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Quadra Island Dive

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President’s Column

Wendy Drucker

Have you ever wondered what goes on at the mysterious board meetings? The board consists of the president (that is I), vice president (Elena), secretary-historian (Laura), treasurer (Willow), newsletter editor (David and Darlene), activities coordinator (Rich), big buddy coordinator (Sharan), and webmaster (Phil, who lives in Port Angeles and cannot make it to meetings). Each board member has one vote. Between meetings we discuss things by e-mail.

The board oversees the club’s finances and makes decisions about club events, problems, and policies. Some issues we can decide amongst ourselves but for major decisions we bring the issue to the general meeting for a vote by the entire membership. I preside at the board meeting; which simply means I form an agenda from all the board officers’ requests and then lead the discussion. All kinds of issues come up but our focus is to get everyone diving and set up events where all of us can have fun.

Sound like a rollicking good time? Each month the board meets an hour before the general meeting. Board meetings are not secret or privileged. All ESDC members may attend. You will not have a vote but your participation and suggestions are welcome. I attended a board meeting shortly after I joined the club and that is when I decided to get involved and run for a board position at the next election. Please feel free to come to a board meeting anytime or make your voice heard at the general meeting. ESDC is your club.

David L Ripley

Who’s Your Buddy?

Recently, at Seacrest Park Cove II a trio of divers entered the water. One diver surfaced inside the water taxi zone in a state of panic after running out of air about forty feet. Twenty minutes later the other two returned together. Fortunately for the lone diver there were many divers on site to come to his aid. He was checked out by an EMS team called to the site and was apparently OK as he opted to forgo a trip to the hospital. I do not know the details of the dive but it seems obvious they had become separated and the lone diver either spent much too much time trying to find his buddies or elected to continue the dive alone. In any case he obviously failed to monitor his air.

This incident reminded me, again, of the problems involved with diving with more than one buddy. It is all too easy for one of them to be left out and in the normally murky waters of Puget Sound becoming separated is a real possibility. Therefore, a thorough dive plan is perhaps even more important than when diving in pairs. It is each divers’ responsibility to stay within sight of the other two; which is usually easier to accomplish if one diver is designated as lead diver wherein that diver leads the dive, and the other two follow or the lead diver acts as a wrangler keeping his buddies together. However it is worked out everyone has to be diving the same plan and stick to it.

Ultimately, though, nobody cares more about your own safety than you do and it is, I believe, your equipment and experience that is your buddy.

Darlene Ripley

Practically every diver one speaks with these days is talking about the six-gilled shark; which is also known as the sixgill cowshark, shoevelnose shark, and mud shark. The reason for this frenzy talk is they have been spotted in our beloved Seacrest Park anywhere from 60’ to 110’ and mostly at night. The first time I heard of a six-gill was about three years ago when a diver told me, "Six-gills hang out around the aquarium. They never come over here (Seacrest)".

If they "never come over here" then why are they? Is there more food on the west side? Is the water warmer all of a sudden? Are the Seacrest six-gills the same ones who use to live by the aquarium or is this a new one, a new family?

A new family is not hard to procure because these sharks can give birth to as many as 108 pups at once with each measuring up to 16 inches in length. The cowshark can grow to be 18 feet long and weigh up to 1,700 pounds. Sure, sighting one of these could scare the air right out of your cylinder but do not worry because according to "Coastal Fishes" by Andy Lamb and Phil Edgell (pg7) the sixgill may drift past a diver because they are lethargic, have plodding behavior, and are usually below SCUBA limits; however, could meander to shallow waters during spring and summer.

So, if anyone is going out with Bruce, Friday night, or anyone is going off "shark hunting" remember, ". . .this generally docile shark could be provoked into aggressive behavior; its formidable teeth and strong jaws are very dangerous" (CF, 7).

Darlene Ripley

Fran Murray is looking for volunteers for the Christmas committee. So far, Elena DiPardo and Laura Orlich have stepped forward. This is YOUR Christmas party too; please volunteer some time to make it special. Thank you.

Laura Orlich has secured the Milltown Sailing Association hall for our Christmas party; however, in order to receive this FREE Laura is looking for six to eight brave souls to fling themselves into the sound only to be rescued by the Milltown Sailing Association Life Sling Practice class. This sacrifice will be rewarded to the entire club in December when the sailing association has agreed to lend us their hall. You will also receive a free sail boat ride. Please volunteer your time for this event. NO tanks, BC, or weights required only your cool water exposure suite, hood, and gloves! The specific time, September 18, will be announced later.

Bruce Bury invites everyone to meet him at Seacrest Cove Two, Friday, July 30, 7:30 p.m. for stalking of THE GREAT WHITE . . . oh, I guess it’s just the six gill shark . . .

If you plan on going, please let Bruce know so he will be expecting you.

Elena DiPardo

It is that time where we have to put deposits down for our trip to Quadra Island. I now (finally) have the details I can share with you. We will be traveling and arriving at Abyssal Lodge on Thursday, September 16. We will stay for three nights and depart after lunch on Sunday, September 19. The following is included in the package: lodging for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights; breakfast, lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday, and breakfast and lunch on Sunday; and six boat dives at some of the nicest dive sites in British Columbia including wrecks and walls.

There is also a hot tub for your pleasure and a large screen TV with VCR. This dive weekend will be limited to 12 divers. This is one of the best weekends of the summer as far as currents are concerned.

The price of the trip is $135.00/CND per day (approx. $110.00/US) + GST. A credit card will be required to confirm all individual dive packages at the Abyssal Dive Lodge. You are responsible for confirming your own dive package with them directly. Please contact them with your information and confirm with them at that time what their cancellation policy is as they do have one. Their numbers are: Abyssal Dive Charters and Lodge, Phone: 250-285-2420 Fax: 250-285-2427 Pager: 250-830-1237
Toll Free: 1-800-499-2297 info@abyssal.com

I really hope we can get a group from ESDC interested in doing this dive weekend as I was asked to host this again this year. We have always had a great time and the diving is fantastic. If you have any questions I have not answered here, please feel free to e-mail me at edipardo@u.washington.edu or call at 425-334-1640.

Would you like to wear tights and a cape with a big red S on your chest?

If you answered yes to any of the first three questions then you should consider taking a rescue course. If you answered yes to the last question, you have issues that may not be appropriate for a family publication.

On October 16 and 17, Emerald Sea Dive Club members will have the opportunity to become rescue divers. This may be the hardest scuba course you will ever take. Most rescue divers also consider the course to be the most fun, most challenging and most valuable course they have taken.

During this course you will find your limits. You may also be surprised at just how much you can do. Divers often delay taking the Rescue course because they believe that they are not yet ready, or they think that they are not good enough or strong enough or experienced enough to complete the course. However, if you meet the prerequisites and have the desire you can complete the course and you will be a better diver for it. The course philosophy is -- how you do something is not important -- what matters is the result. Anyone taking this course will find weaknesses. They will also find strengths that they did not know they had.

If you are a PADI Advanced Open Water diver or if you are certified by another agency beyond open water and have 20 logged dives then you are qualified to take the rescue class. The only other prerequisite is the desire to be a better diver and a better buddy. You also need to have current (within 24 months of certification date) training in first aid and CPR. But you are all current in your first aid and CPR training, right?

The PADI Rescue Diver program increases diver’s knowledge and skills so they can effectively assist other divers, perform rescues, manage diving accident situations and administer first aid. The program is a very important step in expanding knowledge and abilities as a diver. Students also gain knowledge of how to recognize and prevent potentially dangerous situations before they become a problem. PADI Rescue Diver certification is also a prerequisite for all PADI leadership programs.

The PADI Rescue Diver program covers:

• self-rescue and diver stress
• diving first aid
• emergency management and equipment considerations
• swimming and non-swimming assists
• panicked diver response
• underwater problems
• missing diver procedures
• surfacing the unconscious diver
• in-water artificial respiration

• egress (exits)
• first aid procedures for pressure related accidents
• dive accident scenarios

• Must be at least 15 years old (12-14 can earn Jr. Rescue Diver)
• Must be certified as a PADI Advanced Open Water diver
  OR
  Hold certification with another agency beyond open water and have 20 logged dives
• Must have completed PADI Emergency First Response or equivalent CPR/Basic Life Support in the past 24 months.

• Classroom Sessions – October 11 and 13
• Pool Session(s) – October 11 and 13 (October 13 is optional)
• Open Water dives – October 16 and 17

• $224– Includes tuition, Rescue Crew Pak and certification card

• $184 – Includes tuition and certification card

Skip, Loogpla, Mark, and Laura are planning to attend!

You could win a $50.00 ESDC check by hosting club dives. Every time you sponsor a club dive your name "goes into a hat" and twice a year a raffle will be held and one person from each drawing will receive $50.00 from ESDC as a Thank You for sponsoring dives, friendships, and fun! Remember, a club dive is a dive approved by Rich Carton, Activities Coordinator, and placed on the clip-board and on the ESDC web-site. This is a great way to meet club members and have lots of fun. Book your dives today! Remember: the more dives you book the more chances you have of winning.

When you take a class that furthers your diving experience, such as Advanced Open Water, Rescue, Divemaster, etc., show The Board your certification card and you will receive a congratulatory $15.00.

E-mail Jason Miller, our mailing list moderator, jason.miller@IDG-Corp.com,

to be put on the ESCD yahoo group mailing list (www.groups.yahoo.com/group/ESDClist) where you can communicate with other members regarding various dive topics, find dive buddies, or let everyone know about a planned dive that did not make it to the newsletter or clipboard in time. Join the list so YOU won’t be left out!

Wednesday, August 4

Alfy’s Pizza

4820 196^th SW

Lynnwood WA

425-775-5459

Board meeting, 6:00 p.m.; everyone is welcome to join these meetings

General meeting, 7:00 p.m.

Elena DiPardo

Please join in welcoming Jana Nichols as our August guest speaker. Several of our members requested that Jana come to share her information and passion with us. Janna has been fascinated by marine critters all her life and started photographing them on her dives several years ago. Her photos and articles have appeared in Northwest Dive News and she is a moderator for the Creature Feature section of the on-line forum NorthwestDiver.com. Dive Training magazine did a feature article on Scuba Stewards last year and Janna was one of the featured divers.

Janna became active in REEF's volunteer marine life monitoring program and has attained REEF Level Five expert status and serves on their Advanced Assessment Team in the Pacific northwest. She loves to dive and travel all around the northwest teaching divers about the marine life they encounter. Her website is www.pnwscuba.com

Her fun and lively presentation to Emerald Sea Dive club will include both fish and invertebrates found in the northwest

Heading north on I-5: take exit 181B (196^th St SW/Alderwood Mall Pkwy). At the top of the exit there is a stop light, turn left. At the next stop light turn left onto 196^th St SW proceeding to 48^th. Alfy’s is on the south side of the road. (Alfy’s is 4 blocks down from The Rock.)

Heading south on I-5: take exit number 181 (Lynnwood). At the top of the exit there is a stop light, turn right onto 196^th St SW, proceed to 48^th. Alfy’s is on the south side of the road. (Alfy’s is 4 blocks down from The Rock.)

President Wendy Drucker astromoi@earthlink.net

Vice-President Elena DiPardo edipardo@u.washington.edu

Secretary/historian Laura Orlich lorlich@ssoe.com

Treasurer Willow Moore dr.moore@verizon.net

Activities Coordinator Rich Carton addcorich@verizon.net

News Letter Editor David Ripley esdcnewsletter@mindspring.com

NL Editor’s Secretary Darlene Ripley esdcnewsletter@mindspring.com

Big Buddy Coordinator Sharan Smith sjsmith0@gte.net

Webmaster Phil Morgan pmorg@olmpus.net

Greeter Loogpla Cowden loogpla@att.net

Visit our web-site: www.emeraldseadiveclub.org

Write us: Emerald Sea Dive Club

PO Box 73

Edmonds WA 98020

Contact any of the board members via telephone or e-mail.

Month for newsletter Deadline

September August 30

October September 27

November October 25

December November 29

₪ Greg Becvar

425-670-3978

tridoxia@yahoo.com

₪ Mike Bevan

work: 425-788-0595

home: 425-788-1015

₪ Bruce Bury -- PADI rescue certification

425-788-8063

bury1of6@aol.com

₪ Jason Miller -- Rescue

425-778-7548

Jason.miller@idg.corp.com

₪ Skip Stacy -- rainy days

425-775-2410