August 2004
SeaDevils Will Make A
Splash At Dive Fest - August 27-29
by
Lisa
O'Connor
The 11th annual Dive Fest will be held at Lake Rawlings August 27th-29th. The three-day event, which includes scavenger hunts, kayak races, and a treasure hunt is held to raise awareness in the diving community of the vital role of the Divers Alert Network and their continuing effort to improve the safety of recreational scuba diving. Water sports enthusiasts come from as far away as Florida to support DAN & their local dive clubs, as well as for a shot at some of the nearly $20,000 in prizes given away each year. From quarry passes to BCD’s and everything in between, the prizes are always awesome and everyone’s a winner.
SeaDevil Divers is proud to announce their participation in this year’s Dive Fest. Representatives from the club will staff a Club Tent from Friday afternoon through Sunday. The club will host a fund raising hot lunch of hamburgers, hotdogs, chips and a cold soft drink, with a portion of the proceeds to be donated to DAN. For those of you who are participating in the SeaDevil Summer Dive Tour, the Dive Fest is one of the events on the tour, and will earn you another entry to the Freeport Raffle. Dive Tour entry as well as additional raffle entries can be purchased at the tent, or in advance at Dive Connections.
Space will be limited so pack up the kids, grab your snorkel and some sunscreen, and join us at Lake Rawlings for a great time, a great cause, and a great way to show you SeaDevil pride. See you there!
This past May, I had the privilege of participating in a fantastic conservation program with loggerhead sea turtles off the Outer Banks. After a long journey of anticipation and excitement, only interrupted with a brief flash of terror driving backwards on I 64 (ask me at Dew Scuba), I arrived in Beaufort, NC ready for anything.
The following morning, I started a weeklong marathon working with other veterinarians and marine biologists on what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) calls the “Sea Turtle Rodeo”. With the invaluable help of local fisherman, a total of twenty loggerheads and one green sea turtle ranging in size from 2 kg to 102 kg, were caught in turtle-friendly fishing nets and temporarily dry-docked. Our job was to first determine their sex, screen for diseases and other environmental impacts and then tag them. Within 24 hours, each turtle was returned to the general area where it was found.
Sea turtle populations around the world have been in decline for years as these animals face many threats including predation by humans and other animals, collisions with boat traffic, and pollution of the environment. For several years, NOAA has been working with veterinary specialists in aquatic medicine from North Carolina State University to monitor the Carolina sea turtle population. Through long-term data collection, marine scientists monitor the health status of sea turtles and gather information on threats to the turtle population and potentially to ours as well.
My personal experience working with sea turtles can only be described as AWESOME and as a new diver, I look forward to swimming along side a sea turtle to gain a full appreciation for this animals grace and beauty in their natural habitat. While I have been lucky to work with some of the most amazing animals in the world, the “sea turtle rodeo” will always rank as one of the top experiences in my life.
The Call of the Deep in South
Florida
By
Lisa O'Connor
From epic battles between man and the sea to silent shrines to heroes of the past, shipwrecks call to us. To explore, to witness, to pay tribute to those moments of history frozen in time. For those who wish to heed the call without traveling half way around the globe or spending a not-so-small fortune, there is probably no better place to get your fix than in the beautiful clear waters off the white sand beaches of South Florida. For all skill levels from open water to Deep Tech, South Florida has something to offer every wreck diver.
For those of you who have yet to experience wreck diving, or perhaps have not yet decided that the advanced diver course is for you, there is the S.S. Copenhagen. With a maximum depth of only 31 feet, and a massive debris field which includes some very nice patch reef, you’ll have plenty of bottom time to explore this fascinating wreck.
If you simply can’t get enough wreck diving, there is the Jay Scutti, a tug formerly known as The Airkok from Aruba, which is the first wreck in a series of 5 great sites know as the 5 Wreck Trek. On days when the currents are running the right way, you can actually drift all 5 wrecks! Maximum depth on the 5 Wreck Trek is 70-80 feet, and critter sittings often include the gentle and curious Goliath Grouper.
A bit further down the descent line lie a couple of my favorites, the Jim Atria and the Captain Dan. With maximum depths to 115 feet, both wrecks offer the properly trained diver great penetration opportunities with broad passages and good natural light. While you’re on these two wrecks, don’t forget to look out into the surrounding sand flats where divers often report sightings of Bull and Caribbean Reef Sharks!
And finally, for those of you who regularly descend into the technicalities of Tri-Mix, Heliox, and planned decompression, you can saturate to your hearts content on the Hydro Atlantic, or the even more challenging Ronald B. Johnson, which is actually 2 wrecks lying one on top of the other!
Though some of the wrecks in the area lie where they originally went down due to “natural causes” such as shipboard fires, hurricanes, or collisions with other vessels, a great number of the wrecks off the Florida Coast owe their preservation to some of the most aggressive artificial reef activity in the United States. While I’ve barely broken the surface of the wreck diving opportunities in South Florida, I’ve briefly mentioned some of my favorites. I hope you’ll heed the call and get yourself to Florida soon to experience some of the best wreck diving in the Atlantic.
Check out these links for more great Florida Wrecks!
♦
Florida Shipwrecks- For pictures and information about the wrecks mentioned
above, as well as tons of other wrecks in
Florida.
♦
Rigs To Wrecks- A history of one Oil Company’s efforts to give something
back to the Ocean.
♦
Artificial Reefs- A brief educational introduction to some of the Artificial
Reef Activity in Florida
Wyland Foundation to Clean Up Virginia Beach - August 18th - Please Help
The Wyland Foundation, founded by Wyland, an artist noted for his underwater
murals, has set forth a monumental goal to clean up our ocean in the next 5
years! It's a most ambitious undertaking and he hopes to involve 1 million
people. Hopefully, you will be one of them.
On August 18th at Virginia Beach a Cleanup and celebration is planned. There will be prizes, contests, food, fun and a concert by the group "34 Below". Wyland will be on site to sign autographs and work with the children in art projects.
The festivities will begin at 7am and go till sunset. Meet on the beach at at 17th Street & Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach.
ACTIVITIES:
Ten percent of all proceeds raised will be distributed among 100 conservation groups at the completion of the tour.
Frequently Asked Questions
More Info on the Wyland Ocean Challenge
If you want to try and get a group to go, Dive Connections will attempt to facilitate and assist. Give them a call for more information as may become available. (434) 964-9200
John Conway of Wreck
Master Divers in Virginia Beach say that the will be having a group
meet at their shop at 11am and then car pool down to the beach.
(757) 363-0363
Mystery Fish Revealed
At Dew Scuba a month of so back, we were shown the photo at the right of an
Oyster Toadfish (click on it for a large image) taken off the coast of North
Carolina by Gina Petrucci. Gina freely admitted that she had fallen in
love with taking pictures of this most beautiful fish mainly because it stood
still!
But, within the picture were a number of juvenile fish that we at DEW Scuba just couldn't positively identify. Carleton Ray of the University of Virginia has stepped in to announce with authority, "The little fish is definitely a high-hat (Equetrus acuminatus)".
"The dorsal starts out very long, about like a jack-knife fish, but shortens and becomes quite blunt in adults, which get up to about 9 inches. High-hats are different from the other Equetus by having straight (not curved) alternate dark brown and white stripes from head to tail.", he continued.
So there you have it. Mystery solved! Hope to see you at the next DEW Scuba.
909 Gardens Blvd.
Charlottesville, VA 22901
434-975-5570 * Toll Free 877-964-3483
