FEBRUARY 2011
THE Local Diving Specialists
hornby island Or, My Encounter with Jaws
Channel islands
Diving Three Different Worlds
diving the bay islands Following the Whale Sharks Home
Volume 15 Issue 2 $1.95 US/$2.25 Canada
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Northwest Dive News FEBRUARY 2011
FEBRUARY 2011
IN THIS ISSUE ◄ Cover by
This month’s cover shot, “The Brooding Anemones” is full of the emotion of the sea. It was taken at Barry Islet by photographer Terry Russell while he stayed at God’s Pocket Resort. It is from the yearly calendar he has produced since 2005, which he gives to friends, family and clients. Terry says, “People are always surprised by the colors and amount of life under the sea.” Terry Russell has read Dive News Magazine since he started diving in 1996 and looks forward to it every month. He says the “local flavor” of the mag is what keeps it interesting.
Northwest Dive News
The complete resource for what’s happening in diving in the Pacific Northwest. P.O. Box 1494 Oak Harbor, WA 98277 Phone (360) 240-1874 Fax (360) 279-1814 nwdiver@nwdivenews.com www.nwdivenews.com
Publisher and Editor Rick Stratton/Kathy Stratton rick@nwdivenews.com Art Director IJ James Graphic Designers TJ Pierzchala/Brian Merculief/Jack Bayliss Production Manager/Expo Coordinator Selene Peterson Writer/Editor Jamie Farris Field Reporter/Editor Barb Roy Travel Editor Jett Britnell Accounts Manager Tove Chatham accounting@divenewsmag.com Advertising Sales Roosevelt Rumble (360) 240-1874 ext103 sales@nwdivenews.com Northwest Dive News (NWDN) is committed to promoting the sport of scuba diving in the Pacific Northwest. We will present a practical, unbiased point of view regarding all aspects of the sport of scuba diving. Topics covered will include information on current events, dive sites, dive training, dive safety, boat diving, dive buddy network and the personal experiences of our readers, Northwest scuba divers. NWDN believes in honesty and integrity in business and will support all efforts related to this. We encourage our readers to participate in determining the content of this publication by giving us their opinions on the types of articles they would like to see. We invite letters to the editor, manuscripts and photographs related to diving or diving related business. IMPORTANT NOTICE NWDN reserves the right to refuse service to anyone it chooses. The contents of NWDN are opinions of individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, editor or any of its staff. The publishers and contributors assume no responsibility for any mishap claimed to be a result of use of this material. Diving is an adventure sport and contains inherent risks. Improper use of diving equipment or improper diving techniques may result in serious injury or death. Readers are advised to use their own best judgment in each individual situation. Subscription Rates: U.S. one year $20.00 (3rd Class) Canadian $30 USF EARN A FREE 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION NWDN wants your diving related stories, cartoons, articles and pictures, and we’ll reward you by sending you a one (1) year subscription in return for the right to publish your original work. In order to win you must be published. This will apply for one article, photo or cartoon per six month period. Stories should be a maximum of 1,200 words and we strongly suggest you include pictures or artwork with your story submissions to increase the likelihood that you will be published. Email submissions to nwdiver @nwdivenews.com or mail to P.O. Box 1494 Oak Harbor, WA 98277. Any material accepted may be printed by any means and is subject to revision as required. We are not responsible for returning such without a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Monthly Columns Editor’s Note.......................................4 Incoming Mail.....................................5 Hot News............................................6 Seattle Aquarium................................8 The Northwest Straits Initiative........... 9 Dive and Travel EXPO................14-17
DAN/Medical Column..................32-33 Mystery Critter..................................34 Book Review....................................35 Gear Box..........................................36 Dive Industry Profile......................... 37 Dive Directory..............................38-39
NORTHWEST CANADA DIVES
18 Hornby Island Or, My Encounter with JAWS
Incredible underwater terrain, huge rock fields with boulders as big as cars, sheer walls that dropped literally straight down into the abyss, small walls full of crevices housing octopuses and wolf eels, and one very large canary (yellow eye) rockfish that is estimated to be over 100 years old! Join guest writer Andy Norton as he explores Hornby Island diving and discovers another world way up north. By Andy Norton
NORTHWEST CANADA DIVES
24 Channel Islands – Diving Three Different Worlds
The Channel Islands are in the backyard of one of the most famous places in the world, southern California. Often referred to as the playground of the stars, the Channel Islands are comprised of eight islands off the coast. Swept first by the warm southern waves then invaded by the cold currents from the north the Channel Islands see a never-ending procession of seasons. By Mike Hughes
TROPICAL DESTINATIONS
28 Diving the Bay Islands Following the Whale Sharks Home
Utila and Roatan are the diver’s jewels of Honduras. These little islands are renowned as two of the best diving locations in the Caribbean and the price is right. MidFebruary through March is whale shark time. Divers from all over the world flock to the tiny islands to get a glimpse of one of the most awesome creatures on the planet. Join Dive News Publisher Rick Stratton on an adventure into Whale shark territory. By Rick Stratton
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE
Do you have an opinion? Contact us: editor@divenewsmag.com
content is the most important thing
T
his week I attended a Content Marketing Conference in Langley, Washington. Organized by Russell Sparkman and the Center for New Media, the two day event focused on creating awareness on how important content is in marketing web sites. The conference showed us different focuses of content strategy and how to think like a publisher in order to create valuable content that brings respect and readers. Content marketing is a marketing technique. It involves creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience - with the objective of driving profitable customer action. It goes by many names; custom publishing, custom media, customer media, customer publishing and branded media. Wow, that sounds bad – driving customer action…maybe you don’t want to keep reading. Maybe you are wondering ‘what exactly is Rick trying to do here, sell me something’? I am trying to sell you something – the sport of diving. My entire mission is to convince you (our readers) to go diving and have an active diving lifestyle. We do that by creating a local diving magazine and website that help you become more active in the sport, locally; where it really matters. Our sport/industry is really struggling. In fact, I have never seen it worse. Many businesses are just holding on, hoping for better times ahead. It is like heading out to sea in a storm. You may think there is safety in just trying to avoid the rocks, but I recommend a safe harbor or heading in a safe direction at the very least. This recession has forced many to close their business or drastically cut back their marketing plans. Cutting your marketing is like taking off your watch to save time. It does little to save it and gives you a false sense of security, all the while – eroding your real security. As a small business owner, I am acutely aware of the needs and
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responsibilities of today’s business environment. In order to compete against other businesses and activities, we need to offer more VALUE to our customers – that is where content marketing comes back in. Content marketing allows me, the publisher, to custom design content in our website and magazine that provides value to our readers. Last month we re-launched our website, www.divenewsnetwork. com. The new site will utilize the content of our magazine, user contributions and custom publishing to increase your experience online. You can see all the content from each month’s magazine in easy to read (easily searched) web page formats or in the cool new PDF magazine reader that we installed. It looks and acts like an online magazine because – it is… Even better, all the stories and ads are linked. You can suggest or contribute articles, photos and video directly to us, at the click of a button. If you did not see your favorite dive site listed in our last article, submit what you know and help us update all of the great places folks can dive. We proudly work hard to provide the best content, but if we get it wrong – let’s fix it. Simply by sending your suggestions to editor@divenewsmag.com you can be an active part in our magazine…how cool is that? By doing this we are living up to our claim, “your regions only local dive magazine, by local divers – for local divers”. Rick Stratton
facebook.com/Rick.Stratton1 twitter.com/nedivenews, twitter.com/mwdivenews rick@divenewsmag.com
Rick
“MOM! Jeffrey’s playing see food again!” 4
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Northwest 2010 Northwest Dive Dive News News DECEMBER FEBRUARY 2011
MONTHLY ARTICLES
LETTER TO THE EDITOR modification to the Scuba diving Lingcod length rule. Any Lingcod brought to the surface for accurate measurement and found to be out of compliance with the legal lengths will be returned dead to the water and therefore wasted. A diver will have no desire to receive a large Citation for holding an illegal Lingcod. Thank You Very Much, Michael D. Rigik
Dear Rick
On May 19, 2010, I mailed a letter to the commission regarding a new fishing rule/law affecting Scuba divers and the length of Lingcod that divers harvest by spearing. This new rule/law the Commission instituted became effective at the beginning of the 2010 fishing season. The suggestions for estimating Lingcod length underwater offered in a response letter I received in response strongly appear to me to have been made by a person, or persons, who have NEVER dived in Puget Sound in the presence of Photo by Jim Lyte Lingcod. As a diver who has speared many Lingcod over the past 35 years, these suggestions are almost comical in their apparent {to me} lack of Lingcod and under water optics knowledge base. Those comments dealt with the nearly impossible ability to accurately estimate lengths under water. This is especially true if one is trying to estimate a length within plus or minus one inch, as is now required by the now mandated minimum 26 inch and maximum 36 inch Lingcod lengths for Scuba divers. I extended a challenge to any Commission members who are certified Scuba divers. Dive underwater, and, from a distance of three feet to five feet or more, accurately estimate the length of an item of known, {to others but not the diver}, measured length within plus or minus one inch. Three to five feet is typically as close as a diver can approach a skittish Lingcod. I predict they will fail to accurately predict the item’s length in at least 75 percent or more of any trial attempts. I would guess the failure rate will more likely approach 100 percent! I would like to urge the Commission members to consider a
Dear Michael,
Thank you for sharing your concerns. First let me say that I completely agree with you. I have spear fished for years myself and I know that it would be near impossible to gage the length of a lingcod under the terms of the new rule. In my mind, if a fisherman catches a Lingcod, there is a chance that the fish will survive when put back into the water but for the spear fisherman, well, let’s be honest, once that spear hits, the fish cannot be returned to the water. So Michael we here at Dive News Network are adding our voice to yours and requesting that the Commission take another look at the new rule. Thank you once again for taking an active role in our sport.
Rick
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HOT NEWS Get your business noticed by sending us your NEWS/EVENTS: editor@divenewsmag.com Dive News Network National Sales Manager Wins Photo Contest Mike Stratton, Dive News Network’s National Sales Manager, recently won a photo contest sponsored by Princeton Tec. The contest, Princeton Tec Beyond Bottomtime, showcases photographers from around the nation. Stratton won with his photo entitled “Free Dive” was showcased in PT’s blog “Living on the Dash”. PT challenged all SCUBA fanatics to take non- typical photos; they wanted to take a different look at diving. If it was quirky, intense, imaginative or odd, PT wanted divers to send it in. Stratton took first out of 217 photo entries. For those interested in seeing Stratton’s photo, visit PT’s blog at www.livingonthedash.com.
Grrrl Power - San Diego’s Scuba Diver Girls focus on the fun “Women were not coming out to dive, and we wanted to change that.” That’s the mission for San Diego’s Scuba Diver Girls network, a viral marketing sensation co-founded in 2009 by Margo Sanchez and Stephanie Adamson that has attracted over 35,000 Facebook fans with its fun mix of dive tips and advice, YouTube videos, apparel, and travel opportunities, all aimed at encouraging women to dive. Their message attracted the attention of gear makers including Aqua Lung, which found SDG online and asked them to participate in product testing. Up next for SDG is a new venture, Scuba Diver Girls Travel Network. For more info visit www.scubadivergirls.com/travel.
18TH Annual Lingcod Egg mass survey Photo by Vancouver Aquarium By taking part in the Lingcod Egg Mass Survey, divers can help gather important information about a valuable local resource thats population is only 3-5 percent of what it was a century ago. Divers participating in this annual survey collect information on the number, size, condition, and position of egg masses, as well as whether or not a guarding male is present. This data can help determine if local lingcod populations are showing any evidence of recovery. This survey goes from February 5 to March 6 and is volunteer based, so we need your help! For data sheets and further information contact: Kevin Kaufman at (604) 659.3440 / lingcod@vanaqua.org or visit the survey online at www. vanaqua.org/lingcodsurvey.
Mother and Son Review Team Joins Dive News Network It’s a mother’s dream to see her child growing up to be creative…picking up a pen…tapping away at the keyboard…putting his byline on a story that he had a part in. So imagine how much more proud a mom would be to team up with her 9 year old son and create right alongside of him? Darn proud is what DNN Executive Assistant to Publisher and Expo Coordinator Selene Peterson would tell you. Selene and son Reagan are teaming up to become the Dive News Network’s book review team. Both are avid readers and fledgling writers so the fit was perfect when Dive News Network publisher Rick Stratton began looking for a team to take on the book reviews. Selene is a newly bitten diver and Reagan is a gifted young man who is currently in the 3rd grade. So help us welcome the mother and son team to the pages of Dive News Network!
Deaf Divers Sign in the Soundless Depths Deaf diver Wendy Dannels recently marked an accomplishment off her “bucket list” with the help of Worldwide Dive and Sail. On a recent trip on the Siren, a ship for deaf dive trips, Daniels, 56, was able to Photo by New York TImes safely dive areas she hadn’t been before. The company’s founder, Frank van der Linde, got the idea for the trips after working on the Thai island of Koh Tao with Naomi Hayim, a British dive instructor who is deaf, since they have been organizing regular trips for deaf and hard of hearing divers. Worldwide Dive and Sail is one of a handful of dive companies that offer specialty trips catering to divers with disabilities. The company typically runs one such trip a year, to diving destinations in places like Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. For more info about these types of dive trips visit www.worldwidediveandsail.com.
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Local Field Stations There are two new Field Stations joining Reef. Welcome to the Galiano Dive Club in BC, and to Adventures Down Under in Bellingham. Field Stations may teach REEF ID classes, organize REEF survey dives, carry fish ID books, serve as a testing center for experience level tests, and can answer general questions. For more info visit www.reef.org.
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Northwest 2010 Northwest Dive Dive News News DECEMBER FEBRUARY 2011
Find more Northwest activities on our facebook page! Northwest Activities
CLUB MEETINGS & EVENTS Feb. 6: Northwest Adventure Divers club meeting, 7 p.m., The Golden Steer, Kent, Wash. www.nwadventuredivers.com Feb. 8: Portland Sea Searchers meeting, 7 p.m., Portland, Ore. 503-709-9306 Feb. 8: Yakima Dive Club meeting, 6:30 p.m., El Porton, Yakima, Wash. yakimadiveclub.sharepointspace.com Feb. 8: Wet & Wild Diving Society meeting, 7:30 p.m., Bob Lamb Industry Education Centre, Fort McMurray, AB, Canada. www.ghphoto.ca/wwscuba/ Feb. 8: Mountain Sharks Dive Club meeting, 6:30 p.m., Jakers Restaurant, Missoula, Mont. www.mountainsharks.org Feb. 9: Emerald Sea Dive Club meeting, 7 p.m., Shawn O’Donnell’s American Grill & Pub, Everett, Wash. www.emeraldseadiveclub.org Feb. 9: Puget Sound Depth Charges Dive Club Meeting, 6 p.m., Milton Tavern, Milton, Wash., www.psdepthchargers.com Feb.12: Featured Education family event beach walk, 8-9 p.m., Foss Waterway Seaport, Hood Canal Marina, Union, Wash. http://pugetsound.org Feb. 14: Napa Valley Divers club meeting, 7 p.m., Filippi’s Pizza Grotto, Napa, Calif. www.napavalleydivers.com Feb. 15: Kelp Krawlers dive club meeting, 7 p.m., Dirty Dave’s Pizza Parlor, Olympia, Wash. www.kelpkrawlers.org Feb. 16: Atomic Ducks Dive Club Meeting, 7 p.m., Bank Reale, Pasco, Wash., www.ducksdiveclub.org
Do you want your event listed here? Contact us: editor@divenewsmag.com
Feb. 24: Boeing Seahorses Dive Club meeting, 6 p.m., Round Table Pizza, Issaquah, Wash. www.seahorsediveclub.com Mar. 1: Eugene Dive Club meeting, 7 p.m., Izzy’s Pizza, Eugene, Ore. www.eugenediveclub.com Mar. 1: Atomic Ducks Dive Club Social, 6-9 p.m., Kimo’s Restaurant and Sports Bar, 2696 North Columbia Center Boulevard, Richland, Wash., www.ducksdiveclub.org Mar. 1: Divers Down Under club meeting, 6:30 p.m., Adventures Down Under, Bellingham, Wash. www.adventuresdownunder.com Mar. 2: Emerald Sea Dive Club meeting, 7 p.m., Shawn O’Donnell’s American Grill & Pub, Everett, Wash. www.emeraldseadiveclub.org Mar. 2: Marker Buoy Dive Club meeting, 7 p.m., Sunset Hill Community Center, Seattle, WA. www.markerbuoydiveclub.org Mar. 2: Puget Sound Depth Charges Dive Club Meeting, 6 p.m., Milton Tavern, Milton, Wash., www.psdepthchargers.com Mar. 3: Northwest Divers club meeting, 6:30 p.m., Kwan’s Cuisine, Salem, Ore. www.salemscuba.com Mar. 3: GSNDAMBAA club meeting, 6 p.m., Edmonds Underwater Sports, Edmonds, Wash. www.gsndambaa.org Mar. 3: Oregon Scuba Club meeting, 7 p.m., Buster’s BBQ, Tigard, Ore. www. oregonscuba.com
Do you want your club meeting or event listed here? Just contact us at (360) 240-1874 or go online to www.divenewsnetwork.com IT’S FREE!
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The Seattle Aquarium is a non-profit association dedicated to the conservation of aquatic life
Octopus Week 2011 Love
Connection Photo by Stock.xchng
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t is time once again to celebrate our tentacle friends with Octopus Week at the Seattle Aquarium! Between February 19-27 the Seattle Aquarium will break out the fun and learn about one of the coolest creatures in Puget Sound…our octopus. The fun begins early with an Octopus Blind Date Monday, Feb. 14 starting at noon. Witness what happens when sixteen arms, six hearts (three hearts each) and two giant Pacific octopuses (K2- female and Homermale) meet on Valentine’s Day. This has been a long held tradition at the Seattle Aquarium and is always a lot of fun. Aquarium biologists set the mood with decorative hearts, roses and romantic music at the Octopus Exhibit. But it’s up to the octopuses to decide whether or not love is in the water! The original “love doctor” was Seattle aquarium Biologist Dr. Roland Anderson. Dr. Anderson had been a biologist at the Seattle Aquarium for 31 years and each year he and his team attempt to make a “love connection” between two of the aquarium’s residents. Each Valentine’s Day the staff would set the mood and Dr.
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Anderson introduced the couple. He said that about 50 percent of the time they would get a match. He enjoyed the yearly attempt at producing little baby octopus but in 2009 the Doctor gave up his stent as the Love Doctor of the aquarium to concentrate on retirement. Now a new team carries on the tradition. How much does a giant Pacific octopus weigh? Find out Friday, Feb 18 at noon when we weigh our female octopus named K2 before she is released back to the waters of Elliot Bay on Saturday. Watch live video feed as our biologists escort K2 to her new home beneath the Aquarium pier. (Homer, gets his turn at the scale Friday, Feb 25.) Saturday, Feb 19 the official Octopus Week begins. There will be hands-on activities for kids and octopus feeding as well as talks given every day throughout the day. Divers will be swimming with an octopus Feb. 21-25 at 11:30 a.m. in the Window on Washington Waters. This will be a chance to get a really good view of an octopus and find out all kinds of cool information about them. Sunday, Feb. 20 at 11 a.m. hear all about the Aquarium’s Puget Sound Octopus Census from Aquarium Biologist Kathryn. Find out what our scientists have learned about the population and health of the octopus population. Then Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 11 a.m. hear from Joel about his adventures with giant Humboldt Squid. It is a pretty amazing story. Finally, Saturday, Feb. 26 at noon, Homer, our male octopus, will also be released with the live video feed and escort. Here is a chance to see him off. So take some time Feb. 19-27 to visit the Seattle Aquarium and get to know one of Puget Sound’s most famous residents up close and personal. For more info on Octopus Week visit www.seattleaquarium.org. ■
Northwest 2010 Northwest Dive Dive News News DECEMBER FEBRUARY 2011
The Northwest Straits Foundation is a non-profit organization protecting the marine waters of the Puget Sound
A “Net” gain of 238 acres of Old Fishing Nets Removed from Sound
W
e all see them, renegade fishing nets tangled in the beautiful landscape we call our diver’s playground. Each year millions of fish nets are lost to the Sound currents only to find a home tangled around some unsuspecting coral, kelp, and nudibranchs or, heaven forbid, a marine animal. Local divers however are doing their part to save the local environment from wayward fishing nets through the Northwest Straits Initiative. The Northwest Straits Initiative is nationally recognized as an innovative approach to bring sound science and an ecosystem perspective together with citizen energy and entrepreneurship in order to clean up local waters. It began its derelict fishing net and crab pot removal program in 2002. To date NSI has completed a $4.6 million project to remove thousands of derelict gill nets from the marine waters of Puget Sound. In all 3,860 nets have been removed since 2002, when the Northwest Straits Initiative first began its derelict fishing gear removal program. “This funding allowed us to employ 30 people over the last 18 months. With those additional workers, we were able to more than double the work we did in the seven years previously. Our crews removed 238 acres of nets that won’t be harming wildlife anymore. The benefits are immediate to the economy and the Sound. It was a great way to end 2010,” said Ginny Broadhurst, director of the Northwest Straits Initiative. Divers working within the program began aggressively removing the nets in July after receiving federal stimulus funds from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The crews, working full-time from four removal boats, removed nearly 2,500 nets (average size is 7,000 square feet) during the 18-month project. Joe Gaydos, regional director and chief scientist for the SeaDoc Society says “This project provided real jobs and stopped the silent killing of thousands of animals, representing 185 different species, many of which we’re trying to recover. The NSI is always looking for volunteers to help with this project. Local diver clubs and divers can sign up to help by visiting the NSI website. “This is a project that will benefit divers everywhere,” says Dive News Network publisher Rick Stratton. “We need to make sure that what we do as divers or fishermen doesn’t adversely affect our Sound.” To learn more visit www.nwstraits.org and www.derelictgear.org. ■
Northwest Dive News DECEMBER We support local divers -2010 Local
divers supportwww.nwdivenews.com the industry.
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REGIONAL REVIEWS
White’s Fusion Demo Tour Dives into Seattle
and designs drysuits for the military, public safety, Coast Guard/rescue teams, immersion suit users, and countless recreational and professional drysuit users around the world. . ■
F
or years White’s Diving has been a leader in revolutionizing the sport of scuba diving and diving suits. When the concept of drysuits came along White’s was one of the companies paving the way for divers to dive dry. Now, Whites is going the distance to prove that diving dry is something that every diver should consider by taking their Fusion Drysuit on the road. March 12-13 White’s Fusion Demo Tour will be camped out in Seattle so that Pacific Northwest divers can see what the Fusion suit is all about. It’s a chance to try before you buy. The idea is to test drive a Fusion drysuit before you buy. Divers from all over the PNW along with the help of the pros from Whites head office will be allowed the chance to don one of the new Fusion drysuits and try it out in their very own backyard…in Puget Sound. The event is for all skill levels and industry leaders will help event the newest of divers in an effort to show everyone what
the Fusion suit is all about. The Fusion Demo Tour is touring the country and Seattle is just one of its many stops along the way. Along with having a great diving experience and mingling with divers, each participant in the Fusion event will receive a BBQ lunch and T-Shirt. This year’s event will be held at Redondo Beach. When you arrive you will see a White’s trailer and tents setup. The first thing to do is check in at the registration center and provide the staff with your ticket, liability form, diver certification card and credit card or driver’s license. It’s that easy. White’s has long been committed to quality. Frank White Sr. founded Whites in 1956. It was the first wetsuit manufacturing company in Canada, and first drysuit manufacturing company in North America. Now owned by Frank White Jr. and Richard Myerscough they continue to lead by example. White’s Diving now manufactures
Schedule March 5 March 6 March 12-13 March 19-20 April 9 April 10 April 16-17 April 30-May 1 May 14-15 May 21-22 June 18-19 June 25-26 Sept 10 Sept 17-18 Sept 25
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For more info visit whitesdiving.com/sport-diving/events/
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Northwest 2010 Northwest Dive Dive News News DECEMBER FEBRUARY 2011
DIVE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
DIABC Fundraiser A Big Success! By: Barb Roy
S
aturday, November 6 the Dive Industry Association of British Columbia (DIABC) presented their second annual fundraising event – Evening with the Authors and Artists at the West Vancouver Yacht Club. Book authors and artists from the local northwest dive community welcomed guests throughout the evening with opportunities to purchase books and artistic crafts, just in time for the holidays. Andy Lamb, Bernard Hanby, Neil McDaniel, Rick Harbo and Wendy Carey were on hand to autograph books. Scuba gear, dive trip gift certificates, pottery, glassware, clothing and books filled three tables for the silent auction! The event began around 6:30pm with appetizers and social camaraderie followed
by Donnie Reid giving a unique presentation on the Pavilion Lake Project involving the study of microbialites, believed to be one of the oldest forms of life on earth. Donnie has been working with NASA, Nuytco Research and the Canadian Space Agency over the past few years to study them. Admission was free and a $5 donation scored an autographed print from the artist Rogest, donated by NWDN Magazine. Overall organizers of the event were happy with its outcome and are already planning the 2011 show, to take place Saturday, November 19. The venue and location has yet to be decided. For more information about this event or to participate as an author or artist in 2011, please visit www.diveindustrybc.com or contact Barb Roy at grandmascuba@ hotmail.com. The DIABC is a non-profit society dedicated to the promotion and awareness of British Columbia’s dive industry for consumers around the world and for the improvement of BC’s marine environment. Membership includes other non profit groups, manufacturers, media outlets, dive service
Evening with the Authors and Artists Photo by DIABC
providers, dive charter operators, retail dive stores, journalists, instructors and local community governments. The DIABC is also recognized by Tourism British Columbia as the representing entity for British Columbia’s diving industry. ■
For more info visit www.diveindustrybc.com
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Northwest Dive News JANUARY We support local divers2011 - Local divers supportwww.nwdivenews.com the industry.
Dealer inquiries welcome: www.uemis.com/delears or at DEMA 010 11
PUGET SOUNDS LARGEST DIVE CHARTER COMPANY
Bandito Charters – Leading the Way in PNW Charter Service T
hey have been taking divers out on the local waters for adventure for over 14 years and today, it is no less exciting than it was the first time Captain Rick Myers of Bandito Charters piloted a boat. “This just isn’t something that grows old,” says Myers. “Once you’re hooked, you’re hooked for life.” Bandito Charters is a full service charter service running out of both Tacoma and Friday Harbor. They are the largest of the dive charters in the area. They have three boats currently and they have taken out thousands of divers each year helping new divers experience the Sound for the first time and experienced divers discover things they have not yet seen. Captain Rick estimates an average of 1800 divers each year out of Tacoma alone. “We are right here, close to I-5 so we are easy to find,” says the Captain.
Ocean Que st 35’ Boat Photo by B andito Cha rters
Site Favorite Dive A re w o T I V K dito Charters Photo by Ban
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www.nwdivenews.com Local divers don’t just dive locally—they dive globally!
Northwest 2010 Northwest Dive Dive News News DECEMBER FEBRUARY 2011
BANDITO Wolf Eel Photo by Tom Heinecke
Captain Rick Myers Photo by Bandito Charters
I LOVE MY JOB!
If I wasn’t doing this for work, I would be working to do this. ~Captain Rick Myers Bandito Charters accommodates individual walk-ons, groups of as few as 2 to as many as forty and they go just about everywhere in the Puget Sound area. “We cater to individuals, open water classes, instructors with specialty classes, night and technical diving,” Captain Rick says. “I will even customize a charter around your needs if you’d like.” A year round company with charters running every weekend, it is interesting to discover a business that is actually growing during the down-turned economy. “To be honest, it’s the people I have working with me,” says Myers. “Jackie DeHaven, George Potts, Kurt and Peggy up in Friday Harbor… all of them know what they are doing and make every effort to take care of the diver. I couldn’t say enough about the crew.” Dependability is also a huge part of their success as far as Myers is concerned. “We are dependable and there when you need us,” Myers says. “If I have two people who want to go out, I’ll eat the cost and I’ll take them out. That’s what it is about, making sure that your customers walk away with a good experience so they will tell their friends and family as well as return again themselves.”
Wolf Eel Photo by Tom Heinecke
Myers adds that you have to know where to take your divers as well. “There are so many great places to take divers on Puget Sound,” says Myers. “We have current diving and we have protected reefs to dive. This year we have had more octopus sightings than ever. Vis is generally pretty good and there are so many diverse underwater landscapes in the Sound a diver could dive every day of the year and see something new.” Myers says some of Bandito’s favorite dive sites are the KVI Tower, an artificial reef with many species of fish including pacific octopus, The Barges at Maury Island, sunken wooden barges and Sunrise County Park which is diver friendly and full of wolf eels as well as other marine species. “I’ve been working these waters for a
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Northwest Dive News DECEMBER We support local divers -2010 Local
long time and I have quite a few stories I could tell you,” Myers says. “That’s because the Puget Sound and the surrounding area is rich with life and a kick to visit. I love it so much that if I wasn’t doing this for work; I’d be working to do it.” For more info on Bandito Charters visit www.banditocharters.com. ■
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www.banditocharters.com 13
EXPO SHOW DATES: APRIL 8-10 AT THE GREATER TACOMA CONVENTION AND TRADE CENTER
DIVE & TRAVEL EXPO 2011
Finally, don’t think that you will come to the Dive and Travel Expo and leave empty handed. We will have over $100,000 in cash and prizes to give away by companies from all over the world. Win a 2 week vacation in Fiji, Indonesia or Cozumel, or win wetsuits, drysuits, regulators, BCD’s and MORE!!!
Dive & Travel Expo (2010) - Photo by Rick Stratton
I
t is time once again for the Dive and Travel Expo 2011 to be held at the Tacoma Convention Center April 9-10. This year’s event is sure to be even better than past events. The Dive and Travel Expo will host 300 plus exciting exhibit booths with some of the world’s leading dive industry professionals to answer all your questions about the latest dive technology, destinations and advancements. Enjoy photography? Here is your chance to
Photos by Tove Chatham
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show off with the Shoot to Win photo contest. How about a seminar? The Dive and Travel Expo is offering over 50 seminars about everything from dive medicine to underwater videography. Are you a newbie? Been thinking about diving but are still unsure?
Come try it out at the Dive and Travel Expo! Non-divers can get a free lesson from professionals in a large indoor heated pool. What’s a Dive and Travel Expo without a Film Festival? Join industry leaders as we take in a Saturday night Film Festival and dinner. Come and enjoy good food and great entertainment dive-style!
DON’T MISS THE ALL NEW WEBSITE! www.nwdivenews.com www.nwdivenews.com
Treasure Hunt to Give Away $50,000 in Prizes!
D
ivers will seek treasure in Puget Sound in the largest Treasure Hunt in the Pacific Northwest. This year’s Dive and Travel Expo Treasure Hunt will take place in Tacoma, WA Sunday, April 10 at 9 a.m. Divers will meet at Owen Beach in Point Defiance Park for the chance to uncover thousands of dollars’ worth of prizes. This is the ninth annual dive extravaganza and attracts divers from all over the Northwest. This year Treasure Hunt 2011 is all new and improved. The changes will increase safety and make the event more fun than ever before. This year we have more than $50,000 in cash and prizes donated by some of the dive industry’s leading companies including a special sponsor – IST Sports, and include wetsuits, drysuits, regulators, trips and more. In addition, divers can seek out a Treasure Chest filled with $1,000 cash!
$
$
$ $ $
Northwest 2010 Northwest Dive Dive News News DECEMBER FEBRUARY 2011
THE DIVE & TRAVEL EXPO IS THE NORTHWEST’S ONLY DIVING EXPO—DON’T MISS THE SHOW!
“Me & My Jelly”” (2010) Photo by Ken Blauvelt “Hunter” (2010) - Photo by Bob Bailey
Dive and Travel Expo 2011 Photo/Video Contest A
re you a photographer or a videographer who is dying to see your work receive public acclaim? Here is your chance. The 2011 Dive and Travel Expo is holding their annual photo/video contest during this year’s Dive and Travel Expo to be held at the Tacoma Convention Center April 9-10. The annual Dive and Travel Expo photo and video competition is open to all amateur underwater photographers and videographers. You must be at least 18 years of age. The contest is open to all participants regardless of residence or citizenship, so long as the laws of their jurisdiction allow participation. This year’s contest is accepting only digital entries. All work must be original and the person submitting it must have ownership. This year’s prizes are even better than ever and there will be a number of honorable mentions as well. First Place, Second Place, Third Place, “Best of Show” and “Judges’ Choice” will all be awarded. So get those money shots out and get them into the 2011 Dive and Travel Expo photo/video contest and share your views of the world of diving.
2011 Photo/ Video Contest How Do I Submit My Work?
T
his year’s contest is accepting only digital entries. All work must be original and the person submitting it must have ownership. All photos are to be 8.5 inches x 11 inches. Each photo entry needs to be attached to a separate e-mail. All photos submitted must be clearly identified with the photographer’s name, email address, phone number, a photo title and category. All entries must be received no later than March 1, 2011. For further information contact 360.240.1874 or via email photocontest@diveandtravelexpo.com.
Email Your Entries to: photocontest@diveandtravelexpo.com Deadline March 1, 2011! Northwest Dive News DECEMBER 2010 FEBRUARY 2011
www.nwdivenews.com read more about the expo AT diveandtravelexpo.com
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EXPO SHOW DATES: APRIL 8-10 AT THE GREATER TACOMA CONVENTION AND TRADE CENTER
Dive Expo - Sat Night Film Festival – Be Fed, Entertained and Inspired T
he Saturday Night Film Festival held April 9 at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center, will be all new and much bigger than previous years. This year’s event, will be held in the Tacoma Convention Center main ballroom and includes a sit down dinner, award presentation and presentations by world-class dive photographers/videographers. The event begins at 6 p.m. with a no-host cocktail reception and premiere of Drop Zone
Fiji, a film combining surfing and diving. At 7 p.m. dinner will be served to guests and speakers will include: Florian Graner PHD, a marine biologist and cinematographer; Brandon Cole, PNW native and wildlife photographer and writer specializing in the marine environment; Jett Britnell, renowned underwater photographer; and Stuart Westmoreland, recognized as one of the leading nature, lifestyle, marine, underwater, travel, concept and general
stock photographers in the United States. The winners of this year’s photo and video contest will be honored and the presentation of Diver of the Year and the new Local Legends awards will be honored. Divers are invited to come be fed, entertained and inspired at the 2011 Film Festival. Tickets are $25 in advance. For more information and to sign up, visit www.diveandtravelexpo.com.
Cathy Church Photo Skills Workshop
C
athy Church has been photographing underwater since 1967. She has a Master’s degree in Marine Biology. Church is recognized as one of the world’s foremost teachers and authors on underwater photography. She received the NOGI award for the arts, the DEMA “Reaching Out Award” and was inducted into the Woman Divers Hall of Fame in 2000. She was inducted into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame in 2008. Church is well known for many styles of photography from documentary and editorial to gallery art. She shot the award winning Cayman Islands underwater poster “Wonderland,” and has done extensive work for many clients including Kodak, Nikon, Dolphin Cruise Lines, U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Cayman Islands. She was a photo editor for Skin Diver magazine for 15 years and her work has appeared in dozens of books and magazines on photo technique and she has completed several instructional videos. Church published a book in 2004 called “My Underwater Photo Journey.” Her newest collection of works, “Imagination Collection” was released in 2009 to wide acclaim. Church and husband, Herb, currently teach underwater photography and operate Cathy Church’s Photo Centre and Gallery at Sunset House Hotel and she does speaking engagements throughout the world on both photography and videography.
At the Tacoma Convention Center Saturday 10-6 Sunday 10-4 Film Festival: Saturday 7-9 pm Treasure Hunt: Sunday 9 am www.diveandtravelexpo.com
Over $100,000 in Cash & Prizes! 16
DON’T MISS THE ALL NEW WEBSITE! www.nwdivenews.com www.nwdivenews.com
Northwest 2010 Northwest Dive Dive News News DECEMBER FEBRUARY 2011
THE DIVE & TRAVEL EXPO IS THE NORTHWEST’S ONLY DIVING EXPO—DON’T MISS THE SHOW!
Local Legends Award – Recognizing Diving’s Pioneers
Diver of the Year 2011 – Jim Trask
O
ne of the spotlights during this year’s 2011 Dive and Travel Expo will be the awarding of the Local Legend of Diving Award given to a local diver who has been a pioneer of scuba diving locally in the Pacific Northwest. This is the first time this award will be presented. Pioneers are those people who came before, opening up the sport of diving in the early days, paving a way for others to follow later. They blazed a path, sometimes during difficult times, when diving was in its infancy. These people laid the foundation upon which many divers now stand. The Local Legend award is a lifetime achievement award sponsored by the Dive and Travel Expo and Dive News Network. Publisher and Expo Coordinator Rick Stratton is proud to sponsor this prestigious
T
his year’s recipient of the Diver of the Year Award 2011 is Jim Trask, a local diver who is heavily involved in the Washington State Scuba Alliance. Trask has worked tirelessly to promote local diving, make diving safer and to bring awareness to the industry over all. Trask will be awarded the Diver of the Year Award at this year’s Dive and Travel Expo at the Saturday night Film Festival to be held April 9-10 at the Tacoma Convention Center.
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Regular Adult Admission - $20.00 Per Day (18 yrs.+) Regular Youth Admission - $15.00 Per Day (10-17yrs.) Children 9 yrs. and under - FREE!
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IN  FULL  per  attendee  in  order  to  receive  the  50%  admission  discount  and  to  qualify  for  hourly  door  prizes
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Local Legends Award goes to‌ In terms of Local Legends very few people meet the criteria. To win this prestigious award a diver has to have made a mark‌left an impression‌taken diving to new heights. This year’s local legend is Gary Keffler of Underwater Sports. Keffler will be endowed with the very first Local Legends of Diving at this year’s Saturday Night Film Festival during the 2 0 11 D i v e a n d Travel Expo to be held at the Tacoma Convention Center April 10. For more info o n t h i s y e a r ’s Dive and Travel Expo visit www. divenewsnetwork. com/dive-andtravel-expo.
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award. “Here in the Pacific Northwest we are a tightknit dive community and we all owe a debt of gratitude to the divers who helped establish our sport over the last 50 years,� says Stratton. “The Local Legends of Diving Award is our way of recognizing the folks who have helped bring us to this point.�
BE OUR GUEST!
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(NOT Â VALID Â TO Â WIN Â HOURLY Â DOOR Â PRIZES Â UNLESS Â SURVEY Â COMPLETED)
Northwest Dive News DECEMBER 2010 www.nwdivenews.com We bring industry news to local divers - nwdivenews.com
17
NORTHWEST DESTINATION
VANCOUVER ISLAND
Hornby Island Diving - Or, My Encounter with JAWS
Hornby Island, British Columbia
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By Andy Norton Guest Writer, Dive News Network
I
recently realized that I have taken quite the vacation from submitting any newsletter articles or reviews. I love our new meet-up site and all that it offers, however, I think I’ve become a little too reliant on the ability to quickly post comments, reviews and photos. As a result, I’ve let newsletter contributions go by the wayside. Sometimes, life’s pace is so quick that before you know it yesterday’s awesome dive(s) are last month’s pleasant but fuzzy memory! 18
Thanks to last years’ ESDC Christmas Party treasure trove, President Tina Seawell was the lucky recipient of a gift certificate entitling the bearer to a stay at the Hornby Island Diving resort in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. The resort is owned by Rob and Amanda Zielinski, who graciously provided the prize and I got to go. I always feel just a little apprehension when first diving somewhere that is new to me, but this time the apprehension was because it was so far away. The best way to get to Hornby Island from the Seattle area is
www.nwdivenews.com DON’T BE OUT OF THE LOOP! www.nwdivenews.com
to drive two hours north to the border, drive another half hour north to the TsawassenDuke Point mega-ferry and then take a two hour ferry ride. Get off the ferry and drive another hour and a half north to Buckley Bay and board the Tsawassen ferry. Ride that ferry for 10 minutes then get off and drive another 20 minutes across Denman Island and board yet another ferry. Finally, a 20 minute drive across Hornby Island and you are at the resort. One odd point of interest; the Hornby ferry terminal is almost a Matt Hasselbeck pass away from the resort, yet there’s no road Northwest 2010 Northwest Dive Dive News News DECEMBER FEBRUARY 2011
HORNBY ISLAND
Where did you dive yesterday? email us: editor@divenewsmag.com
Relax Between Dives - Photo by Hornby Island Diving
Hornby Island Diving Lodge Photo by Hornby Island Diving
heading in that direction so you have to drive completely around the island to get to it! After a quick welcome and tour of the resort, we suited up for a shore dive on the house reef. The shoreline and bottom contour around these parts is composed mostly of sandstone. Logistically, that made for one of the most interesting and challenging shore entries I’ve ever made. It was like a moonscape. After taking more time to get in than it actually took to get suited up and to the water’s edge, we finally began swimming out on what would be the first of 7 mind-blowing dives. The water was so clear and the viz was just incredible. And even better, it was warm. I’m not talking tropical warm of course but my computer said 54f (12c), which I thought was pretty good for October in our northern waters. Within minutes, Pam and I were thrilled to witness
“Welcome Aboard!” - Photo by Hornby Island Diving
the predatory behavior of several giant dendronotids as they hunted the many tube dwelling anemones that were present. You’re thinking, “Wait. Nudibranchs hunting?” If you’ve never seen it before, it’s absolutely amazing to see these sea slugs rear up and pounce like a cat. Who would have thought a
slug could move so fast? At about 40fsw, the house reef has about a 20-foot high wall that was great to explore. After almost an hour dive, we reluctantly exited for dinner. After such a long journey and such an amazing dive, we were ready to devour the first of many excellent meals courtesy of our hosts.
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Northwest Dive News DECEMBER We support local divers -2010 Local divers supportwww.nwdivenews.com the industry.
19
NORTHWEST DESTINATION
VANCOUVER ISLAND
“I love diving with sea lions!” - Photo by Bill Coltart
We made it to the dinner table just in time to share dinner and great excitement about our first dive with our fellow travelers. In boat dive number one we saw the sea lions. I’ve dove with sea lions before on last year’s ESDC trip to La Paz, Mexico, but this was different. They are not svelte little California sea lions. These are stellar sea lions, and they are big. I mean, really big. After an excellent briefing on what to expect, Pam and I had geared up and were the fourth buddy team to enter the water. As we began our descent down the line, I was in awe as I watched four sea lions in squadron formation begin their attack run on those who had descended before us. It was incredible. They flew by in such a graceful formation they looked like the Blue Angels of the sea. Angels? Hah! See if you can guess the correct answer: I love diving with sea lions because: A. They are cute and cuddly. B. They have big puppy dog eyes. C. They nip at you playfully as you merrily go about your dive. D. All of the above. E. None of the above. I DON’T like sea lions. If you guessed E, you are correct. Let me tell you, they are no angels! Within minutes of lining up my first underwater photo, I felt a full-on bite on the top of my head. I swear I felt canine teeth and my immediate thought 20
was, “That’s gonna leave a mark”. I did as Captain Rob had suggested and just ignored it. Pushing back or interacting apparently only encourages their “playful” behavior. The bugger only did it twice and then swam away. I know they truly are curious and playful but I definitely hoped the bite on my head was an anomaly. Biting me on the head seemed to be the order of the day. It’s great they get bored and move on, but it seemed like there were twenty more waiting in line! Biting Pam on the head seemed just as popular, if not more so. The little extra hood material she had was apparently too tempting to resist, as I watched (and photographed) one of these devilish beasts try to take her hood off. We made five more dives over the course of the next three days. I was constantly amazed by the incredible underwater terrain surrounding Hornby Island. There were huge rock fields with boulders as big as cars, sheer walls that dropped literally straight down into the abyss, small walls full of crevices housing octopuses and wolf eels, and one very large canary (yellow eye) rockfish that is guestimated to be over 100 years old! Every dive featured something different, either in the way of bottom contour or critters seen. Viz remained fantastic as did the water temperature and the weather couldn’t have been better. We had those amazing late fall days where the sun is shining and the air is crisp, while the water was as still as glass
at times. One of my favorite fish was the tiger rockfish. We just never see them in the Sound, and they are very willing to sit still for portraits! We also saw plenty of juvenile yellow eye rockfish. The color difference when they are juveniles seems very tropical, in my opinion. Each evening, the group got together for a small photographers’ workshop, courtesy of Tina. Photogs would select their five best photos of the day, unedited, and present for Tina and the rest to critique. I think we all learned a lot about composition, focus, subject matter and such, and had a great time teasing each other. I wouldn’t be surprised if you see more than one photo from this trip entered in next year’s calendar contest. There
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Northwest 2010 Northwest Dive Dive News News DECEMBER FEBRUARY 2011
Where did you dive yesterday? email us: editor@divenewsmag.com
HORNBY ISLAND
Photo by Bill Coltart
were some great photo opportunities and now, thanks to Tina, we also learned some valuable editing skills to really help bring our photos to life. Rob and Amanda run a first-class operation at Hornby. I can’t emphasize that enough. From the moment you arrive, you will be quite satisfied with all that has been done to accommodate divers. The lodge is incredibly spacious with plenty of room to gather as a group to dine or just hang out. The rooms are well furnished and come with comfortable beds that are available as either a double or single. There’s a dedicated camera area to care for all your expensive equipment, plenty of outlets available for charging, and free Wi-Fi internet access so
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Northwest Dive News DECEMBER 2010 FEBRUARY 2011
you can still stay connected to the outside world if you so desire. Facebook photos of your dive buddy being bitten on the head by sea lions are an instant sensation. The heated drying room for undergarments is fantastic. The food is, in a word, awesome! You would never really expect this from what
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21
NORTHWEST DESTINATION
VANCOUVER ISLAND
Puget Sound King Crab Photo by Bill Coltart
Photo by Bill Coltart
Best Compact Cameras for 2010
seems like such a remote island location, but everything was incredibly fresh and gourmet meals were lovingly prepared by a truly friendly kitchen staff who know how much divers like to eat. And finally, I also can’t rave enough about the dive boat itself. Best boat I’ve ever been on for northwest diving.
Read the review of our top choices for 2010 at: www.backscatter.com/2010
Underwater Video & Photo
Monterey, CA 831.645.1082 Derry, NH 603.432.1997 We dive, shoot and service everything we sell!
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www.nwdivenews.com SHARE YOUR DIVE ADVENTURE! www.nwdivenews.com
Painted Greenling Photo by Bill Coltart
The deck is totally smooth and nice and wide so you can easily don fins and shuffle to the door. There’s plenty of space to spread out in your designated area for gearing up. No trying to squeeze your way in between the gear of others in an attempt to shoe-horn yourself into your BCD. The boat is also fast. You’re out to the dive sites and back again before you know it, which is terrific since there’s no restroom on board (there’s really no need for one). And I would be remiss not to mention the ladder. It’s really more like stairs! I’ve never seen an easier ladder. And then there’s Rob, who knows his dive sites better than just about anyone I’ve seen. This happens when you’ve grown up in the area and have been diving since you were a small kid, but Rob also has a way of conveying the features of a site without overwhelming you with details. You will find what he tells you about, and it will be exactly as he described. It’s great for people like me who have a short attention span when listening to a briefing while eager to jump in! For truly great service, beautiful diving and an adventure you won’t soon forget, try Hornby Island Diving. I’d suggest a 3-night minimum stay to really make it worth your while. Tina and ESDC member Fran Murray were fortunate enough to spend an entire week there. I could do that. Just keep me away from the sea lions. ■ Northwest 2010 Northwest Dive Dive News News DECEMBER FEBRUARY 2011
HORNBY ISLAND
Where did you dive yesterday? email us: editor@divenewsmag.com
LanGley DIVE Fest on tap for 2011 2010 Langley Divefest. Photo by Rick Stratton
D
ivers are setting aside Saturday, April 23 for some fun and games at the Port of South Whidbey’s Harbor in Langley Washington. This will be the second annual event of its kind. Last year’s event drew divers from all over the Sound. The Scuba Fest will begin at 9 a.m. and divers will be able to take part until 4 p.m. The event will feature an underwater Easter egg hunt, a kids’ beach treasure hunt, a photo event, demonstrations, prizes and more. “We are really looking forward to this year’s event,” says Duncan McPhee Assistant Harbormaster. “Last year was definitely a success and the support from the Langley and south Whidbey communities as well as the dive community overall really made it possible to repeat the local event this year”. McPhee adds that a big focus this year will be to pull in the ideas and the players who will help them work towards keeping Langley Harbor a popular dive sight. Future plans for the harbor include working towards someday having an actual underwater dive park. Currently, the harbor area has the Langley Tire Reef. It is a dive spot within the sheltered Langley Small Boat Harbor. The artificial reef consists of thousands of tires, huge logs and several tons of chain. Diving in the Tire Reef means divers can explore between 20 and 50 feet down into the home of almost every type of starfish, fish, crab and nudibranch in the Puget Sound. This dive is suitable for all skill levels and makes a great area to support the 2011 Scuba Fest. For more information, e-mail the Langley Boat Harbor at harbormaster@portofsouthwhidbey.com. ■
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23
Channel islands NORTHWEST DESTINATION
CALIFORNIA DIVING
Diving Three Different Worlds
Photo courtesy NWDN archive
Channel Islands, California
X Photo
courtes
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N arch
ive
Channel Islands doesn’t just call to divers! Photo courtesy NWDN archive By Mike Hughes, Travel Writer, Dive News Network
T
he Channel Islands are in the backyard of one of the most famous places in the world, southern California. Often referred to as the playground of the stars, the Channel Islands are comprised of eight islands off the coast. Swept first by the warm southern waves then invaded by the cold currents from the north the Channel Islands see a never-ending procession of seasons that concentrate nutrients for kelp and plankton setting up an ocean buffet for the diverse sea life that calls the area home. The zooplankton feed on the plankton. Slightly larger creatures feed on the zooplankton, and so the food chain continues right up to elephant seals and several species of whales. Somewhere in the middle you’ll find the California seals, garibaldi, and the ubiquitous California spiny lobster. They all reside on these islands in various mix and match concentrations and for divers, these are the real stars of southern California. Four of these islands, San Miguel, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and Anacapa Island, make up what is known as the northern Channel Islands. They are all closer to Santa Barbara than to Los Angeles. The other four islands are the southern Channel Islands and are the most famous, Santa Catalina Island, San Nicolas Island, San Clemente, and Santa Barbara Island. 24
Santa Catalina
Santa Catalina Island is 21 miles long by 8 miles wide and, at its highest point, Mt. Crizaba rises to 2,047 ft. Home to eagles, mountain goats, and transplanted buffalo the cruise ships love to stop here. Avalon Harbor is on the right side of the point and on the leeward or sheltered side; divers go right in the water at Garibaldi State Park. For boat dives there is the nearby Sue Jack, a 54 ft. long schooner, the 162 ft. long Valliant Yacht, the deep reef, or the glass bottom boat. Several movies as well as TV shows have been made in the surrounding waters because of the clarity and natural beauty. Cousteau filmed Night of the Squid in these waters. On the windward side of Catalina, the Farnsworth Banks are quite famous for their purple hydrocoral. One thing to keep in mind about Santa Catalina is the lobster season is usually between October and March. Todd Bingham owner of Coral Sea Scuba in Grants Pass, Oregon, makes two dive trips per year to the Channel Islands. They often stay in Avalon. “It is an incredible place to dive,” says Bingham. “The sea life is nice and the lobster, of course, is great. We enjoy the atmosphere because the workers are all having a great time which makes it all a great time for everyone else.”
TELL US ABOUT DIVING IN SAANICHwww.nwdivenews.com INLET! www.nwdivenews.com
Northwest 2010 Northwest Dive Dive News News DECEMBER FEBRUARY 2011
Have you gone diving today? email us: editor@divenewsmag.com
CHANNEL ISLANDS Interested in Channel Islands? Here’s who you contact: www.diveboat.com www.horizoncharters.com www.calboatdiving.com www.truthaquatics.com www.socaldive.com
urtesy hoto co
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archive
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P
Photo courtesy NWDN archive
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz is the largest and most diverse of the islands. There are multiple caves and caverns for divers to explore. Diablo Point Cave is the one used most often for cavern dive training. On the north side of the island is the wreck of the USS Peacock. This is a wooden hull WWII minesweeper similar to the Calypso and down at 60 ft. Other dive sites include Yellow Banks, where there are large kelp beds and parallel reefs and Gull Island, a small rock where you can see purple hydras at 15-40 ft. of depth. The Guardian wreck, in Laguna Harbor on the south side, is a WWII Navy Grumman 2f-2w near Gull Island at fifty plus feet on the sandy bottom. In this part of the Channel Islands National Park you might see dolphins, porpoises, or assorted species of whales.
Santa Rosa Island
Santa Rosa Island has a couple of interesting sites including the four-masted 268 ft. long Golden Horn and the Talcott Shoals for lobster hunting and spear fishing. The 1894 3-masted 265ft long Aggi is just north of the island. Robert Myers, owner of Rogue Scuba in Medford, Oregon says all of the diving that can be done in the Channel Islands is amazing. “We go for two trips a year but in 2011 we will make three,” Myers says. “We go for the lobster of course but the live-a-boards are great. We use Truth Aquatics and they always accommodate our groups with whatever they need. All of the destinations Truth Aquatics does in the Channel Islands are great. It is one of the best values in scuba on the west coast. From the shipwrecks to the caves, it is all fun diving.” Northwest Dive News DECEMBER We support local divers -2010 Local divers supportwww.nwdivenews.com the industry.
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NORTHWEST DESTINATION
CALIFORNIA DIVING
San Miguel
San Miguel is the farthest west island and is typically five degrees colder than the southern Channel Islands. Expect to see wolf eels and halibut here. Wilson Rock is a well-known remote pinnacle. The Ex-sachem passenger vessel is here along with the 307 ft. long Cuba.
Anacapa Island
Anacapa Island is the closest island to the mainland. Anacapa is really made up of three small islets. The third islet is the much photographed 40 ft. high Arch Rock. Anacapa is comprised of kelp forests and walls where kelp bass and sheephead wrasse are encountered along with sea lions, horn sharks, torpedo rays, bat rays, and morays. There is a lot of sea life in the marine protected areas.
Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara is a small island not much bigger than an islet. It is home to California Sea lions, harbor seals, abalone, and rock scallops. Arch Reef and Brittle Star Reef are two hot dive sites here. As far as wrecks go, the Gaviote, a SM1 landing ship sits in 75 ft. of water and the 281.ft. long Gosford also rests nearby. The Coho is another wreck a mere 10 miles from the SM-1.
Photo courtesy NWDN archive
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Northwest 2010 Northwest Dive Dive News News DECEMBER FEBRUARY 2011
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San Clemente Island
San Clemente Island, which is shaped like a tie and 25 miles south of Catalina Island, is home to many dive sites including the USS John C, Butler in Northwest Harbor at 80 ft. This is a 306 ft. long destroyer escort. Not far from it rests the 157 ft. long tugboat named the Koka and on the backside of the island you will find the destroyer USS Gregory along with lobster and pink and green abalone. Alan Rolfness, general manager for Salem Scuba in Salem, Oregon, says it is because of the lobster and incredible diving his shop has made 50 trips in a row to the Channel Islands. “The diversity of life in the area is amazing,” says Rolfness. “You have stuff coming in from everywhere. The diving literally brings three completely different worlds together, the Pacific Northwest life, Caribbean marine inhabitants and the currents from the south that bring in life from off South America.”
Rolfness adds the kelp forests will blow your mind. “We use Truth Aquatics live-a-boards and I have to say this is the best inexpensive trip for a PNW diver around,” Rolfness says. “And the crew with Truth Aquatics always goes out of their way to make sure everyone has a great time.”
San Nicolas Island
Last, but not least, there is San Nicolas Island way out southeast by itself. The Navy separates the local waters here into three zones. The eastern side is mostly off limits and the SEALS here carry guns. The north
CHANNEL ISLANDS and west side have sea lions, harbor seals, and elephant seals. You’ll find scallops, sea fans and the biggest bull lobsters in these waters. No matter where you dive in the Channel Islands you are sure to have an experience like none other. The live-a-boards like Truth Aquatics and Sun Diver offer both intensive dive trips as well as relaxing ones…either way, the Channel Islands are three worlds in one. ■ Do you have cool diving photos from the Channel Islands? Share them with us at www.divenewsnetwork.com
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27
TRAVEL DESTINATION
CENTRAL AMERICA
diving the bay islands Following the Whale Sharks Home
H
onduras is a republic in Central America. Formerly called Spanish Honduras the country is situated west of Guatemala, southwest of El Salvador and just south of north of the Gulf of Honduras. It isn’t a huge area, just over 112,000 km but it is home to approximately eight million. The climate ranges from tropical to temperate; perfect diving weather. Honduras has a great advantage when it comes to scuba diving destinations; it is, after all, in the western Caribbean Sea sitting on top of the second largest barrier reef in the world. It meets all the requirements for a great dive destination, exotic, full of life and extraordinary underwater landscapes. Whether you aim to wall dive, go wreck diving, look for Whale sharks, dive with dolphins or just shore dive, Honduras should definitely make your bucket list. The two spots divers suggest most are Utila and Roatan. Utila is the smallest and flattest of the three major Bay Islands. The island is 9.5 miles long and 3 miles wide but it sports some of the best diving in the area. This little island is renowned as one of the best diving locations in the Caribbean and the price is right. Utila also has a reputation for being the cheapest dive destination too. Mid-February through March is whale shark time. Divers from all over the world flock to the tiny island to get a glimpse of one of the most awesome creatures on the planet. Don’t stop at the Whale sharks though, some of the largest lobsters ever seen are at home here (20-25 pounds), barracuda, jaw fish, octopus, spotted drums, sea turtles, moray, scorpion fish, crabs, hog fish, lizard fish, large sting ray, eagle rays, corals, sea fans, sponges and more. Photo by Rick Stratton
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Oak Harbor, WA 360-675-1112 info@whidbeydive.com Northwest 2010 Northwest Dive Dive News News DECEMBER FEBRUARY 2011
HONDURAS
Where was the last tropical trip you took? email us: editor@divenewsmag.com
ark! hale Sh
W
Photo
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Some of the more interesting dive sites include the seamount at Black Hills; Ron’s Wreck with lots of sea life, the Airport reef which makes for a good night dive, the Black coral wall, Jack Neil, Big Rock and Cabanas. The visibility ranges, on average, from 20-30 ft. Deep Blue Resort Utila is a 5-Star Gold Palm PADI IDC resort and an all-inclusive scuba diving vacation venue and many of their diver guests come to see the Whale sharks. Steve Fox, Deep Blue owner, says there is a lot people don’t know about the Whale shark. “Surprisingly, not much is actually known about the world’s largest fish,” Fox says. “Whale Sharks are protected in Honduras because Utila is on their main migratory path. A scuba diving vacation with Deep Blue Utila will provide you with the opportunity of seeing and even snorkeling with these awesome creatures but as a resident business we are also very aware that we have an obligation to protect them. Over the next five years, our Utila Whale Shark Research Project will provide new information to add to the slowly growing knowledge base about these amazing creatures.” Roatán, situated between the islands of Útila and Guanaja, is the largest of the Bay Islands. It is approximately 37 mi. long and less than 5 mi. wide. The reef on which the Bay Islands sit are home to seahorses, queen angel fish, stoplight parrot fish, blue tangs, and fairy basslets. Divers discover that the reef meanders gently from the shore which makes for excellent snorkeling and diving from any place on the island. The reef drops off as it heads to sea making Roatan famous for its wall dives. The countless crevices, chimneys and caves make this area a photographers’ dream. The reef leads divers to a sandy bottom at 30-200 ft. while
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TRAVEL DESTINATION in other areas sheer cliffs drop off into an abyss. At the edge of the Cayman Trench, Roatan sponsors life like no other dive destination in the world. Larry Connor, the Business Development Manager for Aggressor Fleet understands what it means to dive in Honduras and especially off Utila. Recently, the Aggressor Fleet added a brand new yacht that caters to the area. “The beautiful, brand new 18-passenger Utila Aggressor II is ready for divers,” says Connor. “This yacht boasts the finest livea-board amenities around. There is a hot tub, deluxe staterooms with flat-screen DVD players and in suite baths, and they serve local beer and wine. It is just amazing.” Connor adds the Utila Aggressor II has the finest crew who understand the needs of divers. “This new 115 ft. yacht is like none other in the area,” Connor says. “It was built with divers in mind. Air conditioned for comfort and spacious, divers can get directly into the water from the Utila.” Connor adds seeing Whale sharks, something most divers who come up for a stay with the Aggressor Fleet want to check off their to-do list, is easy because they have a little cheat. “We see the Whale sharks in March, April and early May and then again in August and September,” Connor explains. “But we all have a little cheat when it comes to spotting the Whale Sharks; some of the pilots spot them as they are flying over and give a call to the boats so we know exactly where to take divers.” Live-a-board cheats are of course divers’ gains, just ask photojournalist Scott Johnson of Nashville Tenn. Johnson recently
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CENTRAL AMERICA went to the Bay Islands for the very first time and he can’t say enough about how impressed he was with the experience. “I have been diving since the mid-1980’s,” Johnson says. “I have been a lot of places but I have to admit I was very impressed with Honduras.” Johnson says The Bay Islands were more than he expected. “I spent time in both Utila and Roatan onboard the Utila Aggressor II Yacht,” Johnson explains. “The diving was incredible. I was very impressed with the amount of fish life that was there. It was above what I thought it would be. These two places had not been at the top of my to-do list but I am so glad I went.” Johnson says the vessel from Aggressor Fleet was state of the art. “It was very comfortable to live on and one of the things that impressed me most was the dives took place off the mother ship instead of a smaller boat. Most Photo by Rick Stratton times on a live-a-board you have to transfer your gear and yourself to a skiff but in Honduras we were able to dive right off the live-a-board. It gave us more time, it was less of a hassle….I rather enjoyed the chance to just get into the water.” Johnson adds the trip also held some other surprises for him personally. “I have taken photos underwater all over the world, some for National Geographic but I was taken by surprise at some of the things I saw in Honduras. For instance,” Johnson says, “I actually saw a Star Gazer during the day. I’ve never been in a place where that has ever happened. The mackerel was amazing also. From large creatures to smaller ones to the health of the local corals, the entire experience was one I won’t soon forget.”
We support local divers - Local divers www.nwdivenews.com support the industry.
Northwest 2010 Northwest Dive Dive News News DECEMBER FEBRUARY 2011
HONDURAS
Where was the last tropical trip you took? email us: editor@divenewsmag.com
Since 1984, when the first Aggressor yacht sailed into George Town Harbor, Grand Cayman, Aggressor Fleet crews have worked to make every diver feel at home and every dive the best ever. The new yacht is furthering the effort and as far as Johnson is concerned they have hit the mark. “As I said, I didn’t even have Honduras on my radar but being on the Aggressor boat and having them expose us to the underwater destinations they mapped out ended up being a great experience for me…to be honest, I can’t wait to go back.” ■
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MEDICAL DIVING
A
ARTICLE COURTESY OF DIVER’S ALERT NETWORK
Cardiac Health
healthy heart is an integral component of your dive safety. A diver must be in good cardiovascular condition to meet the physical demands diving requires, such as carrying heavy equipment, climbing ladders and handling unforeseen conditions like strong currents or unexpected events like long surface swims. Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in the United States; cardiovascular incidents are also one of the leading causes of scuba-related deaths, particularly in divers over the age of 40. It should be noted, however, that age alone is not the most important risk factor, so much as the general condition and health of the diver. The number of cardiac incidents is naturally higher in older people, so it follows that more occur in older divers. Many who experience a cardiac incident in the water would likely have had it, anyway; they simply happened to be in the water, a highly unforgiving environment in this situation, when it occurred. Divers can take measures to reduce their risks by getting tested for cardiovascular disease and undergoing dive physicals to make sure they are fit to dive, physically and medically. Follow these tips to keep your heart strong, healthy and ready to dive.
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article courtesy of
Northwest 2010 Northwest Dive Dive News News DECEMBER FEBRUARY 2011
ARTICLE COURTESY OF DIVER’S ALERT NETWORK
MEDICAL DIVING
Heart-Healthy Habits
Cardiovascular exercises are a great way to build your cardiac reserve and improve the efficiency of your oxygen use and blood flow. Improving your cardiovascular fitness may improve your air consumption and endurance during a dive, helping you to be more relaxed and better equipped to respond to unforeseen physical challenges. Cardiovascular fitness also helps to increase circulation and respiratory efficiency, facilitating a more efficient release of nitrogen from your system after a dive. Improve your cardiovascular health by incorporating regular aerobic exercise into your physical fitness routine. Healthy adults should perform moderate aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking or swimming, approximately 30 minutes a day, five days a week or opt for more vigorous cardio exercises, such as biking or running, for about 20 minutes a day, at least three days a week. Pick activities that you enjoy doing and vary them. This will help you target different muscles and avoid getting bored with your routine. Eating heart-healthy foods is also an essential component to maintaining cardiovascular fitness and a healthy body weight. When you go to the grocery store, read the nutrition labels on foods you are selecting. As a rule of thumb, limit foods high in sodium, saturated fats or cholesterol, and avoid trans fats. Selecting lean proteins and low-fat dairy products may assist in reducing your fat consumption. Seek out fruits, vegetables and whole-grains, which are rich in antioxidants and contain fiber that can help lower cholesterol and protect the heart. Creating a menu for the week filled with heart-healthy foods can help ensure you incorporate them in your diet. As with your exercises, variety is a key ingredient; target different nutritional needs with an assortment of foods and prevent boredom with your diet. Ask your physician for nutritional advice and what your caloric intake should be in order to maintain a healthy weigh.
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Diver on ice My husband broke his hip in Antarctica. I cannot imagine how we could have made the arrangements for evacuation to the United States on our own. Both my husband [John] and I thought the entire staff did a terrific job. DAN was there for us. Marguerite Church DAN Member
Be Informed About Your Health
Test your cardiac reserve with a dive fitness exam. If you experience fatigue or chest pain or have a history of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure or uncontrolled cholesterol, consult your physician prior to diving. Frequent health screenings and dive physicals are excellent ways to identify and mitigate cardiac risks. If you are taking any medications, discuss them with your physician and ask questions about any potential diverelated interactions or complications related to your medications. If you would like assistance with finding a dive physician in your area or if your physician would like a consultation, call the DAN Medical Information Line at +1-919-684-2948. â– Northwest Dive News DECEMBER 2010 FEBRUARY 2011
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DAN is here for you. www.DiversAlertNetwork.org For more information, contact Divers Alert Network 6 West Colony Place Durham, NC 27705 Toll Free 1-800-446-2671 * Testimonial given October 2007 *Insurance not included with Membership. Membership and insurance information applies only to DAN America. Additional fees apply to add insurance plans. DAN insurance programs administered by DAN Services, Inc. DAN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
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33
ANDY LAMB’S
andylamb@telus.net
MYSTERY CRITTER
A POTENTIAL WORLD RECORD
“I had to have a hammock.” Photo by Rick Stratton
W
hile not likely to appear in the Guiness Book of World Records any time soon, Karin Fletcher’s giant tunicate specimen potentially rates as a noteworthy find. Karin correctly suspected the “monster” individual obvious in the accompanying image to be a sea blister -- CH15, page 347, Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest. However, at approximately “8 to 10 inches across”, it seemed far too large when compared to the listed maximum recorded size of 2 inches. For the record, Karin and her husband/ dive buddy Doug Miller found the giant specimen November 10, 2010, during a dive in Rich Passage, Puget Sound, at a depth of approximately 50 ft. Karin and Doug often dive this site. While cruising along the rubble and small boulder substrate of this site, they have frequently noticed sea blisters of more routine proportions, but never one nearly this size. Intrigued by Karin’s find, I decided to contact tunicate expert Dr. Gretchen Lambert for her thoughts about this magnificent
34
beastie. Indeed, she verified it as Ascidia columbiana, the species of sea blister found in Washington State waters. Gretchen also mentioned that older specimens become darker and 7 to 8 cm (3 to 3.5 in) specimens are periodically encountered. Even allowing for some “over estimating”
possibilities for Karin’s sighting/photograph of the giant specimen, it would appear to be a record setting individual. Unfortunately, to be officially documented, an actual measurement is required. Camera and ruler in hand, Karin is planning to re-trace her fin kicks in hopes of finding the potential record setter. ■
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Northwest 2010 Northwest Dive Dive News News DECEMBER FEBRUARY 2011
YOUTH OUTREACH
book review
WITH BRIANNA
“My Underwater Photo Journey”
By Selene Peterson and Reagan Cathy Church has created an underwater photo journey extending across the Caribbean to the South Pacific. This stunning book illustrates so brilliantly not only amazing sea life but shares with the reader a deeper understanding of Cathy and her love and respect for the sea life she photographs. These images show her sense of whimsy and art, yet balanced by her education in marine biology. I had the pleasure of sitting down and reading this book with my son Reagan. Reagan loved the book because it provided interesting details about underwater life and found Cathy’s humor amusing and encouraging. Reagan was so deeply moved by the images in the book. He stated, “Underwater sea life is endangered by humans throwing waste into the oceans and not respecting the fragility of sea life.” He went on to describe his feelings, “My favorite part of the book was learning how much Cathy cared about sea life and it made me feel loving towards the creatures and plants that live in the oceans.” This book can be enjoyed at any age, sparking the imagination of young children and opening a dialogue of the importance of marine conservation. We finished the book and our discussion with a greater value and understanding for our delicate underwater ecosystem. Order your copy at www.cathychurch.com/Cathy’s_Book.html
plastic
By: Briana Darcy
Did you know, we Americans represent 5% of the world’s population, but we produce 1/3 of the world’s garbage. WOW! Can you believe that? Most of the garbage ends up in the ocean. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, as we know it, is the world’s LARGEST floating patch of garbage. It is twice the size of the state of Texas. Ship dumping alone accounts for 1/5 of the garbage and the rest of the trash unfortunately, comes from us humans.It is said that 90% of the trash is plastic and plastic, as we know it, is not bio-degradable. Some people say there is 3.5 million tons of garbage in the Pacific. The GPGP is not easy to clean up what so ever because there are microscopic particles all throughout the water columns, which we can not see with the human eye. This is really unfortunate because many of the fish and animals are dying because they ingest the tiny particles of the plastic and it becomes lodged inside their digestive system. This slowly kills them. We could try to clean it up but it would take forever and the scientists are unsure how to clean up these particles. Nobody realizes how terrible this really is, but they will, when the world’s oceans population decreases. So please always remember to pick up trash in the water and on the beaches. Always try to attend beach clean ups. You can also try to organize a beach clean up through your local dive shop. Every little effort you make will help the environment. Please recycle and use reusable water bottles. Oh, did I mention the word RECYCLE??? Find out more about Brianna at www.divenewsnetwork.com
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35
GEAR BOX Keldan Lights
This year at DEMA I had an opportunity to speak with Daniel Keller the Inventor of the Keldan dive light. His light is smaller than a Jedi light saber from star wars, but it puts out a futuristic 1600 to 4500 lumens depending on the model. Both models burn at 5000 kelvin to match sunlight and they have adjustable output so you can have the world lit up like the sun for 55 minutes, or more mildly brightened up for up to 240 minutes. Add a handle to either model, or replace the lens with a diffuser lens for maximum even distribution of light and you are ready to tape HD videos. The lights are rated down to 656 ft and have a charge display on the rear see through cap, as well as a built in safety light. It’s aluminum housing should make it last for some time in the future too. www.keldanlights.com
Scubapro A700 Regulator
Introducing the A700 Regulator. “The crown jewel of regulators. Brilliant. Durable. Unique. Its beauty will seduce you. Its performance will amaze you.” Sounds more like an ad for a Lexus car or a Rolex watch than a dive regulator, but Scuba Pro has always been known for it’s quality and performance. Scubapro has worldwide brand recognition and the new A700 regulator is no exception. “Handcrafted to the highest standards in the industry, its precision delivers exceptional ease of breathing at any depth, any temperature, anywhere.” What’s not to like about a high quality product that is so versatile and so functional at so many levels? To see this exceptional product for yourself or to compare it against other fine regulators, visit your nearest Scubapro dealer. www.scubapro.com
36
with Mike Hughes Whites Undergarments
Whites now have three main undergarments. The MK1 micro fleece provides warmth for tropical to temperate zones. The MK3 is a thick to the touch one-piece suit constructed for ice divers. You’ll be warmer than a polar bear in this outfit. Did I mention it has fleeced lined hand warming pockets too? The MK2 is versatile for layering to match the surrounding water temperature. It is a one piece John not quite as thick as the MK3, but you can wear the MK1 or the MK0 underwear under the MK2. You can also wear the MK2 jacket over the John, which comes with a storm hood and zip lock sleeves. You can even add glacier socks and a fleece cap. The MK2 and the MK3 are so warm and comfy you may want to wear them all day while diving on the wall, and afterwards while walking around the mall. www.whitesdiving.com
McNett Dive Care Essentials
McNett has a new Mini maintenance Kit for dive gear. It’s a little zip pouch you can take anywhere. The kit includes Sea Drops Anti-fog for Dive masks, Sea Buff mask pre cleaner which also works as a slate cleaner, MiraZyme Odor eliminator that cleans algae, bacteria, and mold, wetsuit/drysuit shampoo to remove Organic residue, chlorine, and salt deposits, a marine whistle with clip, and a dive gear care and repair guide. The repair guide gives you tips and tricks to help make your dive gear last for years. I’ve been using these products for years too. As any diver knows, there is nothing worse than having a mask you can’t see out of, and dive buddies that don’t want to be down wind of or seen with you. www.mcnett.com
DON’T MISS THE ALL NEW WEBSITE! www.nwdivenews.com www.nwdivenews.com
Northwest 2010 Northwest Dive Dive News News DECEMBER FEBRUARY 2011
REVIEWS
DIVE INDUSTRY PROFILE
edge dive tech-shedding some light on the world of diving
I
t is a problem divers in the Pacific Northwest share with cave divers all over the world…find a way to illuminate your dive while keeping with longer dives. The problem has long been when you find a good dive light that is bright enough it runs down quickly. If it is a light that will last longer, it is also so bulky you hardly have hands for anything but carrying your dive light. A long battled problem…yes, but now divers everywhere can combat this age old problem with a new age solution by way of Edge Dive Tech in Mill Creek, Washington. EDT has been providing cutting edge underwater lighting technology for the past several years. They are committed to bringing divers the most advanced, highest quality, lights in the world. EDT owner John Braun is very proud of his company. Family owned and operated, everyone is involved from his wife, Molly (the accountant) to daughter Kristin (the website designer) to son-in-law Roger (the IT guy) to Jeremy, the young mastermind behind the design of the lights themselves. “We are all involved, which makes doing the business a lot of fun,” says Braun who is the master salesman. “The design is ours, the business model is ours and together, as a family, we have developed our company into one with a work ethic we can
all be proud of.” EDT is a fairly young company however they have busted onto the scene in a very big way. “We began building customized LED lights because of our son Jeremy,” Braun explains. “Jeremy is what I could consider the closest thing to a genus at 23 years old. He took up diving, saw a need for better lights and figured it all out. He is truly an amazing kid, and I’m not just saying that because he is my son.” Braun says Jeremy learned to dive on the Sound through a one on one dive experience but now Jeremy is an advanced diver with every certification possible. “He was into racing for a while, along with our daughter, and from that he began to design cameras which could be used inside of cars. He did the same thing with the lights, he saw a problem and said, ‘hey I can fix that’. At 23 years old Jeremy has been self-taught and has found the designing and engineering process pretty easy. Now he, along with good friend and co-worker Cody are heading into the discipline of robotics to give their lights an extra kick. “Cody loves programing and robotics so he was a ready-made fit into our family business,” Braun says. “Together, with Jeremy, who knows what those two boys will come up with next.”
Braun says their LED lights currently range from 1200 lumens to 9000 lumens, which is the brightest in the world. “We choose to do LED lights because they last a long time and they don’t generally break,” Braun says. “The divers down in South American love them for cave diving. I am unsure why but the LED lights penetrate better than other lights, especially in murky water which can be real important to a Pacific Northwest diver.” What began as a small family business is now a worldwide phenomenon and EDT now does business all over the planet. “I just got off the phone with a guy in South Africa, it is all pretty amazing,” Braun says. “We even have developed a couple of lights with the economy in mind so they are affordable.” So what is next for EDT? Braun says it’s a surprise best held onto for the 2011 DEMA show. “We have a huge surprise for the DEMA show. It will be something no one in the world has ever seen.” For more info on EDT visit their website at www.edgedivetech.com. ■
DIVE COMMERCIAL INTERNATIONAL
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Wetsuit Enthusiasts: Henderson Sale! Gold Core, Hyperstrech, Thermoprene, and Premium Wetsuits In Stock
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info@peaceboat.com • 805.650.DIVE
206.784.5050 7058 15th Ave NW Seattle, WA 98117 www.divecommercial.com find us on facebook
Northwest Divelocal News dive DECEMBER 2010 www.nwdivenews.com Why is your shop special? Tell us: editor@divenewsmag.com
37
DIVE DIRECTORY
A listing of participating dive shops, charters, resorts, and independent instructors
WASHINGTON
Underwater Sports
Seattle
Anacortes Diving & Supply
Anacortes
(360) 293-2070
Store
Scuba Center of Spokane
Spokane
Diver's Dream Charters
Anacortes
(360) 202-0076
Charter
Bandito Charter
Tacoma
(253) 973-0370
Charter
Washington Divers
Bellingham
(360) 676-8029
Store
Lighthouse Diving Center
Tacoma
(253) 627-7617
Store
Gone Diving
Bellingham
(360) 738-2042
Store
Bubbles Below
Woodinville
(425) 424-3483
Dive Center
Adventures Down Under
Bellingham
(360) 676-4177
Store
Odyssey Diving
(509) 751-1095
Store
Everett
(425) 512-8811
Store
Ocean Quest Water Sports
Friday Harbor
(360) 378-9297
Charter
Abyssal Diving Charters
Hood Canal
(360) 877-6818
Store
Kennewick
(509) 735-0735
Store
Scuba Sports
Kent
(253) 854-3294
Store
Mike's Beach Resort
Lilliwaup
(360) 877-5324
Resort
Hornby Island Diving
Lighthouse Diving Center
Lynnwood
(425) 771-2679
Store
Ocean Pacific Watersports
Dolphin Charters
Mukilteo
(425) 493-2550
Charter
Oak Harbor
(360) 675-1112
Store
Naknek Charters Hoodsport N Dive Undersea Adventures
Whidbey Island Dive
Store
www.spokanescuba.com
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Clarkston
Evergreen Dive Service
(206) 362-3310
Broken Island Adventures
(888) 728-6200
Resort/Charter
Burnaby
(604) 436-1157
Store
Campbell River
(800) 499-2297
Charter
49th Parallel Dive Charters
Chemainus
(250) 252-0758
Charter
Cedar Beach Resort
Chemainus
(250) 252-0758
Dive Resort
Courtenay
(877) 883-3483
Charter
Hornby Is.
(250) 335-2807
Dive Resort
Kamloops
(250) 828-0188
Store
Kent
(253) 854-3294
Store
Divers Choice Charters
Nanaimo
(866) 716-8867
Charter
Mamro Adventures
Nanaimo
(250) 756-8872
Store
UB Diving
Scuba Sports
Coachman Inn
Oak Harbor
Capital Divers
Olympia
(360) 866-3684
Store
Sink or Swim Scuba & Watersports
Nanaimo
(250) 758-7946
Store
Northwest Dive Charter
Parkland
(253) 370-5144
Charter
Sundown Diving
Nanaimo
(888) 773-3483
Store/Charter
Scuba Supplies
Port Angeles
(360) 457-3190
Store
Nanaimo Dive Outfitters
Nanaimo
(250) 756-1863
Store
Admiralty Dive Center
Port Townsend
(360) 379-3483
Store
Rendezvous Dive Adventures
Port Alberni
(877) 777-9994
Charter
Townsend Bay Dive
Port Townsend
(360) 385-2353
Store
Browning Pass Hideaway
Port Hardy
(877) 725-2835
Resort/Charter
A-2-Z Scuba Instruction
Puyallup
(253) 840-3483
Store
Port Hardy
(800) 515-5511
Charter
ScubaSET Adventure Center
Puyallup
(253) 841-5666
Store
God's Pocket Resort
Port Hardy
Dive Commercial Int’l
Seattle
(206) 784-5050
Commercial Store
Alpha Dive Services
Powell River
(604) 485-6939
Store/Charter
Aluminator Water Taxi
Seattle
(206) 571-3273
Charter
Copper Island Diving
Salmon Arm
(250) 832-5737
Store
Lighthouse Diving Center
Seattle
(206) 524-1633
Store
PorpoiseBay.ca
Egmont
(800) 665-DIVE
Charter/Resort
Seattle
(206) 374-2937
Store
Seattle Scuba Schools
www.thecoachmaninn.com
Bamfield
TROPICAL DIVE DIRECTORY aUStralia Blue Ocean Marine Pty.Ltd. 415.830.3846 www.blueoceanmarine.com.au
BEliZE
Calypso Beach Retreat 303.264.8333 www.calypsobeachretreat.com Hugh Parkeys 888.223.5403 www.belizediving.com Sun Breeze Hotel 1.800.688.0191 www.sunbreeze.net
BonairE
Buddy Dive Resort 599.717.5080.518 www.buddydive.com Deep Blue Adventures 888.266.2209 www.deepblueadventures.com Divi Resorts 954.545.0269 www.diviresorts.com Quest Dive Adventures 770.992.8414 www.questdive.com
BritiSh Virgin iSland NV Yacht Charters 443.829.8576 www.nvcharters.com
CayMan iSlandS Deep Blue Adventures 888.266.2209 www.deepblueadventures.com 38
Catala Charters
www.godspocket.com
An alphabetical listing of participating dive shops, charters, live aboards and resorts in tropical locations around the world.
CayMan iSlandS (Cont.) Divetech@Cobal Coast Dive Resort 888.946.5656 divetech.com cobaltcoast.com Southern Cross Club 800.899.2582 www.southerncrossclub.com Sunset House 800.854.4767 www.sunsethouse.com
fiJi
Beqa Lagoon Resort 800.542.3454 www.beqalagoonresort.com Dancer Fleet 305.669.9391 www.dancerfleet.com Deep Blue Adventures 888.266.2209 www.deepblueadventures.com
Deep Blue Adventures 888.266.2209 www.deepblueadventures.com
Dive Away Fiji 888.266.2209 www.diveaway-fiji.com Dolphin Bay Divers Retreat 679.992.4001 dolphinbaydivers.com Koro Sun 970.209.4265 www.korosunresort.com Lalati 877.750.0233 www.lalatifiji.com Matava 679.333.6222 www.matava.com Qamea Resort & Spa 649.360.0217 www.qamea.com
Island DreamsTravel 713.973.9300 www.divetrip.com Scuba Du 310.684.5556 www.scubadu.com
Quest Dive Adventures 770.992.8414 www.questdive.com Wananavu 679.669.4433 www.wananavu.com
CoSta riCa Quest Dive Adventures 770.992.8414 www.questdive.com
CoZUMEl Albatros Charters 888.333.4643 www.cozumel-fishing.com BlueBubbleScuba 987.872.4240 www.bluebubble.com
CUraCao
Ocean Encounters 800.932.6237 www.oceanencounters.com
Do you want to show your support for local diving?
Northwest Dive News FEBRUARY 2011
NORTHWEST
DIVE DIRECTORY
Tahtsa Dive Charters
Tahsis
(250) 934-6365
Charter
MethodMarine.com
Tofino
(250) 725-3251
Store/Marina
Ocean Planet Adventures
Tofino
(250) 725-2221
Resort
Union Bay
(250) 335-2342
Dive Resort
Vancouver
(604) 329-3486
Charter
TwoEaglesLodge.com SeaDragonCharters.com Beyond Deep Diving
Aquatic Sports
Portland
(503) 245-4991
Store
Oregon Underwater
Portland
(503) 761-8526
Store
Diver's Den
Roseburg
(541) 673-3710
Store
SalemScuba.com
Salem
(503) 588-3483
Store
Under Water Works
Tigard
(503) 620-6993
Store
Victoria
(250) 475-2202
Store
Victoria
(888) 701-1177
Store/Charter
Dive Alaska.net
Anchorage
(907) 770-1778
Store
Wilson Diving Services
Victoria
(250) 478-4488
Store
Scuba Do, Inc
Kodiak
(907) 486-2960
Store
Test the Waters
North Pole
www.testthewaters.com
Store
Adventures in Scuba
Calgary
(403) 299-7751
Store
Sitka
(907) 747-7871
Store/Charter
Aqua Sport Scuba Centre
Calgary
(403) 686-6166
Store
Northwest Scuba
Edmonton
(780) 438-1218
Store
Aqua Zone
Sub Sea Experience
Edmonton
(780) 434-1433
Store
Honolulu Scuba Company
Grand Prairie
(780) 832-7209
Store
Ogden Point Dive
ALBERTA
Just for You Crew & Dive Services
MONTANA
ALASKA
Island Fever Diving
HAWAII Honolulu
(808) 923-3483
Store
Honolulu
(808) 220-0577
Store
www.honoluluscubacompany.com Aaron's Dive Shop
Kailua-Kona
(808) 262-2333
Store
Helena Scuba
Helena
(406) 442-4334
Store
Big Island Divers
Kailua-Kona
(808) 329-6068
Store/Charter
Bighorn Divers
Kalispell
(406) 752-4970
Store
Jack's Diving Locker
Kailua-Kona
(808) 329-7585
Store/Charter
Glacier Divers
Kalispell
(406) 253-4016
Store
Kona Honu Divers
Kailua-Kona
(808) 324-4668
Charter
The Salty Dog Dive Shop
Kalispell
(406) 755-2559
Store
OREGON Aloha
(503) 642-3483
Store
Astoria Scuba
PacificWatersports.com
Astoria
www.astoriascuba.com
Store
Rogue Scuba, Inc.
Central Point
(541) 830-5551
Store
Eugene Skin Divers Supply
Eugene
(541) 342-2351
Store
CoralSeaScuba.com
Pacific Rim Divers
Kailua-Kona
(808) 334-1750
Charter
Torpedo Tours
Kailua-Kona
(808) 938-0405
Charter
Wanna Dive
Kailua-Kona
(808) 937-1175
Charter
Dive & Sea Maui Mauna Lani Sea Adventures SeaSport Divers
www.diveandseamaui.com
Charter
Kamuela
(808) 885-7883
Store
Koloa, Kauai
(800) 685-5889
Store/Charter
Grants Pass
(800) 482-1599
Store
Capt. Charley Scuba Shack
Kihei
(877) 213-4488
Store
Adventure Sports, Inc.
Gresham
(503) 491-0107
Store
Lahaina Divers
Maui
(800) 998-3483
Store/Charter
South Beach Scuba
Newport
(541) 867-4944
Store
Mike Severns Diving
Maui
www.mikesevernsdiving.com
Charter
TROPICAL DIVE DIRECTORY florida Conch Republic Divers 800.274.3483 www.conchrepublicdivers.com Horizon Divers 305.453.3535 www.horizondivers.com Off The Wall Adventures 863.709-9253 www.offthewalladventures.com SpruceCreekScuba 386.767.1727 www.sprucecreekscuba.com The Dive Station (407) 843-3483 www.divestation.com
galaPagoS
Divencounters 877.323.DIVE www.divencounters.com
hondUraS Utila Tours 337.893.0013 www.utila.com
indonESia Deep Blue Adventures 888.266.2209 www.deepblueadventures.com Island DreamsTravel 713.973.9300 www.divetrip.com Kungkungan Bay Resort & Spa 530.347.2300 www.divekbr.com Lembeh Hills Resort www.LembehHills.com 62.812.441.18.000
Email: sales@nwdivenews.com
To be listed in our Tropical Dive Directory call 360.240.1874 or email us at dane@divenewsmag.com
indonESia Cont... Pindito Liveaboard 831.818.8594 www.pindito.com Quest Dive Adventures 770.992.8414 www.questdive.com Tasik Ria Resort Spa & Diving 62.431 -.824.445 www.tasikria.com Worldwide Dive and Sail 866.258.6398 www.worldwidediveandsail.com
MExiCo Abyss Dive Center 52.984.873.2164 www.abyssdivecenter.com Aquanauts Dive Adv. 52.998.206.9365 www.aquanautsdiveadventures.com
PhiliPPinES
Atlantis Dive Resort 775.588.0500 www.atlantishotel.com Deep Blue Adventures 888.266.2209 www.deepblueadventures.com Island DreamsTravel 713.973.9300 www.divetrip.com
rEd SEa - EgyPt
roatan
CoCo View Resort Roatan 800.282.8932 www.roatan.com
SEa of CortEZ/SoCorro iSlandS Rocio Del Mar 602.558.9580 www.rociodelmarliveaboard.com
St. Croix (U.S. Virgin iSlandS) BVI Scuba 284.540.2222 www.bviscubaco.com Cane Bay Dive Shop 340.773.9913 www.canebayscuba.com Jost Van Dyke 800.778.8066 www.jostvandyke.com
St. kittS Dive St. Kitts 869.564.8914 www.divestkitts.com
tUrkS & CaiCoS Oasis Divers 649.946.1128 www.oasisdivers.com Dive Provo 649.946.5040 www.diveprovo.com
Fly & Sea Dive Adventures 888.995.DIVE(3483) www.redseadiving.ca Learning Through Travel 516.781.5556 www.learningthroughtravel.com 39
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