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From Jim Brown . . .
Smokey's conducted a Discover Scuba in York on Thursday, August 25, at Leader Health & Fitness on S. George St. Tina Barker, Pool Director, requested this event for members and her staff. Despite scheduling two sessions in the evening at their outdoor pool, we had only four participants at the 6:00pm session. Brad & Heather Baer and Doug & 11y.o. Devin Callahan joined us for their first breaths UW. Joe Dormer joined me for yet another Practical Training Exercise in his Divemaster training and hauled all the gear from the shop - thanks Joe. Donna and Steph joined us as well to enjoy a dip in the outdoor pool. Donna's presence doubled as a "sitter" as Brad and Heather's four y.o. Lilly needed comfort while M&D were having fun UW.
Everyone did great job getting the hang of breathing UW and enjoying themselves in the shallow end before moving on to the deep end at 11'. Devin even mimicked Joe's hovering technique and quickly felt what neutral buoyancy is all about. We'll be reaching out to our Discover participants in the event they would like to continue with their scuba diving adventure. Jason Zerr was another potential participant who will join us at a future event.
Class news:
Sep 17/18: Advanced OW, BSC
Sep 15/17 or 18: Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox), BSC, class/practical: 6:00pm Thu, 9/15
Oct 1: EFR, 9:00am - 1:00pm, Smokey's (required for Rescue Diver certification)
Oct 20/22/23: Rescue Diver, BSC, classroom: Thu, 10/20, 6:00pm
Nov 12: Equipment Specialist, 9:00am - 3:00pm, Smokey's
Nov 19/20: Boat Diver and Wreck Diver specialties, NC trip
Joe and I are working on specially packaged and priced Wreck and Boat Diver Specialty certifications in conjunction with the November 19/20 NC wreck/shark diving trip.
If you are on your way to completing the PADI Master Scuba Diver Challenge, Sep/Oct//Nov training may be just what you need to complete this prestigious recreational diving accomplishment. (must be Rescue Diver certified, have five (5) specialty certifications and 50 logged dives). As you can see, I can take you through Rescue Diver and four specialties in Sep/Oct/Nov AND help introduce you (through Joe's/Smokey's Nov trip) to the wonderful world of NC wreck diving.
Descending again, UW and into the classroom for continued training!
Feel free to call me directly to discuss these training opportunities:717-968-0145 (c)
From Tom Pritchard . . .
With Jess' conjugal visit to the TNIs over and Vern's semi-annual appearance to pick up his pin out of the way, I figured we'd be back to our normal routine. Hardly. Eric Henry paid us a visit for the first time in months to dive, eat, and Bask in the Glow. T-Bone Sr. came by to drop off my dry suit and share his expertise on condoms. The always effervescent Huckster showed up to carry on the newest TNI tradition, started by Darth Vern only 2 weeks ago: The Dock Splash and Bolt Dive (DS&B). The DS&B isn't a PADI specialty, but insiders say if there's money in it, it has a chance. The DS&B is simple: Go to the cement dock, splash, and take off by yourself. It's that simple - anybody can do it, but few do it with as much panache as Huck and Darth Vermin! And with the water at Willow being a lush pea green right now, it's even easier to keep those pesky dive buddies from buddying up. With Huck out of the way, Kulp and I headed to the east end, passed the pontoon boat (?), which I had never seen before, and played around the large boat. While at the boat we bumped into Gerhard, Terry Parsons (T-Bone Jr.), and Eric. That was obviously before they ditched Eric. Kulp and I headed north and then did what we always do - got separated. Alone at last, I compassed west, then south to the tracks, north to the other tracks, and then past the outhouse. One lap around the mixer and I headed for the underwater stairs where I found GM and T-Bone Jr. doing their hang with their fins on (another new tradition?). It seems that after I lost Kulp, GM and company found him along the north wall. But Kulp, being the slippery sucker he is, got away again. All's well that ends well. I started my dive with two buddies and got out with two. GM went in with two, and he got out with two. On another topic, the original battery in my Suunto Vyper is still going strong after 4 years and 300 dives, but the battery in my VR3 computer, weak and feeble after 3 months and about 25 dives, went into power-saver mode last night. The VR3, the Swiss army knife of dive computers, is known for being a battery hog, especially with its large, always-on color screen. Since I was expecting only 1 month of service from the battery, I was pretty pleased to get 3. I was even happier that, when the battery got weak, it doused the screen and ran numbers for me till the end of the dive. The VR3 is a great computer, but even great computers need a back up computer like the Vyper on your other wrist. The VR3, with its fresh battery, got blown out this weekend, but is ready for the next green slime at Willow this coming Thursday. Get Out and Dive!
From Greg Culp . . .
Last week I had the great pleasure of diving the Empress of Ireland. This trip was organized and led by Tyler Bradford of Advanced Diving & Expeditions from Mississauga, Ontario. The boat Captain was Jean-Pierre Bouillon of St. Luce, Quebec. The Empress is mostly intact and laying on her starboard side, except that most of her superstructure has fallen off due to the effects of salt water and gravity. She is a grand old dame none the less! The wreck begins at about 80' and the maximum depth is 150'.
Diving this section of the St. Lawrence is nothing like the Thousand Islands. The river here is tidal and greatly influenced by Mother Nature. Dives must be timed to coincide with slack tide and acceptable weather conditions. Weather here is subject to very rapid changes and defies long range forecasting. A day which starts acceptable for diving may change in a short time or vice versa. The water temperature ranged from a balmy 38 to a chilly 33 due to a little thing called the Labrador Current.. Currents, visibility, and temperature can all change quickly due to tides. All this being said, I got in 11 dives for the week.
Tyler conducted an excellent orientation before any diving started. This included plans of the Empress as well as a briefing on the appropriate practices for this location. There were also briefings before every dive. The first dive was led by Tyler. The group toured the bow and forward half of the wreck. We saw the ship's name on the port bow, the port chain locker, first and third class entrances, and the 10 ton anchor. The second dive. also led by Tyler, was a short penetration to the first class staircase and the entrance to the first class dining hall. Other notable dives led by Tyler included a starboard lifeboat, and the first class galley. The group also divided into various teams and conducted independent dives. Dives were relatively short so as to limit decompression in the cold water. Dry gloves are a must have. Visibility was good to excellent for the entire trip, although this may be a fluke. The Empress is so large that I only just scratched the surface this week. It seems possible to dive her for a year and see something different every dive, with extensive penetration possible. Most of my time was spent on the outside just getting to know the general layout and it was enjoyable time well spent!
In conclusion, I must say this was an excellent trip. I'd love to go back. Everything was exactly as promised. I had the opportunity to observe other operators while up there. I think I've scored a home run the first time out. Jean-Pierre's boat handling and knowledge of the river were flawless. Tyler's trip was well organized and came off without a hitch. The food in this part of Quebec is outstanding. Many restaurants dot the area, which has an abundance of fresh local seafood. The only disappointment was a cheeseburger I ate on the New York State Throughway on my return trip. It was from a Roy Rogers and truly embodied the spirit of Trigger, it not part of Trigger himself.
From Darth Vern . . .
Well it is great to hear from Greg Culp and I for one am extremely jealous of his trip, even though he offered me a spot to go, my schedule did not permit it. The Empress is said to be a great dive and as Culpy wrote it appears to be that way. A new book has been written by Kevin McMurray on the Empress [link] I just finished it 2 weeks ago and it is a great read. Also here are some links for you to see some info and pics of the wreck itself. [link] [link]
This week some of our regulars are off to tackle the Texas Tower and I for one am excited. This wreck is one of the reasons I took the Tech Courses. Hopefully a great dive report should follw next week!!!
Keep on diving and LIVE THE ADVENTURE!!!
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