Jeff Brown brought in an article from yesterday’s Sarasota Herald Tribune about getting started with scuba diving. The article, “Under Water” is on the front page of the classified section and it states that learning to dive is a process that can take several weeks.
For any of you reading this who are not divers yet, we offer eLearning. A terrific way to get certified in a short time. PADI eLearning can be done at home on your own time. When you complete the online part, you bring in your final test score and get into the pool for your first dives. You spend more time in the water and less in the classroom. And our class fee covers everything, instruction, materials, eLearning pass, top quality SCUBAPRO gear and certification paperwork. Our motto is: "No hidden extras". Bo
Friday, September 25, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
International Reef Cleanup and Donut Dive 19 September 2009
What a great turn out!! Thank you to all that helped out with the International Reef Cleanup. We had 25 divers one boat dozens of donuts and a gallon of coffee for this Donut Dive. In conjunction with PADI's Project Aware program we headed back out to Spanish Rocks off of Anna Maria Island in the Holmes Beach area. Several buddy teams scoured the rocks for garbage. There was a great variety of trash that was collected. Masks, Snorkels, fishing line, cast nets, weighted line, rope nets, wire cages, beer cans, beer bottles, monster energy drink cans and more. The cleanup focus on the inner two reef sections has been great and made a significant difference. We pulled an additional 100 lbs. of refuse out of this great reef. A future effort on the outer (Third) reef will need more boat attention.
The conditions were flat calm with inside vis at 5-6 ft. with 10 ft. out further. Please enjoy the photos and we will see you next month at Caspersen Beach in Venice, FL
Our Donut Dives scheduled the third Saturday of each month are free events to all that show up and the Donuts and Coffee are co-sponsored by our local Dunkin Donuts regional manager. Thanks Wagner for your help and contribution.
Carl
Service Club Park
Congrats to Sara Rae for getting certified yesterday! Had four good dives off the beach there. What was really fun was on the last two dives, I was working with a student doing his National Geographic Diver certification, which includes some navigation, buoyancy and exploration projects. We used a sand area to explore and it is amazing how much cool stuff there is out there. I had a lot of fun cruising along the reef out there (in the are with a couple of feet of relief) finding all of the different species of fish and inverts that there are.
Viz was actually decent at about 4-8 feet and the water was flat as could be and 86 degrees. Fun and relaxing diving conditions. Greg
Viz was actually decent at about 4-8 feet and the water was flat as could be and 86 degrees. Fun and relaxing diving conditions. Greg
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
When Buying Used Scuba Gear...
When you are looking at used scuba gear, if possible, bring it by the store before you make your purchase and we will check it out for you. Always have used gear serviced before you get in the water with it.
There are certainly bargains to be found, but, there are also regulators that you won’t be able to get parts for because the company was sold and the product is no longer supported. A customer brought in a first stage that was still in the box and looked new. On closer inspection we found that it was missing some intrinsic internal parts. Bringing it back to serviceable condition cost almost as much as a new unit.
With airtanks:
• If the cylinder needs a Hydro & Visual, figure that additional expense into your purchase price
• Check the exterior condition of the cylinder; if it is pitted or looks like it may have been damaged or repaired ask the owner for information about its usage and storage. If it is painted and has blisters, we will have to check these to see if the paint is covering up damage.
• Can you get it filled? Some tanks have expired permits because of manufacturing defects and are not safe to use
Watch our newsletter for free seminars on maintaining your dive gear. We want to help you keep your life support systems up to the job. Bo
There are certainly bargains to be found, but, there are also regulators that you won’t be able to get parts for because the company was sold and the product is no longer supported. A customer brought in a first stage that was still in the box and looked new. On closer inspection we found that it was missing some intrinsic internal parts. Bringing it back to serviceable condition cost almost as much as a new unit.
With airtanks:
• If the cylinder needs a Hydro & Visual, figure that additional expense into your purchase price
• Check the exterior condition of the cylinder; if it is pitted or looks like it may have been damaged or repaired ask the owner for information about its usage and storage. If it is painted and has blisters, we will have to check these to see if the paint is covering up damage.
• Can you get it filled? Some tanks have expired permits because of manufacturing defects and are not safe to use
Watch our newsletter for free seminars on maintaining your dive gear. We want to help you keep your life support systems up to the job. Bo
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