www.emeraldseadiveclub.org

In This Issue

Guest Speaker

Better Fitness Makes Better Diving

Get fit….Have fun… Be safe!

Last winter I was being lazy, and I gained ten pounds. All I did was eat, sleep, and pay monthly dues for a health club that I didn’t use. I was confident that I would not have any problem losing the extra pounds, and I know very well the fitness level needed for the sport of scuba. Well, the last few months have not been as easy as I thought. I know that I can choose the time and place for a dive to match my strength and skill level, but I am out of shape and out of sorts with myself. I especially feel it when I put on my dry suit, scuba gear, and try to keep up with my dive buddy through currents and long surface swims. As divers, we need a certain level of fitness to ensure our best performance. Keep in mind that not all your diving will be the same. Water and weather conditions vary from dive to dive and even from the beginning to the end of some dives. Sometimes you may encounter an unexpected physical task. To get the most out of your diving, participate in a regular exercise program, eat a well-balanced diet, stay healthy, be active, and get a physical checkup yearly.

The bottom line: take care of yourself and stay fit to get the most enjoyment from our sport. Scuba diving is fun…Be Happy!

Open to all members of the ESDC.

Each member may submit up to four photographs per month during 2005.

Bring them to the club meetings where they will be displayed for all to see.

May also display entries on web site. Details to be worked out.

Considering top three for yet to be announced but undoubtedly spectacular prizes to be awarded at the Christmas Party.

Also considering creating a calendar for 2006 using the top twelve photographs.

In order to open the competition to more members, photographs may be of above water (diving related) subjects as well as underwater subjects.

Voting to be done by all members of ESDC casting one vote each for their top twelve choices.

Deadline for submissions is October 5, 2005.

If you have questions, comments or suggestions contact David Ripley at the club meeting

or at esdcnewsletter@mindspring.com

As was the case last year I am asking that all contributors submit their articles, columns, etc. by the following dates:

March 28—for the April newsletter

April 25—for the May newsletter

May 23—for the June newsletter

June 27—for the July newsletter

July 25—for the August newsletter

August 29—for the September newsletter

September 26—for the October newsletter

October 24—for the November newsletter

November 28—for the December newsletter

Everyone is welcomed and encouraged to submit articles about their dives or any diving or club related topic.

It’s All About Me—Introductions from the new board members

Greg Becvar- Activity Coordinator

My name is Greg, and I’m a SCUBAholic. My addiction to diving began more than 25 years ago. As an avid fisherman, I always wanted to know what those fish were doing down there. Then one day my brother, John, was doing a SCUBA refresher class asked me if I’d like to take the SCUBA class with him. Little did he know what would come of that. After basic open water class I did some diving in the lakes of MN and WI. The second year I started diving in "The Mother of all Waters" Lake Superior. The cold clean fresh water of Superior has some excellent wreck diving. In the winter of ‘79 I went to Belize for my first trip to salt water. On my second dive there, we saw a huge manta ray!

After that, I was underwater whenever I could get there. Trips included, Cayman Brac, Grand Cayman, FL Keys, Bonaire, Haiti, West Caicos, and even Powell River-BC. I became a dual (PDIC & YMCA) certified instructor in 85. I taught a few SCUBA classes part time. I also taught ice diving. Small town MN didn’t have many students to offer, so I quit teaching. Then life got in the way for about 9 years. My total dives during that time were less then 100. I never gave up though, and my chance to get back in the water came when we moved to the Seattle area. It took a little while to get started, but soon I was getting wet at least once a week. I dove with many new buddies. Some of them became my very good friends. I was however missing that little something. In MN, I was in a dive club and had good memories from that so I began researching local clubs. I was welcomed at ESDC and decided this club was my first choice. Thank You for having me.

When I’m not diving, I am a Maintenance Supervisor at a 386 unit apartment complex in Edmonds. Laura and I live in north Marysville.

Rodney Windhorst

For anyone who might be interested I've planned a dive trip between September 6-29, 2005 to Cairns, Australia and Kimbe Bay off of New Britain Island in Papua New Guinea. There are a total of 46 dives on some of the best reefs and walls in the world.

The first part of the trip will be 9 days in Walindi Plantation Resort
diving Kimbe Bay in the Bismarck Sea. This is supposedly an underwater
photographers’ wet dream come true. The second half of the trip is a
five-day live-aboard trip to the northern Great Barrier Reefs out of
Cairns, Australia. Come and join me for this all inclusive dream vacation!

I can give out more details to anyone out for an adventure. Please see me at the meeting or call (306) 658-6661

Before the dirty brown fog engulfed me I took a quick glance at my gauges. As the visibility went to faceplate I read my SPG. 2500 psi suddenly seemed like very little air.

Oh man, this is not a good thing. Moments before we had just entered a rather large room. We could see several exits as the wall ran off into the emerald haze. Visibility was probably 30 feet and the room was large enough we couldn’t see the whole of it. We were deep within the ship, in an area not frequently visited and I was floating midway between the deck and the ceiling, 75 feet beneath the surface. My buddy was about10 feet ahead in the lead and everything was great. This deep into the ship, it was calm and dark. The only source of illumination was our dive lights and the only current was generated by our fins. It started, slowly at first but with increasing intensity particles began raining from the ceiling. . Looking up I could see my buddy’s bubbles running across the steel overhead, dislodging a shower of rust and other small bits as the bubbles coalesced into larger and larger mirror like air pockets. Visibility was already deteriorating rapidly when I noticed the swirling brown haze rising from the deck. I had gotten a little careless and kicked, once or twice, too hard and too near the bottom.

OK, now we go back to basic scuba. Stop, think and only then, act. I work to remain calm and keep my breathing under control. We are 75 feet from the surface in an overhead environment. I know we are at least 50 feet from our entry point and we are in a large room with more than one exit. Neither of us has ever been here before and we have no idea where these other exits lead. We could go on, hoping to work our way through the silt out. However, I only have 2500 psi left in my twin 3300 psi 90’s. My buddy is diving a single 120 with a pony. She’s better on air than I am but she’s probably approaching the end of her first third too. Now, where is she? All I can see is the dirty brown glow of my own light. Forget about waiting until it clears. There is no current in here to blow it away and it may take hours to settle. I probably cannot even read my gauges and I’m not about to risk loosing contact with that thin 1/8 inch line that is my only guide out of here to try and get the light and gauge together and close enough to my face to even try.

Let’s see. One gentle tug, which means are you OK? Are you there? Answer please. Ahh! I get an answering single pull. Gentle now, that rather slender thread is our ticket out of here. I give the line two gentle but firm pulls and get two pulls in return. She understands and agrees it is time to call the dive. I wait a second before turning around to see if I can spot her light as she turns. There it is. I’ll bet she’s not six feet away and I cannot even see the light from her UK 1200 until it is pointed right at me. Now I turn, slowly, carefully, being sure to maintain contact with the line, my link with the surface. Since my buddy has the wreck reel, I followed her in, but when we exit I lead the way. Last in, first out.

As I start back I bend my knees, which places my fins well away from the deck and its layer of silt. Slowly I fin myself back along our route, keeping in touch with the line but taking care not to pull myself along it. As we maneuver slowly back through the door and down the passageway we encounter clear water. Looking to my left I see daylight. It is one of many holes cut in the wreck before it was sunk however our line leads straight ahead. This was not our entrance. Now that we are heading back and in the clear we can take a few moments to look around and savor the adventure. Arriving at the exit from the wreck we look around and marvel at the sight of the 365-foot ship sitting on the ocean floor. I glance at my gauges. 1800 psi, plenty of air for a nice slow ascent up the mast and a good long safety stop. As my buddy retrieves the last of the line and un-loops it from the ship she signals up. I acknowledge and another wreck dive is in the logbook.

With proper training and equipment there are several wrecks in the Northwest lying within sport diving range. In Washington they range from the dry dock at Edmonds (yes it is a wreck) to the Diamond Knot in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Canada offers a wide variety of wrecks. Everyone is familiar with the five wrecks sunk by the Artificial Reef Society. If you care to travel to Barkley sound there is the Vanlene and her cargo of Dodge Colts. In the middle of the Strait of Georgia lies the Capilano at the edge of the sport diving range at approximately 125 feet. Other less famous wrecks festoon our inland waters. Some are no more that ballast piles while others are intact. There are boats, barges, ships, airplanes and bridges. There are even some wrecks yet to be found.

If you have found yourself a little jaded with the same old dives, or if just want to expand your horizons, try a wreck course. You’ll need to be an advanced diver and each buddy team needs a wreck reel. You will also need two good dive lights each, and a redundant air supply (twins or a pony). It isn’t cheap, and it takes some time, but it can open new worlds to explore. I will be offering a class at Bubbles Below starting April 26 in the classroom. We will also meet on April 27 for class and pool. On the weekend of April 30-May 1 we will be diving the wrecks in Edmonds and finally on the weekend of May 7 and 8 we will be traveling to British Columbia for two days of wreck diving on the BC wrecks.

The cost for the class is $199 plus books, travel and charter expenses. Students will
need two lights, a redundant air supply and one wreck reel/buddy team in addition to
their open water dive gear. Advanced open water certification is a prerequisite and
Nitrox and deep certifications are advised.

Kayak-n-Dive- Wreck of the Des Moines Marina

Please come and join me for a really great dive on the wreck of the Des Moines Marina- one that is not often done.   This is a 55' Chris Craft cabin cruiser party boat that met its fate in about 60' of water about one mile north of the Des Moines Marina.  A really good dive description is located in Dave Bliss's book; "Northwest Boat Dives".  It is an easy shore dive, if you can get to the shore where it is located. There is no public
access.  You have to have either a boat or a KAYAK!

Let’s meet at the beach access at the north end of the Des Moines Marina
parking lot on Sunday, April 3rd at 9:30 AM.  It’s an easy paddle to the dive
site.  We can gear up on the beach and dive it from shore, or off of the
kayak.  The wreck is located about 75 yards from shore.  No current at this
sit and high tide before ebb is at 11:30 AM.

 HOT lunch on the beach to follow. Kayak Divers Unite! Menu options and
details to follow. For more information call me- Kevin Casey - home- 206
246-5957 or cell- 206 255-0355

Don’t forget about Neah Bay. It will be a memory making 3 day week-end.  Besides being a giant food fest (mainly sea food), the diving is also 1st class.  It sounds like Porthole Dive Charters can drop us into some different spots that we might have never been before plus the old stand-by's if the conditions are less than good.  Even a night dive for really hardy souls will be offered at $40.00.  That’s really tempting to me.  The Salt Creek dive on the way out Friday is worth the trip in itself and perhaps a stop at Crescent Lake for a gear rinse on the way back could certainly top things off.  I would love to do Duncan Rock again, weather permitting but any of the sites will be good for me.  

Lodging will include breakfast, which sure starts the day off nice if we don't have to cook it ourselves (or do dishes).  Besides eating and just relaxing, there's plenty to do between dives.  The board walk out to Cape Flattery to look over Tattosh Island is spectacular (Don’t forget the camera for this one).  The Pacific beaches and rock formations are an awesome site and the sandy ones can produce a handful of sand dollars and shells if we get permission from the tribal elders to go there.  There’s also shore diving, mostly around Sekiu and Sekiu Jetty and a small handful of shops to browse through.  The Pot-Luck Dinners are equal to the best sea-food restaurants in the world—well, maybe the Northwest, or maybe west of Port Angeles. Anyway, it’s really a fantastic week-end as far as diving goes so I hope you can join us.

Jason Miller- Dive Host

Camp Casey will be held on the weekend of March 18^th. People can start arriving on Friday the 18^th around 5:00 pm. As usual dinner will be provided by the Casey Staff. Friday night’s dinner usually is comprised of cold cuts, soup and dessert. This year we will be staying in the Fire hall and adjacent buildings which are opposite of the water on the facility. Keith has assured me that they are very nice as they were recently renovated. We will be doing two dives per day at Camp Casey on Saturday and Sunday. For those that wish to play hooky on Friday I know that there are some of us who will do 2 – 3 dives on that day. Please bring your sleeping bag and pillow because some of the sleeping areas are multi-berthed. Pajamas will be optional (snicker). I will have the dive times and meals posted at the main fire hall Friday night. Please bring rigid plastic containers with screw on lids and holes punched in the lids for critter containment. Goodie bags and lights are also a must have. It is extremely important to attend the dive briefing prior to the dive. If you miss the briefing you will have to sit out the dive. Alcohol is not normally permitted, but in the past we have been able to partake provided that we use our best behavior. Alcohol must only be consumed in the hall and not on the grounds. One area that I would like to make clear is that if you plan on leaving the weekend early please inform me the day before. Last year we had to cancel the Sunday lunch on short notice.

This is a really great place to get away for the weekend and do some diving in an area that is closed to all but a select few. The cost is $60.00 per person which covers the cost of the meals. Housing is provided at no charge because of our help on collecting critters for the marine lab. Here are the links for directions to Camp Casey.

http://www.spu.edu/depts/casey/images/casey_map.jpg

Phone 425-778-7548 e-mail: Jason.t.miller@comcast.net

Did you know that when you show your ESDC membership card at Starfish Dive Shop you receive a 10% discount? Did you know that if you show your ESDC membership card at Northwest Sport Dive you get a free air fill? Be sure you have your ESDC membership card with you when you go shopping at dive shops—you just never know.

If other shops give you a discount please let us know and we will publish their name.

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 Greg Becvar, 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, Dive Master, etc., show The Board your certification card and you will receive a congratulatory $15.00. This offer is only good one time per calendar year.

E-mail Jason Miller, our mailing list moderator, jason.t.miller@comcast.net

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!

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.

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 Loogpla Cowden loogplacowden@att.net

Vice-President Steve Berthinier resoyrua@verison.net

Secretary/historian Rose Lyn Tadlock tadloro2002@yahoo.com

Treasurer Cheng-Hui Wong chengwong@comcast.net

Activities Coordinator Greg Becvar tridoxia@yahoo.com

Newsletter Editor David Ripley esdcnewsletter@mindspring.com

Big Buddy Coordinators Skip Stacy skipstacy@aol.com

Wendy Drucker astromoi@earthlink.net

Greeter Jared Averill jared_averill@hotmail.com

Web Master Phil Morgan-Ellis pmorg@olympus.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 www.groups.yahoo.com/group/ESDClist

₪ Greg Becvar

360-659-2853

tridoxia@yahoo.com

₪ Bruce Bury –PADI rescue

425-788-8063

bury1of6@aol.com

₪ Jason Miller –Rescue

425-778-7548

Jason.t.miller@comcast.net

₪ Skip Stacy – rainy days

425-775-2410

₪ John Laggart –weekday dives

jmnlaggart@msn.com

If you are interested in being included on this list please contact the editor.

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