Aquatic Ventures Dive Blog
Come Dive with us this weekend!
I know it's short notice, but the weather should be really nice this weekend. Saturday, December 1st at 8:00 am, we will be diving with the American Dream Dive Charters located in Ft. Lauderdale at Pier 66/Hyatt Regency. The dive profile will be a 70ft wreck followed by a 30ft reef. If you need to rent equipment, please stop by our store anytime between 11 am-7 pm on Friday. We will be meeting at the boat at 8:00am. For more info about Captain Todd and the American Dream, check out American Dream's website at http://www.scubafortlauderdale.com/. Please call to confirm and make payment arrangements. I need to have a final head count by Friday night. The boat dive will cost $70 per person with tanks and weights and $50 without. The water temperature as of today: 76F. American Dream does not carry wetsuits. If needed, we have wetsuits on a first come first serve basis. So get out there and dive!!
Dive Conditions
This weekend should provide some excellent conditions for diving. It's going to be sunny and clear with little chance of rain, which means better than usual visibility. The coastal waters forecast indicates calm seas, so it looks like the entire next week will be a great time to get in some diving.
Dive Site Spotlight: Neptune Memorial Reef
GPS: 25.41.412 N, 80.05.455 W (3.25 miles east of Key Biscayne, FL)
A first of its kind, The Neptune Memorial Reef is:
• A memorial garden for the cremated remains of our dearly departed.
• The world's largest and most enchanting architecturally sculptured reef.
• An environmental and ecological masterpiece.
• A world-class destination for divers and explorers.
• A place for commemorating mankind's accomplishments.
Check out their website at http://www.nmreef.com/. The depth of the reef is about 40' max, and is open to anyone who wishes to snorkel or scuba dive this site. It looks like there are already lots of fish and interesting things to see. We plan on taking a trip to visit this site soon and will post details and pictures when we do.
Make your Christmas Shopping Simple!!
Purchase Aquatic Ventures gift certificates either in person at the store, or via phone with a credit card. Don't know what gear your favorite SCUBA diver needs? Let him pick it himself! Have kids or family members that aren't certified? A gift certificate for an Open Water Certification class is more than just a present, you're giving a lifetime of adventure and fun. Gift certificates can be used on anything in the store and for dive trips with our charter partners in Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach.
Dive Tips: How to Dive Like a Pro
Tip #3: The 6 Golden Rules of Equalizing
Rule 1: Equalize on the surface before beginning your descent.
Rule 2: Equalize immediately upon beginning a descent and continue to do so every few feet to avoid discomfort.
Rule 3: Don't wait until you feel discomfort before equalizing.
Rule 4: If you have trouble equalizing ascend slightly and try again. Try flooding and clearing your mask. If after repeated attempts you still can't equalize, abort the dive.
Rule 5: If you have trouble equalizing, use a line if possible, to help control your descent.
Rule 6: If it's been a while since your last dive, practice equalizing the night before to limber up and make sure your eustachian tubes are clear.
Thanks for taking the time to read our blog, and we look forward to diving with you soon!
DIVING NEWS
- Boaters Get Shortcut to Reenter U.S.
A new program offered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection allows boaters to bypass a step in the required process to reenter the country. Recreational U.S. boaters returning home from foreign ports may no longer have to go to an immigration and customs office for a reentry interview. With the new process, boaters can complete a one-time registration with their local U.S. Customs and Border Protection office. They must present proof of citizenship or legal permanent residence and submit identifying details about their vessels. Boaters are given a personal registration number when they sign up for the Local Boater Option program.
After registering, boaters arriving from foreign ports will still have to call an 800 number to connect with passport control officers. The boaters will give their registration numbers over the phone and, in most cases, they will not have to report in person after arriving back in the United States.
To enroll in the Customs and Border Protection's Local Boater Option, set up an appointment by calling 800-432-1216 or 800-451-0393
- Your Name on the Vandenberg for only $1.3 million! You've probably heard the news about the proposed sinking of the missile tracking ship Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg off of Key West, Florida. The Vandenberg, at over 520 feet and 13,000 tons, will be the largest ship ever intentionally sunk as an artificial reef. This site will be the signature dive of Key West and the Florida Keys, and will become one of the most famous warm-water wrecks in the world.
And now you have the chance to name it! For the small price of $1.3 million, you can purchase the right to name the artificial reef! I'm thinking something like the Aquatic Ventures Dive spot.
The organizers listed the naming rights on eBay in order to raise the balance of the $5.7 million needed for the project. Bidding started at 900,000, but sadly, on 3 bids were placed and the highest bidder did not meet the $1.3 reserve.
According to ARK (Artificial Reefs of the Keys), the keel and screw will rest at 140' The tops of the bridge, com rooms, crow's nest and the vast dish antennas will be only 40' below the surface in normally clear gulf stream waters. Lying outside the reef line, about 6 miles offshore, the wreck will often be visible even to snorkelers and glass bottom boats.
- The Legal Requirements of Boating Divers-Down Flag
Florida State law requires that scuba divers or snorkelers display a flag whenever they are in the water.
The "divers-down" flag is a square or rectangular red flag (if on vessels, at least 20 x 24 inches; at least 12 x 12 inches on towed buoys) with a white diagonal stripe and with wire or other stiffener to hold it unfurled and extended.
In addition, a blue and white International Code Flag A (or Alfa flag) may be displayed on dive vessels on federally controlled waters. This flag indicates that a vessel is involved in a diving activity. The Alfa flag does not satisfy requirements of Florida state law.
Boaters must make reasonable efforts to stay 300 feet away from dive flags in open water and 100 feet away in rivers, inlets, or navigation channels.
Boaters approaching "divers-down" flags closer than 300 feet in open water and 100 feet in rivers, inlets, or navigation channels must proceed no faster than is necessary to maintain headway and steerageway (idle speed).
Scuba divers or snorkelers should not place the flag where it will obstruct traffic or create a hazard to navigation on a river, inlet, or navigation channel. In open waters, divers and snorkelers must make reasonable efforts to stay within 300 feet of their "divers-down" flag; in rivers, inlets, and navigation channels, the distance from the flag should be within 100 feet. The "divers-down" flag must be removed when scuba divers or snorkelers are not in the water.
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