Road Trips

WOW over a month has passed without an entry. Shame on me.
Since returning from Coz there have been a couple of road trips. Fun trips.

On August 21st Chris Jaterka, Tony Siebert, Tyler Stanton and myself took a little road trip, ok I called it a mancation, to SoCal for a couple days of California kelp diving since Tony wasn't able to make it to Coz, he really needed to get out, have salt water in his eyes and cruise the kelp forests.Departing on Friday afternoon we drove from SLC through Las Vegas to Primm Nevada were we spent the night at Bu falo Bills before heading into Long Beach the next morning. Did I mention we went through Vegas when it was 113 degrees? Hotttttttt.
Back on the road early we pull into Long Beach a good hour before we are allowed to board the Cee Ray. With some time to kill we walked around looking at the different dive boats and grabbed a quick bite at the wharf before boarding. Nothing like a fresh fish breakfast.
Once on board and checked in, it was grab a bunk, set up gear and take a nap for the 2 hour boat ride to Catalina.
Looking at the roster I noticed there were only a few of us just diving to have fun and the rest were Advanced Open Water students from a couple Sport Chalet stores in SoCal. On board was Bob Taylor an Instructor/Regional Depertment Head Janine and I had met when the SLC store was opening. It was nice to catch up on things with Bob. So much for being incognito. Oh well. I was also able to meet another Instructor from the Vegas area that was DM'ing for the boat.

Our three dives on the first day were being conducted at sites around Arrow Point. Talking with Captian Bob it is very rare that you get to dive Arrow Point due to the way the currents and swells normally run. Nothing spectacular but it was fun crusing the kelp and seeing Tony and Tyler navigating through the kelp and seeing Tony's eyes get as big as the 6 foot bat ray we saw.

Due to some sinus issues Tyler and Chris decided to sit out the night dive. It was pretty calm and for some reason not much in the way of marine life.
Heading back it was find your bunk and nap. We arrived back into Long Beach around 11:00 pm.
Since we were heading back out with the Cee Ray the next day they were kind enough to allow us to sleep on board over night. After filling out tomorrows paper work it was bed time.

Day I awoke to the smell of bacon and gear bags being dragged across the deck above. Gaaaawd what time is it. 6:00 Am! Come on people. ;0) OK I'll get some food. It was obvious that Chris has some type of hearing problems because that guy didn't wake up until we were about a half hour away from Catalina. In fact I don't think Chris had a problem sleeping period.

Briefing time. WOW this site looks familiar. Yup, Captain Arnold, father of Captain Bob, thought it would be good to go back to the same area. Not a problem since we were going to be one cove west of yesterday. Dive one we ventured down to the wreck of a sailboat that had sunk a few years ago and was sitting at about 55 feet .Dives two and three were done one more cove away and were pretty similar to all the previous sites. Plenty of kelp, some what shallow and with a small reef.

Arriving back into Long Beach around 5:30 it was time to saddle up and hit the road for Las Vegas where we would crash for the night before heading home the next day. Was there gambling involved. Um yeah. Not sure about the winnings of everyone else but I took the casino for $6.15.

All and all it was a fun trip and I would do this one again.

Cozumel What A Blast

If you have been following you would have known that we had plans to invade Scuba Club Cozumel the week of July 11-18. Invade we did. Twenty eight of us from Utah, nine or so from San Diego and three from Long Beach took up residence.
May hats off to the entire group. They were fantastic.
For most everyone the first dive was off the shore at the resort. Many had never been in salt water so a buoyancy check was in order. Once sorted the dives began. In fact most did a night dive that night or two and every night afterwards.
The first day of boat diving we went a bit conservative to see how many would react to the fantastic drift diving. Not a problem. From there on out it only got better and better.
Columbia Deep, Santa Rosa, Palancar Caves, Punya Tunich, Paradise, and C53 to name a few. For some the ultimate was hitting, now brace yourself, a current less Punta Sur's Devils Throat on the last day or venturing off the island to dive the cenote Dos Ojos.
As for returning, oh yeah I'll be back and I would definately go back to SCC.

Sport Chalet Scuba Tent Sale

Received an email from corporate a couple days ago that Sport Chalet is having a tent sale at selected locations Friday July 31 through Sunday Aug 2.
What's on sale you ask?

Well there will be regulators up to $300 off selected models.
Computers with savings up to $400
BC up to $400 off.
Fins up to $70 off.
Gear bags and more.
Plus they have extended the 25% discount on tuition for all classes at the tent sale locations.

Participating Store locations:
Utah
West Jordan..yeah of course I'm listing this one first.
If you have friends or relatives in the other locations let them know also. Hey you may just get and early holiday present.

Arizona
Tempe

Nevada
Summerlin

Southern California
Huntington Beach
Point Loma
Rancho Cucamomga
Thousand Oaks

Northern California
Elk Grove
Pleasanton

Dive safe.

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.

Scuba Month At Sport Chalet

OK listen up. It's scuba month at Sport Chalet.
Do not miss a chance to take advantage of Sport Chalet’s many specials and bargains during the month of June. There are some great products at reduced prices, some clearance items, and 25% off on tuition for ANY class you purchase during the month of June. We are talking Open Water all the way to Master Scuba Diver or working your way on the pro level from Divemaster to IDC Staff Instructor. Doesn't mean you have to take the class in June. Just pay for tuition and schedule it when you're ready.

FREE Discover Scubas will be offered on June 20th. Call to reserve a spot.
801.280.3475


June 2, 2009 06:30 am
Edited to add contact number and remove a date. My offer for rentals was not well received so I have to rescind my offer.
Sorry :(

USS Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg Is On The Bottom

Road Trip!!!!
From Keysnews:
Vandenberg in Davy Jones' locker"The USS Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg is on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, in about 140 feet of water seven miles off Key West. Divers have confirmed that it is sitting upright, with the keel in the sand.The former troop transport ship successfully sunk in about three minutes at about 10:21 a.m. today. After three audible explosions, plumes of smoke rose and the ship slowly descended, apparently settling upright on the bottom. "It's looking good, it's looking good, it's going down straight," Capt. Sheri Lohr said as the Vandenberg gradually disappeared. "For once I'm speechless." Lohr is one of the co-founders of project organizer Artificial Reefs of the Keys.Sinking the 522-foot-long mothballed Navy ship, the world's second-largest artificial reef, was a decade-long project."



This would be incredible to dive as soon as possible and then go back a few years later to see how its changed.
I remember diving on the Mahi Mahi in Hawaii shortly after it was sunk. We've been back a few times since and was amamzing how it changed. Our last visit in 2005 was disapointing. All that's left is a portion of the hull.

Scuba Club Cozumel Enhances Services

For those of you going on the Cozumel trip in July there is now free wireless internet access through out the resort as of today. You no longer will have to go down by the restaurant to check your emails. There is still time to go and room available. If you're not going on this trip, this would be another good reason to stay at SCC when you decide to go to Coz.