A New Benefit to Members: A Chance to Win a Spot on a New England Aquarium Collecting Trip

A new membership benefit to the New England Aquarium Dive Club is a chance to win a spot on the New England Aquarium’s Spring 2005 Collecting Trip in the Bahamas with Senior Aquarist and local shark expert Holly Martel-Bourbon. Holly graciously reserved us a spot on her highly sought-after trip. We will raffle tickets in order to pay for the trip and randomly select one of our open water certified members. This is a unique diving experience! Stayed tuned for details.

To be most up to date, check the FORUM section of our website.

New members since June:

Julie Adams, Mia Bissette, Emily Brewer, Guy DiPietro, Arlton Figuerido, Tina Foss, Jen Hennessey, Elizabeth Kadlub, Chris Kelly, Rob and Lauren Kenney, Urika Malone, Elizabeth Michels, Max Naumenko, Nicole Neuman, Carol Procita, Ranceis Rodrigue, Victoria Thurston, Heather Tierney, Marissa Wagner, and Jennifer Weber.

Welcome everybody! We hope you enjoy the New England Aquarium Dive Club.

FORMAL PRESENTATIONS: Due to space limitations, we only post the next general speaker information. Starting August 1st, you can visit our website and read about upcoming speakers.

DIVE TRAVEL:
OCTOBER 2004: GREAT WHITE SHARK DIVING---- SOLD OUT

 JANUARY 15th-22nd 2005 - DOMINICA - We started this year with 26 of our dive club members and friends joining together for a trip to Dominica. If you have noticed the write-ups in the newsletter or read the website stories and looked at the pictures; or listened to all of the talk at the dive club meetings, you know how great the trip was; AGAIN. As dive destinations go, Dominica is one of the best. It has so much to offer both divers as well as non-divers. In short, the diving is spectacular; as is the island itself. The water temperature consistently hovers between 78-80 degrees and the visibility just can't be beat. There is enough variety in the dive sites to satisfy any diver. The sites range from wall dives and soaring pinnacles, to swim-throughs and stunning coral heads. We consistently saw frogfish, seahorses, turtles, eels, batfish, as well as a variety of marine life too extensive to name. Above the water, we hiked through beautiful rainforests to swim in remote waterfalls. When you add to this, the resident population of sperm whales, you will see why Jonathan and I consider Dominica to be the worlds greatest island. The best part of the entire story is that we are scheduled for another trip, from January 15, 2005 to January 22, 2005. The unbelievable package price we are able to provide is $1045. Includes: 7 nights hotel, 7 breakfasts, 7 dinners, 2 night dives, 5 days of 2-tank boat dives, unlimited shore dives, tanks, weights, and weight belt, kayaking, welcome rum punch, r/t airport transfers, service charges, and taxes. Join us next year and see why so many divers and non-divers keep going back to Dominica. The spots are filling up quickly so don't wait.

 MARCH 19th - 26th 2005 - ALL NEW WHALE SHARK EXPEDITIONS OF HONDURAS- SHARK DIVER LODGE - $1895- Discover the shark diving adventure of a lifetime - an encounter with the ocean's largest shark, the Whale Shark. The new inclusive "Shark Diver Lodge," located in the crystal waters of the Caribbean in the Honduras, is the latest amazing shark dive destination. Little was known about this site until just recently, when once again reports from local fishermen and scientists came in of these magnificent animals just off the coast. Absolute divers visited the site in early 2004, where diving with the Whale Sharks truly is an incredible experience. This is your chance to be one of the first shark divers to encounter these 30-50 foot leviathans in 100-foot visibility and all just a short 5-hour average flight away. While you are there, fish for world-class Tarpon, Snook, and Bonefish; dive the multitude of regular reefs surrounding the island; or just sit on the white sands of the Caribbean and soak up the sun. It is all included. Located just off the coast of Honduras in the warm clear waters of the Caribbean, our inclusive Shark Diver Lodge features three dive boats for unlimited regular diving along reefs, walls, and open water pinnacles. Discover fan corals, Groupers, Spotted Eagle Rays and more. Plus enjoy roomy accommodations in your private tropical waterfront bungalows. Our lodge also features kayaks, great food, and a game room with pool table, and satellite television. Only 4 spots left!!

For information on any of these trips, please contact Al Bozza at (617) 212-9108, programs@neadc.org.

Join any of my dives and learn how to identify exotic non-native species and some techniques on how to collect/preserve specimens (if applicable) and help The MIT Sea Grant Center for Coastal Resources track the distribution and abundance of these species. Non-divers are welcome - some species can be found in the tidal pools. There are some species of particular importance this year…so come to my dives along the “edge” and learn.

Hi again fellow NEADCS. If you have been intending to get your raffle tickets for the John Perry Great White Shark sculpture but have been putting it off, put off no longer. Ticket sales were good at the club picnic and only 40 tickets remain. Those should go rather quickly. Please bear in mind that this raffle is a fundraiser so that the club can contribute the money toward helping the Aquarium reach project wish list goals. Thank you all for your support.

If you have any photos of club events during the past few years please consider submitting them for insertion into the club album. Please mark on the back of the photos where they were taken, when taken, and the names of the divers pictured.

Safe diving to you all! - Dick

 

GREAT WHITE SHARK!!! Okay, folks, here is your chance to win a signed, limited edition JOHN PERRY sculpture! As part of the NEADC Cownose Ray fund raising, this 24” Great White mounted on burlwood is being raffled off for only $5 per ticket. Only 100 tickets will be sold. Retail price of this piece is $175. Tickets are available at club informal and general meetings, or by calling Dick Whitehouse at (508) 947-0063.

IAHD Course at Northeast SCUBA

The weekend of August 28/29, Northeast Scuba will be hosting Fraser Bathgate, Vice-President and Director of Training for IAHD (International Association for Handicapped Divers). Fraser will be here to instruct Instructors, AI's and Dm's in the techniques and procedures for training disabled divers. Northeast Scuba will become the northeast regional center for the future training of instructors, AI's and Dm's. We will also be offering scuba training to disabled people. The Instructor training course is normally $700.00, which includes materials. However, this course is now available at $500 as it is new to New England. This new rate will apply for this year only. There is a limited enrollment of 14. Please sign up early and reserve you place with a $200.00 deposit. I invite you to review the IAHD website at www.iahd.org for more info. I also have a twelve-minute video that describes the program, stop by and you can view it. - Tom Huff

Morehead Trip – Wrecks, Sharks and Lionfish

by Anna Krowczynska

The trip to Morehead City on the last weekend of June has become the club annual tradition. This year Jim, Rick and their respective better halves, Matt, and I loaded our gear into cars and drove via scenic route along the Peninsula and Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel to the Outer Banks, took the ferry from Ocracoke to Cedar Island and finally arrived at our destination - the Atlantic Beach. We stayed at the Fisherman Inn, our usual place, where at arrival we were greeted by our friends from the Laurel Dive Club in Pennsylvania. After an excellent dinner at Ms Willis we went to bed early.

At 5:30 we were woken up by Billy, the Inn owner, who told us that the sun is rising, the sea is calm, and it looks like a great day for diving. We loaded our gear onto the Diver Down the previous evening, so we had only to walk leisurely to the boat that is moored nearby. The Diver Down is the 42-foot long steel boat that can accommodate up to 18 divers and can run up to 17 knots, an important factor considering that the most interesting wrecks are located several miles off shore. Our first destination on Friday was the wreck of the Papoose, a tanker that was sunk by the U-124 in March of 1942. The wreck lies upside down on the bottom at a depth of 125 feet. The hull rises off the bottom more than 30 feet, and is almost totally intact with some large cracks that permit easy entry into the vast interior. As usual there were lots of fish, and a school of silver barracudas, but not many sand tiger sharks. The water was warm, visibility 90+ feet, and we even spotted lionfish on the bottom.

Our next destination was wreck of USS Schurz, a gunboat from the first World War that has a quite interesting history. Launched in Germany as the SMS Geier, the unprotected cruiser, with an iron hull that was clad in wood and finally plated with copper for the protection against damage by tropical marine organisms, was seized by the US in Hawaii in 1914. In 1917, it was renamed USS Schurz and put in the service of the US Navy. It sunk in 1918 after a collision with the steamship Florida. The Schurz is a very colorful wreck thanks to coral formation and the profusion of tropical fish that inhabit every nook and cranny. I saw a couple of spotted moray eels hiding in the boilers. The wreck is considerably broken down. Some divers are recovering ceramic tiles from the starboard part of the wreck. Only four boilers and parts of the engine are still easily recognizable.

The next day there was no familiar wake-up call at 5:30. At 6 a.m., Bill called to tell us that we are going nowhere today because of the high winds and 8-foot swells. This was rather disappointing, but after we went to the beach and saw the big waves crashing and wind preventing us from flying a kite in the shape of shark, we were glad not to be on the boat. Saturday is the traditional day for the cookout. Usually, Bob and others are spearing fish for the barbeque, but this time we had asked Jim Smith, our Divemaster, to look in the freezer and take the fish that he caught previously. We had a great time. If you have a chance, look at Matt’s slide presentation from the trip – you will see how we amused ourselves during this evening. Finally, the wind died down, and we went to bed hoping for great weather on Sunday.

We weren’t disappointed the next day. The sun was shining and the sea was calm again, and soon we were on our way to the famous U-352. This is a very popular wreck, and is the first U-boat sunk in May 1942 by USCG Icarus. The intact sub lies in 110 feet of water. The pressure hull remains uninterrupted, but most of the outer skin is gone and the entire submarine is encrusted in barnacles. The hatches are open allowing for penetration. On the bottom at the stern we spotted a lionfish that was posing patiently for pictures. Unfortunately, the wreck was quite crowded since two other dive boats (including the big Olympus) were moored on the wreck. Visibility was great and we swam the whole length of the sub and back to the stern and our anchor line. Jim showed me a little octopus on the deck. The last dive was on the Aeolus, a big cable laying ship, which was sunk in 1988 as an artificial reef. The wreck is over 400 feet in length, and is broken in half; we had only time to check the stern section. There are a lot of openings in the wreck, so we explored inside. On the outside, the whole wreck is covered with sponges, corals, anemones, and other marine animals. There was a group of sand tiger sharks swimming over the debris field. After getting back to Atlantic Beach, we rinsed our gear, packed the cars, and started our journey back home. This time we drove straight back for 14 or so hours. I lost track since Matt did all the driving.

We will be back next year.

            The Morehead Trip Group                                    and boat. Photos by Matt Bell

NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM DIVE CLUB RESCHEDULED 2004 WHALE WATCH

Where:      New England Aquarium, Central Wharf. Meet in front of the Whale Watch Kiosk on the Aquarium Plaza.
What to Bring:   Lots of warm, weather-resistant clothing and waterproof no-slip shoes. The weather can be                                 wet, wild, and cold on Stellwagen, even if it is warm and sunny dockside so bundle up!

                           Food service available on board or you may bring your own. (NO GLASS or ALCOHOL, please.)
                           Binoculars, Camera and Film AND LOTS OF ENTHUSIASM
                           Sea sickness preventive is HIGHLY recommended

Tickets:      Tickets are: Adults - $25.20; Children (under 18) - $16.50 (children must be at least 3 yrs. old

and 30" tall); Seniors (60+) and College ID - $22.84 and must be paid with reservation.

No. of Adult Tickets     ______                        X                      $25.20 =          $______.
No. of Sr./College Tickets        ______            X                      $22.84 =          $______.

No. of Child Tickets      ______                        X                      $16.50  =          $______.         TOTAL $_____
Please make checks payable to NEADC. By Mail: NEADC c/o P.O. Box 70, Raynham, MA 02767

NAME:                                                                                                                         
STREET:                                                                                                                     
CITY:                                                   STATE:                        ZIP CODE:                               
PHONE:      (     )                                   E-MAIL:                                                          

For more information, please contact Maryhelen at (508) 821-4704,

e-mail: president@neadc.org.

The NEAq Fund:

Our Club’s Effort to Help Alleviate Tough Times at the New England Aquarium

by Trish Katzman, Membership Director

Many of you may have read in the news about the financial hard times at the New England Aquarium (NEAq). It’s an unusually tough time for the Aquarium. Many important plans have been canceled or postponed due to the budget cuts. It’s clear that the Aquarium will have financial difficulties for some time.

The New England Aquarium Dive Club’s Approach to Help

Our dive club could not just stand by and do nothing while the NEAq is going through tough times. Instead of simply collecting money and sending it to the Aquarium as a lump sum, we decided that it would be more effective to do something a little different. Based on interviews with many departments in the Aquarium, we have a list of projects that they planned for this year, but were cut due to budget constraints. Last winter, we began selecting projects off this wish list while raising funds.

Accomplishments So Far

We successfully funded the transport of three new cownose rays for the Giant Ocean Tank (GOT). They entered the tank just a couple of months ago and are doing very well. Visit the GOT and check them out! Without us, they would not be there.

Current Status

The Aquarium staff is currently updating their wish list for our second round of funding. We will soon share with you 3-5 different projects on the “FORUM” section of our website and ask for your vote on your favorite project. To get onto the “FORUM,” just go to our main page www.neadc.org and click the “FORUM” button on the top of the page. A new window will appear which will show you a list of discussion topics. Check out the various club topics there now but stay tuned to see the new NEAq project wish list. We look forward to seeing your vote!

 

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ANNOUNCEMENT:

The 2004 Northeast Invertebrate Workshop will be hosted by the New England Aquarium Dive Club, Inc. at the New England Aquarium on October 23, 2004 (Conference Center). This is an exclusive Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary diver education program, and the first of its kind in the United States. Contact Brandy Derickson at derickba@netzero.net to enroll.

 

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COMMERCIAL and NON-MEMBER ADVERTISING RATES Full Page $90/insertion; Half Page $50/ insertion Quarter Page $30/insertion; Eighth Page $20/insertion. 10% discount for 4 or more insertions per calendar year. 20% discount for 8 or more insertions per calendar year. Send questions and submissions to the Newsletter Editor. Ad fees must be paid in advance.

For Sale: Men's 3XL- 4XL DUI TLS350 Blue Drysuit for Sale $1,200.00
Used only several times. Trilaminate with full green polar fleece jumpsuit, hose, and carrying bag from DUI. Will fit large male 5'11" - 6'3"; 275-375 lbs. I've shrunk and need a smaller one!
Please call Jim Carozza, cell # 617-966-0111.

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Do an ANDROS Bahamas long weekend with the crew of EASY DIVER: Pat Walsh, Peter Donahue, Chris Christensen, and Fred Calhoun.

Fly November 5, return November 10………….……5 nights (4 days of diving) double occupancy

divers: $1355……………….non-divers: $1115……………includes round trip from Ft. Lauderdale

Dive the ANDROS barrier reef, where we filmed most of our movies in the mid 60s. If you're into video, bring the stuff along and we'll help you shoot an epic!

Fred Calhoun, Apple Ridge 2-6, Maynard, MA 01754; 1-978-897-0877.

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Fall Eelgrass Transplants Volunteer Divers Needed!

Hi! I hope everyone's summer is going well! You were all such a huge help with Save The Bay's spring eelgrass transplants that we wanted to let you know about another opportunity for volunteer divers. Our fall eelgrass transplants will be coming up early this year! It will be more like a late summer transplant in August. Though our fall transplants are smaller in scale, there is still a lot of work to be done. We will be planting 8,000 harvested whole plants and 24,000 plants that have been grown from seed in a mariculture facility at URI Graduate School of Oceanography.

We are particularly looking for help on Saturday August 14^th for a transplant at Prudence Island. *Aletta Morris will meet us at 9:00 am at Wickford Harbor.

We could also use the help of 1-2 divers on Thursday August 12^th and Tuesday August 17^th      *meeting time and place TBA.

As always drinks, snacks, and lunch will be provided!

Please contact Sue Tuxbury 401-272-3540 ext. 117 or Michelle Denault 401-272-3540 ext. 114 if you are interested!

Thank you! Sue and Michelle

Sue Tuxbury, Restoration Ecologist
Save The Bay(r) - People for Narragansett Bay
434 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908
Tel. 401-272-3540 ext. 117 E-mail: stuxbury@savebay.org; website: www.savebay.org.

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New England Aquarium Dive Club

2004 Shore Diving and Event Calendar

The leaders for a dive may cancel or modify their dive plans so please contact him or her prior to the dive date. Likewise, if you confirm attendance but then cannot attend a dive for any reason, please notify the dive leader as soon as possible, so that the group does not wait for you at the meeting site on the day of the dive. Note:  Meeting minutes are posted on www.neadc.org.

Date

Time

Event

Contact

Location

Notes

Every  Monday

6PM to   9PM