enjoying the summer. If you are here in South Florida, I hope you are enjoying as much diving as you want.

It sounds like our members that went to Cayman had a great trip, I look forward to reading the trip report. The photos I have seen so far looks like everybody saw and captures some great sights.

We didn’t have a membership meeting in July, so we look forward to seeing everybody in the upcoming August meeting. We still need volunteers to help run the club. With Alan traveling more, we need someone to help with the social duties like monthly outings and the lobster Pot at our meetings. Please consider joining the Board and helping with our Social Program. Also, if you have items you would like to donate for the Lobster Pot, any donations would be appreciated.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham

President

President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 00:57:18 GMT

Summer is officially here; hope you enjoyed the Summer Solstice on June 21. The water feels great and the club has many options for local diving. The club has local dives scheduled for July 9^th and July 23^rd.

Our meetings at the Marriott have continued to be successful. If you are in the area, we would enjoy your company at the next meeting. We don’t have a July meeting so please consider the August meeting to join your friends and have a good evening.

We planned to restart the Lobster Pot, but with Alan’s wife Dawn has retired, so they are planning to travel more. Please consider joining the Board and helping with our Social Program. Also, if you have items you would like to donate for the Lobster Pot, any donations would be appreciated.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham

President

President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Wed, 25 May 2022 01:15:55 GMT

Welcome to June,

Summer is almost officially here and the water temps are reaching over 80, so it is time to get some local dives booked.

Our second meeting back at the Marriott was a success, we had a good turnout at the meeting. Special thank you to all the members that came to the meeting. Based on the attendance, we would like to start up the Lobster Pot again. Please come out and socialize with other members. If you plan to eat at the Bistro, please place your orders early, they were overwhelmed with our members last month.

Because we are now returning to the Courtyard and in-person meetings, I need to ask for help for the Board with our open positions. If you are interested in serving on the board, please contact me.

AV Coordinator
Promotions Coordinator
Mini Trip Coordinator

Also, if you have items you would like to donate for the Lobster Pot, they would be appreciated and as soon as we have a Promotions Coordinator we will coordinate to get these items from you.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham

President

President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 23:08:45 GMT

Welcome to May,

Our Overseas team had another challenge with Soloman not opening up in time for our trip. Nils has been busy this spring overcoming travel challenges. I hope everyone appreciates all the hard work and experience that Nils puts in and shares with us. Special thank you to Nils.

Our first meeting back at the Marriott was a success, we had 16 members at the meeting. This is our largest in person attendance since COVID excluding the holiday party. Special thank you to all the members that came to the meeting. Based on the attendance, we will be starting up the Lobster Pot again. Please come out and socialize with other members. If you plan to eat at the Bistro, please place your orders early, they were overwhelmed with our members last month.

Because we are now returning to the Courtyard and in-person meetings, I need to ask for help for the Board with our open positions. If you are interested in serving on the board, please contact me.

AV Coordinator
Promotions Coordinator
Mini Trip Coordinator

Also, if you have items you would like to donate for the Lobster Pot, they would be appreciated and as soon as we have a Promotions Coordinator we will coordinate to get these items from you.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

April's President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 23:34:46 GMT

Welcome my friends,

So last month our Overseas Travel team had the challenge from the change from the liveaboard to a land-based resort. I would like to congratulate the team for finding a very good trip for our members. This really highlights the experience and knowledge of our VP of Overseas Diving. Thank you Nils for all you do for the club.

Another change that was undertaken this past month is the change in our meeting location. The Board voted to look at options to the Hampton Inn, while our first choice didn’t work out do to some functional requirements of the facility, Ronnie was able to get us back into the Marriott Courtyard on Cypress Creek. This is a very nice surprise to be able to return to the Courtyard.

Because we are now returning to the Courtyard and in-person meetings, I need to ask for help for the Board with our open positions. If you are interested in serving on the board, please contact me.

AV Coordinator
Promotions Coordinator
Mini Trip Coordinator

Also, if you have items you would like to donate for the Lobster Pot, they would be appreciated and as soon as we have a Promotions Coordinator we will coordinate to get these items from you.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

March President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 02:05:24 GMT

Welcome my friends,

This month has seen some challenges to our Overseas Travel, but the good leadership by Nils has provided great options to protect and benefit our members. While these events have been challenging, the resolutions show how our club is strong and provides quality services to our members. Our club depends on volunteers, please support those volunteers that are running the club and if you desire to join us, please reach out.

The Board has 3 open positions, so if you are interested in serving on the board, please contact me.

AV Coordinator
Promotions Coordinator
Mini Trip Coordinator

As avid divers, we need to protect our hobby and the marine life that makes our hobby so spectacular. Rule making to open the Goliath Grouper harvest will be voted upon by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission at the FWC meeting scheduled for March 2 and 3, 2022. Please participate if you can.

If you would like to view free Zoom tutorials, you can find them here. Or you can take a free Zoom class from Geeks On Tour here.

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

February President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 02:21:51 GMT

The year is off and running. It is hard to believe it is February already. The Board had the first meeting and confirmed the previous appointed board members to serve another year to provide the club the same great service as last year. We have 3 open positions, so if you are interested in serving on the board, please contact me.

AV Coordinator
Promotions Coordinator
Mini Trip Coordinator

Our February speaker will be live at the Hampton Inn. If you are comfortable with attending live, please come out to support our speakers and the great job Rick Dayan has done in finding them.

If you would like to view free Zoom tutorials, you can find them here. Or you can take a free Zoom class from Geeks On Tour here.

Don't forget to keep checking our Facebook page for the interesting articles Russ is posting. https://www.facebook.com/usadiveclub

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

January President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Mon, 27 Dec 2021 01:13:55 GMT

Happy New Year! I hope everybody had a safe and festive Christmas and New Year’s with family and friends.

First off, I would like to thank everybody for confirming our elected officer this year. The election was quite different from previous years as we performed our election online and there wasn’t any opposition. The following is the list of our elected officers.

Office	Current Officer	2022
President	Chris Hardham	Yes
VP of Overseas Diving	Nils Jacobson	Yes
VP of Local Diving	Ryan Goheen	Yes
VP of Programs	Rick Dayan	Yes
VP of Social Events	Alan Feuerman	Yes
Secretary	Amy Wellman	Yes
Treasurer	Ronnie Farr	Yes

We will select the appointed Board Positions at our January Board Meeting on the 11^th. If you wish to be considered for a position, please email me at president@usadiveclub.org.

Our January and February speakers will be live at the Hampton, so if you are comfortable with attending live, please come out and support our speakers. Rick Dayan has been getting us really good speakers and this Month’s speaker doesn’t appear to be any different.

If you would like to view free Zoom tutorials, you can find them here. Or you can take a free Zoom class from Geeks On Tour here.

Don't forget to keep checking our Facebook page for the interesting articles Russ is posting. https://www.facebook.com/usadiveclub

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

December President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 16:28:44 GMT

Happy December! I hope everybody enjoyed their Thanksgiving with family and friends. Our connections are what is important in life.

I was able to attend DEMA this year with Nils and met many of the vendors that we have traveled with in the past and some that we are considering to travel with in the future. All of these vendors have great memories of our past trips or have heard of us and want to do business with us. This speaks volumes about our members and the great work Nils has done over the years. I am looking forward to the great travel opportunities we are able to share as a club in the coming years and look forward to being more involved to help with some of these trips.

For all of the members that are vaccinated and comfortable with live meetings, we would enjoy your company.

It is that time of year again already, we have Board Elections upcoming and need your assistance in continuing our great club. The following are the current officers and they have agreed to serve for the next year.

Office	Current Officer	2022
President	Chris Hardham	Yes
VP of Overseas Diving	Nils Jacobson	Yes
VP of Local Diving	Ryan Goheen	Yes
VP of Programs	Rick Dayan	Yes
VP of Social Events	Alan Feuerman	Yes
Secretary	Amy Wellman	Yes
Treasurer	Ronnie Farr	Yes

Please be aware that nominations are closed for this year's election.

The online election will be opened December 2 at 7:00 PM
The online election will be closed on December 9 at 7:00 PM

If you would like to view free Zoom tutorials, you can find them here. Or you can take a free Zoom class from Geeks On Tour here.

Don't forget to keep checking our Facebook page for the interesting articles Russ is posting. https://www.facebook.com/usadiveclub

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

November President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 00:33:59 GMT

Happy November, Fall is here and hurricane season is over. Hope everybody is enjoying some diving while the water temperatures are still very comfortable. The club has a lot of local diving going on, so plenty of opportunities to see our friends and share a good dive.

Unfortunately FWC voted to allow limited harvesting of Goliath groupers, this is a sad thought for me and I am sure most of our membership. They are such beautiful giants. I go busy and didn't do any Goliath dives this year.

I will be going to DEMA with Nils this year to look for a trip opportunity for next fall for the club and my first DEMA experience. I am looking forward to it.

For all of the members that are vaccinated and comfortable with live meetings, we would enjoy your company. Especially for our live presenters like this month with Rob Myers.

Office	Current Officer	2022
President	Chris Hardham	Yes
VP of Overseas Diving	Nils Jacobson	Yes
VP of Local Diving	Ryan Goheen	Yes
VP of Programs	Rick Dayan	Yes
VP of Social Events	Alan Feuerman	Yes
Secretary	Amy Wellman	Yes
Treasurer	Ronnie Farr	Yes

Please be aware that any member meeting the qualifications can be nominated at any of our membership meetings prior to the election.

If you would like to view free Zoom tutorials, you can find them here. Or you can take a free Zoom class from Geeks On Tour here.

Don't forget to keep checking our Facebook page for the interesting articles Russ is posting. https://www.facebook.com/usadiveclub

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

October President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 00:06:36 GMT

Welcome to October and Fall is finally here. Summer in South Florida can be challenging with the oppressive heat, but soon the temperatures will cool down some. Unfortunately the water temperatures will also and we know some of our members don’t appreciate the cooler water. This is good motivation to get some local dives scheduled. Ryan has several on the calendar, so sign up and enjoy some time in the water, this is one of the reasons we all live here.

Goliath Grouper protection is active again, please check out the following link and anything you can do is greatly appreciated. These are amazing animals that many of us enjoy diving with and photographing.

https://www.dema.org/news/579832/ALERT-FWC-Meeting-in-St.-Augustine-FL-Regarding-Goliath-Grouper.htm

Office	Current Officer	2022
President	Chris Hardham	Yes
VP of Overseas Diving	Nils Jacobson	Yes
VP of Local Diving	Ryan Goheen	Yes
VP of Programs	Rick Dayan	Yes
VP of Social Events	Alan Feuerman	Yes
Secretary	Amy Wellman	Yes
Treasurer	Ronnie Farr	Yes

Please be aware that any member meeting the qualifications can be nominated at any of our membership meetings prior to the election.

If you would like to view free Zoom tutorials, you can find them here. Or you can take a free Zoom class from Geeks On Tour here.

Don't forget to keep checking our Facebook page for the interesting articles Russ is posting. https://www.facebook.com/usadiveclub

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

September President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Sun, 29 Aug 2021 16:04:46 GMT

As a reminder to last month's news that the Board has approved in person meetings, we are maintaining broadcasting our meetings via Zoom. This allows us to socialize both in person and virtually, plus recruit some great speakers that are not in our area. For those that are in the area, please remember that the location has changed to the Hampton Inn on Cypress Creek East of I-95.

The Club had a very successful trip to Belize on the Aggressor, please check out the trip report for information. USA is going to South Caicos September 11-18, this is a change to the Little Cayman trip since Cayman Islands aren't open for travel still. The group will have an amazing time. We also recently opened up a trip next year on the Cayman Aggressor, not sure if there are openings still. If you are interested, please reach out to the trip Lead Clare Anthon.

Since we are moving back to live meetings, there are some Board positions that need to be filled. If you are interested or know of someone that would be interested, please let me know and I will approach these members.

AV Manager
Promotions
Mini Trips
Membership (Stephanie has requested to step down)

If you would like to view free Zoom tutorials, you can find them here. Or you can take a free Zoom class from Geeks On Tour here.

Don't forget to keep checking our Facebook page for the interesting articles Russ is posting. https://www.facebook.com/usadiveclub

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

August President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 19:56:06 GMT

As a follow-up to last month's news that the Board has approved in person meetings, we are maintaining broadcasting our meetings via Zoom. This allows us to socialize both in person and virtually, plus recruit some great speakers that are not in our area. For those that are in the area, please remember that the location has changed to the Hampton Inn on Cypress Creek East of I-95.

This month has also had good success with local diving and the July 4th party. The ability for people to begin socializing again together is a sign that society is moving forward safely from the isolation of the past year.

AV Manager
Promotions
Mini Trips
Membership (Stephanie has requested to step down)

If you would like to view free Zoom tutorials, you can find them here. Or you can take a free Zoom class from Geeks On Tour here.

Don't forget to keep checking our Facebook page for the interesting articles Russ is posting. https://www.facebook.com/usadiveclub

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

July President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 02:37:34 GMT

I am glad to report that the Board has voted to start holding live meetings starting in August and we have also found and approved a new location. We will be running the Zoom call as well as the live meeting, so For those of you that don't know, the Marriott changed ownership and increased their prices above what the club can afford. Ronnie found the Hampton Inn on Cyrpress Creek that has affordable prices and is eager to have us as a new client. This Hampton Inn is located East of 95 with numerous restaurants located at Andrews and Cypress Creek. Look for the invitation for the meeting coming in the next couple of weeks.

Additionally, Kathi McCutcheon is graceful enough to host the club for a party over the weekend, please see the social blog for details and emails sent to the membership.

If you would like to view free Zoom tutorials, you can find them here. Or you can take a free Zoom class from Geeks On Tour here.

Don't forget to keep checking our Facebook page for the interesting articles Russ is posting. https://www.facebook.com/usadiveclub

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

June President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Tue, 25 May 2021 22:40:16 GMT

It is very encouraging to hear how many of our member's have received vaccinations It is equally impressive to see how many local dives are now on the calendar and that they are full almost as fast as they are posted.

Your Board of Directors are looking hard for a new location for member meetings since the Marriott has new ownership and they have booked the room we have been using in recent years. Nils and Ronnie have been working hard to try and negotiate with the Marriott but they either want too much or have rooms already booked. Now we are looking at other options for our future meetings.

Please keep an eye out for upcoming polls to get your feedback on when you want to start back with live in person membership meetings. I know I miss meeting with people before the meeting over a snack or cocktail and hearing about their recent adventures.

If you would like to view free Zoom tutorials, you can find them here. Or you can take a free Zoom class from Geeks On Tour here.

Don't forget to keep checking our Facebook page for the interesting articles Russ is posting. https://www.facebook.com/usadiveclub

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

May President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Sat, 01 May 2021 21:17:48 GMT

I hope that as many people as possible helped to preserve the fauna at the Blue Heron Bridge last month. We all benefit from the great variety that live in this unique location.

This month I would like to ask you to consider attending The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will have hearings on May 12 and 13. These sessions are virtual https://myfwc.com/about/commission/commission-meetings/may-2021/

May 12 Goliath Grouper. Staff will provide a review and discussion of goliath grouper, including biology, updates on ongoing research, and stakeholder opinions. Staff will seek Commission approval on next steps for goliath management in state waters, including whether to prepare a draft rule for limited harvest. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 2 hours.
Summary Memo | Presentation

On May 13 the meeting will continue with a session on Lobster mini season that many of our Members may want to attend as well.

May 13 Spiny Lobster Mini-Season. Staff will provide a presentation on Florida’s recreational two-day spiny lobster mini-season, with a special focus on Monroe County and the Florida Keys. Topics will include management history and recent stakeholder requests related to management in Monroe County. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 1 hour.
Summary Memo | Presentation

Both of these sessions are virtual, so if you have the time and desire, I hope you are able to attend.

April's Presidents Waves

Chris Hardham — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 22:13:58 GMT

This month we have a unique opportunity to help preserve a unique diving site, the Blue Heron Bridge. Roger was kind enough to share an email with us asking us to email Riviera Beach District 4 Councilwoman Dr. Julia Botel. We as divers need to be vocal on this subject as the bridge is a very special place. We have gotten used to being able to see marine life that we don’t see local otherwise, so we need to preserve this special habit for future divers and the people that travel from around the county to come and see these special animals in our backyard. The email for Dr Botel is jbotel@rivierabeach.org. Please include any details you wish about businesses you frequent or friends and family that travel to the area to spend money in Riviera Beach. We need to keep the bridge free of fisher people for our safety and the variety that of marine life that lives there.

Now that I have gotten this subject out of the way, I am excited for warmer water coming and being able to travel to dive now that so many people are getting their vaccines and Florida is opening up for almost everybody.

I hope to see as many members as possible for our general membership meeting in a couple of days. Rick Dayan as usual has lined up an exciting speaker. Katharine Evans is one of the founders of Marine Conservation Costa Rica, a non-profit located on the central Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Katharine is the lead biologist on MCCR's coral restoration project and also the intern and education coordinator.

March President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Sun, 28 Feb 2021 01:37:56 GMT

March is here already, this year is flying by. It is good to see the progress for a return to somewhat normal, each meeting it is great to hear of more members getting vaccinated. Plus it is encouraging to see so many members planning for dive travel again.

It is good to see how many people are reserving to join the monthly meeting, we have had some great speakers so far this year and this month looks to be the same.

Alan Feuerman has been working on some good ideas for virtual social events, if you have any ideas, please share them with Alan. While virtual events aren't as fun they are what we have for now.

If you would like to view free Zoom tutorials, you can find them here. Or you can take a free Zoom class from Geeks On Tour here.

Don't forget to keep checking our Facebook page for the interesting articles Russ is posting. https://www.facebook.com/usadiveclub

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

February President's Waves

Chris Hardham — Sun, 31 Jan 2021 13:17:00 GMT

Welcome to February everybody. During our social conversations before the last Membership meeting it was promising to hear how many of our members have received vaccines and them sharing tips for others to get theirs, hopefully we will be able to semi return to a more social lifestyle.

During our January Board Meeting, we confirmed the following appointed positions:

Hospitality Clare Anthon
Membership Stephanie Voris
Newsletter Roger Cooper
Education Coord Howard Ratsch
Historian Robert Shearer
Photographer Laura Moran
Social Media Russ Manhold
Photo Gallery Coord Julia Manhold

The board has approved Club Rules update as proposed by the Membership Committee

ARTICLE II: APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

Section 1: Applications for membership must be submitted along with annual dues, a signed Membership Agreement, and proof of certification from a globally recognized S.C.U.B.A. diving certification training agency.

Section 2: All dues and/or fees shall be established by the Board of Directors.

Section 3: Applications for membership shall be reviewed and approved by a committee designated by the Board of Directors.

Please follow our Social Media and webpage for updates during the month. We would love to hear suggestions for ways to celebrate the club's 50th anniversary this year.

January 2021 President's Waves by Chris Hardham

Roger Cooper — Sat, 30 Jan 2021 15:35:58 GMT

I hope everybody had a HAPPY HOLIDAYS and look forward to many improvements in 2021, especially compared to 2020.

I look forward to seeing everybody as the January General Membership meeting January 7 at 7:00 with social time starting at 6:45.

I would like to thank everybody for your vote of confidence in electing me president for the upcoming year. I look forward to working with the Board and Membership to keep improving our club as much as possible.

Earlier this year, the Board of Directors decided to extend memberships through 2021 due to restrictions on our activities caused by the pandemic. While current members will not be required to pay dues for 2021, the Club would be happy to accept donations from any member willing to donate their dues amount to help keep the Club going. Please use Zelle to send donations to treasurer@usadiveclub.org.

If you would like to view free Zoom tutorials, you can find them here. Or you can take a free Zoom class from Geeks On Tour here.

Don't forget to keep checking our Facebook page for the interesting articles Howard is posting. https://www.facebook.com/usadiveclub

Happy diving,

Chris Hardham
President

December 2020 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Sat, 21 Nov 2020 17:55:19 GMT

Please attend our General Meeting in December to participate in the annual election. Due to the ongoing pandemic, this December we will have a General Meeting over Zoom rather than having a Christmas party. Hopefully next year we can all get a vaccine and start getting back together in person again.

Club Bylaws require that the Board’s proposed slate of officers be presented to you in the two newsletters before the election. Presented for your consideration are the following:

President:	Chris Hardham
VP Programs:	Rick Dayan
VP Overseas Diving:	Nils Jacobsen
VP Local Diving:	Ryan Goheen
VP Social:	Alan Feuerman
Secretary:	Amy Wellman
Treasurer:	Ronnie Farr

Anyone interested in running for an elected position on the Board should notify me, either at a General Meeting or by email (president@usadiveclub.org).

Appointed officers will be selected during the first Board meeting in January.

Please congratulate Eunice Hamblen for achieving Hall of Fame status. She has put in seven years working as a volunteer on our Board, helping to do the work needed to keep this Club running. Thank you, Eunice.

November 2020 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 19:25:23 GMT

The Board of Directors has decided to hold the annual election at our General Meeting in December. Yes, this December we will have a General Meeting over Zoom rather than having a Christmas party. Hopefully next year we can all get a vaccine and start getting back together in person again.

Club Bylaws require that the Board’s proposed slate of officers be presented to you in the two newsletters before the election. Presented for your consideration are the following:

President:	Chris Hardham
VP Programs:	Rick Dayan
VP Overseas Diving:	Nils Jacobsen
VP Local Diving:	Ryan Goheen
VP Social:	Alan Feuerman
Secretary:	Amy Wellman
Treasurer:	Ronnie Farr

Anyone interested in running for an elected position on the Board should notify me, either at a General Meeting or by email (president@usadiveclub.org).

Appointed officers will be selected during the first Board meeting in January.

October 2020 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 19:52:04 GMT

I have more good news to announce. The proposed bylaws have been approved by over 70% of the 90 members who participated in the recent online vote. Thank you to everyone who voted. This Club has a new set of bylaws that you can see by clicking here.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will meet virtually Oct. 7 and 8 beginning at 9 a.m. ET each day. The meeting is open to the public. This meeting is being held by communications media technology, specifically using Adobe Connect with a telephone conference line for accepting public comments during the meeting. The Florida Channel will be broadcasting live video coverage at TheFloridaChannel.org and participants watching via the Florida Channel can utilize the telephone conference line to call in for public comment.

For the full Oct. 7-8 agenda, links to background reports, and ways to participate, go to MyFWC.com/About and click on “The Commission” and “Commission Meetings.”

September 2020 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 17:53:07 GMT

I have good news to announce. The Bylaws Committee has completed their work creating a proposed set of bylaws for the USA Dive Club. Over 75% of the Club's Board of Directors approved the proposed bylaws and the Board has scheduled an online vote by the membership beginning September 4. We will have a question and answer session with the Bylaws Committee at the September 3rd meeting after the speaker's presentation.

We have created a summary of the changes. Click here to view the summary.

Click here to view the complete proposed bylaws.

The biggest change in these proposed bylaws is that members of the Hall of Fame will no longer have lifetime memberships on the Board of Directors. A majority of the Board of Directors, including many members of the Hall of Fame, support this change as the best way to help the Club get and keep volunteers into the future.

Under the proposed bylaws, members of the Hall of Fame can still be elected and appointed Board members. Currently a number of members of the Hall of Fame hold Board positions, including Clare Anthon, Ronnie Farr, John Ficarra, Ryan Goheen, Nils Jacobsen, Julie Manhold, and Robert Shearer. Therefore, the Hall of Fame will continue to be represented on the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors recommends that members vote "Yes" to support the proposed bylaws.

And, here are two other news items from the Board of Directors.

The date of the annual election has been set as December 3. We are not planning to have a Christmas party this year due to the pandemic. Therefore, we will conduct the annual election during a Zoom meeting on December 3.
The Board voted to eliminate the $10 initiation fee for new members. This will remove a small barrier to new member applications and has no financial impact on the Club.

August 2020 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 19:58:39 GMT

With the pandemic going on, Club activities have been limited to Zoom meetings for the past few months. It looks like that is going to continue until the pandemic is under control. Therefore, the Board of Directors has decided to extend paid memberships through 2021. Hopefully, we will be able to get back to something closer to normal next year. We currently have three overseas dive trips scheduled in 2021, so we are counting on things improving considerably.

Also, several months ago the Board decided that newly certified Open Water divers would get their first year of membership free if they apply for membership in our Club within one year of earning their certification. If you know any new divers, this would be a good time for them to join our Club and get a free membership through 2021.

Some of us are still keeping in touch and going diving together, even though we are not doing official Club trips. Recently we got together to do three shark dives in one day. We went to Jupiter, FL, and were introduced to Jenny the Tiger Shark. Click here to view a video captured by Laura Moran. The video shows the shark circling around in a group of divers. You may think we are petting the shark, but that is not the case. We are redirecting the shark by pushing on the top of its head to keep it from running into us. Laura was behind me, so that is me occasionally blocking the view of the shark.

July 2020 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Sun, 28 Jun 2020 20:23:57 GMT

We have been learning more about the best ways to conduct Zoom meetings. Therefore, let's set down some ground rules that should make for a better meeting all around.

Zoom Meeting Ground Rules:

We will have 20 minutes of social time before the presentation starts. Everyone will be able to mute and unmute themselves to speak during that time. It will be great to see everyone! Keeping your mic muted while listening is common courtesy for meetings over 8-10 attendees.
When it is time for the presentation, the host will mute everyone except for the presenter. After that, you will not be able to unmute yourself.
Use Chat to send questions and comments during the presentation. The presenter will respond to questions at the appropriate time in the presentation.
If you wish to speak, use the Raise Hand feature in Zoom (see below) to let the host know. The host will unmute you when it is your turn to speak. Please keep comments to a minute or two. The host will mute your microphone before moving to the next raised hand.

How to use the Raise Hand feature in the Zoom App on a computer:

At the bottom of the Zoom window, click on the Participants button.
That will open the Participants window. At the bottom of that window you should find the Raise hand button. Click that button.
Then in the list of participants, everyone will see a blue hand symbol next to your name. Also, in Gallery view, a white hand within a blue square appears in the corner of your picture. The host will see those symbols and know you wish to speak. The host can lower your hand when you are done speaking.

June 2020 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Tue, 26 May 2020 14:57:31 GMT

Until it is safe for groups of people to meet in person, we will conduct virtual meetings using Zoom.

Both members and guests must register in advance for these meetings. Once meeting invitations have been sent, you will be able to click on a link in the invitation or the Calendar entry to register. Members bringing a guest should send the guest's name and email address to president@usadiveclub.org so the guest's registration will be approved. Registration helps prevent "Zoombombing" attacks.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information you will need to join the meeting. You must register before 5:00 PM on the day of the meeting.

Please join the meeting a little early to allow time to admit people from the Waiting Room before the meeting starts. Directing all attendees to a Waiting Room before they are admitted to the meeting also helps prevent "Zoombombing" attacks.

We will start the meeting with 30 minutes of social time so we can catch up with our friends. Then we will turn the meeting over to our speaker.

Zoom client software will download automatically when you join a meeting. If you would like to speed up the process of joining a meeting, you can download client software here. Note that Zoom updates their client software fairly frequently.

If you would like to view free Zoom tutorials, you can find them here. Or you can take a free Zoom class from Geeks On Tour here.

May 2020 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Sun, 03 May 2020 01:36:45 GMT

Things are starting to open up, but restrictions vary depending on the county. Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties have the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases in Florida. Therefore, they also have more restrictions. However, as I write this, Palm Beach County is allowing dive boats to operate with restrictions.

You can read the Palm Beach County document telling what is allowed and what is restricted here. Be prepared for the following restrictions.

Maximum of 10 people on the boat
Divers must be seated at least six feet apart
Everyone on the boat must wear a face covering before, between, and after diving
Social distancing rules apply on the boat
Dive shops may only operate to fill dive tanks, by appointment only
Restaurants at marinas are limited to take-out service only
Beaches are still not open (no beach diving at the Blue Heron Bridge)

I know of several dive boats that are operating at about half their normal capacity. I recommend signing up to go diving as much as possible to help out our local dive operations.

By the time you read this, some things may have changed. In fact, change seems to be the only thing that is certain now. Therefore, in that spirit, I have decided to host a Zoom virtual meeting for our May General Membership Meeting. We can hear about the status of planned overseas dive trips, and see how our friends are holding up during the lockdown.

April 2020 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 19:42:27 GMT

Fiji - A Truncated Trip

First, let me say that the Nai'a is a top-notch liveaboard. The cabins are great. The crew is great. The food is great. And the service is great. They wrote a blog entry describing the days we were diving with them. Click here to read their blog.

The first time I went to Fiji, the water was clear and cold, giving amazing visibility. The days were sunny, making the pinnacle tops bright fairylands of beautiful marine life. We scheduled this trip for warmer water, but along with that we got clouds and rainy days. The rain washed silt into the ocean, so visibility was sometimes quite bad. Fortunately, pinnacle tops are still fairylands of beautiful marine life, and the underwater world of Fiji is still stunning. I have a picture of a seahorse that was smaller than a pencil eraser. I also have lots of pictures of colorful soft corals and teaming sea life. I hope to go back soon, but hopefully not during a pandemic.

One thing about liveaboard trips, you are out of touch with the rest of the world. We did not know how bad things were getting. Therefore, we were surprised on Thursday to learn that Americans had been called home. We found that the only flight we could get out of Fiji was the one we had originally booked at the end of our two-week stay. All the other flights were over booked by 100 people. Nai'a was going to pass close to Volivoli Beach Resort on Friday, so they dropped us off there Friday afternoon. That saved us from making a long bus ride back to Volivoli, because the short route was closed due to a lock-down caused by two Fiji COVID-19 cases.

When we landed on Friday afternoon, we thought we were going to have a week of diving at the resort. That plan didn't last very long. We found out almost immediately that an American Airlines flight had been added on Monday morning, all other flights after that had been canceled, and our travel agent (MaryAnne Hines - Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!) had changed our booking so we could get out on the Monday morning flight. So all we had to do was get to the Nadi airport before Monday morning, and the resort already had a group of 20 people they planned to send to the airport on Sunday afternoon, taking the short route with police escort. We could join that group.

Yes, we could join that group, but on Saturday we learned that the short route was out of the question. We had to make an eight-hour bus ride starting Sunday morning by 7:00 AM because we couldn't get permission to pass through the lock-down area. So we spent Saturday drying gear and catching up with the rest of the world. The bus ride on Sunday was long but uneventful, getting us to our hotel next to the Nadi airport on Sunday afternoon. We got a few hours sleep, but got up at 1:00 AM to get in line to check-in for our flight. We knew it would be a full flight and we needed to be on that plane.

The flight left Fiji at 7:00 Monday morning. Thanks to the magic of the International Dateline, it arrived at LAX at 11:00 PM Sunday night. For some reason it took an hour for them to get us to a gate, so we got off the plane at midnight. Everything was closed, and we had to sit on stone window sills in the airport waiting to check-in at 3:20 AM for our flight to Miami. After that check-in, things improved. We moved to a nice waiting area inside security. Also, we had been able to upgrade our seats on the Miami flight to First Class for a small fee, so that four-hour flight was comfortable and we had a good meal. We got home Monday afternoon, tired but happy to be back.

We weren't at Volivoli Beach Resort very long, but clearly it is a beautiful resort. The rooms were large and well equipped. The food in the restaurant was excellent. The staff was extremely helpful. I hope to go back soon and spend that week of diving that I missed. Both the resort and Nai'a closed up after we left because they had no other bookings. Hopefully they won't be closed too long and their owners can restart business soon.

March 2020 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Sat, 29 Feb 2020 13:51:50 GMT

If you read undercurrent, you may have noticed an article titled "The Ins and Outs of Trip Insurance" in the February issue. Local member Bob Weybrecht was quoted in the article due to his difficulty in renewing his DAN Guardian dive insurance plan in January. Unfortunately, the underwriter of the Guardian plan decided stop covering people over 70, and DAN has been forced to find new underwriters for that plan on a state-by-state basis. However, this did not affect their Preferred and Master plans, which are available for divers of any age. Also, this had nothing to do with trip insurance. The editors of undercurrent have published a correction, which can be found here.

Six of us traveled to Bimini on February 19th through the 23rd to see hammerhead sharks. We took the ferry from Fort Lauderdale and we were supposed to return on the 22nd, but sea conditions were too bad for the ferry to run on that day. The ferry trip on Wednesday the 19th took about two hours. Then we made our way to the Big Game Club Resort. After checking in, we spent the afternoon exploring a bit and preparing to dive the next day. We did two dives on Thursday. The first dive explored a wreck, much or which is still above water due to the shallow wreck site. For the second dive, they put out a bait box and we got an up close view of a lot of reef sharks.

While sea conditions were almost flat on Thursday, they were getting steadily worse on Friday. Neal Watson's Bimini Scuba Center had planned for a late morning start of the Great Hammerhead Shark safari, but we had to move up the time to right after breakfast. They took us on a 10-minute trip to the feeding location and put out a bait box to attract sharks. Then we waited for hammerheads to show up. And we waited. And we waited some more. There is no guarantee that hammerheads will show, though they typically do show up this time of year. Finally, two hammerhead sharks arrived.

Once the hammerheads arrived, the crew presented a briefing about the dive. If you do the Great Hammerhead Shark safari, I suggest that you pay careful attention during the briefing. Every diver gets a three or four-foot piece of PVC pipe, and the briefing tells you how to use the pipe to protect yourself from various types of sharks. For hammerheads, you hold the pipe upright and let them run into the pipe and go around you. For nurse sharks, you can use the pipe to push them away. I don't remember what they said about bull and tiger sharks, so you better listen to the whole briefing in case my memory is faulty on hammerheads and nurse sharks.

They do one dive that is two hours long. The dive is very shallow, so some divers may not have to change tanks. Others may change tanks and go back. Everyone should wear at least 24 pounds of weight, and more is recommended. The divers kneel in a line with the bait box in the middle of the line. A crew member feeds hammerhead sharks that approach from one direction, and pushes away nurse sharks that try to sneak in for food. For our dive, visibility was bad at the start and got worse. Sea conditions also got worse, and the crew ended the dive after an hour and a half. By then, getting back on the boat was not something I wanted to do more than once.

On Saturday, we were supposed to do two dives in the morning and take the ferry home in the evening. Sea conditions were too bad for any of that. Instead, we visited the Bimini Sharklab for an interesting presentation about sharks and what the research station is doing. I recommend a visit if you find the time.

The first picture shows a hammerhead shark, the bait box, and the crewman who was feeding the sharks. They are 15 to 20 feet away. The second picture shows a hammerhead shark that went by me during the dive. It is two to four feet from my camera and I used Adobe Lightroom to make improvements. You can see other pictures from the trip here.

February 2020 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Thu, 23 Jan 2020 21:29:24 GMT

The Board of Directors has approved changes to the Club Rules and Bylaws. The membership will be asked to approve those changes during the February meeting. Please click on the following links to review the changes.

Rules: Article II - Application for Membership

Bylaws: Article VII - Membership

The major change is to the rules having to do with Application for Membership. The changes remove Section 1, which requires an applicant to attend one Club event before being eligible for membership. The current Section 4 is also changed to remove the need for a three-fourths vote of the Board by substituting approval of a Membership Committee consisting of at least three Board members. Here are the reasons for these changes.

Requiring a three-fourths vote of the Board should be limited to extremely important and sensitive issues. Approving new membership applications does not fit that profile. In fact, as far as I know, the Board has always approved membership applications. Sometimes it takes a while for us to collect the appropriate documentation and payments, but we want new members and are happy to approve their applications. In fact, we would like to allow new members to apply online, which would make it easier for them and us. However, that brings us to the reason for removing Section 1.

The requirement in Section 1 that an applicant must attend one Club event in order to be eligible for membership, along with the requirement in Section 4 for a three-fourths vote of the Board to approve an application, makes it appear that we are extremely picky about who joins the Club. Nothing could be further from the truth. We want new members and we are happy to see them whoever they are. We would even like to have new members who live pretty much anywhere in the world and want to go diving with us. Removing Section 1 would allow us to create an online application process that could be used by local and remote applicants.

The Rules changes would give us a membership approval process that is more in line with other organization like ours. The resulting process would make it faster and easier for new members to join. There would still be a Membership Committee made up of Board members, but approvals would not require an official Board meeting.

Some might have a question about what happens if a new member turns out to be a bad fit for our Club. That is already handled in Article VII of our Bylaws. Section 3 allows for revoking membership under certain circumstances. There is just one change that was made to that Section. Revoking membership for non-payment of dues was removed from the list of things that require a three-fourths vote of the Board and moved to a section of its own.

January 2020 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Sat, 28 Dec 2019 12:23:39 GMT

We have moved the next meeting to the 2nd Thursday in January (the 9th) to give more people a chance to learn about the upcoming dive trips for 2020. Nils will give us more details about our Little Cayman Beach Resort and Belize Aggressor trips. These trips will be open for signups at the January meeting.

Little Cayman Beach Resort is a popular dive destination for our club. The iconic Bloody Bay Wall Marine Park, year-round warm tropical waters, and lush coral reefs teeming with marine life make for a beautiful underwater experience. Their dive boats provide personalized valet services that take the work out of diving. Their spacious, well equipped rooms and excellent meals provide a pleasant experience out of the water as well.

In mid-August, we will be on the Belize Aggressor IV. Their website says "Belize is a wall diver's paradise. Sheer walls like Painted Wall, Half Moon Caye Wall and Quebrada are adorned with huge crimson gorgonians and giant orange elephant ear sponges. Moray eels, spiny lobsters and tiny arrow crabs hide in every crack, crevice, cave and tunnels of these beautiful coral formations."

December 2019 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 11:48:02 GMT

We held our annual election during the November meeting. Here are our elected officers for 2020.

President:	Roger Cooper
VP Programs:	Ken Glaser
VP Overseas Diving:	Nils Jacobsen
VP Local Diving:	Ryan Goheen
VP Social:
Secretary:	Amy Wellman
Treasurer:	Ronnie Farr

Appointed officers will be selected during the first Board meeting in January.

This club used to give out commemorative plaques each year to celebrate the work of the volunteers who keep the club running. Eventually, folks realized they just didn't need a lot of plaques around the house, and the custom ended. However, that does not mean that our appreciation for our volunteers has ended. All of our elected and appointed officers are volunteers who put in a lot of work behind the scenes so we can have social events, overseas dive trips, local diving, meetings, a website, a Facebook page, and a functioning corporation that pays taxes and files paperwork on time.

During this season for giving thanks, please remember to thank our volunteers for the work they do. And if you can find a bit of time in your schedule, please volunteer to help out, because we would all appreciate the help. Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

November 2019 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 21:57:40 GMT

We are holding the annual election at our General Meeting in November.

Club Bylaws require that the Board’s proposed slate of officers be presented to you in the two newsletters before the election. Presented for your consideration are the following:

President:	Roger Cooper
VP Programs:	Ken Glaser
VP Overseas Diving:	Nils Jacobsen
VP Local Diving:	Ryan Goheen
VP Social:
Secretary:	Amy Wellman
Treasurer:	Ronnie Farr

Anyone interested in running for a position on the Board should notify me, either at a General Meeting or by email (president@usadiveclub.org).

We would like to find volunteers to help with several important jobs. If you can spare even a bit of time, please get involved. We would like to form committees to spread the workload, so you don't have to commit large amounts of time. But we won't know you are interested unless you let us know.

Several people have ideas for things to do, but it would help if someone would volunteer to be Vice President for Social Events. That person could then help coordinate scheduling for the other folks with event ideas.
Ken Glaser is looking for help with Programs and Promotions. If we could put together some small committees to help with these jobs, that would be ideal. Please contact Ken if you can help.
We need help with Audio/Video equipment for monthly meetings. Roman Boszko has resigned so he and Ewa can travel more, and John Ficarra has notified us that he and Kathy will also be traveling quite a bit. Please contact John if you can help out.
We still would like to find a Photographer for Club events, or a few people who are willing to share the duty. Please contact me if you could help us by taking pictures at club events. If you volunteer, you are not expected to attend all Club events. Come on folks, this is more fun than work.

October 2019 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Sun, 15 Sep 2019 20:40:34 GMT

The Board of Directors has decided to hold the annual election at our General Meeting in November.

Club Bylaws require that the Board’s proposed slate of officers be presented to you in the two newsletters before the election. Presented for your consideration are the following:

President:	Roger Cooper
VP Programs:	Ken Glaser
VP Overseas Diving:	Nils Jacobsen
VP Local Diving:	Ryan Goheen
VP Social:
Secretary:	Amy Wellman
Treasurer:	Ronnie Farr

Anyone interested in running for a position on the Board should notify me, either at a General Meeting or by email (president@usadiveclub.org).

Our Club needs volunteers to help with several important jobs. If you can spare even a bit of time, please get involved. We would like to form committees to spread the workload, so you don't have to commit large amounts of time. But we won't know you are interested unless you let us know.

Several people have ideas for things to do, but we need someone to volunteer to be Vice President for Social Events.
Ken Glaser is looking for help with Programs and Promotions. If we could put together some small committees to help with these jobs, that would be ideal. Please contact Ken if you can help.
We need help with Audio/Video equipment for monthly meetings. Roman Boszko has resigned so he and Ewa can travel more, and John Ficarra has notified us that he and Kathy will also be traveling quite a bit. Please contact John if you can help out.
We still need a Photographer for Club events, or a few people who are willing to share the duty. Please contact me if you could help us by taking pictures at club events.

September 2019 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 20:58:26 GMT

The recommended changes to our Bylaws were approved by a vote of the members at the General Membership meeting in August. If you wish, you can review those change here. Or, you can click here to view the updated Bylaws.

Ken Glaser is looking for help with Programs and Promotions. If we could put together some small committees to help with these jobs, that would be ideal. Please contact Ken if you can help.
We need help with Audio/Video equipment for monthly meetings. Roman Boszko has just resigned so he and Ewa can travel more, and John Ficarra has notified us that he and Kathy will also be traveling quite a bit. Please contact John if you can help out.
We still need a Photographer for Club events, or a few people who are willing to share the duty. Please contact me if you could help us by taking pictures at club events.

August 2019 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Tue, 23 Jul 2019 20:21:52 GMT

Our Board of Directors has approved a set of Bylaws changes that will be presented for approval during the August General Membership meeting. The members in attendance during the August 1 meeting will be asked to vote on the changes, which you can review here. (Or, you can copy this URL to the address bar of your browser.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1PrQNK1fYFavO7i9_KETiEubvnpmVgGEG )

There are changes to Articles III, IV, VII, VIII, and X. The reasons for making these changes are as follows.

Allow the Board of Directors to set the date of the annual election - We would like to get away from having the election at the same time as the annual Christmas party in December.
Allow online voting within specified guidelines - We would like for the Board to have the option of using online voting for elections. The changes do not require online voting, and do not specify a product to be used. They do specify characteristics that must be available in any product we use for online voting.
Clear up some potentially confusing wording

The changes are lengthy and it will speed up the General Membership meeting if everyone reads the changes before attending the meeting. If you have questions, please email me or bring them up for discussion before the vote. We will allow time for discussion before calling for a vote.

Our Club needs volunteers to help with several important jobs. If you can spare some time, please get involved.

Ken Glaser is looking for help with Programs and Promotions. If we could put together some small committees to help with these jobs, that would be ideal. Please contact Ken if you can help.
We need help with Audio/Video equipment for monthly meetings. Roman Boszko has just resigned so he and Ewa can travel more, and John Ficarra has notified us that he and Kathy will also be traveling quite a bit. Please contact John if you can help out.
We still need a Photographer for Club events, or a few people who are willing to share the duty. Please contact me if you could help us by taking pictures at club events.

July 2019 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 20:43:22 GMT

IMPORTANT: There is no meeting this month due to the first Thursday being the 4th of July.

So get out there and enjoy those fireworks, 4th of July sales, and maybe some diving with your extra day off.

Our club has a group taking off to go diving in Cuba on the Jardines Aggressor II, July 6 through 13. You may have heard there are new restrictions on Americans going to Cuba, banning the most common ways Americans travel to the island. However, this trip was booked prior to the restrictions going into effect and therefore is allowed. Our travelers can expect a wonderful week of diving in the Gardens of the Queen marine reserve, and lots of encounters with sharks. Have fun, folks.

A group of us recently went diving at the Blue Heron Bridge on a Monday afternoon. We saw octopus, pipe fish, various crabs, lots of baby flounder, lots of arrow crabs, and tiny bristle worms all over the place. I'd like to go back again soon to see what else I can find. It helps to go with friends so you have multiple spotters. That worked out well for us.

On our Facebook page, check out the article about the sinking of the Majestic Explorer liveaboard in the Galapagos islands. Imagine having to get off your liveaboard in the middle of the night with just your passport and the clothes you are wearing. The 14 passengers on that yacht were transported from boat to boat eight times during a 10-hour trip back to port.

June 2019 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Thu, 30 May 2019 00:53:02 GMT

Let's take a brief look at our website, usadiveclub.org. Over on the far right of the main menu you will find Web Links. If you look at that page, you will find links to our sponsors as well as useful links for divers. There are several links for weather, including a link to the NOAA local marine forecast.

There are several links for webcams around South Florida, in case you want to check how the beaches look from the comfort of your home. We have links to safety information, and to South Florida diving information. We have links to scuba organization like NAUI and PADI, and we have links to other scuba clubs. We also have links to internationally known web resources related to scuba diving.

The most recent addition to our Web Links page is a link to a shop (One World - Zero Waste) that sells reusable items (e.g., metal drinking straws, bamboo eating utensils) which replace single use plastic items. If you know of any other web links that might be of general interest, please let me know.

May 2019 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 18:58:34 GMT

In order to help our bookkeeping for events, please send all payments to our club Treasurer. Please allow time for checks to arrive in the Treasurer's hands before an event. We have to reserve spots on dive boats ahead of time, therefore we need to collect the money ahead so we know how many are coming. Please do not plan on paying for local diving on the day of the event. Since we cannot hold spots without payment, you may show up to find the boat is full.

There are multiple ways you can get payments to our Treasurer.

You could set up USA Dive Club as a payee in your bank's payment system and have event payments sent from your bank. Then you don't have to keep writing and mailing checks. Use Ronnie Farr's address (get it from the directory). However, keep in mind that the Club needs event payments ahead of time and you have to allow five days for the bank's check to arrive.
A much faster method is available if your financial institution allows you to send money using Zelle. You can send payments to treasurer@usadiveclub.org. Just be sure to say what the payment is for in the memo.
You can make out a personal check to "USA Dive Club" and mail it to Ronnie Farr, our club Treasurer (get address from directory). Or you can bring your check to a meeting and hand it to Ronnie.

The Treasurer would prefer that you use Zelle. If you bank with Bank of America, BB&T, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, PNC Bank, US Bank, Citibank, or Wells Fargo, you should have access to Zelle. If you financial institution is not part of the Zelle network, you can join using an iOS or Android Zelle app.

If you are a club member and you need Ronnie Farr's address, you can get it right here on this website. Once you login, go to the Directory page and you have access to contact information provided by other club members. Also, you can update your own contact information as needed. If you have not already set a password for this site, use the Forgot Password link on the login page.

April 2019 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 20:58:49 GMT

Our local diving season has begun. We have three local dive events scheduled, with more to come. Read about Local Diving events on this site, or you can find events and local dive reports on our Facebook page. The Facebook page is also a good place to find articles like the "Top 10 Scuba Diving Movies Ever Made" or "Incredible moment a diver is spat out by a WHALE."

Our trip to Little Cayman in May is almost full. As of this writing we only have one spot open for a male diver. Clink here to read about the trip.

Get the Club Logo on Your Clothing

Nils Jacobsen has a new way for us to get the club logo on our clothing. He has found a local embroidery shop that has scanned our logo and will embroider it on pieces of new clothing for $20 + sales tax. Nils drives by the embroidery shop on his way to work. If you get clothing to Nils at one meeting, he can return it by the next meeting with the embroidery done. For clothes made of an atypical material, please check with Nils before sending them off to be embroidered.

March 2019 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 22:10:41 GMT

We are back from Yap and Palau, and sorting through pictures. The results of our sorting will appear on the club Facebook page and on this site. We already have some pictures and videos on our Facebook page.

The first week of diving was three dives per day from the Manta Ray Bay Resort in Yap. We were there to see manta rays, so we spent time waiting at cleaning stations hoping that manta rays would come. Those of us who were patient and lucky did get to see manta rays up close. Here is a video I shot at a cleaning station. In all, we got to see manta rays on three dives, and they swam right over my head twice. I'm available for work as a manta ray lucky charm on any future dive trip, if you pay my way.

While in Yap, we did a night dive to see mandarinfish (a small, brightly colored member of the dragonet family). The fish were beautiful and fun to watch. I'd do that again, but if I were to return to Yap I would ask them when the seas are calm. We asked them when we could see manta rays, but forgot to ask about sea conditions. The return trips around the island were long through rough seas. Also, the water was colder than expected. We heard that an undersea landslide had brought up cold water in that whole area of the Pacific. Going between Yap and Palau, we took advantage of a day in Guam to shop for extra shorties and vests to help us keep warm.

In Palau, we stayed on the Ocean Hunter III liveaboard. With up to five dives a day, there was plenty of diving to keep us busy. One of the noteworthy moments for me was seeing a shark going through a cleaning station. I had no idea a shark would do such a thing. Apparently this shark had to keep swimming to breath, so it looped around several times. I caught this short video of one pass. We also visited Blue Corner, where we hooked in, twice. This video is my attempt to battle a strong current to record a 360 view. The current won.

Our last day of diving in Palau included an option to go snorkeling in Jellyfish Lake. The lake had recently opened again after being closed due to drought conditions. I have been told that the population of jellyfish is in the process of building back to pre-drought levels. Even so, I found swimming with the jellyfish to be a magical experience and I hope this video captures some of that magic.

February 2019 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Tue, 22 Jan 2019 22:05:23 GMT

At the Board of Directors meeting in January, the following people were appointed to positions on the Board of Directors. Thanks to everyone who has volunteered time and effort to work for our club.

Appointed Position	Name
Audio/Video Coordinator	Roman Boszko John Ficarra
Photographer
Membership Coordinator	Eunice Hamblen Stephanie Voris
Hospitality Coordinator	Clare Anthon
Social Media Coordinator	Howard Ratsch
Promotions Coordinator	Alan Feuerman Ken Glaser
Newsletter	Chris Hardham
Webmaster	Roger Cooper
Historian	Robert Shearer
Mini Trip Coordinator	Ryan Goheen
Safety Coordinator	Tom Stenger

We are still looking for a volunteer to be club photographer. If you like taking pictures at events, then please volunteer to help. You do not have to attend every event or attend Board meetings. If we could find multiple people to switch off taking pictures at events, that would be great too. Please contact me or any Board member if you would be willing to help us record the history of our club.

While we have no official photographer, the Board asks every event organizer to find someone willing to take pictures at the event, and send the pictures to Julie Manhold. If the event organizer is not too busy during the event, they can take the pictures. Thanks for helping us keep a record of the fun we have.

In the January meeting, I asked how many people like to see sharks while diving. Quite a few hands went up. Therefore, in an effort to show what you are missing if you don't go to Cuba, here are some links to short videos I shot while in Cuba. Facebook Video 1 Facebook Video 2 And a photo album.

January 2019 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Tue, 25 Dec 2018 14:11:37 GMT

Thanks to everyone who attended the December meeting. I heard it was a wonderful presentation, and that the Christmas party was lots of fun. My wife and I were on a cruise and unfortunately missed the fun here. The election results for 2019 are as follows.

President:	Roger Cooper
VP Programs:	Ken Glaser
VP Overseas Diving:	Nils Jacobsen
VP Local Diving:	Ryan Goheen
VP Social:	Alan Feuerman
Secretary:	Amy Wellman
Treasurer:	Ronnie Farr

Volunteers Needed for 2019 Board Positions

Photographer - Takes pictures at club meetings and other events. Contact Ewa Tomas (awards@usadiveclub.org) for more details.
Promotions Coordinator - Runs the Lobster Pot drawings at meetings and collects prizes for the drawings. Contact Russ and Julie Manhold (promotions@usadiveclub.org) for more details.

I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

Don't forget to keep checking our Facebook page for the interesting articles Howard is posting. https://www.facebook.com/usadiveclub

December 2018 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Thu, 22 Nov 2018 13:14:47 GMT

REMINDER: The December 6th meeting is in a different location.

Elections will be conducted at the General Membership meeting on December 6th at the Township Community Clubhouse, 2424 Lyons Rd., Coconut Creek, FL 33063 (the corner of Copans Road and Lyons Road).

The Holiday party is at the Courtyard by Marriot on December 8th. Note that the election is at the free General Membership meeting on Thursday, not the Holiday Party for which we have to pay. The Board of Directors did not want members to have to pay to come to the election.

USA Dive Club Members: Club Bylaws require that the Board’s proposed slate of officers be presented to you in both the November and December newsletters. Presented for your consideration are the following:

President:	Roger Cooper
VP Programs:	Ken Glaser
VP Overseas Diving:	Nils Jacobsen
VP Local Diving:	Ryan Goheen
VP Social:	Alan Feuerman
Secretary:	Amy Wellman
Treasurer:	Ronnie Farr

Volunteers Needed for 2019 Board Positions

Photographer - Takes pictures at club meetings and other events. Contact Ewa Tomas (awards@usadiveclub.org) for more details.
Promotions Coordinator - Runs the Lobster Pot drawings at meetings and collects prizes for the drawings. Contact Russ and Julie Manhold (promotions@usadiveclub.org) for more details.

November 2018 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Sat, 27 Oct 2018 12:45:35 GMT

President:	Roger Cooper
VP Programs:	Ken Glaser
VP Overseas Diving:	Nils Jacobsen
VP Local Diving:	Ryan Goheen
VP Social:	Alan Feuerman
Secretary:	Amy Wellman
Treasurer:	Ronnie Farr

Elections will be conducted at the General Membership meeting held in December. This year the General Membership meeting will be held at the Township Community Clubhouse (the corner of Copans Road and Lyons Road) on Thursday, December 6. The Holiday party is at the Courtyard by Marriot the following weekend. Note that the election is at the free General Membership meeting on Thursday at the Township Community Clubhouse, not the Holiday Party for which we have to pay. The Board of Directors did not want members to have to pay to come to the election.

The results of the opinion polls were as follows.

Should the membership continue to approve Rules changes or should Board of Directors approval be enough to approve Rules changes?

Membership should continue to vote on Rules changes = 25
Board of Directors approval should be enough to make Rules changes = 8

How would you like to see the Club use this polling mechanism in the future? (Please check all that apply.)

Allow the membership to vote on things like Rules changes = 26
Allow the membership to vote in Club elections = 24
Collect opinions from the membership = 22

Would you like to participate in local diving year-round?

Yes. Let's go diving all year = 12
No. Just warm-water diving for me = 6
Other: Year round, but less often off season. (1 write-in)

October 2018 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Tue, 25 Sep 2018 21:32:26 GMT

At the general meeting in September, we voted to approve changes to the Club Rules, as described in the September newsletter. The updated Rules are now available on the Home page of our website.

In my experience, changes to policies like the ones we have in our Club Rules have been handled by Boards of Directors alone. I have been told that the membership wants to vote on such changes, but after watching the vote in September I wondered if that is correct. Therefore, I decided to try out a polling feature of our website to find out what the membership really wants.

Please click here to participate in a two question poll. The poll is only for members, so you must login to participate. If you haven't created a password yet, just click the Forgot Password link on the login screen.

This is just an opinion poll. The results will simply inform conversations of the Board of Directors. Please participate.

The polling feature itself opens up the interesting possibility of having members vote electronically. The feature has been implemented in a way that would even allow elections to be conducted online. If you are interested, documentation on the feature is located here. Of course, any such changes to our processes would require changes to our Bylaws using the current process.

September 2018 President's Waves

Thu, 30 Aug 2018 02:46:33 GMT

This month we have the opportunity to vote on Rules changes which are presented in the newsletter. There are some minor clarifications in Article II. The change in Article III is to remove the phrase that says dues are payable on January 1st each year. The purpose of removing that phrase is to give the Board of Directors the ability to decide when and how dues are to be paid.

I would like to see this change approved because it would give the Board an option to have new members start 12 months of membership from when they become members. That means we would no longer prorate dues, and the club would always receive the same amount of dues for each new member.

Why is this important? Well, when the Board was considering ways to raise money, we discussed having a membership drive. However, it quickly became apparent that a mid-year membership drive would not be a money making endeavor when we prorate dues. In fact, since we give away discounts for local dives to new members, we could lose money on each new member.

That is why I am asking you to approve these Rules changes. Note that for current members, dues will continue to be due on January 1st. The change would only affect new members.

August 2018 President's Waves

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 21:36:17 GMT

The air is hot, the water is warm and we have lots of diving planned for August. We have three local dives coming up on August 5th, 12th, and 19th. We also have a mini-trip going to Key Largo the weekend of August 25th, staying in the Holiday Inn and diving with Sea Dwellers Dive Center. The mini-trip cost includes two nights in the hotel, full breakfast each morning, tips, and 2 dives each day. The boat picks up divers at the hotel marina, eliminating the transportation necessary at many other locations. Local diving is filling up, but there are still spaces available on the mini-trip.

Howard is always adding interesting articles on the club Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/usadiveclub). Today I learned that Ray Woolley is officially the World's oldest scuba diver at 93 years old. Wow!

We visited the Hillsboro Lighthouse this past weekend. We had about thirty people at the lighthouse and more than that for lunch at Two Georges in the Cove. Several members just joined us for lunch, skipping the hot climb up the lighthouse but missing the great view from the top.

Florida offers a "Protect Our Reefs" license plate that supports Mote Marine Laboratory. At Mote, scientists are leading groundbreaking studies of ocean acidification, coral disease and have developed innovative methods to restore the coral reef ecosystem. Florida's reef system is the third-largest on Earth, one of the most important marine ecosystems on the planet, and a great source of enjoyment for divers like us. Please help protect it. The next time you renew your license plate, consider purchasing a "Protect Our Reefs" tag.

July 2018 President's Waves

Tue, 03 Jul 2018 00:35:24 GMT

Check out Howard's local dive reports on our Facebook page. He reported conditions on Sunday just like the conditions we had for the club dive on Saturday. The water was warm, around 85 degrees, and the sea was flat. Visibility was good, in the 60 to 70 foot range. We dove on two wrecks and were enchanted by large schools of fish swimming all around us. My wife came back with some great videos shot from the middle of swarms of fish.

We also attended the wonderful social event on Sunday at CoopersHawk Restaurant and Winery. We started with tasting eight different wines made for the restaurant's private label. They have a large variety of wines and there was something for everyone. Then we sat down to dinner. The food was excellent and the company was great. Thanks for putting together another great social event, Alan.

Speaking of social events, I have heard that a follow-up to this month's presentation will be an event that includes a lighthouse tour. Please plan to attend the meeting so you will know before you go.

June 2018 President's Waves

Sat, 02 Jun 2018 10:54:10 GMT

If you come to the June meeting and see pictures from previous trips to Yap and Palau, I expect you will start to wonder why you haven't signed up for the trip next year. Howard has been there and can tell you why you should go, too.

If you haven't checked out our Facebook page recently, scroll down through the posts and you will find one of the most interesting articles I have seen. It is called "The Weird, Dangerous, Isolated Life of the Saturation Diver." It explains how people can live and work underwater at depths of a thousand feet or more. And if you have ever worried about being left behind by a dive boat, check out the most recent post about technology to scan handprints to make sure everyone is back aboard.

When you get a chance, thank Ryan for all the work he is doing scheduling local dives and mini-trips. Then check the calendar and sign up for some dives.

May 2018 President's Waves

Tue, 01 May 2018 01:17:53 GMT

We have been back from the Bahamas Aggressor for a week. It was difficult to get back into the routine of normal life without the wonderful snacks, the excellent meals, and the diving we enjoyed in the Bahamas. Nils and I did every dive, including the last night dive at the Blue Hole (yes, there is a Blue Hole in the Bahamas), which was spectacular. We did a tour around the top of the hole, finding turtles coming right up to us, stingrays, lobsters, barracudas feeding, and sharks chasing barracuda away to steal their meal. (!!) Exciting!

Please remember to check the Photos page to see pictures from recent social events and local diving. So far this year, we have added albums for the following events.

And don't forget to keep checking the club Facebook page. (https://www.facebook.com/usadiveclub) Howard has posted a few pictures of the Bahamas Aggressor visit with the swimming pigs, and has provided some local diving reports that should make you want to jump in.

April 2018 President's Waves

Mon, 02 Apr 2018 20:34:02 GMT

Here we are in April and it is almost time for the club's first 2018 overseas dive trip, which is going to the Bahamas on April 14. We have also started local diving, with the next one coming up on April 7. Don't wait for summer. Sign up and start diving now.

I am looking for volunteers to join a committee to search for a new meeting place for our monthly meetings. The meeting room cost represents the dues of 5.5 members per month, or 60.5 members over the 11 months we have meetings there each year. Currently, we have 105 active members but 38 of them are Hall of Fame members. Some Hall of Fame members pay dues even though that is not required, which gives us about 70 dues paying members.

The Courtyard is a good hotel, but the meeting room costs are such a huge chunk of our budget that it is time to see what else is available. Please contact me at president@usadiveclub.org if you are available to join the committee, or if you know of a place we should check.

Howard has been busy posting interesting articles and local diving reports on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pg/usadiveclub/posts/). One recent post answers the question of whether urinating in your wetsuit makes you warmer. Another post is about a GPS unit for divers. Check it out.

March 2018 President's Waves

Sat, 24 Feb 2018 17:50:44 GMT

My wife and I won four of the eight items in the February Lobster Pot drawings. The money the club receives selling Lobster Pot tickets is an important source of income to help offset our biggest expense - our hotel meeting room. I would like everyone to purchase more tickets, so in February I decided it was time to set a good example. Hopefully, in the coming months members will purchase more tickets, the winnings will be more evenly distributed, and the club will be the big winner thanks to your donations.

There is still one open spot for a female diver on the Bahamas Aggressor, April 14-21. Check it out. https://www.aggressor.com/bahamas.php

Also, I am surprised we have not yet filled the Bonaire trip, August 11-18. If you wonder why I am surprised, just check out these sites.

http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/diving-bonaire
http://www.feelbonaire.com/listings/underwater-photo/
http://www.tourismbonaire.com/image-gallery

And check out the posts on our Facebook page. (https://www.facebook.com/usadiveclub) Howard just posted a link to an article about how some of the underwater photography was done for the movie The Shape of Water. I might have to watch the movie again just to see if I can pick out the scenes they are talking about.

February 2018 President's Waves

Mon, 29 Jan 2018 16:38:39 GMT

At the Board of Directors meeting in January, the following people were appointed to positions on the Board of Directors. Thanks to everyone who has volunteered time and effort to work for our club.

Appointed Position	Name
Audio/Video Coordinator	Roman Boszko John Ficarra
Photographer	Ewa Tomas
Membership Coordinator	Eunice Hamblen
Hospitality Coordinator	Clare Anthon
Social Media Coordinator	Howard Ratsch
Promotions Coordinator	Russ Manhold Julie Manhold
Webmasters/Newsletter	Roger Cooper
Historian	Robert Shearer
Mini Trip Coordinators	Ryan Goheen Jay Gillespie
Safety Coordinator	Tom Stenger

There has been a lot of interest in our overseas diving trips this year. There is one spot open for a female diver on the Bahamas Aggressor in April. Our Grand Cayman trip in June is taking names for the wait-list. They managed to add spots so we have 27 divers going on that trip. There are still spots available for Cozumel in June, Bonaire in August, and Yap-Palau in February 2019.

It is time to get your gear serviced before our local dive season starts. Yes, it is true that some of us dive all year. Check out Howard's Facebook posts (https://www.facebook.com/pg/usadiveclub/posts/) to get his local diving reports and see interesting articles he has found.

January 2018 President's Waves

Roger Cooper — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 16:16:14 GMT

I hope everyone has a healthy and prosperous new year for 2018, and had a merry Christmas. Amy and I had a cold white Christmas visiting family in West Virginia. Meanwhile, here in South Florida some club members have continued diving. Check out local diving reports on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pg/usadiveclub/posts/). Howard Ratsch has added a link to an interesting article about Asia's disappearing WWII shipwrecks.

Please come to the January 4th meeting to learn about the overseas diving trips that are planned for 2018 and 2019. I am excited about the opportunity to return to Palau for a week on a liveaboard in 2019. My first trip to Palau was land-based and I can hardly wait to get back to try the liveaboard diving there.

The new club website has features that allow us to send dues reminders. We have not implemented the feature that allows on-line payments because that requires us to pay a fee for each payment. Please send you dues to the following address.
    Eunice Hamblen, Membership
    2756 NE 30th St.
    Lighthouse Point, FL 33064

If you log on to the new club website, you can see member-only content such as directory information. You can also edit your own directory information. If you have not set a password, use the Forgot Password link to set a new password.

November 2017 President's Waves

Phebe Young — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 20:20:18 GMT

USA Dive Club Members: Club By-Laws require that the Board’s proposed slate of officers be presented to you in both the November and December newsletters. Presented for your consideration are the following:

President:	Roger Cooper
VP Programs:	Ken Glaser
VP Overseas Diving:	Nils Jacobsen
VP Local Diving:	Ryan Goheen
VP Social:	Alan Feuerman
Secretary:	Amy Wellman
Treasurer:	Ronnie Farr

Elections will be conducted at the General Membership Meeting held in conjunction with our Holiday Party on December 7.

October 2017 President's Waves

Mon, 02 Oct 2017 02:01:06 GMT

Well, golly, September started out with some nasty surprises for us, didn't it? I hope you all came through with lives and homes intact. I haven't been able to get back in the water since the storms but I've been told that there was some damage to the reefs and at least one local wreck was broken up. On a positive note, the lobsters still seem to be there for the hunting and the visibility is coming back.

We're trying to get back on schedule with regular monthly meetings, local dives and couple of social events on the calendar. Please plan to come to the October meeting to sign up for some activities, check on all your dive buddies and enjoy another great program. Also, we didn't get your Lobster Pot dollars in September, so buy a few extra tickets this month if you can.

Finally, note that our annual holiday party is going to be held on the regular meeting night (first Thursday) in December and will feature our favorite things, i.e., food and socializing with friends. Mark it on your calendar and join us.

Happy bubbles,
Phebe

September 2017 President's Waves

Phebe Young — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 19:05:35 GMT

You may recall our January program when Wilhelmina Stanton gave a moving account of the experiences she has had and witnessed as a diver with Diveheart, an organization that provides scuba diving instruction, opportunities and adventures to people with disabilities. In Cozumel we shared a hotel with a group of disabled divers and their buddies from Diveheart. While our dive and meal schedules did not permit a great deal of interaction, we were able to chat a bit with members of their group. It was as inspiring as Willie told us it is! First and foremost, all of them, disabled or not, were HAVING FUN! One wheelchair-bound woman I talked to told me, while her buddies were piling gear in her lap, that she’s logged over 60 dives since 2004, all with Diveheart. None of us is a more enthusiastic diver than this woman. It’s always good to see what we’ve been told in a program translated into action!

Speaking of Cozumel, it was a great trip. Fun friends, beautiful dives and amazing luck: there was a storm the week before we were there and one the week after but the week or our visit: BEAUTIFUL! Our one night dive ranks as one of my best dives ever. I’ve never seen so many octopi out and about. I’m sure many of us (not me) got great pictures on that dive but you really should see Alan’s videos!

So the overseas portion of the 2017 program is behind us but the local dive activities continue unabated. Also, we’ve got some new and different social events scheduled for the rest of the year. Check out what your club has to offer!

Happy bubbles,

Phebe

August 2017 President's Waves

Fri, 28 Jul 2017 19:13:53 GMT

FUN, FUN, FUN

So far, 2017 has been a busy year for the Under Sea Adventurers. We’ve put two overseas dive trips astern, with one still ahead. The local diving program is going strong with many scheduled for the next couple of months. The first Keys mini- trip was a raging success with another in the works. We had a summer pool party and have some ideas for social events to be held once the diving slows down. See the reports of past events and schedule of future events in the Overseas Diving, Local Diving, Mini-trips and Social sections of this newsletter.

While you can sign up for all events by contacting the person in charge, the very best way is to come to the monthly meetings, held the first Thursday of each month. In addition to finding out what’s going on, signing up for events and socializing, you have the opportunity to experience one of the GREAT PROGRAMS that Ken has been arranging for us. See the Program section of this newsletter for this month’s offering.

Please investigate what your club is dong and join us!

Phebe Young

July 2017 President's Waves

Fri, 30 Jun 2017 18:31:26 GMT

WE BE DIVIN’

So summer is finally here. Of course, for us, summer doesn’t bring the lifestyle changes that many of our “northern” friends experience. Still, the water is warmer, the attitude is more relaxed (if that’s even possible) and the club activities hit high gear. The overseas trip agenda for 2017 is more than halfway over already with two trips in the books (Truk and Little Cayman). Another group will be spending a week in Cozumel in August. What a wonderful way to relax and enjoy some really good diving with your fellow USA divers. If you haven’t made one of these trips, put it in your tickle file for next year! Not to be outdone, the local diving team has been enjoying warming waters and calming seas here in our own back yard. Additionally, at least one mini-trip is on the schedule already. Social events continue on a more relaxed schedule for the summer now that the in-water events have taken over. So there’s something for you, whatever your preference. Sign up, gear up and show up!

See you there.

Phebe Young