Smokeys Divers Den - Dive Reports

Last weekend I had the pleasure of helping with an open water class again. John Thibs - our Florida transplant - took on his first cold water class. I was at the pool making sure we didn't screw anything up and turn him off right out of the gate, and also doing my second straight weekend of refresher courses. Last week Jennifer Zoski ably finished up a refresher after a several year lay off, and this week it was Jim Huggins's turn. Jim did take some abuse because his regulators and fins were older than all of the current open water class participants but he did just fine. We were able to overhaul 30 year old regulators and get them operating nearly like new.

After several months of false starts, four of us got together on Thursday morning to head to Philadelphia for our Digital Photography Instructor course. Diana Sholl, Jeff Raykos and myself had been signed up for some time. Terry Grogan unfortunately had to back out at the last minute due to a family emergency and her spot was filled by Mark Seymour - who was of course referred to all day as "the replacement." We started the day with some fine dining at the Rt 222 Truck Stop in Ephrata just to make sure we were properly weighted. Tina Perkins, the course director, was in for a rude awakening when we started our class. She soon discovered why Smokey's staff classes are more fun - but take longer than any one else's. I'm sure she could find a sympathetic ear with John Gross. After our instruction was over, we headed for the "Adventure Aquarium" in Camden NJ to do our check out dives in the shark tank. The queen of the tank is a 10 ft long, 400 lb sand tiger shark, along with 20 of her friends in a 555,000 gallon, 21 ft deep tank.

After a brief briefing, we headed into the tank. Ever being the gentleman, I allowed everyone else to go in first. OK, I have to admit, having done this type of thing before, I knew being last had the potential to allow me a little one-on-one time with the critters. You enter the pool by sitting on a ledge about 2 feet deep to suit up. The ledge is soon swarming with sharks - and we learned that's because it's where they feed them. Luckily feeding time was already over so they weren't very hungry. We dropped over the edge and landed on the bottom at 21 ft, and stayed there for about 20 minutes, before taking a brief 10 minute surface interval and heading back in. Rank does have it's privileges, and I was able to get a brief swim around the tank before getting out and get some angles and pictures not available to the others.

Barely dried off from Thursday, I headed up to BSC on Saturday with John Thibs, Chris Mayo, Alex Mayo, Nate Aubitz, and Jason Zoski for Alex, Nate and Jason's check out dives. It was a little miserable when we got there, but after a few showers, the day shaped up nicely. While the guys headed in for their dives, my daughter Savannah and I set up camp with the grills and food. Can't have a diving day without food! We were just headed in for our first dive when the guys came out from theirs. I told them we'd make lunch while they were in for their second dive, but I forgot how long a 10 year old can make an alum 80 last. We spent over an hour between 20 and 40 feet, visiting the dauphin statues, harassing the bass on one platform, dropping down to the cement mixer, and visiting a couple of boats before swinging back over the road and in through the lagoon past the "aquarium" after about an hour and 15 minutes on the bottom. As we cleared the water, the guys were finishing up their second dive. Luckily Chris has seen my daughter's performance before and warned everyone that they would be back before we were so they really weren't expecting food yet.

We grilled, and headed back in again. This time Savannah and I stuck with the class to try and get some good pictures. We rounded the platforms, cement mixer, over to the bulldozer, and back in through the lagoon for another 38 minutes. Water temps were between 69 and 55 depending on how deep, and the thermocline has dropped down to about 35 ft. Visibility shallow is excellent, and deeper it's not bad either. Jim Brown, Joe Dormer, Jeremy and Jodi Gibbs, and Mary Beth Waidley were occupying the high ground at access "A". I understand they made a raid of our food while we were in for the last dive - and didn't bother to tell any of the other groups that they knew us!!

Sunday John Gross and Jason Zoski's wife Jodi joined the group and I understand a good time was had by all!!

Since dive reports seem to be few and far between lately I'll add one from the TNI OG's division. The Old Guys gathered at the Lobster Dock on Thursday again avoiding the cement steps that the young guys climb each week. We are the Lame, Limp, Elderly, and Lazy consisting of Jay Bell, George Heck, Joe Hoenninger, and Don Bradley. I was approached by Greg Kulp in regard to a load of firewood for the diver's shack and helping defray the cost. The OG's voted unanimously to donate funds to help pay for the load of wood. Now for our dive. Jay and George split off at the platform to do some of their famous wall diving along the North wall. Joe and I headed off to do a run through the Quest, hit the fire truck and pickup truck and tour the caboose. Viz was pretty good and the fish were almost glad to see someone. It has been so long since anyone entered from the Lobster Dock that I had to clear a huge spider web from between the railings. Joe and I headed back stopping at the usual collection of boats and van, visiting the Kenworth and airplane, then back to the school bus and out. Super night, good viz, lot of fish and 56 degree water (according to my computer). This was an average as my wrist mount computer showed 54 degrees and my console computer showed 57 degrees. Our total run time was 70 mins. We then headed off to Paolo's for frosted refreshments and some hot food. Super night, we are living the dream, get out and dive.