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It seems like summer just got here and already it is winding down into
just a few dives each month and the beginning of more social activities.
That doesn’t mean we aren’t diving. Last month we managed to visit some
of our favorite Florida Keys dive sites with some of our favorite dive
operators. Club membership has grown and every dive on our schedule
fills up quickly in the first ½ hour of signup time. Next month is one
of the favorite dives of the season – and often the season ender – the
annual Wreck Trek. This is a very special trip. We have done this for 3
years so this makes it the Wreck Trek IV (4 for anyone who missed that
semester in high school explaining the numbering system). .
This year we have chartered our trip with Cristal Clear Charters in Key
Largo. We will show up at the dock very early (yes, even earlier than
Gary’s 9:00 am wake-up time). We crawl onto the dock, load our gear and
at the first wreck of the day, we are ready to jump into the water –
even though the sun hasn’t always popped over the horizon. The boat, a
46’ Newton, can easily hold more divers, but we limit it to 20. We plan
to dive 3 wrecks in one day so that means 3 tanks per diver have to be
loaded on the boat. Cristal Clear works hard to accommodate us and on
Saturday they even provide lunch and plenty of surface interval time
between the 3 wrecks we will visit. This year the Divemaster’s phone
rang steadily and the 20 spots were filled in a very short period of
time. We ended up with 7 people on the waiting list. This doesn’t mean
that those waiting list divers won’t make the dive –it’s not unusual
that things change and people drop off the list so the waiting list
people have a good chance of participating in one of the best dives of
the year.
Oops – back to the subject. As I write, it is the end of August so we
really have the month of September and for many of us, November and even
early December isn’t out of the question. Even wimps like me will throw
on a 5-ml suit and a hood and shiver our way back up the dive ladder
after Thanksgiving. The real point is we still have all of September to
enjoy the mysteries of our underwater wonderland.
If you lobster or spearfish – this is the time! If you love to take
photographs – sorry – you missed the deadline for the 2007 Photo
Competition but we are already into the 2008 season so get out there and
take some photos. Any photos taken from now until the August 2008
deadline are fair game.
If you want to see what you are missing, the judging of the Video and
Photo entries are coming up. The Video judging takes place on September
6 and the Photo judging on September 13. The presentations are open to
anyone who wants to enjoy some underwater photography but only
registered club members are allowed to vote for the photographs that
will win the competitions and which will be awarded at the Annual Dive
Club Banquet on October 12.
The Spearfishing Competition ends September 15 and the awards are also
announced at the Banquet. If you join the club you still have 2 weeks to
join the contest and enter your prize winning fish.
We have a few more club sponsored dives that will take place in the next
few months but if you can’t fit those into your schedule, there is
nothing stopping you from diving anytime as long as the water stays warm
and the weather cooperates. There are many Keys dive operators who would
be happy to help Caloosa Dive Club members get wet – ranging from Ft.
Lauderdale to Big Pine Key. Show your dive club card and see if there
are any discounts available.
We are so lucky to live in SW Florida where the Gulf of Mexico beckons
and the East Coast and Florida Keys are only a few hours away. You don’t
have to visit Cozumel or Curacao or Truk Lagoon to enjoy the wonders of
the underwater world. It is all here waiting for you to jump in.
Don’t forget to patronize your local dive shops. They offer trips,
training, equipment and service. They are your first line of support
when it comes to diving in SW Florida. The Caloosa Dive Club members
support all of our local shops and our dive shops reward us with some of
the best support you can ever imagine.
Join us at one of our regular meetings and meet some new dive buddies,
make some new friends and in the next 6 months, enjoy some fabulous food
at our party and dinner meetings.
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