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Program for July 7
What You Always Wanted to Know About the Ocean But Were Afraid to Ask
with Dr. Ray McAllister
 For our Thursday night general meeting on July 7th we have none other than USA’s own Dr. Ray McAllister. Known as Dino Diver to many, Ray will be presenting "What You Have Always Wanted to Know about the Ocean but Were Afraid to ask". Dr McAllister has been a member and supporter of Under Sea Adventurers Dive Club and one of our Hall of Fame members for his many years of service. He is a FAU Professor Emeritus in Ocean Engineering.
For further information see an article in USA’s Newsletter from 2007:
http://www.usadiveclub.com/html/drray.html
Sea you there?
Next month, in August for our August 4th General Meeting we have, from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, John Cassady, coming to speak to us about manatees.
Glada Blench
VP of Programs
programs@usadiveclub.com
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 Do you enjoy eating seafood? Especially at a nice restaurant where ‘fresh seafood’ or ‘local catch’ is on the menu? Many Americans are unaware that eating seafood away from home may be misleading and sometimes downright dangerous.
Recent studies have found that seafood may be mislabeled as often as 25 to 70 percent of the time. That means you could be feeding your family illegal, unsustainable fish.
This could be the case when you order cod, wild salmon, tuna, mahi mahi, halibut, swordfish, grouper, sea bass, haddock, red snapper and many other kinds of fish.
Eating seafood should be a healthy and smart choice for your family. Consumers should be able to track fish from ocean to plate. But, until the FDA makes combating seafood fraud a priority, we won’t really know what we’re eating - and that’s unacceptable.
Appearing below is a sample message USAers might consider sending to the FDA Commissioner, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA’s Administrator:
Seafood is one of the most popular foods in the United States. The US imports more seafood than any other nation. 84 percent of the seafood consumed in the US is imported, yet only two percent is currently inspected at the border.
 As a seafood consumer, I am given little or no information about when my seafood was caught, how it was caught, where it was caught, and very little certainty that the fish I am buying is accurately labeled. The Food and Drug Administration found about one-third of seafood imports were mislabeled in 2003-2004. Mislabeling of seafood has the potential to hurt my health and my wallet.
No single federal agency is in charge of combating seafood fraud. It is left to a number of uncoordinated government agencies implementing a patchwork of overlapping and often outdated laws. The United States needs to make seafood fraud a priority and make protecting our health, our oceans, and our wallets a priority.
I urge you to take steps to ensure that fish we eat in the US is safe, legal, and honestly labeled by requiring fish to be traceable, and trackable, throughout the supply chain. By tracking fish from vessel to plate, the US government can prevent mislabeling, provide consumers with important information, help keep illegal fish out of the market, and improve seafood safety.
Don’t have time to send your concerns in writing? Not to worry. Click here to view Oceana’s web page titled ‘Protect Your Family from Illegal and Unsafe Seafood.’ Simply enter your e-mail address in the appropriate field and click Send Letter.
 A ghostly pallor is overtaking the world’s coral reefs.
This draining of color results when heat-stressed corals expel the algae they rely on for food and which are responsible for their bright and beautiful hues. Death often follows.
Reefs have long been under threat from destructive fishing practices, sediment and nutrient runoff, coral mining, reckless tourism and coastal development. Now, many scientists say, global warming is accelerating the destruction.
One of the worst episodes of coral bleaching began last spring and summer, and affected reefs in virtually all the world’s tropical waters, from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean.
Preliminary assessments suggest that the impact will be the most damaging since the only other known global-scale bleaching event, in 1998 and 1999, when more than 10 percent of the world’s shallow-water corals were killed by heat.
Nearly three-quarters of the planet’s reefs are now at risk of serious degradation, according to a report by the World Resources Institute in February. Another analysis, by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, found that as much as one-fifth of the world’s reefs have been degraded beyond recognition or lost entirely.
By mid-century, virtually all reefs will be at risk, not just from local threats or global warming, but from an increasingly acidified ocean. Much of the carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere ends up in the oceans, where it forms a weak acid, lowering the pH level of the seas. Scientists have long speculated that the rising acidity of ocean waters would inhibit the growth of corals.
Now, a new study by an international research team offers some of the strongest observational evidence linking carbon emissions to reef damage. The study examined tropical corals off the coast of Papua New Guinea located near cool, natural undersea seeps of carbon dioxide. The results showed clearly that as acidity rose, coral diversity and resilience plunged.
Coral reefs, which cover barely 0.2 percent of the ocean floor, but contain roughly 25 percent of the ocean’s biodiversity, provide a crucial source of protein for an estimated 500 million people. Coral reefs protect shorelines from tsunamis and tropical storms and attract tourists that sustain coastal economies with tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue.
Even as climate change and changing ocean chemistry loom as potentially existential threats to reefs, confronting local perils such as overfishing is more important than ever.
Reef advocates proclaim significant progress has been made in conservation efforts over the past two decades, including major international and national initiatives to create large-scale marine protected zones and local campaigns to educate coastal communities about sustainable fishing, agricultural and development practices.
These efforts must dramatically accelerate if reefs are to survive the added pressures of accumulating carbon emissions. The alarming trend is reversible but only if we act today. Waiting for the world’s oceans to die is not an option.
Russ Manhold
President
president@usadiveclub.com
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Local Diving
 We are back from the Club’s Little Cayman Dive Vacation and focusing on Local Diving and the pleasures of carrying our own dive tanks. It was so nice to be pampered and not have to walk with tanks on our backs. We just sat at the back end of the boat and our gear was brought and put onto us.
We had canceled our June 4th dive with South Florida Dive Headquarters the night before, due to high seas. However Bernie M. and Richard M. showed up at the Dive Boat and did continue to go out with some other brave souls on the small boat “Safari”. Bernie said visibility was 70 feet, saw a variety of marine life, and had very enjoyable dives.
We are looking forward to our July 9th Neptune Memorial Reef dive with RJ Diving Ventures out of Miami. The re-creation of the Lost City, 40 feet under the sea, dive will follow a dive on the Ophelia Brian Wreck. See “Up Coming Dives” for more interesting facts on these dives.
FOR A LIST OF UP COMING DIVES, CLICK HERE FOR USA’s ‘LOCAL DIVING’ PAGE.
Kathy & John Ficarra
VP’s of Local Diving
localdiving@usadiveclub.com
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Social Activities
Greetings from the Social Butterflies,
Wednesday evening, May 25th 30 USAers and guests attended an informative and comprehensive seminar regarding the lionfish invasion taking place in our Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Seas.
Force-E staff in Boca Raton provided a unique seating configuration in their store, which allowed all of us a clear view of our speakers. Capt. Tony of the Diversity dive boat opened the seminar sharing lionfish information based on his own personal experiences. Capt. Tony conducts lionfish rodeos, and after the dive cooks the catch dockside.
Sandra Green of Force-E was our next presenter. Sandra shared with us her extensive knowledge of lionfish reproduction and continued with the details of stalking and safely killing the predator with all sizes and types of spear guns. Using a recently caught frozen specimen, she demonstrated how to hold the fish by the mouth while avoiding the venomous spines and removing them with scissors. Puncture-resistant gloves, the type used in hospitals, are available for added protection from being stung. For those of us wanting to eat our catch, there is a wonderful cookbook published by Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF). This book is available at all Force-E Scuba Centers. The proceeds from the book support marine conservation along with lionfish research and control programs.
After the speaking portion of the seminar, we were all invited to try several different spearing devices. Force-E staff constructed lionfish “dummies” and permitted our group to practice using the spears to shoot the prey.
While some of us were taking target practice, the rest of us were gathering in the back room to learn the proper way to fillet the fish. One of the fishes’ stomachs was cut open to reveal several small reef fish partially dissolved by extremely strong digestive acids.
The group left Force-E with a much greater knowledge of the dangers this invader brings with it, as well as a renewed desire to do what we can to rid our reefs of it.
The staff at Force-E is ready to provide us with all the necessary tools. It’s not too late to take steps to severely reduce the lionfish population in our area.
Let’s save our finned friends on the reef.
There’s still time to join our
”Pyroteknik Piknik”
&
4th of July Celebration
Your Club Dues at Work – This is a FREE EVENT
(Just pay $1.50 per person for park admission)
Looking for prime location for enjoying July 4th fireworks? Look no further than Vista View Park in Davie. http://www.broward.org/Parks/VistaViewPark/Pages/Default.aspx. Vista View is located at 4001 SW 142nd Avenue, Davie.
Our group will enjoy a panoramic view from atop the park’s loftiest peak, the highest man-made elevation in Broward County. See fireworks displays from Davie, Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood. Looking east, marvel at seaside fireworks displays from Deerfield Beach south to Miami.
Before the fireworks, join us at the USA Dive Club’s picnic shelter. A shelter has been reserved at the foot of the hill for our private picnic. There is running water, electricity, picnic tables and a large grill. USA will provide the shelter, ice, charcoal, plates, cups, napkins, utensils, etc. Members and guests will bring food and drinks to share. Clean restrooms are just a short distance away. The private shelter will be available until 7:30 PM. It is recommended you arrive at 4:00 PM but not later than 5:00 PM. Fireworks displays usually begin at 9:00 PM. The earlier you arrive, the better the parking place.
After the picnic, take a leisurely stroll up the hill to our fireworks viewing area. If you are not physically able to walk up the hill, we will shuttle you. Bring blankets and/or chairs to watch the fireworks from the hilltop.
Contact USA Social Butterflies ASAP at Social@usadiveclub.com if you’d like to join us.
Watch future newsletters and e-mails for additional information on all planned USA Dive Club activities. Our social events are open to all USA club members and their guests. So, why wait?
Sign up for a social event, get to know your fellow USAers, and let the fun begin!
Future social events include:
DINNER BEFORE THE MEETING:
Pick up your favorite meal, i.e., a sub, sandwich or pizza at your local Publix, Subway or Papa Johns and join USA’s Social Butterflies in the Newport Café located in the Best Western Deerfield Beach Hotel & Suites @ 6:00 pm. If you’d like to bring something from home, that’s OK, too.
Everyone seems to enjoy the atmosphere and camaraderie. Try it... you’ll like it! C’mon down and we’ll save y’all a seat.
Clare Anthon & Julie Manhold
VP’s of Social Events
social@usadiveclub.com
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Hospitality Hut
 Greetings from the Hospitality Hut,
It’s a pleasure to report that two new guests were introduced at the June USA Dive Club General Meeting.
Sarah Crisanto, who found us on the Internet, has already completed her application for membership. Sarah was certified in Pompano in 2008 and has a Rescue Diver certification. The Club extends a warm welcome to Sarah.
The Internet also brought us John Lucka. John was certified in Ft. Lauderdale in 1985. He has logged over 800 dives and holds both advanced open water and Nitrox certifications.
It’s always nice to see familiar faces pop up a meeting. In June, Kamala Shadduck joined us once again. Rumor has it she may decide to join our group. Sure hope she does.
Special thanks to all first-time guests and returning guests for their interest in our dive club and hope to see you all back again.
Why not visit our home page www.usadiveclub.com and click on the calendar button to keep up to date on all the diving and non-diving scheduled activities. You may also take a look at the photo gallery and see all the fun we have.
We wish you all ‘Happy Diving’.
Clare Anthon & Julie Manhold
Hospitality Coordinators
hospitality@usadiveclub.com
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Membership
 USA’s Membership Directory is updated with the addition of each new member. Members are provided updated Membership Directory copies at the end of each calendar quarter.
USA’s 2nd quarter Membership Directory was distributed by e-mail to all USA Dive Club members on June 30th.
If any of your personal information is incorrect or outdated, please send an update to USA’s Membership Coordinator by clicking here.
If you lose your copy, or simply need extra copies, click here.
If your USA Dive Club membership has expired, and you wish to renew your USA Dive Club membership, simply submit a New Member Application, along with appropriate pro-rated membership dues, and a $10 New Member Initiation Fee.
Under USA’s newly revised Dive Trip Guidelines, trip priority is established based on ‘current continuous years’ of USA Dive Club membership. Therefore, it is important for members to renew their dive club membership annually, without a break in membership.
Last month, USA’s member badges were modified to display each member’s first year of ‘current continuous’ membership. Just for fun, at USA’s July 7th general membership meeting, glance at fellow member’s badges while engaging in conversation. You’ll be surprised at how many members joined during the 80’s and 90’s.
 At USA’s June 2nd general membership meeting, two former guests became USA’s newest members.
Alan Feuerman is a PADI certified Divemaster with 150+ dives. When Alan is not diving, you’ll find him enjoying racquetball. His most memorable dives were Bunaken Island and Manado Tua in Sulawesi, Indonesia. For Alan, his ‘dream dive’ would be Australia’s Great Barrier Reef or the Red Sea
Jeanne Belus was introduced to us as a guest of USA member Kim Whaley. Jeanne is a PADI certified Advanced Open Water diver with 300+ dives. She enjoys tennis, travel and college or NFL football when she’s not diving. At the top of Jeanne’s most memorable underwater events occurred while on a live-aboard in Belize. She recalls Eagle Rays circling around her during a safety stop. Jeanne’s ‘dream dive’ would be swimming with Whale Sharks, travelling to the Red Sea, or diving the Galapagos.
Don Chalaire, Sarah Crisanto, Dave Goetz and Carly Sax have submitted USA Dive Club New Member applications. Look for more on these folks in USA’s August 2011 newsletter.
Encourage friends and fellow divers to join USAers for all club activities. Folks don’t need to be USA members to participate in USA Dive Club functions. Guests are always welcome if they are accompanied by a USA member.
People interested in joining the USA Dive Club will find membership applications available by clicking on the link appearing below.
MEMBERSHIP PACKET
Warm diving regards,
Russ Manhold
Membership Coordinator
membership@usadiveclub.com
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Promotions
 Hi y’all from the Promotions Desk of USA Dive Club.
USA’s Lobster Pot winners have been taking home on average $50 cash at monthly dive club meetings.
That’s a better return on your hard-earned money than most banks offer.
Each month we offer a variety of Lobster Pot prizes, many donated by South Florida dive shops.
Congratulations to all our Lobster Pot winners. Be sure and drop in to see our local dive shops who support us and say ‘Thanks’.
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June 2nd Lobster Pot Winners
- 50/50 Lobster Pot $79 - Roger Styles
- $20 local dive coupon - Jeff Jacobs
- $20 local dive coupon - Clare Anthon
- 2 tank dive on the Starfish Enterprise - Deborah Kaddah
- $25 Store Coupon from Force-E - Roman Boszko
- Reef Cookbook - Kamala Shadduck
- Force-E Slate - Steve Jurczak
- Force-E Whistle - Steve Jurczak
- Trip Coupons - Nils Jacobsen
- Dive Locations Book - Jeanne Belus
- DAN luggage tags - Alan Feuerman
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If you did not contribute, then you could not have won!
At the July 7th dive club meeting, look for the following prizes in USA’s monthly Lobster Pot:
- The usual 50/50 cash pot.
- The usual 2 each $20 off a USA local dive.
- And perhaps a couple of other little surprises for you too!
For the past several months, our 50/50 Lobster Pot has been right at $50 or more. Unheard of in the history of the USA Dive Club. I thank you and the club thanks you. Let’s keep it up!
And, as I always say, ‘If U miss it, U will miss it!
Larry Townsend
Promotions Coordinator
promotions@usadiveclub.com
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Safety
 Hope everyone had a safe trip to Cayman. Back to work. The answers to the last month's questions are:
1. You can prevent most surface emergencies (problems) by? Answer: Reducing your physical effort and making yourself buoyant.
2. What is the first thing you should do with an injured diver at the surface? Answer: Make the diver buoyant & check to see if diver is breathing.
3. Imagine you accidentally get tangled in something. What should you do first? Answer: Stop, think & slowly untangle yourself.
This month's questions:
1. Diving with enriched air requires special training and procedures. Using enriched air without proper training and procedures can cause?
2. Pain in one areas, weakness, tingling, numbness and not being able to move your arms & legs are common signs of?
3. The maximum depth for all recreational scuba divers, even experienced divers is?
Have fun with these. Look for the answers in next month’s column.
Have a safe dive.
Paul A. Molinari
Safety Coordinator
safety@usadiveclub.com
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Overseas Diving
USA Dive Club Overseas Diving program
2012
Exotic Trip, July 2012 Philippines:
Atmosphere Resort and Siren Liveaboard: Southern Visayas/Cebu/Bohol/Dumaguete/Apo
The Atmosphere resort is a new upscale resort that comes highly recommended. Resort is located at Dumaguete on Negron Island. For the land based part of the trip at the resort there are 3 options:
- 5 nights (3 diving days); departing Saturday July 7
- 7 nights (5 diving days); departing July 5
- 10 nights (8 diving days); departing July 2
Siren is a relatively new upscale fleet; this is our first club trip on Siren. The liveaboard is mostly on Cebu’s East side. The boat dates are July 14-21. The map is only for reference (our trip is custom: 7 nights), most days 4 dives a day
We fly in and out of Manila; we should be back in US and Florida on 7/22.
Both from the resort and for the liveaboard, we have the option of doing the Apo Island
Click here for more information on Philippines diving.
Click here for Registration Form.
http://www.Atmosphereresorts.com
http://worldwidediveandsail.com/ourboats/sy-philippinesiren.html
http://worldwidediveandsail.com/liveaboard-diving/3/174.html
NOTE: THE GUIDELINES FOR DETERMINING PRIORITY FOR OVERSEAS DIVING TRIPS WERE REVISED BY THE USA BOARD ON MAY 12, 2011. CLICK HERE TO REVIEW THE REVISED GUIDELINES (see SECTION VIII). THESE REVISED GUIDELINES APPLY TO THE PHILLIPINES TRIP. (CLICK HERE FOR A MORE DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE STATUS OF THE GUIDELINE REVISION.)
USA Dive Club Overseas Diving program
2011
USA DIVE CLUB REVISITS LITTLE CAYMAN, JUNE 2011
by Kathi McCutcheon, Trip Leader
A near record number of members made a happy group on our latest overseas club trip. It took five small airplane flights to transfer all of us from Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac to Little Cayman for a week of perfect diving. As promised, the food was fabulous, the accommodations fine and the diving as easy as it comes.
Our first pleasure was a quick check-in to our rooms and the dive shop where we were given a NITROX briefing. We had completed the dive emergency information forms before we traveled, so all we had to do was show our C-cards. Each day we checked and labeled our own tanks and they were placed on the boats for us. Our gear was kept on the boat and the crew made all the tank changes.
Next, we began the chore of consuming way too much good food and yummy desserts. The entrées included plenty of fish choices and selections of lamb, veal, beef and chicken. The multiple salad dishes were always crispy fresh and creative. So unusual for a small island. Ask Steve M. about the chocolate things. He actually admitted there were too many choices.
We came to dive and that we did. Our large group was divided onto two boats. We did two dives in the morning, one in the afternoon and a few of us went on one night dive. A small group from Texas was with us on one boat and we made new friends. They were into fish ID and surveying for REEF. We learned quite a bit from watching them. They were delighted at the sailfin blennies and many jaw fish. Our guides knew where to find the little critters. We also played in the sand with eagle rays and sting rays and were allowed to pet the friendly, large groupers.
Each morning we crossed the barrier reef and headed down the windward side of the island and around to Blood Bay where we dove along the leeward side of Little Cayman. After tying off at a mooring on the shallow side, we swam a short distance, often using swim-throughs, to come out over a dramatic wall dropping off to 6000 feet. The clear waters gave us excellent visibility and the beautiful sponges and corals were large, colorful and healthy. We only saw a couple of nurse sharks but the lobsters and groupers were huge like I remember them from the 1980s. The Bloody Bay Marine Park, designated grouper spawning areas and replenishment zones have made a big difference in fish size. It was nice to see a place that has got it right. They are attempting to keep the lion fish population under control with weekly staff hunts but it looks worrisome. We came up from the wall and swam back towards our boats along the shallow wall or across the sandy bottom with its own variety of sea life. The mooring buoys were placed just a perfect distance apart so that we never saw other groups and could spend the full hour dive seeing different stuff for a well rounded dive experience.
Our dive masters and guides were the best. On my boat was Dottie who has worked there for fourteen years. She was quite a character and had a new dive costume every day with adorable decorated hats, one with a large nudibranch on top. The resort made videos of each group and the dive guides contributed the humor. We formed into a circle above the reef and the photographer shot from below so we looked to be skydiving. Another group performed underwater to the YMCA song. These were the best resort videos we have seen.
After diving came relaxing time in or around the pool or patio bar. One night we were treated to a large presentation of hors d’ouvres and rum punch at the manager’s cocktail party. Other times we shared a few snacks I had brought…like we couldn’t have waited for dinner to stuff ourselves.
If you missed this trip you missed Caribbean diving at its best. We were lucky with fine weather and hope the upcoming Saba trip is as good. The bar is set high but USA does the nicest trips. Next year sign up early so you can join in the fun.
Saba/St. Kitts
Liveaboard
The Caribbean Explorer II
Luxury Dive Vessel
www.explorerventures.com/cexp2/index.html
A Three-Island Tour
with
The Most Unique Itinerary of Live-aboard Diving
October 8-15, 2011
Trip is full - standby list only
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The Saba/St. Kitts live-aboard dive vacation is now full. Unfortunately, we are limited to a maximum of 18 passengers.
If you are interested in going on this trip, please add your name
to the wait list. Placing your name on the wait list is FREE.
No deposit is required unless you are selected to replace
a trip participant who cancels.
If you have questions, or would like the names of USAers and guests going on the Saba/St. Kitts trip, click here to contact Trip Leader Julie Manhold.
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Eighteen lucky USAers will be traveling to Saba/St. Kitts to experience an 8-day, 7-night liveaboard diving adventure aboard the Caribbean Explorer II. Julie Manhold is the trip leader. We have reserved the entire boat for USAers. A Full Moon dive is scheduled for Wednesday evening, October 12th. There are eight staterooms, all with private vanities, air conditioning and toilet facilities.
What’s a liveaboard? Just the most relaxing dive vacation you’ll ever experience. NO SCHLEPPING of dive gear. After you embark, set up your tank just once… that’s it. When not in use, your other gear is stowed in your private gear locker right under your seat. Wet suits are hung to dry. And you don’t have to switch over tanks. Your tank is refilled right where you left it. Warm showers and towels are offered after each of the 27 dives made available to you. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are expertly prepared as are the in-between snacks presented at the end of each dive.
What do you do between dives? RELAX… sunbathe, fill in your log book, read that novel you didn’t have time to read at home, take a nap, get to know your fellow USAers a little better while raving about the last dive. Your time is your own. Perhaps a land tour would be nice. If you’re not planning to make the night dive, enjoy a glass of wine with dinner.
With the exception of the airfare, this is an all-inclusive vacation. Includes 27 boat dives, all meals and beverages, gratuities, port tax, fuel surcharge, airport transfers, departure tax and free NITROX. We will be on our own Friday evening for dinner. We’re even throwing in the T-shirt to let the world know you’ve ‘been there and done that’.
Travel will be simple. On Saturday, October 8th, we fly nonstop from Miami to St. Maarten and then take ground transportation a short distance to the boat. While we sleep, we cruise to Saba where the diving begins. We then island hop and dive our way to St. Kitts where we disembark the following Saturday, October 15th, and fly home direct from St. Kitts to Miami.
You have the opportunity to make 27 dives on this expedition: 2 morning dives, 2 afternoon dives, and 1 night dive each evening. NITROX is free.
The Northeastern Caribbean is an intriguing area offering a blend of Dutch, British, French and native cultures on the most scenic islands in the Caribbean. Our unique itinerary will combine diving and optional land tours.
Saba is known for its submerged offshore pinnacles. The abrupt topography above the sea is mirrored below and the profusion of marine life attests to the early institution of the Saba Marine Park in 1987.
Underwater pinnacles -- spires of the same volcanic rock that makes up the island -- jut up from the deep blue and overflow with marine life. At Third Encounter, a notable pinnacle dive site, the surrounding deep water makes sightings of sharks and other pelagics common. Just a short swim away, an eerie spire called the Needle, not more than 30 feet wide at its apex, rises 250 feet and points up from the depths like Neptune's finger.
 St. Kitts offers arguably the widest variety of sites - finger reefs, recent wrecks, and a variety of drop-offs that will capture your imagination.
When you purchase your own airfare departing from Miami, price for this trip is approximately $2,850. Book your own air travel.
Questions? Click here to contact trip leader Julie Manhold by e-mail.
Brohammer FAM Report on Explorer II (“Turks and Caicos”)
April 16 thru 23rd, 2011
My selection of this trip was determined by the water clarity and good visibility in this area. I was not disappointed, for 100’ to 150’ was the norm. The opportunity to have 5 dives a day was the plan and Sunday through Thursday this was possible. Friday only allowed two dives because several people had travel early Saturday and we were returning to our dock at Provo.
The best diving was not near Turks or close to Provo. The best was located beyond the reach of the local fishermen around the French Cay area. In that area, many large groupers, eagle rays and sharks were seen in addition to beautiful coral formations. The areas close to inhabitants were markedly devoid of large marine life.
The facilities on the Explorer II were good and the captain and crew fantastic. They were courteous, conscientious, helpful and knowledgeable. Food was exceptional and beverages plentiful. One could not ask for more.
The only negative surprise had nothing to do with the Explorer II ship, diving or crew. Airline expense getting there was a shocker not anticipated. That completes my total negative and positive comments.
Submitted by: Rick Brohammer, May 30, 2011
Nils Jacobsen
VP Overseas Diving
overseasdiving@usadiveclub.com
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USA Calendar
- July 4 - Pyroteknik Piknik @ 4:00 pm
Vista View Park
4001 SW 142nd Avenue, Davie
www.broward.org/Parks/VistaViewPark/Pages/Default.aspx
- July 7 - Regular Monthly meeting @ 7:30 pm
Best Western Deerfield Hotel & Suites
1050 E Newport Center Drive
Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
- July 9 - USA local dive @ 1:00 pm
Ophelia Brian Wreck and Neptune Memorial Reef
Miami Beach Marina
www.rjdiving.com
- July 14th - USA board meeting @ 7:00 pm
4011 NE 24th Ave
Lighthouse Point FL 33064
- Saturday July 23rd - USA local dive @ 7:30 am
2 Tank Drift Dive with South Florida Diving Headquarters
www.southfloridadiving.com
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Contact Information
Under Sea Adventurers Dive Club web site: www.usadiveclub.com
Meetings: First Thursday of each month at:
Best Western Deerfield Beach Hotel & Suites
1050 E. Newport Center Drive, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
BYO Dinner: 6:00; Social: 7:00 pm; Meeting: 7:30 pm
Board of Directors
Membership Dues - $40 yearly; $70 for married USA Dive Club member couples
Download the Membership Packet from our website
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All information and images are property of ©2011 Under Sea Adventurers Dive Club
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