Pure Adrenalin Vol 1, Issue 4 by Andrew Schofield

Pure Adrenalin 252 Walker Street, Townsville, Queensland, Australia News from above and below the waves:  Multimedia Open Water Diver Training  Gear specials  Get Wrecked!  Upcoming trips & courses  Having a Whale of a time  Taking care of our oceans  Sea Snakes  Meet Andrew

Inside this issue: Specialty of the Month - Wreck Diving

Upcoming Trips and Courses

Whale season They’re back!!

Volume 1, Issue 4

Aug 2010

PADI Multimedia Open Water Training Technology is constantly advancing, and so is the way we learn to dive. Last month’s newsletter featured information on PADI eLearning, and how it’s changed the face of diving education. But online learning is not the only technologically-enhanced method of learning that PADI offers. As people get busier and time becomes precious, anything that offers convenience and time saving becomes more attractive. In an effort to answer divers’ demands, Adrenalin is beginning to run Open Water classes using PADI’sMultimedia version of the materials. Essentially, the multimedia DVD replaces the traditional Open Water manual and DVDs, incorporating both into one take-home study package. Instead of the traditional classroom situation, in which you watch some videos, go through Knowledge Reviews

PADI multimedia Open Water

with your Instructor, write quizzes and exams, and then get to get wet, multimedia learning allows you to complete most of the theory (videos included) at home, and then visit us for the in-water training when you’re ready to go on. For people on the go, the ability to complete the theory training at home, when you want to, allows you to tailor the course to your needs. It also allows people to pace themselves, ensuring that each student can learn at the speed that suits them best.

Once you’ve worked your way through the multimedia presentations on the DVD, you simply complete the Knowledge Reviews, schedule a time for your water work, and go from there. We administer the final exam in the classroom after reviewing the completed Knowledge Reviews for understanding and then you get to blow some bubbles. The time saving allows us to compress the classroom and pool sessions by roughly half the time. Typically this means that the class and pool work can all be done in only one day. We will soon be announcing night schedules in an effort to meet the needs of locals with time constraints. So if you’ve been putting off getting your certification because of lack of time, there’s never been a better time to give us a call or drop into the shop and let us set up a schedule that works for you.

Adrenalin’s ECO 3 Certifications The Equipment Corner - BCDs

Creature Feature 4 Crew Who’s Who

Now with visiting whales!

Gear Specials this month Scubapro's Classic Plus BCD excels in comfort, durability and fit. Due to its stabilizing design, Scubapro Nova torch the Classic Classic Pro BCD Plus delivers exceptional buoyancy, high-lift capacities and outstanding

Web: www.adrenalindive.com.au

stability both on and beneath the surface. During the month of August all Scubapro Classic Plus BCDs are 15% off the normal price. Selected BCDs from other manufacturers are also available at discounts of 15% to up to 30% off. Remember too, that VIP Members always get 10% off of

prices for all equipment, courses, servicing and trips. If you’re not already a VIP Member with Adrenalin, why not come in and sign up, or send us an email and we’ll sign you up. Members get great discounts, standby rates on trips, and regular specials on gear.

Email: info@adrenalindive.com.au

Tel: +61 (07) 4724 0600

Volume 1, Issue 4

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Specialty of the Month - Wreck Diver We’ve got one of the best wreck dives in the world on our doorstep. The SS Yongala is steeped in history. It is one of Australia’s worst maritime disasters. It’s also the best dive in the country.

with all hands lost 100 years ago next March 23rd. Because of its historical significance, it is protected under the Historical Shipwrecks Act and therefore can not be penetrated.

Doing your Wreck Diver Specialty on the Yongala is a fantastic way to soak up that history, and learn skills that will help you unravel some of the mysteries of the deep.

But over the course of the four required dives of the specialty, you will learn the skills needed to safely plan and execute penetration dives. These include perfecting your buoyancy, streamlining, the use of reels and torches, using

The SS Yongala went down

redundant air supplies and planning safe entries and exits from a wreck. While we can no longer enter the SS Yongala, it’s a phenomenal dive and a great venue to perfect the skills you will use on future wreck dives. To book a course, or to find out more information about the course, or any of the other specialties we teach, give us a call, send us an email, or drop in for a chat.

August 2010

Schedule of Events

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Reef SS Yongala Reef Yongala Reef Reef SS Yongala Rescue PADI OW PADI OW SeaEsta (3) SeaEsta (3) SeaEsta (3) SeaEsta (2) SeaEsta (2) PADI DSD SeaEsta (3) SeaEsta (2) PADI DSD & Refresher

& Refresher

Reef SS Yongala Reef Yongala Reef Reef SS Yongala SeaEsta (2) PADI OW PADI OW SeaEsta (3) SeaEsta (3) SeaEsta (3) SeaEsta (2) PADI DSD SeaEsta (3) SeaEsta (2) PADI DSD & Refresher

& Refresher

Reef SS Yongala Reef SeaEsta (2) PADI OW PADI OW PADI DSD SeaEsta (3) Web: www.adrenalindive.com.au

Email: info@adrenalindive.com.au

PADI Wreck Specialty

 Mon, Wed & Sat join us on a day trip to the historic wreck of the S.S. Yongala - Australia’s best dive!  Tues, Thurs, Fri and Sun - come snorkeling or diving at fabulous Great Barrier Reef  Join us on SeaEsta for a great 2-day, 2night liveaboard trip to the GBR & S.S. Yongala departing Fri night and returning Sun afternoon  Join us on SeaEsta for an extended 3day, 3-night liveaboard trip to the GBR &S.S. Yongala departing Tues night and returning Fri afternoon  PADI Open Water course starts every Mon & some wknds  Refresher courses and PADI Discover Scuba Diving every Mon & Sat - call for bookings  Shop open 7 days

Tel: +61 (07) 4724 0600

Volume 1, Issue 4

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Whale season - They’re back!! It’s that time of the year again - the tourists are on their way up the coast. We’re talking big, big tourists! The annual Humpback migration has been under way for a while, and the lucky passengers and crew on board MV Adrenalin spotted the first whales of the year as they passed north last month. Since then we’ve had quite a few close encounters on our day trips to the reef and the SS Yongala. It’s not uncommon at this time of year for groups of migrating whales to be sighted as we travel to and

from dive sites. Nick Johnson, an Adrenalin Instructor who joined the team from New Zealand earlier in the year, even had a big visitor while snorkeling during a charter trip. The photos of the whales on the right, and more on our facebook page, were snapped last year by another Adrenalin Instructor, Rhys Woon, also from New Zealand. Luck of the Kiwis! The annual humpback migration takes place between June and October as the whales head from their Ant-

arctic feeding grounds to warmer breeding waters off the coast of Queensland. Breeding grounds extend from southern Queensland as far north as the tip of Cape York. During this time the sight of breaching adults, spouting whales in the distance, and tiny (relatively speaking) calves is an awesome treat. It’s not uncommon to hear whale song underwater during dives if any are in the area as the song travels great distances. It’s an eerie, yet wonderful soundtrack to the magnificent sights of the reef and wreck.

Adrenalin gains Eco Certification for all products Adrenalin Snorkel & Dive is the latest company to be recognized by ECO Tourism Australia for our environmental and sustainable practices and we’re the only dive company within the Townsville and Magnetic Island region to rach this status. Adrenalin’s long-standing commitment to environmentally sustainable best practices has been solidified as our liveaboad products have joined our previously certified prod-

ucts in coming in line with ECO Certification standards. The ECO Certification logo is a globally recognized symbol created in order to assist travelers in choosing environmentally, socially and economically sustainable products or experiences. The ECO Certification program assures travelers that certified products are backed by a strong, well managed commitment to sustainable practices and provides high quality nature-based

tourism experiences. The ECO Certification Program is a world first. It has been developed to address the need to identify genuine nature and ecotourism operators. Now you can rest assured that all of our day trips, 2-day and 3-day liveaboard trips, as well as our 4- and 5-day PADI Open Water courses meet ECO Certification standards. We care about the environment, and it shows.

Gear Corner - BCDs Buoyancy Compensation Devices, or BCD’s have come a long way since the old “ h o rs e days. SeaQuest’s collar” Pearl i3 Gone are the CO2 cartridges to inflate your jacket. It’s all about fit, comfort and ergonomics now. There are a wide variety of styles to choose from. There

Web: www.adrenalindive.com.au

are harness systems with inter-changeable wings for Tec and closed-space diving. Extremely compact BCDs for the travelling diver. BCDs with standard inflator hoses assemblies and a more modern move to side-mounted inflation control which does away with the old corrugated hose over the shoulder (see the Pearl i3). Women’s BCDs are cut differently than men’s, and most have integrated weights

now. But no matter what you want out of a BCD, the great thing is that there’s probably one that will tick all your boxes. If your BCD should be in a museum, or if you just want to see what’s new in BCDs, drop in and let us show you what we have in stock. This month most BCDs in stock are 15% to 30% off. And remember VIP Members get 10% off any gear in the shop. Membership is free.

Email: info@adrenalindive.com.au

Tel: +61 (07) 4724 0600

ECO Tourism Australia recognizes Adrenalin Dive

It's a different world down there

Creature Feature 252 Walker Street Townsville,, QLD 4810 Australia T: +61 (07) 4724 0600 E: info@adrenalindive.com.au W: www.adrenalindive.com.au Sea Snake

Sea snakes are venomous elapid snakes that inhabit marine environments for most or all of their lives. Though they evolved from terrestrial ancestors, most are extensively adapted to a fully aquatic life and are unable to even move on land, except for the genus Laticauda, which retain ancestral characteristics which allow limited land movement. They are found in warm coastal waters from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific. All have paddle-like tails and many have laterally compressed bodies that give them an eel-like appearance. However, unlike fish, they do not have gills and must come to the surface regularly

to breathe. Nevertheless, they are among the most completely aquatic of all air-breathing vertebrates. Among this group are species with some of the most potent venoms of all snakes. Some have gentle dispositions and bite only when provoked, but others are much more aggressive. Currently, 17 genera are described as sea snakes, comprising 62 species. As it is easier for a snake's tongue to fulfill its olfactory function under water, its action is short compared to that of terrestrial snake species. Only the forked tips protrude from the mouth through a divided notch in the middle of the rostral scale. The nostrils have valves that consist of a specialized spongy tissue to keep water out, and the windpipe can be drawn up to where the short nasal passage opens into the roof of the mouth: an important adaptation for an animal that must still come to the

surface to breathe air, but may have its head partially submerged when doing so. The lung has become very large and extends almost the entire length of the body, although it is thought that the rear portion developed to aid buoyancy rather than to exchange gas. It is also possible that the extended lung serves to store air for dives. Sea snakes are seen on every dive at the SS Yongala and often sighted on the surface between Townsville and the reef. Information courtesy of Wikipedia. Next month’s creature

Crew Who’s Who Andrew is Adrenalin’s Training Director and Service Technician. He’s been diving for 15 years since getting his initial certification in Townsville (of all places) while backpacking through Oz. Andrew is a Canadian who hopes to soon be a proud Aussie too. He’s been a PADI Instructor since 2003 and has attained the Master Instructor rating, leaving only one more step for PADI global domination. Having spent a number of

things PADI. Andrew hopes to reach the highest level of Instructor in PADI and become a Course Director next year. Favourite Dive: Andrew Schofield

years managing dive shops in Central America, he brings a wealth of practical knowledge on equipment repair, as well as a very solid grounding in all

The SS Yongala wreck Favourite Creature: Sharks (and pigs - mmm bacon) Why Dive? I don’t understand the question

Pure Adrenalin is published and distributed in conjunction with Adrenalin Snorkel & Dive. All contents are copyrighted and cannot be reproduced without express permission. If you wish to stop receiving this monthly letter, please send an email to info@adrenalindive.com.au Web: www.adrenalindive.com.au

Email: info@adrenalindive.com.au

Tel: +61 (07) 4724 0600