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In this monthfs issue-- |
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Meeting Alert!
Because the first Wednesday in January is a holiday (New Yearfs Day), our
meeting will be held on Wednesday, JANUARY 8TH.
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http://www.emeraldseadiveclub.org/
Regular
Features |
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Our
Next Meeting NOTE: Unusual meeting
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Dive & Event
Calendar |
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Dear Friends,
Here it is, my 24th Newsletter. It has been my pleasure to serve the club as editor for the past two years. The newsletter remains the ESDCfs most important means of communication. Besides the monthly news, our newsletter e-mail list stands ready to get the word out to everyone in a flash. The last-minute change in the Christmas Party location is an excellent example of critical news that was rushed to all the members.
The best thing about being Newsletter Editor is that it places you in the middle of all club activities. You meet everyone in the club. You are first to hear about dives, events, and everything else. You get to be a voting member of the board.
Itfs been tremendous fun. Thank you to everyone who contributed articles the last two years, even the unwilling ones. And thank you all for your support.
ESDC Newsletter Editor 2001-2002
As announced at theChristmas Party, here are the results of our November election:
President\Jason Miller
Vice President\Loogpla Cowden
Treasurer\Rodney Windhorst
Secretary/Historian\Laura Olrich
Newsletter Editor\Elena DiPardo
Activities Coordinator\A tie! Chad Cabe and Caroline Blachford will share the duties
Member Of The Year 2002\Jason Miller.
I think the best place to start this article is by saying thank you. I am truly honored by your votes to place me as member of the year and reelecting me as your President for the 2003 year. I went home last night with my mind reeling from the honors that you bestowed upon me. I actualy found that I was at a loss for words to describe the feelings that I have. Thank you.
We have an incredible group appointed to the board for this next year. As I had found this past year with out the support of our six other elected positions I could not do my job as President. These people make sure that we have funding for various projects, keep our membership informed, secure speakers for our monthly meetings and keep track of our monthly proceedings. These people along with the general membership are our life blood that allows our group to stay together and continue forth in the coming year.
I would like to thank all of you that participated in the annual Christmas party. The food, the decorations the gifts, the raffle and the facility were outstanding. The Christmas party committee once again out did themselves in providing us an incredible evening of merry enjoyment.
I wish all of you a merry and safe holiday season.
Jason
Jason Miller
ESDC
President 2002 and 2003
Remember that the deposits for the
Nanaimo trip on Feb 21-23rd are
due by the January 8th meeting. You can also mail the
deposit
directly to Rodney Windhorst. This is a
popular trip every
year.
We can take up to 16 divers so come along and enjoy the
fun
with us. Have a Happy Holiday Season
everyone
Elena
DiPardo
Editorfs Note: Rodalefs Diving Magazine has proclaimed Vancouver Island/British Columbia to be the best diving in North America. If youfve never tried it, come to Nanaimo and find out why.
Old divers already know the viz
is sometimes fantastic this time of year and if newer
divers stick around they will also find that out. Another benefit
this time of year is some of the off-season packages available in
just about all of the off the beaten path spots, from the straits to
Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast north of Vancouver. One of
the best ways to keep diving this time of year is to be prepared to
stay warm before-between-after your dives. Wind and waterproof outers
plus a warm hat that can cover your ears, good gloves and warm shoes
and socks. Tight fitting shoes-gloves or socks can cut circulation
and make you colder. Loogpla likes to suit up while getting gear
ready and this will help greatly. Warm fluids help also but limit
caffeine and alcohol as these tend to dehydrate and constrict blood
flow to the extremities. Sunday's dive at Skyline Marina Wall found
me between dives without my windbreaker coat and I didn't feel like
the second dive after getting chilled. There are some nice local
dives coming up this Dec. and more next year. Putting away your gear
for the winter because you get too cold to want to dive can basically
be remedied and we would like everyone to keep diving with us and
keep diving comfortable.
Skip
and Loogpla
Skyline Marina Wall and old ship pier pilingsc
Really good turnout, almost 15 people
counting Chris and Laurel's guests (and hopefully future members).
Breezy and a little cool but no rain. A real good high tide with
hardly any current the whole afternoon. On the wall side, Burrows
Island protected our surface swim from the wind. Everyone was in
for this one. Viz was a little down but it was a nice dive and there
was plenty to see. Back on shore with snacks and warm tea and
chocolate. I personally got too chilled to want to dive the second
time (as did most everyone else). Ron, Chris and Laurel braved the chill
and jumped in to find the old ship pier piling that Loogpla had
researched out. They struck gold on their way back in and found the
pilings, so more dives there are in line to explore more. By the
time they made it back in, everyone was chilled to the bone and Guy
knew where the best Won-Ton soup in the N.W. was so we all followed
him to the little Oriental restraunt in Anacortes. He was right on
and everyone warmed up and we actually ended up there for about 1 1/2
hours and having enough food to consider it dinner. To top it off,
it's right across the street from the Anacortes dive shop. Fran
brought out a book of the Honduran Bay Islands and we checked out
dive sights for our trip and everyone left warm and full. Thanks to
those who showed up.
BY Loogpla
Cowden
As the year 2002 going around the corner, we are ready for 2003! But first letfs take a look at what we have accomplished, and all the places that we visited.
We had the pleasure of meeting and hearing special speakers from Divers Alert Network, Hightide Drysuits, Seattle Aquarium, Seattle Pacific University, Washington Sea Grant, Pacific NW Freedivers Association, A renowned Pacific NW Author, A Dive Instructor sharing the secret of how and where to find the beautiful Puget Sound Marine Life. We got to tour the Virginia Mason Hyperbaric Chamber (how nice to visit as a non-patient!), and the special virtual reality trip of sailing and diving around the world!
We went out of the country for two wonderful warm water trips this year (Cozumel & Honduras). We visited the Canadian Gulf and San Juan Islands. We enjoyed our own Olympic Peninsula - Saltcreek and Hood Canal, and we targeted a new site for a return visit (Hama Hama Wall).
We performed community service at the Edmonds fishing pier clean up and Richmond Beach Critter Dives. We supported the Seattle Pacific University by filling their exhibit tanks on Whidbey Island. We participated in the environmental events of Octopus Count and Earthday.
We took on the project of being the caretaker of the buoys at the Edmonds Underwater Park. We also enjoyed much of the local favorite sites such as Alki Pipeline, Edmonds and Mukilteo Oil Docks, Keystone Jetty, Langley Marina, Skyline Marina. We kept the spirit of mid-week night dives.
We thrilled to the challenge of Kayak-n-Dive to Sareshead at Rosario Beach.
Out of the water, we participated in the Tulip Festival Bicycle Ride in the Skagit Flats. We staged a successful membership drive at Lighthouse Diving Centerfs Scuba Fest. We shared some great food at three club picnics, two at Richmond Beach and one at Camp Casey.
Looking back, 2002 was a great year for dives and events in the ESDC. We hope every one of you had the opportunity to sample what the club had to offer. The 2003 Emerald Sea Dive Club is going to be even bigger and better.Whether you are here for the dives, the friendship, or just for the fun, your ideas and participation are important. The club is here for every member to enjoy. THIS IS YOUR CLUB.
Loogpla
Editorfs Note: Linda Perry is our friend and fellow ESDC member who is currently serving in the Peace Corps in Bulgaria. Shefs been keeping in touch with the club via the Newsletter. Now she has some news of her adventure for all of us.
Hello friends.
I am a Peace Corps volunteer in Bulgaria and I am starting my second year teaching English as a foreign language. In September I returned to the states for a monthfs vacation with a non-diving friend. I was delighted to be able to attend the September meeting and Vilma really enjoyed it, too. If you remember, the topic that night was free diving. None of her acquaintances dive so watching us suit up to dive the park the following Saturday was a new experience for her. The visibility was O.K. and it was great to get wet.
I carried back so much more than just memories of those dives. Thanks to the generosity of two Emerald Sea Dive Club members, students in my little village are learning more about the USA. Todd donated money for sports equipment and we were able to take back ten mitts and two aluminum bats, three baseballs and four softballs. Have you ever packed a baseball bat? Bulgarian kids play basketball and football (soccer) but no one here plays baseball. They are excited to learn a new game. I wish you could have seen the looks of glee on the male faculty of our school. They were more excited than the kids, I think. I wish I had found a used football or two, though.
Elenafs gift was designated for more childrenfs books. Thanks to careful shopping we were able to bring back more books than we could carry (we checked two very heavy suitcases brought along for just this purpose). We also found some great word games.
I had hoped to do more diving, but there just wasnft time. There was so much to show Vilma. I have a large family to visit, and I also welcomed a new grandson into the world (Vilma saw a lot more than she expected).
In August I did two shore dives here in Bulgaria, both in the northern part of the Black Sea. The rental equipment was new and the cost was very reasonable. The dives were shallow, but the shipwreck was still very interesting. The predominant life form is the mussel, brought in on the hulls of ships. There is some boat diving but the weather didnft cooperate. The sea remained very rough the entire two weeks I was there. Sport diving is a new industry here. I am still hoping to dive in Greece the first of the year.
I also met Xristina, the woman in charge of the archaeological diving being done in Sozopal harbor and she is interested in offering a working dive vacation to American divers. This type of diving is shallow, but fatiguing because divers average four hours a day underwater, and it requires good buoyancy control. The accommodations are pretty Spartan, but she tells me the food is good. This year they worked on an ancient ship, but next year they will be exploring a prehistoric settlement that lies under it. Sozopal is a small tourist town, but it is close enough to Turkey to be able to take a side trip there. If this is something you might be interested in let me know.
I enjoy the newsletter and I sure get hungry for diving reading about all the great sites youfve been visiting. Till later.
Linda
Note Unusual
Date!
Date:
Wednesday, January 8, 2003
Place:
Cocofs Restaurant
7929 Lake Ballinger Way
Edmonds, WA
Time:
Board meeting 6:00
PM (everyone
welcome)
General meeting 7:00 PM
Speaker:
To be announced
How To Get
There:
From I-5 take exit #177, and then head west toward Edmonds until the gYh in the road
(approx. 1.5 miles). Turn Left onto
205th Street. Cocofs is
on your right in the center of the gY.h
2002 Board
The board has been pleased to be of service to the club
this past year. If you have any
questions pertaining to the club, feel free to contact any
officer.
President:
Jason Miller
(425) 778-7548
jason.miller@IDG-Corp.com
Vice President:
Loogpla Cowden
(206) 399-5682
loogpla@worldnet.att.net
Treasurer:
Rodney Windhorst
(425) 258-3071
Lsvision@earthlink.net
Secretary/Historian:
Anya Dollar
(425) 345-4210
dollara@earthlink.net
Activities Coordinator:
Buck Knight
(206) 542-8887
l.sceptre3@verizon.net
Newsletter Editor:
Wendy Drucker
(206) 632-3874
astromoi@earthlink.net
Big Buddy Coordinator:
Guy Balbirona
(425) 252-1632
kaikanuni@aol.com
Webmaster:
Lucas Scott
(425) 640-9896
lukenmel@msn.com
2003 BOARD OFFICERS
Welcome new board!
President:
Jason Miller
(425) 778-7548
jason.miller@IDG-Corp.com
Vice President:
Loogpla Cowden
(206) 399-5682
loogpla@worldnet.att.net
Treasurer:
Rodney Windhorst
(425) 258-3071
Lsvision@earthlink.net
Secretary/Historian:
Laura Olrich
Lolrich@ssoe.com
Activities Coordinators:
Caroline Blachford
britishbird@attbi.com
Chad Cabe
(360) 436-0412
Newsletter Editor:
Elena DiPardo
(425) 334-1640
Big Buddy Coordinator:
Guy Balbirona
(425) 252-1632
kaikanuni@aol.com
Webmaster:
(Still awaiting board confirmation)
Tina Seawell
seawell@amgen.com
Are we still interested in maintaining this
list?
David Mangels - anytime
(425)
483-6897
Skip Stacy - rainy days
(425)
775-2410
Guy Balbirona - anytime after work
(3:30)
(425)
252-1632
Jason Miller - Rescue (425)
778-7548
jason.miller@idg-corp.com
Visit our web site at www.emeraldseadiveclub.org
Or write to us
at:
Emerald Sea Dive
Club
P.O. Box 73
Edmonds,
WA 98020
Or call or e-mail any of the board members.
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December 15
(Sun) Richmond Beach Park
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Meet
at noon |
Host:
Skip Stacy (425)775-2410 |
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December 22 (Sun) Urchin Rock, Rosario
Beach |
Meet at 1:00 PM Call Skip for details and
directions |
Host: Skip Stacy
(425)775-2410 |
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December 29 (Sun) Edmonds Oil Dock
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Meet at noon |
Host: Skip Stacy
(425)775-2410 |
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January 8 (Wed) First ESDC Meeting Of
2003 |
Since the 1st Wednesday is a holiday,
we will meet on Wednesday, January 8th, at Cocofs. If you have
a question call any board officer. |
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