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This issue is best viewed on the web with Internet Explorer:
http://RochesterScuba.org/newsletters/200803 |
May 20th 2008
Topic: Zodiac Boat Orientation
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| RochesterScuba.org |
Notes from the February Meeting
John Westgard presented photos from Cozumel, and Brian Lamonica in absentia provided us with a scary video of shark diving in Mexico.
Notes from the March Meeting
I and several other club members were in Mexico, so I'm not really sure what happened...
Notes from the April Meeting
Roger Southwick showed photos from a recent trip to Cozumel. If you missed out, you can see some of them later in this newsletter. We also re-watched Brian L's shark-diving video; even with Brian in attendance, it was still scary.
Reminder: Annual membership dues were due in January! (We're on a yearly schedule now.) We'll send an email reminder to those who are past due. It's especially important this year since we have a boat to maintain and operate. Memberships are $25 for individual, $50 for family. You can print out this form, fill it out, and send it in, OR talk to Dan Lovik at the next club meeting.
A yearly dive pass to Lake Wazee is available through the club for $75. We no longer get a discount from Jackson County Parks, but you can still order your pass through the club using this form.
The recreational dive trip to Isle Royale has unfortunately been cancelled, to be replaced with a long weekend trip to Munising Michigan Aug 21-25 (Thu-Mon).
We discussed the evolving policy for use of the club's Zodiac dive boat. It can be used only for official club activities (not for personal use) and we cannot charge for its use. We're continuing to research insurance and liability issues; if you have some experience in this area, we'd love to hear from you.
Dan Lovik has reserved a set of luxury box seats for the Honkers baseball game on Friday June 13th. Includes food and beer! Contact Dan at 282-5958 if you're interested.
Treasury Report for April 2008
We currently have around $540 in the account. With boat expenses looming this year, that means we need to get our membership dues paid!
May Meeting Agenda
We'll have the Zodiac dive boat in the parking lot for a brief orientation, and we'll have the usual dinner & meeting inside too. Be prepared to be outdoors in the rain, just in case.
Mayo Clinic Hyperbaric Oxygen & Stem Cell Study
The study is currently underway; John Westgard and Joseph Reynolds can tell you about their experience in a small pressurized tube. And John won a bet with Roger for his choice of attire.
GLSPS "Dive Into the Past" Show
Several of us attended the spring GLSPS show in Mounds View, MN. The highlight was a presentation by one of the Navy divers who worked on the I-35W bridge collapse recovery effort. It was also nice to schmooze with the big names in local diving at the exhibit hall.
New PADI Instructor
Mike Ulbrich recently completed his instructor examination and is now a PADI instructor. Congratulations Mike!
Zodiac Boat Update
From Mike Ulbrich: The boat repairs went well on Saturday April 26th. We think we got all the holes and tears repaired. The trailer has new lights, carpet for the bunkers and new bearings. Thanks for everyone's help.
Trip to the North Shorestory by Terry OstbyYes, we went on a trip to the North Shore. We arrived expecting bad weather, and it was. Thursday afternoon we arrived to find at least 30mph winds with no rain. A freighter was maneuvering into the Two Harbors docks for loading, but the wind was right, taking the stream from its screws out to the lake. We unloaded the Zodiac (which by the way is in fine shape and performed well), geared up, and did a dive on the S.P. Ely. We found the winter was hard on the ship. A few of the timbers had come loose and were swinging in the surge. We surfaced to find the wind had switched and there was a little more surface action getting back to the dock, but no problem. That night we met up with Todd C, JMM, and Brian Lamonica. After much "consulting" with the locals and ourselves, we decided to call it a night and see what the morning brought. Friday morning we got up to find 10 to 12 ft waves on the lake, a steady hard rain, and probably 30 to 40 mph winds. We had a little breakfast, discussed world problems, and gave up on solving them. No diving Gitchigumi today. So Mike went to consult with the cyber box and came back with a plan. One to two hours later we are at Lake Ore-Be-Gone looking at the ice, OH Ya, and a hard rain turning to sleet and snow at times. Undaunted we geared up and went in at the open edge. JMM, Todd C, Mike U and myself scootered which was pretty interesting, being you had about 1 to 2 ft viz so lights were almost useless. But we had fun which is what it's all about. Brian L, Henry Hocraffer, and Tim Swanberg did the dive swimming. We did see a rail speeder and those guys found the platorms also. No one ventured out into the main lake due to ice, bad viz, and not being familiar with the lake. A good lake to check out this summer -- looked great for camping to make a long weekend getaway. See Roger Southwick for more details of the Lake. But next year we go South.
Divers:
We need to find a Famous Dave's on the way to southern dives next spring so we have a place to pig out on the way home.
Meet you again next spring. Thanks guys for another great dive. |
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| More fun from http://icanhascheezburger.com/ | |
| Fun quiz! |
Q: Where is the deepest surveyed point in the world's oceans? A: Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench near Yap -- 35,838 feet deep. That's over 1000 atmospheres of pressure, or about 8 tons per square inch. Source: Wikipedia Even with a low SAC rate of 0.5cfm, a diver would use up a set of overfilled double 95s in about 26 seconds! |
Cozumel
photos by Roger Southwick
We spent 2 weeks in Cozumel having a great time! Here are some photos.
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See more in the RSSC Photo Gallery.
In the News
- Poseidon of the mall
- World Debut of Rinspeed sQuba, First Underwater Car
- 3 tall ships to grace Duluth harbor Aug 1-3
- New Zealand colossal squid to be dissected
- Lake Superior water level rises six inches in April
- Giant Squid in Puget Sound?
- Treasure-Laden Shipwreck Found off African Coast
On the Web
Take a survey on scuba safety at www.scubaSTARnet.com. The current survey pertains to pre-dive safety checks. Let them know if you've had a "learning experience" that would benefit other divers. You can also view the results of a recent survey about lines, reels, SMBs, and lift bags.
Upcoming Events
See the calendar for other activities.
Club InformationMeetings are on the third Tuesday evening of each month at Holiday Inn South, 1630 South Broadway, Rochester MN. Annual dues are due each January. Annual memberships are $25 for individuals or $50 for a family. Follow the directions on this form to renew. Have you been on any dive trips lately? We'd love to publish your stories and photos! (Seriously.) Contact the editor if you'd like to contribute: Roger Southwick rsouthwick AT charter.net Get your annual Lake Wazee pass for $75 - fill out this form. More info is available:
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