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The Snorkel Keeperthe official newsletter of the
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President: Tim Swanberg |
Treasurer: Dan Lovik |
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Vice President: Ron Nelson |
Editor: David Merbach |
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Junior Officer: Monica Merbach |
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Volume: 20 Issue: 1 |
February 2010 |
Next meeting:
Tuesday March 16th
Clarion Inn (formerly Holiday Inn South)
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Greetings by Tim Swanberg |
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I am really excited to be your new president and hope to
do as good a job as the past presidents have done. The two things I'm hoping
to accomplish this year is to increase the membership and attendance at the
meetings, and to try to have more club activities, both diving and non diving. Some thoughts are club weekends at Also, we will have a dive store in |
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Congratulations
to our newly certified divers |
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Just Wacky by John Merbach |
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One fine day in the middle of the night two dead boys began to
fight. Back to back they faced each other, pulled out a sword and
shot the other. A deaf policeman heard the noise and came to kill the
two dead boys. |
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SomePLACE New by John Merbach Have you ever gone some place new? If you have, great, and
if you haven’t then I’ll tell you what it is like. There are a lot of great
places like
We went scuba diving on a boat out in the harbor. Out on the boat the waves were very big and my sister got sea sick. Amazingly the waves looked bigger on the shore. After we dove off of the boat we saw lots of amazingly colorful fish. There were all sorts of fish like barracuda, sergeant major, blue tang, trunkfish, angelfish and parrot fish. Cave diving is a really fun and cool kind of diving. I dove in the Chac Mool Cenote. From the surface it looked like there was no way thru under water. The reflection of the rocks above the surface made it look like it was one huge rock. |
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Something New by David Merbach |
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There are times that you realize that you are experiencing
something brand new. Most people feel this the first time they descend
beneath the surface and realize there is a whole new world to explore. I
recently felt this in a cenote in I’ve heard a lot about cavern and cave diving from the
experts in our group. The stories that
they’ve shared have been riveting and educational, but I never thought that
I’d be interested in that type of diving. No fish, no light, no easy way out,
what fun is there in that? The dive I did in First some background. There are several aspects of cenote diving that combine to make for an entirely new experience. The first is the clarity. I first realized just how clear the water was as we were preparing to enter. The Dive Master said that our entry would be a giant stride into what looked like a puddle of water but I would later learn that the water was actually over fifteen feet deep at the entrance. The clarity surprised me again when I got the sensation that Sarah was simply floating in air above a pile of rocks as I turned a corner to catch up to her. My favorite experience was looking down between boulders to see the bottom far below like I was flying along on a magic carpet. The second aspect is the beauty and fragility. Although the cenote I was diving was used by hundreds of divers, I was immediately aware of the sensitivity of the cavern system. There were tenuous fingers of stalactites and stalagmites. There were stacks of boulders and rocks that looked like they had been balanced by a child. Any contact could easily destroy something that took thousands of years to create. The final aspect is the danger. Although I always knew where there was an exit, there were times that it was extremely dark. In the ocean, even on a night dive, there is always some light. I’ve been on deeper dives where it got dark, but even then there was always some light once my eyes adjusted. This was the first time that there was absolutely no light except for what I brought with me. I knew where the exits were because we always stayed within easy reach of them and there were lines zigzagging around us. But I quickly realized that if it weren’t for our dive master leading the way that I would easily get lost in the network. I also realized that the lines that I saw gave a false sense of security for I had no way of knowing if they were going into the system or leading the way out. I love diving in the ocean and seeing the spectacular
colors of the reef and fish. I love diving in In the Cavern By Monica Merbach In the cavern the top looks really small, but when you jump in and descend it’s a whole other world. It’s very big down there and you see the light shining through the water. When you start to go and under the cave it gets darker and darker, it looks like you are going through a wall that cuts off light like you’re going into a black hole. The only light is now your flashlight. |
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Featured
Fish – Blue Tang |
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Often called the most beautiful fish in the ocean, the Blue Tang, is also one of the most common. The term actually refers to two separate genus of fish.
The best way to prepare the Atlantic Blue Tang is to instead order a Chocolate Monkey (see below). It gives off a pungent stench and can cause ciguatera poisoning if consumed. The caudal spine is sharp and can cut deep into human skin and has been known to result in infections. The pain from the cut can last for hours. In the wild, Atlantic Blue Tang congregate in gangs called ‘schools’. In captivity they require a larger aquarium to provide plenty of swimming room. It is aggressive towards other tangs and surgeonfish but peaceful with other types of fish.
Contrary to popular belief, the Regal Tang can not actually talk, can not speak whale and are not all named Dorie. They do, however, have a short memory span. The best way to prepare the Regal Tang is to order Chinese since it is not edible. They have a strong odor and may cause ciguatera poisoning. They have spines on both sides of the caudal peduncle which are extended when the fish is excited. A quick, thrashing sideways motion of the tail can cause deep wounds that result in swelling, discoloration and possible infection. Having more than one Regal Tang in an aquarium can cause stress and fighting. The fish will not eat coral or anemones and is therefore reef compatible. |
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Featured Recipe - Chocolate Monkey |
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1 shot banana
liqueur 2 shots crème
de cacao 2 scoops chocolate ice cream 1 oz chocolate syrup 4 oz chocolate milk 1-1/2 oz whipped cream 1 cherry 1 piece banana |
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Tube Tossing – by The Gossip Girls |
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What we do know is that there is a growing national, if not world wide, trend in an activity referred to as ‘scoober’. These scoober doers dress in outlandish costumes and conduct strange rituals at exotic locations, usually near water. These rituals consist of demonstrations of strength and endurance where competitors haul weighted metal tubes up and down rocky trails to the waters edge, where they sometimes actually continue into the water with the weighted tubes, remaining there for extended periods of time. This continues until someone loses and all of the competitors then haul the tubes back to the starting line where the process repeats. The Gossip Girls recently learned that these scoober doers meet at the sports store and other places to talk about their competitions, plan other events and obtain the specialized costumes. It is thought that this store will provide costumes, the weighted metal tubes and specialized training. Stay tuned for further details on these disturbing events. |
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No Olympic Gold – by The Gossip Girls |
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Skeeter
had recently arrived in An IOC official was quoted as saying that they were preparing to have Skeeter deported back to his home country, but they were not sure where that was. An obviously disoriented Skeeter was heard yelling “stop touching me, man!” |
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Welcome
to a new year in the 
In
recognition of completing his Open Water training and getting certified while
in 
The
word on the street is that 
A
very disappointing day for Club Information
Meetings are on the third Tuesday evening of each month at Clarion Inn, 1630
South Broadway,
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! Contact the editor if you'd like to contribute.
Get your annual