Happy New Year! Time for a Scuba Tune up?

Want a great way to spend a few hours on a Sunday morning! How about signing up for a Scuba Tune up?

That is what Certified Diver Jon did. Jon and his wife are going on a cruise this coming weekend. Jon has sign up for diving excursion as part of his vacation. 

We took a few hours to refresh his skills, which from watching him I could tell Jon is already good diver. We swam around the pool for a while to make sure he was comfortable with the gear and in the water.

Demo Day at Lake Millbrook this weekend.

This Sunday only it's Demo Day at Lake Millbrook.

This is always a fun event. Manufactures set up tents and let you try their stuff for free.

Regs, BCDs, Fins, lights, Drysuits, all kinds of stuff.

Good food, good people. Cool dive equipment to try. What could be better.

If go, ask to try the new Halcyon Regulators. I picked up a set earlier this year, they are great!

I will be taking a look at Halcyon new lights. If you go deep enough and can take the cold you can put them to good use in Millbrook.

Virginia Scuba is going to be handing out Lakeside discount coupons, that's right the only place you can get them is from the Virginia Scuba tent at Lake Millbrook. These coupons  the can be used towards gear purchases back at their shop. 

Update: I hear Whites Dry Suite, Aqualung, and Sunnto are among the many manufactures that will be there.

On your way out to Millbrook stop at Virginia Scuba to get your quarry pass (always cheaper at the shop then at the gate).  Have a great dive and try that new gear you have been thinking about.

On your way back with a discount coupon in hand, stop back at Virginia Scuba and buy that cool toy you tried.

Discover SCUBA and SCUBA tune up

Teaching Discover Scuba on Saturday and Suba Tune up on Sunday at the Freedom Center.  Want to try Scuba or refresh your skills come join me. Contact me or Virginia Scuba. Be added to the fun.

SCUBAJAM Virginia 2010 was Great Fun!

Labor Day weekend 2010, what better way to end the summer then diving and camping with Scouts.  I was asked to join Troop 1833 out of Haymarket Virginia as their dive professional for the first ever ScubaJam Virginia held at Lake Rawlings in Rawlings VA.  Pictures posted here, working on the video over the next few days.

Boy Scouts and Ventures crews from Virginia and I think there was a group from North Carolina too. Got together for a weekend to dive for FUN.

Hurricane Earl did not show up and we had fantastic weather. Sunny not a cloud in the sky, temps where in the high 80's low humidity.  Nights where clear and cool.  Next  time I am taking a telescope too, so many stars.

Lake Rawlings was never better.  Warm, 84 at the surface and 80'ish right down to the thermal-clim at ~35 ft. On the deep side at the airplane and boat at ~60 ft the water temp was 44 degrees.  After the initial dives to explore the deep stuff we all ditch the wet suits and hung out in the near bath water temperatures above 35 ft.  There is a lot to see and explore in the shallow depths so the deep was not missed.

The organizers of ScubaJam Virginia had both land and water based activities  and demonstrations set up for Saturday and Sunday.  At the end of the weekend they had a ceremony where the winners of the land and water activities where awarded dive gear.  Scout/Crew member received dive lights, mask, dive bags, fins and DAN gear.

There where two scouts/crew that received $250 continuing dive education scholarships and one scout won a spot on Blackbeard's live aboard cruise for next year. How awesome is that!

From what I hear the ScubaJam Virginia folks are going to take a day or two to rest up, check in on their real jobs then are going right back at it to plan ScubaJam Virginia 2011.

I am planning to be there either as a dive pro for a troop or crew, if not I will see if I can become part of the ScubaJam Crew.  

Bubble maker diving fun.

Had a lot of fun this morning meeting Mia. Mia is 9 years old. Her dad is a diver and she loves to snorkel.  She wanted to try scuba diving. Mia has to wait until she is 10, next summer to be come a certified junior open water diver. But she took advantage of of the Bubblemaker program to try scuba diving. 

We went to the Freedom Center pool put on all the gear, Mia listen to how it all work and she was off and diving the shallow end of the pool.  We worked through the differences she had between snorkeling and diving, by the end of our time together Mia did not want to get out of the pool. She actually did an extra lap around the area we had then sat on the bottom of the pool and watched the open water class that was in water with us for a while.  Mia is a natural, she will be a great diver, can't wait until next summer for her open water class.

Being a Bubblemaker Mia received a kid-sized beach towel, log book, certificate, temporary tattoo emblem, stickers and the adorable and a popular Bubblemaker “action figure.”

Rescue Class - everybody in the pool.

Rescue Diver Class is Challenging  Rescue Diver Class is Fun.

I helped new instructor Chris take on his first Rescue Diver class today. Both Chris and his two Rescue Diver students did great!  My buddy Kristen, who is also a great instructor, happened to be at the pool and lent a hand at being a "victim" for the students.  

Diving the Indra.

Went diving on Friday with the folks at Atlantis Charters.  We had a great time and here is a video:

Weekend Wrap up.

Discover Scuba Days was fun. Light turn out but fun none the less. 

After I finished up the DSD I switch my the regs  on my tank from Aeries to  Halcyon and took them for a swim.

They breath very nice. Since I have this set up as a tech diving kit I have the Halo reg for my primary and the Aurora as my reserve, I found the 22 inch hose for the Aurora is too short I could not turn my head to the left with out the reg pull out of my mouth. When I go back to the shop I ordered a 26 inch hose.  All in all for a pool test it was great! 

IT'S SUMMER TIME! Is it time for a tuneup?

Quick: Answer the Following....

What are the five steps in a pre-dive safety check?

What is the maximum depth limit for recreational diving?

What are the signs and symptoms of decompression sickness?

If you're unsure how to answer one or more of the questions above: it may be time for a scuba tune up! You can get started online for $50.

The online course is performance-based, you'll take a series of short quizzes to evaluate what you remember from open water. Correct answers will allow you to complete the course quickly. For incorrect answers, you’ll read a brief explanation to help refresh your memory. A pool training session completes the scuba review $95. Price includes a scuba review decal for your certification card.

Bring your log book, C Card and gear. Just have the basic gear (mask,snorkel and fins) that’s okay. You can rent the rest of the gear.

Open Water Diving in the Quarry for the weekend.

Spent the mornings this weekend diving in Millbrook quarry.  My dive computer says it was 54 degrees on the platform, but it sure felt colder. Viz was about 10 feet, it was a little better Saturday, it was sunnier.  What made this round of diving so good is the surface temps where in the high 70's, low 80's.

We had five students and they all did great. No poppers, no wonderers. The quarry is a real proving ground for a new diver, if you can dive here you can dive almost anywhere. One of our students, Kristine, is graduating college in the next few weeks. Her family is going on a cruise to the Caribbean as part of her graduation. She already has plans to to go diving while on her trip.

Yup, I sure I will be able hear Kristine laughing from St Lucia. She will be in warm, clear, bountiful seas and I will be still diving the quarry.

Congratulations to Ken, Rick, Rob, Kristine and Matt for achieving your Open Water Certification!

So what's next gang, Nitrox, Nav, Deep??

Take Your Kid to Work Day.... Sort of....

Happy Take your Kid to Work Day!

This is a great idea if you have a job where you can take your son or daughter to your work place and show them what you do all day.

What if what you do for a living, you can't?

This was the problem facing my new friend Scott.   

His dad works for the government and in his own words (okay, I am paraphrasing here) "If I was deaf, dumb and blind I could go hang out at my dad's work." (His dad works in a top secret facility) His mom works in the private sector but deals with a lot of confidential and propriety information, again not another great (fun) place to hang out for work. Don't get me wrong, his mom loves what she does and is really good at her job, but as a teenager, not so much fun.

About a month a go, Scott and his mom recognized this problem.  She said "So what do you want to do?" Scott reply he wanted to see what it takes to be a Scuba Instructor.  Scott's mom, Joan, is a good friend of mine, knew instantly who to call.

Joan and I chatted; I figured the best way to experience what a Scuba Instructor does is to take a Discover Scuba Class.  Working with Virginia Scuba and the Freedom Center I was able to set up a special Thursday morning Discover Scuba Class. In a nut shell it was the easiest and most fun way I could think of to take a look at the life of a Scuba Instructor.

As part of this process Scott has to report back to his class about his day. His teacher supplied him with a six page form with all kinds of questions to ask to build as the base of his report. 

We put together gear, asked and answered questions, talked about training, did some diving. Scott was really good. Did paperwork, cleaned equipment, took a tour of the scuba shop, answered more questions from the form. Took pictures all in all it was a great time. 

We both agreed that there was no way any of his friends where having this much fun today.

The next Take your kid to work day is next April.  If you need option, mark your 2011 calendar in March to give me a call or send me an email  and we can make this happen for your teenager too!

You or your teen can't wait that long to try scuba diving. We have Discover Scuba Diving Classes twice a month and would be glad to have you join us.

Beneath The Sea!

Traveled to New Jersey this weekend to attend the PADI member forum and Beneath the Sea expo.

This was my first time at Beneath The Sea expo.  If you have never been, you should go. What a show! It was like the entire dive industry was there.  Manufactures, distributors, resorts, live aboards, dive shops, special interest groups. 

Talked to a lot of people, planning/dreaming about all of the cool places I would like to dive this year. Surprisingly most of them are in the US.  I would love to do an extended Keys trip and hit all of the wrecks.

Gear wise lots of cool stuff. Halcyon was their with their new cinch system.  I had my back plate upgraded last fall when they came out. It is a great add-on makes the harness snug and secure.  They also had their new regulators on display. I saved for months for those and that was tough in this economy but I order them last Friday form the folks at Virginia Scuba before leaving for Jersey. I can't wait for them to come in.   I will blog about them once I get them, hopefully later this month!

Rebreaters... the ultimate in dive gear.  From the research I have done, the divers and CCR instructors I have talked to the Dive Rite Optima is the way to go.  At Beneath The Sea expo there where at least six different manufactures of CCR equipment. 

Some of them looked like they were just built in someone's garage. I briefly watch an operation demo where the counter lung looked like two silicon milk jugs. As it was being demo it looked like someone milking a cow. Pretty scary, not a brand I would would to use.

Had a great time, saw the folks from Atlantis Charters their boat is ready to go. They are looking forward to a great season of diving.  I feel the need to visit the U352 again, soon.

Was hoping to take pictures but my droid was not cooperating, or it was just user error. Maybe next year.

Discover Scuba Saturday - January 30

Thinking about it, ever wondered what it’s like to breath underwater?

If you want to find out but aren’t quite ready to take the plunge into a certification course, Discover Scuba Diving will let you try scuba to see if you like it.

We are planning to have a large class (have about 10 people so far) for January 30. Would love to have YOU join us. The more people we have the more fun experience. 

Saturday morning early, just a few hours, won't take your whole day. The pool is warm, the Freedom Center is a great facility. Come join me , it would be geat to meet you.



Boy Scouts Release a Scuba Merit Badge

From article posted on divewire.com

Written by Scouting Magazine

Tuesday, 17 November 2009 16:29

(Scouting Magazine.org) - Looking for the perfect stocking stuffer for your water-loving Boy Scout? Here's one: the Scuba Diving merit badge pamphlet, hot off the presses. The merit badge, the first new one in three years, will officially be released on Dec. 1 when it will be available in Scout Shops and online at scoutstuff.org. It's the result of a newly announced partnership between the BSA and PADI, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. Officials at the BSA determined that 84 percent of Scouts were interested in the merit badge, and so it was fast-tracked for adoption. It's one of five merit badges being released in the next 12 months. The other four are Inventing (first quarter 2010), Geocaching (second quarter 2010), Scouting Heritage (second quarter 2010), and Robotics (fourth quarter 2010). But Scuba will arrive first, and so the BSA has established some key facts that Scouters should know about the merit badge: Completing the Scuba Diving merit badge will result in the boy achieving an open-water certification, enabling him to dive around the world with the appropriate supervision, based on his age. There are two important roles for this merit badge: the merit badge counselor and a certified dive instructor. Sometimes this may be the same person, but more likely, the counselor will be an existing BSA adult member. The instructor will be one certified by one of a number of instructional agencies, but he or she does not have to be a BSA member. Earning the Scuba Diving merit badge is open to all Boy Scout-age youth. There are, however, limitations based on age with respect to how deep and with whom a boy can dive. These limitations vary by certifying organization. Completion of the Swimming merit badge is a requirement of the merit badge and must be completed prior to entering into scuba training portion of the requirements. Boys with a current open water certification will not have to recertify in order to earn the merit badge. They will, however, have to have completed the Swimming merit badge, present their certification to the merit badge counselor and complete all the other requirements. There are three important pieces of information which must be fully reviewed by the merit badge counselor prior to approving any Scout for the merit badge: the merit badge requirements, the notes to counselor and the scuba policy of the Guide to Safe Scouting. For more details, visit www.ScoutingMagazine.org