lunarscope july 2012 lunarfins newsletter- · the sport of scuba diving. speaker: dennis...
TRANSCRIPT
Elected Officers:
President
Barbara Corbin
Vice President
Randy Widaman
Secretary
Mary Smith
[email protected] Treasurer
Gloria McGlothlin
[email protected] Social Director
Louise Toole
Equipment Officer
Lamar Flanagan
832-221-2452 - cell
Appointed:
Training Coordinator
Bill Jones
Newsletter Editor
Polly Swerdlin
281-488-8193
TGCC Representative
Tom Burns
Webmaster
David Melendez
Lunarscope Lunarfins Newsletter- www.lunarfins.com
Next meeting: Wed., July 11 Lunarfins, a non-profit club that promotes the sport of scuba diving.
SPEAKER: Dennis Deavenport from HUPS
UW Photography 101 This topic is one of the reasons I enjoy being a member of
HUPS, because I like taking pictures of our salty friends so
much and it gives me the opportunity to relive each dive I’ve
taken and share it with others. This program changes some
each time I give it because equipment and techniques
change so fast in the digital age.
Getting the right equipment for your budget and your
aspirations is a major topic but it is just part of the program.
Once people get their gear, they need to build their skill set
so they can get the most out of their purchase. This is
where UW Photography 101 comes in.
At the end of the program, I’ll also show a short presentation
that showcases some of the things that were discussed in
the program. And, since most cameras can now take video,
I’ll be showing some segments taken in the Philippines on
two spectacular shark dives and pictures taken on a night
dive when all of the stars were properly aligned.
Bring your equipment and your questions.
General Meeting Information Where: Clear Lake Park; 5001 NASA Road 1, on
the South (lake) side of NASA Road One.
When: Second Wednesday of each month at 7
p.m. Come early for a social time at 6:30 p.m. Join us afterward at Mario's in Seabrook for food, drink and camaraderie.
July 2012
In This Issue Page
2 President’s Corner
2 Dive Training
3 Logo T-Shirts
3 Trips
4 Events calendar
4 Repair Corner
5 OpEd by Bill Jones
6 Roatan Trip by Fred Toole *** Please note above email
Lunarfins Membership Renewal We always accept renewals at the monthly meetings. If you prefer to mail in your renewal, download a copy of the form from our website: http://www.lunarfins.com/official/membform2012.doc
Mailing address: PO Box 57514 Webster TX 77598-7514
The renewal form is completed
yearly. Contact Mary if you have any questions at: [email protected]
Next Scuba Class Open Water Diver (Beginner Class) two
weekends: Jul 13 & 20, 6:00pm to
10:00pm – NASA/Clear Lake Area
Rescue Diver class Jul 21 & 22
Email me if you want to do Advanced
Classes, Nitrox EANx, Rescue,
Refreshers, and Specialties. You can
do those in Huntsville at Blue Lagoon 2,
Site 1.
Discounted books available now and in
classes.
You are welcome to join us to party,
dive, earn a certificate, or try out your
Scuba gear.
Email [email protected]
President's Corner Barbara Corbin
Well, the summer's heating up and so is
the Lunarfins social calendar. We had a
wonderful breakfast in June, with 12
members meeting at Gabacho’s. The day
was hot, but we had a very nice cool
breeze under the front palapa.
July brings a pot luck dinner and cookout at
the Corbin's on Tiki Island. Bring your
boats, jet skis, stand-up paddleboards, air
mattress or other floatation device and
enjoy floating around on the canal.
In August Louise is planning a trip to
Mammoth Lake, and in September we'll
meet up in Galveston for our annual beach
party.
The first order for embroidered shirts went
in and have been delivered in time for the
next meeting. I'll have several examples for
those who missed getting their order in.
The next order can be placed as soon as
we reach a minimum of 12 shirts.
Don't forget to send us your suggestions on
speakers, topics, trips or social events.
We'll gladly discuss them at the next
officers meeting. Randy has identified an
impressive line-up of speakers for the
summer, so we look forward to seeing you
soon.
Keep blowing bubbles!
Page 2 Lunarscope
Picture by Ann Herring
Taken in Roatan See story page 6
Page 3 Lunarscope
Deadline for Lunarscope articles: First Wednesday of each month
You may now order Lunarfins embroidered
shirts. We've selected a few possibilities to
choose from, but you can also purchase your
own shirt and have it embroidered with the logo.
The first order will be delivered at the July 11 meeting. Please have your $ or check ready. We will be submitting the next order when we have a minimum of 12.
The catalog and order forms will be available at
our meetings and have been / can be emailed.
Lunarfins Board Meetings are held the last Tuesday in each month at Durango’s: 939 NASA Rd 1, Webster. Order supper at 6:30, the meeting begins at 7pm. If you have an issue to bring before the board, contact any board member to get on the agenda.
Help Wanted: Trip Story Writer
Have you been on a scuba trip and wanted to tell everyone?
Here is where folks come to read all about ‘em! (see page 6) Send your tales and pix to:
Several Lunarfins, Lunarfriends and I are currently discussing the possibility of cruising on the new Carnival Magic out of Galveston, this October. The cruise departs on Oct. 14 for a 7 day cruise with stops in Key West, Nassau and Freeport. (That is Freeport, Bahamas, not Texas!) Prices start at $904 pp/double occupancy, including all taxes, fees, and prepaid gratuities.
For additional information contact Tom Burns [email protected]
or Dusty’s travel agent Anita Vanderzanden 916-830-5512
Sturgeon General's warning: Like SCUBA diving, cruising can become habit forming.
TRIPS
Please see the rigs to reef article in the New York Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/18/us/a-fight-to-convert-high-island-a-
platform-into-a-reef.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc
=edit_th_20120618
Petition to Congress to support bills to stop “Idle Iron”
http://www.votervoice.net/Core/core.aspx?APP=GAC&AID=616&Issu
eID=26239&SiteID=-1
Events Calendar
2012
•Jul 14 Pot Luck at Corbin’s 4PM (see below)
•Aug 18 Mammoth Lake - Noon
•Sep 8 Beach Party 3PM
Galveston East Beach Jetty
•Oct 6 Trash Fest
•Oct 13 BAD Diver’s Market
•Dec 8 Christmas Party
2013
•Apr 10 JSC Safety-Health Day
•Apr 10 Lunarfins Open House at JSC
•Jun TBD Breakfast
Repair Corner Barney Corbin
It's that time of year again when we pull out our dive
equipment and think about when it was last in for service.
Some dive shops place what they call annual CIP sleeves
with dates on the regulators' hose so all you have to do is
look at the CIP and see when it was last serviced. If you
don't have a CIP sleeve and can't remember, then it's
probably time to take it to your local dive shop for service.
Please don't wait until the week or day before you leave on
your trip to take it to the dive shop. Most of the shops have
at least a two week turn around and this time of year it may
be more. Remember, your life support equipment should
be serviced annually, and Spring is a good time to take it in
to ensure it will be ready for your summer dive vacation.
And remember, even though you are on vacation, your dive
equipment isn't and needs to be rinsed well after each dive.
On the left are two photos of regulators that I've repaired
that were not properly rinsed during or following their dive
trip. The first one is a 2nd stage that was not cleaned when
the owner got home. The other is a 1st stage that got put up
with water inside and started rusting the piston and spring.
When the equipment is left like this for a long time, they
start pitting and cannot be repaired. That's when your only
option is replacement.
If you're thinking about buying new equipment, you'll be
surprised at how well the manufacturers are in tune with
current trends in airline fees for flying heavy dive
equipment. The new regulators are smaller and lighter and
so are the BCs. Just about every manufacturer has a
"travel" line of equipment designed specifically for the
travelling diver. You can often get very good used
equipment, but buyer beware! Be careful buying used
equipment from resort dive operators - you have to know
what you are buying. I've recently received several used
regulators that people bought from resort dive operators.
Most people think that rental equipment is well maintained,
and it usually is, but resort shops carry what is called a
resort regulator. This equipment is designed to last with
very little service - and that's what they get! They are not
really serviceable, so once you start having trouble with
them, there is very little that can be done to fix them. They
are also not designed to be used in deep water - since
resort courses only let divers dive in fairly shallow water.
Retail regulators breathe better in deep water, and can be
serviced regularly.
If you have a question about a specific piece of equipment,
feel free to drop me a line and I can tell you what I've seen
on the repair bench!
Page 4 Lunarscope
“Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes
from bad judgment.” - Will Rogers
POT LUCK DINNER and COOKOUT at the Corbin's: 1031 Tiki Drive, Tiki Island TX - 4 pm Sat 14 July 2012 Bring your boats, jet skis, stand-up paddleboards, air mattress or other floatation device and enjoy floating around on the canal. Burgers,Hot Dogs, Buns, Condiments
Provided Bring a salad, vegetable or dessert to
share - BYOB
RSVP requested by July 11th [email protected]
Page 5 Lunarscope
Jessica Biel Earns PADI Certification © Copyright 2012 Bill Jones World Rights Reserved
San Juan, Puerto Rico. After spending a week in Puerto Rico with her fiancé Justin Timberlake, actress Jessica Biel earned her PADI ADVANCED OPEN WATER DIVER certification. While teen heart-throb Timberlake was working on his new movie “RUNNER, RUNNER”, Biel spent her time with a PADI 5-Star / Gold Palm resort improving her Scuba skills. Biel bragged about her accomplishment on a Friday June 29, 2012 posting on her Twitter page. San Juan resorts on the northeast side of the island are just minutes away from Marin International Airport and offer Palm Tree laden beaches. Experienced divers prefer the better reefs and better visibility in the leeward Caribbean waters on the southwest side of the island, far away from the rain forest runoff. If you venture to the southwest side, remember your “flying after diving” (altitude) rules if your plan to drive back to San Juan via the mountain highway. The longer beach rim road may be a better choice following your dives. Since Puerto Rico is a U.S. Territory, no passport is required.
Editor Note: Bill Jones is a PADI Master Instructor and a Published and Award-Winning Writer
Pictures by Ann Herring
Taken in Roatan See story next page
LUNARFINS DIVING ADVENTURE TO ROATAN IN THE CARIBBEAN By Fred Toole
Roatan is the largest of the Bay Islands of Honduras, 33 miles by 4 miles, and about 20 miles off the coast of Honduras. Roatan is the above water projection of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the largest barrier reef in the Caribbean (second largest worldwide after Australia's Great Barrier Reef). We stayed at the Splash Inn, a 24-room hotel in the small community of West End. West End is on the waters edge at northwest corner of the island, several miles from Anthony’s Key Resort. The community has several small hotels, restaurants, mini markets, street vendors, and bars. Splash Inn has an open-air restaurant over looking the Caribbean, and dive shop. All with great staff. Rooms have an ocean view. The dive shop has equipment rentals, nitrox, two wash tanks for gear, and a secure drying room. The staff loaded tanks and setup our gear on the boat for our dives. All we had to do was walk approx. 50 yards to the boat, check our gear, and we were off. There are over 70 dive sites at West End, most less than 15 minutes from the dock. The morning dive was at 9:00, and for the surface interval we came back to the dive shop and enjoyed cold watermelon before the second dive at 11:30. We would be back at Splash Inn for lunch, and then it would be time for siesta or prepare for the 3:00 dive. Night dives were also available. It would be easy to make four dives a day. Diving condition were near perfect. Water temp around 82, seas calm, visibility excellent, and little to no current. Top of the reefs averaged 25 to 30 feet and then the wall. Dives were from a mooring buoy or the boat followed as we swam along the reef. Since several Lunarfins were photographers, the dive guides let us set the pace. Most bottom times were 50 to 60 minutes. Wall dives offered sheer drop offs, giant sponges, swim throughs, caverns with available light, and crevices. One swim through was the Hole in the Wall, which began at the top of the reef and exited on the face of the wall at 110 feet. Top of the reefs offered coral gardens and extensive marine life. The waters around Roatan are marine sanctuaries so there is a great variety of sea life. A few of the highlights were: numerous huge groupers (all kinds) nice wreck dives, Hole in the Wall, octopus performing in broad daylight, blennies, cryptic teardrop crabs, anemone shrimp, turtles, nudibranchs, green and spotted moreys, midnight parrotfish, great barracuda, and snorkling from the boat with a large pod of wild bottle nose dolphin! Saw only a couple of lionfish. Everyone is in agreement we are looking forward to a return trip. Paul Herring shot videos that are available on this link. http://www.youtube.com/ Just use cudabait1 as key word
Pictures by Ann Herring
Taken in Roatan See story below
Page 6 Lunarscope