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president's waves

  • June 02, 2018 6:54 AM | Anonymous

    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.

  • April 30, 2018 9:17 PM | Anonymous

    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 02, 2018 4:34 PM | Anonymous

    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.

  • February 24, 2018 12:50 PM | Anonymous

    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.

  • January 29, 2018 11:38 AM | Anonymous

    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.

  • December 29, 2017 11:16 AM | Roger Cooper (Administrator)

    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.

  • October 23, 2017 4:20 PM | Phebe Young

    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 01, 2017 10:01 PM | Anonymous

    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

  • August 30, 2017 3:05 PM | Phebe Young

    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

  • July 28, 2017 3:13 PM | Anonymous

    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

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