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April 2005
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Scuba Plates Close to a Reality by Chip Earle
Why a license plates? Well it is a great way to honor our sport and the avocation that for many of us is a lifetime passion. We all know the many benefits of diving and that diving is a cooperative and sharing sport. It's adventurous, exciting, educational and a socially wonderful way to spend time with friends. What better way to make that statement to all your neighbors than to display a scuba license plate and welcome them to come join our band. I am always amazed after being a diver since 1987 and a dive professional since 1995 when I hear people say, "SCUBA Diving? You dive in Virginia!?" or "A SCUBA shop? Wow! How long have you been here?" . People just don't seem to get the message that there is a very active diving community here in Virginia or that no matter what their particular interest is in diving there are a lot of other people who share that interest. Diving is basically invisible within the community. It doesn't happen on the street corner or at the mall. Diving generally involves travel if only a few miles out to some quarry, river or lake. Try as we might, our diving community is small and the community as a whole doesn't see diving going on and thinks therefore that diving doesn't exist here. What is worse is that young people who have an interest in the ocean, don't realize that there is the capacity right in our community to help them develop their interest and even career paths in aquatic conservation, marine biology and ocean sciences, not to mention archeology and art, photography and a host of other interests. Scuba plates can help us provide day-to-day visibility for diving and help keep in front of the community the opportunities that they have to play, work, learn about and conserve a most valuable global resource. So, we need your help. Join with us to promote a love of the aquatic realm, the many things you can learn and do there as a scuba diver. Help us raise the visibility of our sport and our passion. Please download an application, complete it and send it in with your check so that this opportunity will become a reality. Download Application and Instructions ...And give one to a friend, too. If we work together, we can get the plates issued and help raise the visibility of diving in the Commonwealth of Virginia. If I can help you in any way, please contact me.
Note: All proceeds raised by these plates stay with the Virginia Department of Transportation and no money is paid to any other party.
Please Support Fishersville Quarry The quarry is owned by an area developer who has leased the quarry to Kathy's Scuba in Harrisonburg which in turn has solicited a supporting cast including Dive Connections, Jeff Elkins, John Hutchens and Linda Mills and others to bear the costs of leasing and running the quarry. Dive Connections announces that it will sponsor 7 weekend adventures for general training and diving beginning May 7th and will kick it all off with a Bar-B-Q beginning at noon It will also sponsor "Thursday Evenings" beginning May 5th through October 27th. The dive instructors and divemaster of Dive Connections have agreed to personally purchase season passes and make every effort to attend each event. They will bring BBQ supplies and fix'ns in the hope that other will join in and help make a fun social event out of it. Special Benefit for SeaDevil Sponsors Season passes are $85 (Only $65 for SeaDevil Sponsor Members). The pass allows the holder to attend all of Dive Connections' weekend and week day events. As an additional benefit to SeaDevil Sponsor Members, Dive Connections will provide an unlimited Air Fills for 2005 for only $20! So join the fun and help support diving in this community by purchasing a Fishersville Season Pass and become a SeaDevil Sponsor, too!
We'd love to talk with your teacher about coming to visit your class to talk about the ocean and the creatures in it. We'll bring scuba equipment and would like you to help us show it to your classmates. We'll talk about the animals in the ocean, the things that are happening to the ocean to hurt the fish and the things that you and your classmates can do to help protect the ocean.
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Some years ago, Ann McGrath embarked on a project to benefit all divers and all
the diving businesses in the Commonwealth by working to petition for a special
license plate declaring the interest that we have in scuba diving. Today
we are very close to the finish line, but we need your help.
