www.emeraldseadiveclub.org

In This Issue

President’s Corner

You can feel it in the air, the Holidays are here! We invite you to celebrate this special season with family and friends at the ESDC Xmas get together on Sat. Dec. 16^th.

It’s not too late to order your very own limited edition of the Dive Club calendar for only $10.00. Hurry, while supplies last.

In passing, it has been a privilege serving as club President. Thank you for all your support and participations. Keep diving; you guys rock!

Traveler Alert – passport notice:

Time is near...as we are planning our future travel please take a few moments to verify
your passport.

Effective Jan. 8, 2007, all persons traveling by air to or from the U.S. must
have a passport. For complete details, go to http://www.travel.state.gov.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s calendar photo contest. There were so many great photos this year we could have filled two or three calendars. I would like to especially thank Darlene Ripley for her help in producing the calendar, Fran Murray for her expertise in identifying all the critters in the photos and to Willow Moore Mukherjee for getting the calendars printed. Thanks again to all.

Prizes: First Place $100

Second Place $75

Third Place $50

Welcome new member John Smith and returning member Rose Lyn Tadlock. We hope to see you at the Christmas Party and at some of the upcoming dives.

from the club's trip to Port Hardy British Columbia,
September 2006:
Cathy Duchamp

"I think [cold-water divers] are a cross section of some really, really
educated people and some just really normal people.  Some below normal. 
makes every trip different.  It's fun."
-Skip Stacy

"I think diving as partners has been fantastic because it gives us something
to do together and we can continue to share the excitement of this trip all
the way up to the next trip we do, or even the next dive."
-Andy Norton, with wife Pam Norton

"[Diving] feels like you're going to the mall. You get down there and you
just don't think about 'I'm breathing out of a regulator' or 'I'm weighted,'
or anything like that.  You're just shopping.  It's a nice feeling."
-Linda Perry

"I've been to Hawaii a couple times, the Caribbean five times, I think, but
I still like to come back here [Pacific Northwest] though.  There are no
mountains in the Caribbean, no eagles.  One island's lit up through the fog
and the rest are shrouded with fog with the top of the island sticking out. 
It should be pouring buckets of rain and gale force winds, but it’s just calm
out and we're diving in it."
-Skip Stacy, on the bow of the Songhee, looking out at the scenery

It's so big, I can't fit it all in.
-Cathy Duchamp [spoken while attempting to take a photo of Browning
Wall]


Live-aboard Diving: A Dwindling Experience in Port Hardy
Cathy Duchamp

Ten years ago, there were eight live-aboard operators in Port Hardy, British
Columbia.  This summer, the last one discontinued service.  The Emerald Sea
Dive Club was one of the last clubs to enjoy living on the Songhee, a
retired Canadian Navy tug, and diving some of the best sites in the region. 

Club member Cathy Duchamp talked to live-aboard charter operator Chris
Miller about the state of the live-aboard business on the northern tip of
British Columbia.

Q: I've been up to Port Hardy three other times.  There were live-aboards
everywhere.  Not anymore.  What happened?

Chris:  There's a point in the marketplace that it was great that everyone
slept in bunks, on top of each other, in sleeping bags.  As the market
advanced, and the traveling diver advanced, more live-aboards came on the
world market.  And British Columbia didn't keep up. So the big transition
has been you have to be able to maintain a high level of service and comfort
but keep the cost down.  So what's happen over the years is the average
place hasn't been able to maintain the cost versus comfort level.

Q: So what does that mean for the future of the recreational dive industry
in Port Hardy?

Chris: It's certainly in a flux right now.  Probably what's gonna happen is
more land-based resorts will open up.  And the days of the live-aboard
unfortunately in British Columbia are probably gone and fading very quickly
to the point where there's one, maybe two, part time boats doing live-aboards
and one is about to go under.

Q: And how do you feel about that?

Chris:  I'm saddened. I love this lifestyle.  I've made my life doing this. 
As a customer I've been coming up here since 1990 on a live-aboard.  I myself
miss being able to come up to the West Coast, Barkley Sound, of Nootka
Sound, Brooks Peninsula.  When you got bored of one area you went to
another.  It's sad.

Q:  And why is this your last season running the Songhee?

Chris:  It's like anything.  A boat sinks and it's never one factor that
causes a boat to sink.  It's a series of events.  And there's been a series
of events that have transpired since 2001.  911 had its impact.  The
economy has changed. In 2001 the exchange rate was 50-60%, so $235 Canadian
was $160 U.S.  It was a really good bargain.  We were able to go with that. 
But now that it's a 9% exchange, the perception of problems at the border,
going back and forth.  It's not so much getting into Canada.  Most of our
customers have more problems going home.  It's scaring people away.  And
really the Canadians can fly still cheaper to the U.S. than they can to
Canada.  So we really don't have a Canadian market. We're based primarily on
the U.S. market.  So when that market started going away we were really in a
fix.

Q: So what are you going to do?

Chris: We're gonna concentrate on doing some day boats out of Nanaimo and
see where that market goes, certainly not eliminating what might happen up
here, there's always something out there.  For me personally I'm gonna miss
Port Hardy, this is a passion of mine.  Every person has their passion and
obsession, mine has always been diving up here so I'm gonna miss that.

PLEASE, if you are renewing your ESDC membership for 2007 take a moment to fill in lines below if ANYTHING has changed, especially your e-mail address.

Thank you!

(No, this probably has not changed but we need it!)

1.  Port Authority Fleece Vest R-TEK - #JP79

2.  Port Authority Polo Shirt KP 60? 

3.  Jackets: black – 754-BK  gold –754-GD

4.  Jackets: All Season, men’s & women’s – black 779-BK

5.  Full Fleece Zip Jacket – available in black – 77-BK, midnight heather 77-MH

Available both men’s & women’s styles

Members can order directly from Dan Singley at www.thelogopress.com

FREEDOM ORDER – Have the ESDC logo embroidered on blankets or any article of clothing.

Personally customized by Rodney Windhorst: lsvision@earthlink.net

Be sure you have your ESDC membership card with you when you go shopping at dive shops—you just never know. If you find a dive shop that offers you a discount for being an ESDC member 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 Skip Stacy, 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 or Loogpla Cowden, loogplacowden@att.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!

Board meeting, 6:00 p.m.; everyone is welcome to join. 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 Rich Carton addcorich@verizon.net

Secretary/historian Mary Lou Hernandez hmarylou@hotmail.com

Treasurer Willow Moore-Mukherjee dr.moore@verizon.net

Activities Coordinator Skip Stacy skipstacy@aol.com

Newsletter Editor David Ripley esdcnewsletter@mindspring.com

Big Buddy Coordinator Wendy Drucker astromoi@earthlink.net

Greeter Shawn Miller shawnm1833@yahoo.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.