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September 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.
Emergency! Are YOU
Prepared?
Emergency First Responder is designed to teach the layperson first aid and CPR skills for adults and children. In a small classroom setting, EFR participants will learn how to assess a scene for safety, how to quickly determine the immediate needs of an ill or injured person, how to deliver first aid and or CPR, and how to safely use the Automated External Defibrillator. The AED is a lifesaving device designed for non-medically trained people to provide immediate help to individuals experiencing heart failure. AED’s can now be found in most public places such as airports, malls and sports arenas, and are even available to purchase and have on hand for home emergencies. Statistics prove time and again that skillful early intervention can dramatically improve the outcome of a medical emergency. In those crucial minutes spent waiting for the ambulance to arrive the Emergency First Responder can provide care that may save a life. Serious bleeding management, emergency oxygen use, AED use, CPR, even splinting a broken bone can make a difference in how well a person recovers from an injury or illness. These skills are taught with an emphasis on the safety of the First Responder, as well as skillful triage care for the patient. EFR participants learn their skills through discussion, printed material, role-playing, and hands-on practice with classmates and mannequins. All we have to do is look at the world around us to understand how we can benefit from being a Certified Emergency First Responder. How many people reading this article are scuba divers? How many are cyclists who range miles into unpopulated country, hikers, swimmers, mountain climbers etc.? ANY of the recreational activities that our lifestyle includes can find us, our friends, our family members injured or ill, miles and hours from help. For a more global view, if you were in New York or London, Phuket or New Orleans, could you lend a hand to save a life? Working through Dive Connections, I and several other instructors who also work in the field of providing emergency medical care in our community, offer the EFR program for individuals and businesses. For more information, just email me or call Dive Connections at 434-954-9200.
Scuba Traveler Notes US State Department Delays Passport Deadline!... but they're still a good idea!The United States Government has withdrawn a proposed January 1, 2006 deadline for new travel regulations. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative had required US citizens visiting the Caribbean to be in possession of a valid US passport to re–enter the US, effective 1 January, 2006. Right now only birth certificates or driver’s licenses are needed to enter and return to the Cayman Islands. According to the State Department - "The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 requires that by January 1, 2008, travelers to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada to have a passport or other secure, accepted document to enter or re-enter the United States. In order to facilitate the implementation of this requirement, the Administration is proposing to complete it in phases following a proposed timeline, which will be published in the Federal Register in the near future." Nonetheless, travel advisors still recommend that all travelers use passports as they are the most reliable and often easiest to replace form of identity documentation. Fro more information for the US State Department on passports <click here> Transporting Scuba Equipment
Some scuba gear can be transported on-board the aircraft. Please refer to the guidelines below:
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.
