APRIL

Family Night Cooks & Crew: Karen and Bob Gramm, Bill Carver, Dave Vachon, Skip and Barbara Harrington

Bartender: Skip Harrington and Kevin O’Leary 

Meeting Night Cooks & Crew: Angela and George Colton, Astrid and Phil Krajeck, Jan and Fred Westfall, Diane and Joe Stevens, Bob and Karen Gramm, and Ann and Larry Shingler.

Bartenders: Jan and Fred Westfall

MAY

Family Night Cooks & Crew: Bob and Nancy Garcia, Karen and Jerry Petersen, Sandy and Gary Miller

Bartender: Marsha and Bob Penney

Meeting Night Cooks & Crew: Marcia and Bob Penney and Gina and Bill Cesarotti (Please note the Cesarottis are literally brand NEW members.)

Bartender: Jim Altum

*****If you don’t see your name listed then perhaps it’s time for you to volunteer****** 

UPCOMING EVENTS:  

JUNE: Family Night and Membership Night will be hosted by Robert Hyde and members of the Dive Flight. 

JULY FAMILY NIGHT CANCELLED DUE TO THE 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND. 

JULY: Membership Night will be hosted by the Graves and feature Texas BBQ. 

Only one serious illness was reported to me since our Sea Notes were last published.  Jim Thorpe gave us all a scare when he went to the doctor complaining of being a little tired and ending up with a triple by-pass!  The good news is the surgery was a success and the by-passes were completed before long-term damage was done.  This should be a lesson to all of us to listen to our bodies.  If Jim had waited even a little longer the outcome could have been much different.  In any case, he is on the mend and we wish him a speedy and complete recovery.

In our members on the move category: We heard from Ray and Peggy Story they are cruising the Bahamas (AGAIN!).  The note they sent us was from Abacos. Peggy reports the Abacos is very different from the southern Bahama islands, somewhat crowded and very pricy.  A lot like home!  She said the snorkeling is great and there are lots of mooring balls so you don’t have to use the anchor and it saves damaging the reefs.  After one dive Ray was pushed into the back step of Jellicle Cat and came up with a nasty cut over his eye.  Luckily it was not deep and the local socks must have determined that there was too much rum in his blood for him to be an acceptable meal.  So alls well on their journey.  Bill Carver and Carmella Noll no sooner returned from and 8-day southern Caribbean cruise when took off on a 15-day repositioning cruise that deposited them in Southampton, England in early May where they will spend a week visiting friends before flying home.  There should be some good stories from that trip.  We will have to get Carmella to give us the all the details.

Remember, when you hear about any of our members who need a little cheer or deserve recognition PLEASE call or e-mail me and I will take it from there.  Contact me by phone at 678-5834 or e-mail joanfaris@aol.com.

For those of you who missed it, Saturday’s inaugural dive trip aboard the New Dawn was absolutely outstanding.  The weather was sunny and warm and the sea state was less than one foot.  We couldn’t have asked for a better day.  The first dive was on LCM-8 (the 74’ Eglin Landing Craft) 9.4 nautical miles SE of the Destin Pass.  The visibility was a good 60 feet and the water temperature was about 72° on the bottom. 

For those of you who don’t know, the LCM is now sitting upright with the wheelhouse lying upside down about 50 feet to the SW.  The wreck was loaded with fish including: Amberjack, various types of Grouper, various types of Snapper including a number of Red Snapper, Triggerfish, Angelfish, Butterfly Fish, Atlantic Spadefish, Soapfish, and some Sea Cucumbers.  The second dive was on a stack of the new Bridge Rubble.  Visibility closer to shore was about 25 feet on an outgoing tide.  Here we saw more Grouper, Snapper, Angelfish, Flounder, Spadefish, and Starfish (a little known fact, the starfish uses water to maneuver…instead of using blood in its muscles to expand and contract them like humans do, it uses water).  Our divemaster even took 6 Shovelnose Lobster off the rubble pile. 

Our next trip is Saturday, 27 May.  Show time will be 0630.  The boat will depart the Eglin Yacht Club dock at 0700 sharp (sooner if everyone is on board).  Cost of the trip will be $65.00, payable to the captain the day of the trip.  The New Dawn only carries six divers, so first come…first onboard.  

Dive Trips* - Mike Graham   882-7525        

Saturday, 27 May 06 – Day
Saturday, 10 Jun 06 – Day
Saturday, 24 Jun 06 – Day
Saturday, 08 Jul 06 – Night                                        

*Please scroll down for a complete list of Dive Trip Rules

Key Largo Dive Trip  

Thursday November 9, 2006 and return home on Monday November 13, 2006. The price is $387 per person + tax (double occupancy).  This includes 4 nights at the Holiday Inn and 3 days of 2 tank boat dives (Friday, Saturday & Sunday).  Tanks and weights are provided, no nitrox though. The Spiegel Grove medallion is $10 additional if we choose to dive it.  The Holiday Inn provides a full buffet breakfast each day.

Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest

Come on out and test your carving skills underwater!  On 21 Oct the dive flight is having an underwater pumpkin carving contest.  This will be a super fun day for the divers and their family.  Just show up to see the results!

DIVE FLIGHT CLASSES:                                       

JUNE

3 - 4 Rescue
7 Nitrox
10 - 11  Open Water
17 - 18  Open Water
17 - 18  Advanced Open Water
24 - 25  Open Water 

JULY

1 - 2 July Open Water
1 - 2  Advanced
8 - 9  Open Water 
15 - 16  Open Water
12  Nitrox
19  Gas Blender
22 - 23  Open Water
29 - 30  Open Water

DIVE TRIP RULES:

1. Sign-up for the trip in the EYC Dive Flight Dive Trip Sign-Up Book which is kept at the Dive Flight, or call the trip leader.

2. Make sure you read the trip information on the sign-up sheet before you sign-up.  Some trips will have special requirements such as an advanced rating, a minimum number of dives, no spearfishing, or other special requirements.  Spearfishing is allowed on the New Dawn if you have a Florida Saltwater Fishing License.  Lobstering is allowed if you have a Crayfish Stamp to go with your Saltwater Fishing License.

3. Depending on the boat, the number of divers may be limited.  The first to sign-up have priority.  For the New Dawn, there is a six diver limit.  The first six divers to sign-up are the primaries with number seven being the first alternate; number eight the second alternate, etc.

4. If you sign-up for a dive trip and don’t cancel at least a week in advance, you will need to find a replacement diver (if there are no alternates) or you will be charged for the trip if we can’t meet the minimum number of divers. For the New Dawn, that’s four.

5. The trip leader will call each of the divers signed up for the trip a few days prior to the dive to give them the latest status and to check to make sure the diver is ready to go.

6. If the trip is cancelled for whatever reason, the trip leader will call each of the divers and let them know.  If possible, please include a cell phone number when you sign-up in case the cancellation occurs at the last minute.

7. Divers will be responsible for supplying all of their own equipment.  If you need to rent Dive Flight equipment, do so on the Friday or Monday prior to the trip.  If you can’t make it during the normal gear rental times, call the trip leader and he/she might be able to rent the equipment the day of the dive.

8. Divers will pay the boat captain prior to departing the dock.  Don’t forget to bring a tip for the deckhand (10-15%) if there is one.  For the New Dawn, if the boat doesn’t make it out into the Gulf, there is no charge and your fee will be refunded.  The New Dawn takes cash or checks, but no credit or debit cards.

9. Please be on time for the dive trips.  If you’re late and the boat leaves without you, you may still have to pay.