Just in, Park Is It

I always enjoy the what ever it takes attitude of divers.

A couple months ago we ventured to Flaming Gorge for some fun and fun
training...it's all fun.
During a surface swim from around Osprey Island we were talking as a group about number of dives and other related topics. Justin mentioned he had now 49 dives and the dive we just completed in a dry suit was his fifth specialty. That number always peaks my interest since it's just one dive away from one of the requirements for the PADI Master Scuba Diver rating. After some thought...ok about 5 seconds worth, Janine and Justin decided that it was a what ever it takes moment. After checking pressure levels in their tanks and making a plan, they dropped along the walls of the 'Gorge' and headed towards the exit point. Crusing along at 30-40 feet for 30 minutes they enjoyed the company of Bass and a great wall dive Utah style.
Justin Park you are it, a what ever it takes diver.
Congratulations on achieving the Master Scuba Diver rating.

Scott and Judy Will Be In First Class

Last year during a trip to Mexico we are waiting to board the plane. All of a sudden they call a couple from our group to the ticket counter. Think happy thoughts. Well it seems there was an over booking and they were choosen to fly in first class. Well it was only fitting. You see it was Scott and Judy's honeymoon and why not.

Fast forward. Today is another 'first class' moment. After recently logging their 50th dive at the Homestead Crater, yeah we wish it was in the tropics also, they have now reached the Master Scuba Diver rating. So when you see this happy couple walking around, give them a congratulations and ask what they plan to do for their 100th dive.

Congratulations Scott and Judy Steele. Always first class.

Kim Turns 50

Kim was excited and with a flash.....oops wrong story.......and in a flash lifts a slate with 50 scribe on it.
No we're not talking about age, not even close, we're talking about diving, after all this is a scuba blog. geeesh
This was dive 50, the number of dives needed to obtain the Master Scuba Diver rating.
In a 'dive by' Kim gives us the scuba version of a happy dance, flashes a big smile and hands out several double handed fist pumps and then proceeds to having more fun. Oh there were other congratulatory things but nothing that should be put in print..... only because I'm the author and I blush easily.
While the open water students there really had no idea what it all meant, they had to know it was something big unless diving really is that much fun.
Well yes it is but that's a different topic.
Upon surfacing with our students, Kim's still doing a happy dance on the dock and to show how happy she is, jumps in the water, gets my hair all wet...geeesh and gives more hugs all around.
After calming down it's logbook time.
Did you know that the PADI Training Logbook only allows for 49 dives? Oh my what is one to do? Just so you know the back page works just fine when someone is determined to turn 50.

It was great to be there, to see you diving, to see how you have progressed and sign your logbook.
What an honor.
Congratulations Kim Calder

Good Ole Time

Diving, it's supposed to be fun, relaxing, adventurous, exciting, thrilling and contagious. This is even before you get in the water.

You need to have a good ole time or eventually it stops being good and suddenly you begin to have a bad ole time and as soon as you have enough bad ole times you stop having time.

I don't want any of you to stop having time.

Dan Is "The Man"

It's a Friday afternoon and the day hadn't started the way we had planned. Students were a no show. So much for plan your dive and dive your plan. Abort? No, make a new plan. New plan was dive with Dan without students.
Water temp was 90 something. Viz was, well sweet. About 45 feet.
Times up, time to head for the 3 minute safety stop. Just three minutes of a day. Look to my right, not there. Where's Dan? Look to my left. There he is. Hand clasped in front, legs bent at the knees, and his body is horizontal and he's almost motion less. What an sight.Two minutes, still there, same position. One minute. Yes, still there. Zero. Time to ascend. At the OK to go up signal I reach over and shake Dans' hand. He smiles, raises his arms as though he just won a metal in some event. A couple fist pumps later and we slowly ascend. That last 15 feet must have felt like 60 in relation to time. On the surface another hand shake, fist pound and a well deserved congratulations. As pretty as it was to watch, this celebration wasn't about holding a safety stop horizontal for three minutes, or the numerous attempts at back kicks and helicopter turns, or completing the multi-level specialty or trying new fins. No this celebration was much bigger. You see this was dive 50 for Dan. The last dive needed to obtain his Master Scuba Diver rating. The PADI Master Scuba Diver rating is the highest non professional PADI qualification available, and your ticket to respect and recognition wherever you may visit around the world.
What an honor.
Congratulations Dan Jaterka, congratulations.

Oh What To Do This Summer

I have made the decision that I would dive a new place this year which is Lake Tahoe. While I also have a secret dive planned, I also have some not so secret dives planned. Of course by now you have heard we are heading to Coz in July. Wellllll that's just one week out of the summer. Oh what to do the rest of the summer. Lets play.

How about a mini vacation?
California Boat Dive
Catalina Island
August 22-23, 2009
$280 per person
Two one day boat trips aboard the Cee Ray.
Three dives on the 22nd including one night dive
Two dives on the 23rd.
Departs on the 22nd at 6:00 am, returning @ 11:00 pm
Departs on the 23ed at 6:00 am, returning @ 3:00 pm
$280 includes, boat ride, air, drinks and snacks. Equipment, tanks, weights, accommodations and
travel expenses to and from California not included.
No training...this is play time.

How about some local fun?

Flaming Gorge
June 27-28, 2009
Just come and play.
Want to extend this to everyone who is interested. We will be doing some what of a clean up that will be incorporated into the Search & Recovery Specialty or Advanced Open Water. We plan on diving the pinnacles and possibly the 'Green.'

Lake Tahoe Canceled (June 8, 2009)
August 7-9, 2009
Why not dive the clearest fresh water lake around?
We have a couple contacts with condos so it's possible accommodations could be free for a limited number of divers.
We are also trying to hook up with a local store to provide a guide, pontoon boat or both. Details should be finalized by end of May. Stay tuned as details develop.

Bear Lake
August 29-30, 2009
Our end of summer bash on the beach. Cisco Beach that is. We did this last year it was a blast.
Going to step it up a notch. Will try to hook up with another store and have some fun, games and possibly some prizes (no guarantees). As of right now we will have fill station with air or Nitrox. Talking with the great guys with Bear Lake Dive Team to see if they would like to join us.

Striving For Perfection

Why do we lay on our backs in the bottom of the pool or on the squares or platform at the Crater and try to make the perfect bubble ring? Well it's to be 'like Mike' or in this case the amazing dolphin.

While I have blown the perfect bubble ring on more than one occassion I still can't quite pull off these amazing results. I'll keep striving for perfection. Just need more water time.

It Sure Is Nice Outside

We seem to be enjoying another one of those "pre" spring days here in Utah. You know it’s that time of year when the storms hit and it’s all gone by Noon. With that, another season of diving is upon us.
Many of us are year-round divers. It could be snowing and we are still diving. But we are spoiled a bit with the warm waters of the Crater, Camperworld (Belmont Springs), Seabase and Blue Lake. Imagine the ‘cabin fever’ those divers in Minnesota get waiting for the ice to come off the Great Lakes. Ohhh I would be cranky.
However many people feel that it is just took cold in the winter, and appreciate the warmer weather to get out and dive. So, what do you need to do to get ready for the dive season?

1. Pull out your dive gear. Shake it out and bring your regulators and BCs in for annual service. Condition the wetsuit or drysuit seals and wax the zipper. Get your tanks visually inspected and filled. Get your storage containers and bags aired out. Have you ever smelled neoprene that’s been left in a bag…yuck
2. Determine what needs to be replaced this year. Make a list and talk to your dive center about upcoming sales that may be going on. You are an actionpass member right?
3. Pick up cleaning supplies for your gear, are all your clips still in place? Do you still have defogger? Restock your save a dive kit, or start a new one.
4. Make sure you renewed your DAN Membership.
5. What are your education goals this year? Talk to your dive center about classes you would be interested in taking.
6. Get a scuba review. Even a seasoned diver can benefit from a skills tune up from a dive professional. It is also a good opportunity to get your gear back in the water, before actually heading into the open water.
7. Talk to your dive buddies and start planning some dives.
8. Pull out your non-diving stuff you use for diving and get it ready too. Tents, tarps, lounge chairs, that big brimmed hat that protects your bald spot….ohh that’s just me.

9. Finally...go dive!

Wreckage At The Crater

A week or so ago I read that one of the 'hot tubs' OK benches had broken off of the side of the dock at the Crater. My first thought was I wonder what the people sitting inside thought when it let go. Then I hoped it didn't come to rest so it was leaning against the side. All we need is some 'knuckle head' to swim under there and get stuck or muck up the vis more than it usually is. Well this past weekend we had some classes scheduled for the Crater so I was all excited to see the 'wreckage' like everyone else. You know you need an ocean dive when your excited about something on the bottom of the Crater. On one of the dives we ventured down to the diamond for some buoyancy drills and sure enough there it is. Had this flashback of Chevy Chase in National Lampoon's Vacation standing on the edge and looking at the Grand Canyon ....yup there it is...let's go.
Well the good news is nobody will get under it to get stuck. The bad news is everbody (self included) wants to go down and look at it. The Crater has plans to break it up and clean it up but no time has been set. In the mean time to curtail the curious they have a sign on the rope. "Do not go below this sign." Makes you wonder how many people can't read or obey some of the simplest requests. So on our dive we made a depth limit of 50 feet. With or without lights we could see the 'wreckage' pretty well. While we're lurking around the triangle here comes a couple 'knuckle heads' down the rope, past the sign on their way to the bottom. Ohh my, what do they spot...you got it..the wreckage. What did we see? Not much except a silt blum.
Let's all remember to please stay off the walls and bottom. The good news is the space left by the dock is a great place to rest, grab a drink of water, debrief and best of all it's not affected by the Crater current. That will be another post in itself.
Dive safe

Under the Sea 3D Reviewd

As I mentioned about a week ago Under the Sea 3D was coming to the Clark Planetarium at the Gateway. Janine and I went to see it on the opening day. All I can say it WOW. The videography was remarkable. The Hall's truly provided some great footage. It really goes to show that you can just cruise the reef and miss so much marine life. Slowing down and being neutral will allow you to see micro marine life along with the 'big stuff'. I don't think I saw the camera wiggle or bounce the entire movie. Those guys have buoyancy control down. LOL
OK you know why? Here is the type of camera they used. Not your typical hand held DVR.

While it was great to see all sorts of marine life in 3D I thought they did a real good job of showing the environmental stress that is happening to the reefs. They showed bleaching and mucking and talked about the marine life moving further south to coolers waters. Now since most of this was shot in Australia, any further south would be the south pole. Ouch! Without giving it all away the seals at the end make you go 'awww how cute'.
Jim Carrey wasn't his normal obnoxious self so that was an added bonus.
Get out an see it. Great for a date or family. Keep your ticket stub also. Sport Chalet is offering tuition discounts 25%? on Open Water and Advanced Open Water if you signed up before a certain date. March 31?

Why Do Mask Clears

During your training you were given a value of having to do mask clears. While it may be common for another diver to kick your mask causing it to flood or even making it come off completely. There are other reasons of a more natural flavor. While this may not happen on every dive there is always the possibility. Please note that in both videos the seal is just playing - it is NOT attacking the diver! In fact the seal was very gentle.
I know Janine has played 'monkey see monkey do' with the seals in California but has never had one want to wear the mask.

Google Earth Goes Back and Below

With Google Earth 5.0, you can now travel back in time to see historical imagery, dive below the surface of the ocean and record a tour of your journeys.
Not as cool as doing it live, but hey when you're snowed in or can't get to a warm body of water you can always travel and dream with the next best thing.
You can add some cool add-ons to make cyber dives way fun.
Alvin submersible dives to illustrate your next deep-sea mission. The .kml file will let you
pinpoint each of nearly 5000 deep-sea dives around the world. Very sophisticated. This and
other files are hosted by digital Mecca MGDS. You can explore.
Shipwrecks - The doubloons. We’re not talking’ Benjamins. We’re talking
sunken treasure. Look for gold among 1000+ European shipwrecks off the coast of France in the hot-links over at Just Magic. Its just sitting there waiting for you.

How about the bottom contours of Lake Tahoe?

More way to make Google Ocean a blast can be found at Deep Sea News

IMAX 3D film Under the Sea 3D

You have got to see this.
Production has wrapped up on the IMAX 3D film Under the Sea 3D and release date set for February 13th, 2009. Award winning director Howard Hall and producer Michele Hall have returned with astounding 3D images from such locales as Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Australia. IMAX has also announced that Jim Carrey will narrate Under the Sea 3D.

Sport Chalet has also teamed up with IMAX in the “Under the Sea 3D” Sweepstakes. We'll be at the opening on February 13th at the Clark Planetarium.
I have always admired Howard and Michele Hall's work. They are truly some of the best photographers and videographers in the world. If this movie doesn't get you excited about the water nothing will.

Grand Prize
A trip for winner and a guest from San Francisco or Los Angeles, California to Cairns, Australia. Trip consists of round trip, coach class air transportation from Los Angeles International Airport or San Francisco International Airport to Cairns, Australia and seven (7) nights standard accommodations at The Lakes Resort (or similar resort) (one (1) room, double occupancy). Airport transfers for the winner and the guest are included from Cairns airport to The Lakes Resort and back to the Cairns airport.
The Grand Prize also includes gift certificates for the Grand Prize winner and one guest a SCUBA PADI entry-level Open Water Certification Course.
Available to Action Pass members. See official rules and regulations

Old Fashioned Photography

Every wondered what we did for fun underwater before SCUBA. Found this on another blog site and thought it was great.
Check out these other photos

Air Powered Cars? Diving Related?

Air powered cars? Spooky
I read this a while back on Popular Mechanics while researching alternative energy methods for my ‘real job’ and thought the idea was ‘out there’.
Now another blog I visit posted this article from Forbes Magazine

The engine runs on air compressed to just over 4000 psi. Each car has an on-board compressor; however, a fill-up takes four hours. The Forbes article laments, "The car's limited range would require plenty of fill-ups at compressed-air service stations, except those don't exist."

OK so how is this related to diving? Instead of having a spare gas can in the trunk you would now have a spare aluminum 80 scuba tank in the trunk as a ‘spare air’ (pun intended)