Dive Utah's Log Book

Scuba Diver Nickname!!

2012-01-26T12:44:00.000-08:00

What's Your Scuba Diver Name?

1. Use your first initial to find your first name.

A= Doubles
B= Shooter
C= Hoover
D= Lungs
E= Captain
F= Shorty
G= Backroll
H= Wrong-Way
I= Bioprene
J= Bicycle
K= Beavertail
L= Kimo
M= Flotsom
N= Deco
O= Farmer John
P= Octopus
Q= Bowline
R= Shaka
S= Zodiac
T= Nemo
U= CESA
V= Pony Bottle
W= Nasal Nudibranch
X= Bendy
Y= Bait Ball
Z= Backplate

2. Use your last initial to find your last name.

A= Jersey Reel
B= McRoundbelly
C= Bailout
D= Homebrew
E= Clovehitch
F= Bug Hunter
G= Nudihugger
H= Bubblemaker
I= Tankhauler
J= Zissou
K= Floatsalot
L= Offgasser
M=Seadaddy
N= MacGyver
O= FishHugger
P= Monkeywrench
Q=Bubblehead
R= Double Hose
S= Swims-in-Circles
T= Bottom-Scratcher
U= Wetwillie
V= Boatfinder
W= Shark-Whisperer
X= Jetsum
Y = Abalone
Z = Blue Water

12 Deals of Christmas

2011-12-13T08:44:00.000-08:00

Follow us on Facebook to keep up with the 12 Deals of Christmas. Each day a new deal but only good for 24 hours. Check it out today and follow along until Christmas!

Intro to Tec Night

2011-10-15T06:31:00.000-07:00

You’ve seen them on Discovery Channel, divers with multiple tanks diving deeper than you do. Come on, you know you’re curious…..

What is Tec Diving?
Tec (short for Technical) diving is basically diving beyond recreational limits in terms of depth and bottom time. This can be done with advanced training and equipment configurations. Double tanks become the norm.

Sidemount?
Side mounting double tanks eliminates the need to carry heavy manifolded double tanks. By carrying them on your side, you can see your valves and they help establish better horizontal trim.

Interested?
Come to our Intro to Tec seminar to learn a little more about the PADI Tec/Rec courses we offer-the Sidemount Specialty, Tec 40, 45 and 50.

Wanna try?
Bring your bathing suit and your c-card and jump in the pool and try out a Hollis SMS 100, the premier sidemount BCD. Best of all, it’s FREE!

Sand Hollow BBQ and Treasure Hunt

2011-08-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

Sand Hollow BBQ/Dive Along
It’s that time of year again!! Time for Dive Utah’s Annual Treasure Hunt/Bar-B-Que at Sand Hollow September 10.

The divingWe’ll meet at the Sand Hollow State Park at the no boat area near the boat ramp. The entry fee is $10 per car and THEY ONLY TAKE CASH!! Sand Hollow Reservoir is located near Hurricane, Utah and north of St. George. It is an altitude dive so plan your dives conservatively. Water temps are in the low 80’s so a thin wetsuit is all that is required.

The Treasure HuntAt 11:00am the fun starts!! Golf balls with numbers on them will be placed in the lake. Each number corresponds to a prize.

The Clean-up and Raffle
You’ll get 2 raffle tickets for pre-registering for the weekend. For every pound of trash you clean up from the lake or shore, you’ll get an additional ticket. At 2:30pm, we have the drawing for the prizes.

The Bar-B-Que
$10 will register you for the hunt, get you hot dogs and hamburgers for lunch and all the air you can breathe. The bar-b-que will start at 1:00pm. We’ll provide the meat, buns, condiments and plates. Bring your own drink. We also ask for each buddy team to bring a potluck salad or snack.

So come out and join in a Dive Utah tradition and a great time. Try your luck at our underwater compass course! Take an Advanced or Specialty class. Or just lay out and relax.

For more information or to sign up, please see a staff member or call 277-3483.

Catalina Island in September

2011-08-02T19:48:00.001-07:00

The kelp forests of Southern California have long been a Utah diver's playground. Only a 10 hour drive or 1.5 hour flight, Southern California's waters abound with life. Located less than 26 miles offshore from Los Angeles is Catalina Island.

Catalina Island is one of the Channel Islands and is the only one with a permanent population. Avalon is a picturesque town that is the main stop when visiting Catalina. You can shore dive Casino Point Marine Park or take a boat to visit more sites around the island. We will do both.

We will meet Friday morning September 9 at 9am at the Catalina Express Boat terminal in San Pedro on the mainland. Our shuttles will deliver us to the island and then to the hotel by noon. After a quick lunch we will spend the afternoon shore diving in the marine park. Saturday we head out on the "King Neptune" for 3 dives. Breakfast and lunch are included on the boat. Sunday we depart Catalina at noon.

$385* includes roundtrip Catalina Express, 2 night lodging, tanks and weights for shore diving and 3 tank boat dive with breakfast and lunch. You need to make your own arrangements to arrive in San Pedro. Other than on the dive boat, meals are not included.

Cost -$385* includes roundtrip Catalina Express, 2 night lodging, tanks and weights for shore diving and 3 tank boat dive with breakfast and lunch. You need to make your own arrangements to arrive in San Pedro. Other than on the dive boat, meals are not included.

*This is the cash/check discount price. Regular price is $397.
Price is subject to change and is based on Double Occupancy. Single supplement will be extra. Deposits may be non-refundable and cancellation charges may apply.*This is the special cash/check/debit card price.

Go Pro Night!!

2011-05-17T12:02:00.000-07:00

Work in the tropics? Diving as your job? How about a live aboard boat? Or maybe just part time to feed your habbit?

Whatever the reason, more people are choosing diving as a career than never before! Even if you are only curious, stop by Dive Utah Monday May 23 at 8pm and find out what is involved in becoming a PADI professional.

Learn about Dive Utah's Divemaster and Instructor certification programs. Hear from Dive Utah Ins...tructors about why they took the plunge. Our Q&A session with our PADI Course Director, Jon Rusho will help you decide if becoming a PADI Divemaster or Instructor is the right step for you!

You will have also have the opportunity to meet our PADI regional represenative, Barry Dunford. Don't forgot about about door prizes!!

NOT A DIVER YET? Come down at 7pm for $10 Disocver Scuba Dive in the pool! (Regularly $25)

We will have special packaging on all classes this night so you can becoming a PADI Professional without breaking the bank. Rescue Diver? Advanced? Open Water? Not even certified yet? We will have a special package just for you to go to Divemaster, Instructor or even Master Scuba Diver Trainer!

Tune into 104.7 and 1280 The Zone as they broadcast LIVE from Dive Utah that afternoon!

RSVP to us at diveutah@diveutah.com, 801-277-3483 or on Facebook. Hope to see you on the 23rd!

Fun Dive Saturday May 14

2011-05-06T18:01:00.000-07:00

It is finally getting sunny and warm!! Let's go diving. Dive Utah continues our Dive Along tour of Utah with a stop at beautiful (sort of) Blue Lake!! A hot spring, Blue Lake water temps are in the low 70's. Feed the fish by the platforms (they LOVE cheese whiz, who doesn't?), check out the hot pots or explore the many underwater sculptures and ship wrecks (ok-sunken motorboats).

We will meet at the lake at 10am and dive un...til we're bent!! Or until we're ready to head home. (just kidding-also plan your dives conservatively). There is NO CHARGE to join us for this dive.

Need gear? Call the shop for special rental rates. We will update you on Thursday if the air trailer will be there or if you need to bring extra tanks.

Specialty of the Month-Drysuit Diver. Stay warm and toasty in a drysuit. Special class price $110 plus student kit. Cost includes drysuit rental. You need a pool session before so call us to set up your class.

2011 Fun Dive Calendar-
April 9 The Crater 4-6pm. Specialty of the Month-Digital Underwater Photography

May 14 Blue Lake Specialty of the Month-Dry Suit Diver

June 11-12 Flaming Gorge Specialty of the Month-Peak Performance Buoyancy

July 9-10 Bear Lake Specialty of the Month-Altitude Diver

August 13-14 Sand Hollow Specialty of the Month-Sand Hollow Master’s Degree

September 10-11 Sand Hollow Treasure Hunt/BBQ Specialty of the Month-Project Aware

October 8 Sand Hollow Specialty of the Month-Night Diver

October 29 Blue Lake Pumpkin Carve (BYOP)

Questions? Email, Facebook or call 801-277-3483

Sea the Change Conservation Video Contest

2011-04-29T10:35:00.001-07:00

Close the gap between conservation ideas and conservation action

Every day divers are doing things – big and small – to protect the underwater environments they care about. Together we are giving the ocean a voice.

That's why PADI just launched a conservation video contest “Sea the Change” to let people see and share what fellow ocean lovers are doing to help.

Two ways you can participate in Sea the Change:
Capture you love for underwater environments on video. Simply grab your video camera and upload a short clip about what sea life you love and what you’re doing to make a difference. Every little action counts. By sharing what you’re doing, you may inspire others to take action. Your ocean action video might just win you $5,000. Plus, PADI will donate an extra $5,000 to conservation through Project AWARE on your behalf.
Even if you're not ready to submit a video today...if you just spread the word about this campaign, then you're doing something good for the environment. Every little action counts towards change. - Vote on your favorite videos- Share the links from these inspiring videos with your friends- Comment about your favorite conservation efforts on the PADI blog - Spread the word on Facebook or Twitter
If you are organizing or taking part in a Dive For Earth Day event why not take on the opportunity to capture your event on video and show what you did to put ocean protection on the Earth Day map?

Help ignite a viral conservation effort or be the change you want to sea.Enter in the Sea the Change Conservation Video Contest.Go to Sea the Change

Manta Ray Night Dive from our Hawaii Trip

2011-03-01T09:51:00.000-08:00

Here is a story from Shannon from last week's best of Hawaii Trip-

So, if you are a Dive Utah fan, here is my tale: Last night on Kona, Hawaii we went out on the night dive to do this very dive. We sat down on the bottom with the lights blazing in the center of a large, flat area and waited. Five different boats were all there at the same ...time, fifty divers or so. Each diver settles down on the bottom with a light pointing skyward in about 35 feet of water. There are about 30 snorkelers floating on the surface with their lights pointing downward. There is a vertical column of water that is lit up from above and below. The plankton are attracted to the light. Mantas use the lights to find and have a great meal! We waited and waited and waited. They never came. Ten minutes, fifteen minutes and then twenty-three minutes passed as we all swayed in the gentle surge listening to our selves inhale from the tank and exhale thousands of little tiny bubbles. It is a solitary and comforting sound actually - quite relaxing. They never came. It was a complete bust.

All the divers left the area, completed a night dive and returned to their boats. We finished the night dive as well, looking at other wonderful things that come out only at night and were not disappointed. We delighted in a reef squid that was attracted to the night light and allowed us to light up his insides as he investigated the lens. There were balls of fish moving by and funny ten inch long worms wiggling in the water heading somewhere. Night dives are quite magical.

As we approached the boat to leave the water, there was a manta right by the ladder! We had our show after all! We marveled at the ballet right in front of our eyes - our own private manta ray. Because it was a timed dive, we were required to get out of the water even though we would have rather stayed. I was one of the last to re-board the boat. The captain said I could go in again on snorkel. I took him up on that offer in a flash and went right back out, floating behind the boat.

I moved away from the ladder, a dangerous area to be in rough water. Right there on the surface I floated. By using the light beam to aim, the Manta could find a meal easily. By using the light beam to aim, I was able to have her approach me closer and closer, five foot mouth wide open, fourteen foot wingspan gracefully closing the distance between us. It was coming right at me and at the last minute she would slowly swoop past my nose, up over my head and get oriented to come around again.

The exhilaration was mind blowing. I could count each identifying spot on her belly and see her gills working five inches from my eyes! It was a B-52 flying over me each and every time. The shadow she made over me was slow and fluid and she was in no hurry to leave. I tilted my head up to watch her invert herself as she looped up, over, and down in the water to get ready to come in again on a vertical loop. Her back is black and as she loops away and deep she disappeared for only a second. Then I could see the white mandible appear as she positioned herself to ascend to me again. I experimented with the light and tested how much she would move to line up with it again. It was unfailing! No matter where I was, she was looping vertically to get the free meal!

Of course, I was bonding with my new friend and wanted badly to reach out and touch her soft underbelly. Cautions from the captain about removing the protective gel with my touch and perhaps causing a breech in the system nature uses to keep her from getting injured or infected stopped me. I touched only with my eyes. The memory will be everlasting.

Another snorkeler got in the water and we squealed with delight, laying side by side as this magnificent flyer came back again and again.
The manta and I had a wonderful time. She used my light over and over and did loop after loop right on me! She went around and around, upside down, time after time, on and on for one hundred and fifty seven loops! I know because I counted!!

Thanks to Brent Jackson for the pictures.

The Coolest Thing in the Shop that is NOT for Sale.

2011-02-17T08:53:00.000-08:00

Dive shops by nature, have tons of cool stuff in them. The latest computers, the newest toys, LED lights and so on. I've been doing this for over 16 years and I still stop into dive shops when I see a new one. I was recently reminded about the coolest thing we have on display here that is not for sale.

On the foggy evening of July 25, 1956, a vessel named the Stockholm ran into the Italian luxury liner, the Andrea Doria, 50 miles south of Nantucket island. Other than those killed in the inital impact, all survivors where taken off the Andrea Doria before it sunk the next morning.

Today, the Andrea Doria is considered to be the Mt.Everest of wreck diving. It lies on it's side at a depth of 160-250 feet. prizes from this wreck are available to those with the technical training, know how and courage to make this extremely dangerous dive. People die trying every year.

A few years ago, a diver named Bruce Laden brought in an old Beachat computer. This was one of the first generation of user changeable batteries. You could change them out but they were sodered in place. He was amazed that we had a few of those old batteries around and knew how to swap them out. As a thank you, he brought us a cup and saucer from one of the china lockers of the Andrea Doria that he had recovered from the wreck a few years earlier.

We made a nice little display with a picture of the ship and two paragraphs detailing the significance of the little espresso set. Bruce came back 2 years later, was impressed with our display and gave us 3 more cups, a small dish and 2 small silver table pieces.

All of our Andrea Doria pieces are on display in the shop. Stop by and see a bit of history. For more information about this type of diving read the book "Shadow Divers."

Cozumel Trip April 1-9, 2011

2010-12-22T13:30:00.000-08:00

Located just south of the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, the Mexican island of Cozumel has always been considered one of the top dive destinations in the world.

Most of the dive action happens on the southwest end of the island. Walls like Columbia, San Francisco and the most famous of all-Palancar amaze divers with their display of huge fans and sponges. On shallower dives like Tormentos and Chankanaab, the reef is alive with fish and corals. Don’t forget to look under ledges for the native Splendid Toad Fish!
Cozumel is most famous for its drift diving. A strong current runs along the length of the island. Rather than swim against it, all dives are done as drift dives. That means after you jump in, the current moves you along and the boat will pick you up 1/2 mile or so downstream! This is the perfect place to earn your Drift Diver Specialty class, one step closer to a PADI Master Scuba Diver!

We will be staying at the Wyndham Resort Cozumel. This beautiful resort has the longest beach on the island as well as pools, restaurants and bars. Our diving will be with the in house dive operator, Sand Dollar Sports.

$1799* includes roundtrip airfare to Cozumel with an overnight in Denver (April 1), transfers, lodging, 5 days of 2 tank dives, all meals, pre and post trip parties, T-shirt and all taxes. You can upgrade to an Ocean View room for $130 per person or an Ocean Front room for $300 per person.

**This is the cash/check discount price. Regular price is $1853. Price is subject to change and is based on Double Occupancy. Single supplement is $280. Deposits may be non-refundable and cancellation charges may apply.

After Black Friday Specials!

2010-12-01T09:17:00.000-08:00

December 3 only!! 9am-7pm

Door Buster Deals-
First 20 people at the shop receive FREE Defog!

9am-10am-
Free Discover Scuba Gift Cards- Limit 2 per person-The perfect stocking stuffer for your non-diver friends and family

11am-12pm
Dive Utah gives you Gas!-Free air for a year with the purchase of a scuba tank

3pm-4pm
Extra 10% off mask, snorkel and fin packages Take an extra 10% off our already discounted packages.

5-6pm
Extra 10% off regulator/BCD packages.WOW!!

All Day Deals
FREE Seadive Seaventure Mask with any purchase over $100.

Prepaid Rental Card-$300 for 2011 Local Diving Calendar
February-Crater, March-Crater, April-Blue Lake, May-Blue Lake, June-Flaming Gorge, July-Bear Lake or Sand Hollow, August-Sand Hollow, September-Sand Hollow, October-Sand Hollow and Blue Lake
With this package, pay for 6 weekends and get 4 free!

2011 Trips-put down $500 toward Hawaii, Cozumel or Fiji and get $100 In-Store Credit (for merchandise or classes) or any 2 Specialty Classes! (does not include materials, rental or entry fees)

PADI Master Scuba Diver Pay for any 3 Specialty Classes and get Peak Performance Buoyancy and Altitude Free!! (new enrollment only, does not include materials, rentals or entry fees)

DEMA Day 2

2010-11-18T21:37:00.000-08:00

Today we got to meet with many of our reps. We started with Ray from Aeris. We like some of their BCD's. They have a great middle of the road, weight integrated BCD that runs about $300. Look for this in time for Christmas. We also really like the Lavacore suits.

These are trilaminate fleece lined suits. They are great for warmer water (about the same warmth as a 2mm) but you don't need extra weight. They are also great to layer with if you want a little something extra warmth.

From Aeris, we headed down to Scubapro to meet with Richard. We were super excited to see that Scubapro is getting back into the drysuit and technical markets again. These are areas that Scubapro had moved away from in the past.

The first picture is their neoprene drysuit. It will be about $900. It is a 5mm suit. That mean it will be great for colder water. You won't need to wear that much under it to stay warm.

This one is their shell style of suit. I have always preferred these since you can wear different insulating layers and that gives you more options in water temps. This suit is about $1600. Both suits will have a boot similar to DUI rock boots and have SI Tech valves. These are the best values out there. They also come with pockets built into the thighs, a plus for tech divers. Speaking of tech......

......Scubapro is getting back into tech gear. They had the S-Tek line a few years ago. I wasn't the biggest fan. They have brought it back and included a harness/ backplate/wing system similar to Halcyon. I have become a big fan of this style of BCD and look forward to trying this one.

Lastly we meet with Jeff from Cramer Decker. We do a lot of bags and boots with this company. They are the guys who take care of Akona. They had a really cool regulator bag that folds out into a mesh duffel. This was pretty cool!

It starts out like any old reg bag and then..............................................

TA DA!! The mesh duffel comes out from the side. Pretty cool!

Tomorrow we wrap up and try to book some travel as well..

DEMA Day 1

2010-11-17T18:37:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Las Vegas! Home to casinos, Wayne Newton and the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association's annual trade show. The DEMA show is our annual event that brings together all the training associations, manufacturers and exotic dive locations in one location. For the last few years, DEMA has moved back and forth between Las Vegas and Orlando. This year we are back in Vegas. So what did we see today?

After a nice 5 hour drive, we got into the show and started checking out the latest and greatest. Our favorite item we saw today was a new camera and housing from Ikelite. The camera is the JVC PICSIO. This is JVC's version of the flip video. It shoots HD video and 5 mp stills. It has a touch screen and is waterproof down to 10 feet and the housing can go down to 100 feet.

We also sat in on three seminars. We hit two from PADI, Marketing Ideas for New Divers and New Products. We also sat in on a DEMA sponsored seminar, PR for you Dive Business. Now we can get some media attention when we head out for ice diving.

Check back tomorrow when we meet with Aeris and Mares!

Fiji Trip June 2011

2010-10-12T13:38:00.000-07:00

Fiji is one of those magical places where the name itself is enough to get reactions. Just mention it to your fiends that you are thinking of going there and see what they say. Palm trees, beaches, friendly locals, soft corals, anemones and who can forget kava! Join us as we explore Taveuni and stay and dive at the Garden Island Resort.

The Garden Island Resort has long been a diver’s favorite. Fed by the nutrient-rich waters that flow through the Somosomo Straits, Taveuni's Rainbow Reef is home to one of the world's greatest displays of soft coral. Famous sites like the Great White Wall, The Ledge and Annie’s Bommie are a short boat ride away.

When you are not diving, the simple luxury of the rooms and grounds will entice you with a feeling of complete peace that is hard to find anywhere else.

When we are not diving, Taveuni offers many wonders to be seen. No trip to Taveuni would be complete without visiting the Bouma Falls and the International Dateline. Truly every beautiful day begins on Taveuni.
About a 30-minute walk takes you to the lovely old Catholic mission at Wairiki. The mission is set into the hillside and overlooks the site where Taveuni warriors turned back thousands of Tongans in a battle which was fought in canoes just off the beach. The warriors then celebrated by cooking the Tongans in a lovo (a traditional way of Fijian cooking) and eating them with breadfruit.

$2900* includes roundtrip air from LAX to Taveuni, lodging, meals, 5 days of diving (12 dives), transfers, taxes, pre and post trip parties and t-shirt. Air from SLC to LAX is NOT included.

*This is the cash/check discount price. Regular price is $2987. Price is subject to change and is based on Double Occupancy. Single supplement will be extra. Deposits may be non-refundable and cancellation charges may apply.

Hawaii Trip-February 2011

2010-10-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

Hawaii. America’s paradise. The diving and experiences at each of the Hawaiian Islands is as varied as the colors you see below on their reefs. Each island has a signature dive and feel. Join us as we explore the best of Hawaii.

We start in Maui as we join our old friend and Dive Utah Instructor Eric as he shows us around his current island home. After a few days here, we fly to the big island of Hawaii to stay on the Kona Coast, home to the famous manta ray night dive. Our last stop will be the beautiful, unspoiled island of Kauai.
Each island will feature a day of diving and a free day to dive.

Our first dives will take place off Maui and Lanai as we explore the swim throughs of the Cathedrals. As light pours through the openings near the top of the swim throughs it reminds divers of stained glass.

The Kona area of the big island of Hawaii is famous for the manta ray night dive. Large lights are shown into the water to attract plankton which brings in huge mantas for dinner! Kneeling on the bottom at 20’ allows plenty of dive time to watch the mantas cart wheeling right over your head.

Diving around Kauai can only be described as fabulous. You may see
butterfly fish, green sea turtles and white tip reef sharks.

On your free days you can schedule more diving, explore the island or simply relax. You will have the opportunity to see volcanoes and bike down from their peaks, partake of a luau, hike through lush rainforests or thrill down a zip line. See the itinerary below for daily details.

$2350* includes 3 days of diving, roundtrip air from SLC including inter-island air, lodging, pre and post trip parties, taxes and t-shirt. Additional island activities are not included in the price.

*This is the cash/check discount price. Regular price is $2420. Price is subject to change and is based on Double Occupancy. Single supplement will be extra. Deposits may be non-refundable and cancellation charges may apply.

Best of Hawaii Trip Details

Saturday 19 February 2011-Depart SLC at 11:19am. Arrive San Francisco 12:36pm, change planes and depart at 4:30pm. Arrive Honolulu 7:51pm, change planes and depart 10:40pm. Arrive Maui at 10:17pm and transfer to Outrigger Aina Nalu Resort.

Sunday 20 February-Free day.
Activities may include- a trip to Hana, an undeveloped area on the coast of Maui. Zip line. Bike ride down from volcano. Enjoy the beach/pool at resort. Night dive off Lahaina pier.

Monday 21 February-2-tank morning dive to Cathedrals off Lanai. Hopefully see whales on boat ride to and from Lanai. Return to resort by approx. 1pm. Afternoon is free. See activities from Sunday.

Tuesday 22 February-Depart Maui between 8:40 and 9:45am. Arrive Big Island-Kona between 9:22 and 10:27am and transfer to Royal Kona Resort. Dive shop will pick up divers between 3-4pm for 2-tank late afternoon and night dive with manta rays.

Wednesday 23 February-Free day
Activities may include drive to lava flow. Hike to water falls. Enjoy the beach/pool at resort.

Thursday 24 February-Depart Big Island at 10:09am. Arrive Kauai 10:45am and transfer to Kauai Beach Resort. Rest of day is free.
Activities may include helicopter ride to Jurassic Falls or Grand Canyon. Hiking. Zip line. Enjoy the beach/pool at resort.

Friday 25 February-2-tank morning dive. Afternoon is free. We will plan an activity once we arrive. Most likely enjoy a luau that night.

Saturday 26 February-Day is free until 6pm. Check out of hotel and depart Kauai 7:55pm. Arrive Honolulu at 8:25pm, change planes and depart at 10pm.

Sunday 27 February-Arrive Los Angeles at 5:14am, change planes and depart 7:50am. Arrive SLC at 10:37am

Dive Travel

2010-09-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

One of the best parts of being in the dive shop business is the ability to put together and lead divers and friends to exotic locations around the world. Here is the basic jist of how that happens.

We start with by looking at places we want to go and suggestions from our customers. Sometimes this is general (South Pacific) sometimes it is very specific (Garden Island Resort on Taveuni in Fiji).

At least a year out, we are talking about the trip and starting to get people interested. Sometimes we already have specific dates and a price, sometimes we are still trolling for interest.

At 8 months, we have a destination, a date, a price and 6-8 people already on board. We have information on our website, blog and Facebook page as well as having sent out at least 1 email to our mailing list to let them know about it.

At 6 months out, we have a firm number of people that we expect to take with us. We always start with a number in mind but that can change. By 6 months, we can still add or subtract rooms without penalty. If we have not had enough interest, we will cancel a trip at this point.

At 3 months out, we are starting to communicate more with our guests who are going, we are reminding them about passports and final payments. We might still be trying to fill the last few spots. We are finalizing flight info.

At 2 months out, final payments are due.

At 1 month, we have a pre-trip meeting to meet and greet and go over details. We take care of gear servicing and rentals. We take care of paperwork for any classes that may be happening on the trip.

And we're off!!

Update from Sand Hollow

2010-08-31T09:26:00.000-07:00

We got back from the Sand Hollow trip safe and sound. It was great to really be able to make repetitive dives there and get a good feel for what is out there. We did all of our diving in the no-boating area to the right of the boat ramp. First off there is a small buoy attached to a platform at about 30'. It is about 75 yards from the shore. If you swim up to the left of that, you get some nice lake grass and some canyons as you get closer to the rock islands. To the right, it gets a little deeper but there is not the grass, more of just a muddy bottom without much to see. The thermocline was around 40' with temps in the mid 70's above it and the high 60's below it.

Coming off from the north side of the platform is a rope that stretches north and will take you to a direction sign. (St George that way, the plane this way, the dive shop the other way etc.) The sign is about 100' to the north.

After swimming along the first rope for about 30', you will see a second rope heading east. Following this rope for about 8 minutes will lead you to the buoyancy course. The course is located in a canyon and has about 5 hula hoops/diamonds to swim through as well as 2 larger diameter pipes. These are located at various depths of about 28-40'.

Now here is where it gets tricky. When you are in the canyon, toward the south end of the buoyancy course, hang a 90* turn and head up and out of the canyon heading toward the lake (not back to shore). You will go up and over a ridge, another canyon, another ridge and a third canyon. Keep your depth about 35' and you will pick up another rope that will lead you to the VW van. It is sitting about 25' deep. The van is fun as you can go in and out of the back, side door and driver's side door. Be careful not to get stuck.

Watch your air since at this point, you will be getting to about 1/2 a tank if not lower. Now it's going to get even more vague. If you continue to swim out toward the lake (not the shore) and keep the shallower side on your left and your depth about 40', you may eventually find the plane. It is a small single seat Cessna. Be forewarned, there is still a pilot in the cockpit! We found the plane by surface swimming out and then dropping down to 40' and dang near landing right on it. Next trip I want to double check finding the plane from the van but this is how it felt like it was laid out.

From the surface, the plane can be found by swimming out until you are just on the shallow side and to the left of the first large rock that is south of the island. It is a long swim to try and get out and back on 1 tank so be prepared for some surface swimming.

Sand Hollow Dive This Weekend!!

2010-08-11T10:52:00.000-07:00

We have our second trip to Sand Hollow scheduled for this weekend. The weather forecast is hot and sunny so bring plenty of sunscreen and water. Talking to local dive shops, they say the water is about 76* with a thermocline at 30' where it drops to 72*. I am bringing my 3mm and 5mm just in case. We are looking forward to really exploring the lake. We are going to bring a few floats so we can really map out the bottom and get a good idea of where everything is. The air trailer will be there and fills will be $5 each. We are planning on meeting at 10am and hanging out pretty much all day into the evening. Sunday morning we will be back and plan on hanging around until about noon. If you miss out, we will be back there September 25 for our annual BBQ/Treasure Hunt. Details coming next week!!

New Lower Price on CompuMask

2010-07-30T14:09:00.000-07:00

Aeris has just announced that they have lowered the suggested retail on their popular CompuMask. This unique mask features a fully air-integrated dive computer right in your mask. The readout tracking depth, time and air appears in the lower right corner of the mask. The CompuMask had retailed for $1495 but Aeris has lowered the price to $999.95. Take it for a test dive next time you are in the shop.

GoPro Night!!

2010-07-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

We have a PADI GoPro night scheduled for next Friday July 23 at 6pm here at the shop. Have you every thought about taking your diving to the next level? Maybe even get paid to dive? Sounds crazy, getting paid to go diving!! This is the night to find out if that path is for you. Never say never, come down that night and hear my story about how I got into diving and where it lead me. I am pleased to be joined that night by two good friends, first our PADI Course Director Jon Rusho. Jon takes care of the Instructor Level Courses here at Dive Utah. We are also lucky enough to have the PADI Regional Manager for the Northwest United States, Barry Dunford, joining us for the evening. Come down and hear some great dive stories, learn more about becoming a PADI Pro and maybe take advantage of some great class packages we will be offering that night. See you there!!

Aqua Cat Purrs!!

2010-06-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

We just returned from our favorite Bahamas trip of all time!! The Aqua Cat lived up to everything we remembered from two years ago when we last visited. It was a little windy which made for a few hours of rough seas but Captain Ron (yes, that's his real name) did a great job of keeping the rough rides to a minimum.

We dove some old favorite sites like Jewfish Wall and Flat Rock Reef, the drift dives of Wax Cut Caye and the Washing Machine and of course, the shark dive at Amberjack Reef. To ease us with the wind, we spent 2 days on Eleuthera and got to see some new sites like the Cobia Cage and Split Rock.

This is my far the best live-aboard I have ever been on and we already planning to go back in 2012.

New Equipment from Sub Gear

2010-04-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to bring some new items from Sub Gear into the shop. This is a smaller company, an offshoot of Scubapro. We have brought in some long sleeve rash guards with some cool tribal graphics on them. The Ladies comes in white and Mens comes in black.

We also have brought in two of their masks. The Sprite has a white skirt and is a very comfortable ladies mask (though some of the male staff think they might try them.) You might recognize the Sub View Mini as the old Scubapro Cool Vu mask. This is also a great mask for any face that is a little smaller and narrower. We were sad to see Scubapro stop carrying this and are glad to have it back as an option.

Mass Migration of Stingrays

2010-04-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

Mass Migration of Stingrays
Looking like giant leaves floating in the sea, thousands of Golden Rays are seen here gathering off the coast of Mexico . The spectacular scene was captured as the magnificent creatures made one of their biannual mass migrations to more agreeable waters. Gliding silently beneath the waves, they turned vast areas of blue water to gold off the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula . Sandra Critelli, an amateur photographer, stumbled across the phenomenon while looking for whale sharks. She said: 'It was an unreal image, very difficult to describe. The surface of the water was covered by warm and different shades of gold and looked like a bed of autumn leaves gently moved by the wind.

'It's hard to say exactly how many there were, but in the range of a few thousand'

'We were surrounded by them without seeing the edge of the school and we could see many under the water surface too. I feel very fortunate I was there in the right place at the right time to experience nature at its best' Measuring up to 7ft (2.1 meters) from wing-tip to wing-tip, Golden rays are also more prosaically known as cow nose rays.

They have long, pointed pectoral fins that separate into two lobes in front of their high-domed heads and give them a cow-like appearance. Despite having poisonous stingers, they are known to be shy and non-threatening when in large schools. The population in the Gulf of Mexico migrates, in schools of as many as 10,000, clockwise from western Florida to the Yucatan .

Belize Report

2010-04-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

Dave took a group of 12 down to Ambergris Caye in Belize last month. They stayed at the very beautiful Ramon's Village Resort. The rooms were thatched covered cabanas and the beach was perfect. The diving was fun and all agreed that the 3 tank dive to the Blue Hole were the best dives of the trip. The divers enjoyed seeing nurse sharks and sting rays on several dives as well as the biggest puffer/porcupine fish anyone had ever seen. A fun mid week side trip was taken to the ruins of Xunantunich. These great ruins are right on the border with Guatemala, in fact you can see into Guatemala from the top of the temple. They also did some un-Belize-able cave tubing as well.

Intro to Technical Diving Clinic

2010-04-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

If you are curious to learn more about technical diving then come down to Dive Utah April 14 at 6:30pm for an Intro to Tec Diving Clinic. We will even have a few sets of double tanks for you to try out in the pool!!

Technical diving is scuba diving’s “extreme” sport, taking experienced and qualified divers far deeper than in mainstream recreational diving. Technical diving is marked by significantly more equipment and training requirements to manage the additional hazard this type of diving entails.If you think it's not for you, you are right — it's NOT for you!

Tec diving isn’t for everyone... It is extremely challenging... But for those who hear its challenge call, the DSAT TecRec courses are the answer.

What is Technical Diving? Technical scuba diving is defined as diving other than conventional commercial or research diving that takes divers beyond recreational scuba diving limits. It is further defined as and includes one or more of the following:

-diving beyond 40 metres/130 feet deep

-required stage decompression

-diving in an overhead environment beyond 40 linear metres/130 linear feet of the surface

-accelerated decompression and or the use of variable gas mixtures during the dive.

Because in technical diving the surface is effectively inaccessible in an emergency, tec divers use extensive methodologies and technologies and training to manage the added risks. Even with these, however, tec diving admittedly has more risk, potential hazard and shorter critical error chains than does recreational scuba diving.

Ice Dive!!

2010-02-25T09:56:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again, break out the trusty drysuit, find a frozen lake, cut a hole in the ice and jump on in!! This is a yearly Dive Utah tradition. This year we are headed to Scofield Reservoir on March 6. You will need to be PADI Advanced Open Water and have some dry suit experience. Call today to save your spot.

Horizon-California Trip

2010-02-05T10:14:00.000-08:00

California’s Channel Islands have long been a Utah diver’s playground. With reasonable airfare available, it is an easy getaway for a weekend or more of great diving. If you want the most diving possible, then join Dive Utah for a live-aboard trip on the Horizon.

The Horizon is an 85’ boat based in San Diego. You will be diving around San Clemente Island and the kelp forests off the coast of Southern California. Apart from that, you will see seals and sea lions, sharks, eels, lobsters, garibaldi and enjoy diving in the kelp forests that abound in this area. Nitrox is also available if you want to be able to extend your bottom times. This is our most popular trip of the year with a lot of repeat customers who come out year after year.

You will board the Horizon the night of July 7 and the boat will depart from San Diego for the Channel Islands around 11pm. You wake up on the morning of July 8, anchored at a great dive site and ready to go. You proceed to eat and dive for the next 2 ½ days as we explore Southern California’s kelp forests. We return to San Diego the evening of July 10 and disembark.
$550* for a 2 person cabin or $505* for a 4 person cabin or dormitory bunk includes all your meals, diving and lodging. Transportation can be arranged.

*This is the special cash/check/debit card price. Add 3 % for credit cards

Dive in for Haiti A Sucess!!

2010-02-02T13:23:00.000-08:00

Dive Utah had a great turnout for the Dive In for Haiti Fundraiser. Over 50 people attended and over $1100 was raised for the American Red Cross. We had 17 people take part in Discover Scubas, 6 people in an underwater Texas Hold'em tournament and numerous people bid on various prizes in the silent auction. We had Jazz and Bee's tickets, an ipod, gift baskets and gift certificates to various businesses. A special thanks goes out to the Adams Family, Little Caesars Pizza, Leonhardt Pepsi Distribution, Scubapro, Seadive, PADI, H&R Block and Mount Olympus Crossfit for their donations.

Dive In for Haiti

2010-01-22T17:23:00.000-08:00

We are all shocked by the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. As divers who frequent the Caribbean we have all seen the effects of hurricanes and natural disasters. Join Dive Utah as we raise money for Haitian Relief on January 30 from 1-4pm.

Divers
Come down to Dive Utah, donate at least $10 and take a dive in the pool. Feel free to use our equipment if you need (though if we are busy you might need to wait your turn).

Non-Divers
Non-divers can try out scuba diving. Our instructors are volunteering so the normal price of a Discover Scuba, $15, will also go the relief donation. Call ahead to schedule your Discover time.

Raffle and Silent Auction
You’ll get 2 raffle tickets for showing up and extra tickets are $5 each. We will also have some items for silent auctions. IF YOU HAVE ITEMS OR SERVICES YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE, PLEASE CONTACT US!!

Texas Hold’em Underwater
We will have 2 Texas Hold’em tournaments in the pool at 1:30 and 2:30. Buy in is $10 with a prize to the top finisher of each. We are limited to 8 people per tournament so call today to reserve your spot.

Come out and join in a great cause. All entry fees, Discover fees, raffle tickets and Texas Hold’em fees will be donated to Haitian Earthquake Relief.

For more information or to sign up, please see a staff member or call 277-3483.

New Scubapro Fins

2010-01-12T10:36:00.000-08:00

We have replaced our entry level fin with the new Scubapro Jet Sport. You will notice a similar look to their popular Twin Jets but minus the split. It has a vented blade for a more efficent stroke and come in 4 sizes and 4 colors (black with gray, blue, yellow and red). Come down and give a pair a try today!

Saba Trip in February

2010-01-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

Rising steeply from the Caribbean Sea, Saba is a special island that takes you away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Four small villages are as quaint and charming as the people that you will meet. Saba is a monument to nature’s best above and below the ocean’s surface.

The famous Marine park is second to none. Lava tunnels and hot springs remind divers of the dramatic volcanic beginnings of the island. The small leeward side hosts spur and grove reef formations but it is her pinnacles that have made Saba famous. The pinnacles are actually the summits of underwater mountains, beginning at around 85’ and extending deep into the abyss. They are awesomely impressive, not only to divers but apparently to the larger fish and pelagics that are frequent visitors.

We will be staying at Juliana’s Hotel, a small and intimate retreat from the hectic pace of modern living. We will be diving with Sea Saba whose great boats, attentive service and professionalism since 1985 make every dive special.

$2249* includes roundtrip airfare and transfers, 8 days and 7 nights at Juliana’s and 5 days of diving (11 dives), daily breakfast and welcome cocktail.

*This is the cash/check discount price. Regular price is $2317. Price is subject to change and is based on Double Occupancy. Single supplement will be extra. Deposits may be Non-Refundable and cancellation charges may apply.

Dive Utah in the Deseret News on Thursday!!

2009-12-14T12:24:00.000-08:00

Check out the Deseret News on Thursday December 17. There will be an article about us. (Hopefully not in the obituary!)

Egypt and Red Sea

2009-12-04T14:26:00.000-08:00

These are a collection of updates from the Dive Utah Facebook group-

After an 8 hour layover in London where we saw the best of the sights from the Big Bus Tour, we landed in Cairo. 2 hours of sleep later we flew south to Abu Simbel to see the temple there and back to Asswan to board our cruise ship down the Nile. We stopped at few temples/ruins along the way and got off this morning in Luxor. It's a bit different then the one in Vegas. No big light. We went to the Valley of Kings but couldn't take any pictures. Queen Hatsheput's Temple and the Colossi of Memnon rounded out the day. Had some great pizza for dinner. Amazing how a little thing like comfort food can make all the difference. The next morning we saw the huge temple in Luxor and then Karnak before heading back to Cairo.

The traffic in Cairo is as crazy as people said it would be. 2 lanes painted on the road but 3 lanes of traffic!! Add some scooters, motorcycles, bikes and donkey carts and it is amazing that we haven't seen any accidents. We went out to the pyramids. I was afraid it might be anti-climatic but it was amazing. The only bummer is the way over-aggressive vendors. We rounded out our Cairo stay with the big museum, the Citadel and the Ali mosque then flew out to the Red Sea for the live aboard.

So we fly from Cairo down to the coast and then took a shuttle about 1 hour farther south to Safaga get on the Emperor Elite, our floating home for the next week. After a briefing we had supper and went to bed, ready for the diving to start. We dove the next morning with 2 easy dives around Safaga then headed out to sea for a 10 hour run to the Brothers Islands. We had a ton of wind all week. Luckily going south, the wind was at our backs so the ride wasn't too rough. We spent 2 days diving Big and Little Brothers Islands. These are tiny specks of rocks, barely big enough to call an island. They are out in the middle of the Red Sea so you really feel isolated. It was an adventure. We had a lot of currents so most dives were drift dives using the zodiacs to take you or pick you or both. With some 5-8' seas, that was an adventure in itself (see the Discussion about Toughest Dives Ever). The diving was awesome. Mostly walls and a few wrecks. Everything was covered in soft corals. Since we did mostly deep, long dives, we only did 3 a day. The usual profile was a max depth between 100-120 then gradually shallow with a max bottom time of 50-70 minutes. Since most of the bigger 100cf tanks were already taken I was dying trying to stretch longer bottom times from my air, especially considering the depth. They pumped 30% nitrox so you could do the depth and make repetitive deep dives. After 2 days here we took another 6 hour ride south to Daedalus Reef. Not even an island but a reef with a lighthouse on top. We were hoping for hammerheads but instead spent time just staring into the blue. I hate it when nature doesn't adjust to our schedules! After a day here, we were not looking forward to an 18 hour ride into the wind to get back towards Safaga. Luckily we were able to change plans and head into Port Galeb instead (just a 6 hour ride) and dive closer to shore the last day. We took a 3 hour shuttle ride back to the airport but it sure beat another 12 hours of rough seas!! The best dive was at Big Brother on the wreck of the Numidia. It ran into the island over 100 years ago and is still partially intact. It is COMPLETELY covered in soft corals and schooling fish. The vis was over 100' and the dive was fantastic, definitely makes my top 5 of all time!!

Reef Fest 2009!

2009-10-28T12:16:00.000-07:00

Our friends at The Wasatch Marine Aquarium Society are hosting Moutain West Reef Fest 2009 on November 7. This is a great way to come out and learn everything you ever wanted to know about aquariums. Visit www.mountainwestreeffest.com for more info.

Dive Seminars

2009-10-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday October 20 there are 2 seminars that you attend and learn more about diving.

Dive Utah-Odgen will be hosting a Drysuit Seminar presented by OS System Drysuits. This is the perfect chance to learn more about drysuits and even demo one in the pool. RSVP with Greg with your ht/wt at 801-394-8842.

If you live in Utah County (or want to make a drive), you can attend a Dive Safe Seminar at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center Northwest Plaza Auditorium.

Upon conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:
Recognize situations when it is appropriate to contact Divers Alert Network when medical information is needed during • SCUBA diving.
Identify the best way to counsel patients regarding womens’ health issues such as PMS, decompression illness risk, • birthcontrol pills and diving, pregnancy, and breastfeeding.
Define nitrogen narcosis and discuss several ways of testing for this while diving. •
Discuss the history and physiologic uses of NITROX. •
State the meaning of 32EAN. •
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of NITROX. •
Discuss the following dive "clocks": Oxygen toxicity (CNS and Pulmonary), decompression (nitrogen elimination), hypoxia • (PO2 <= 0.16ATA), and carbon dioxide (PCO2 >= 3%).
Identify risks for breathing •

This will be conducted by Eugene Worth, MD, the Medical Director of the Department of Hyperbaric Medcine, Utah Valley Regional Medical Center

There is no fee to attend this conference but registration is required. To register go online at www.intermountainphysician.org/cme/divesafe2009.

Halloween Pumpkin Carving Contest

2009-10-03T08:26:00.000-07:00

It’s that time of year again!! Time for Dive Utah’s Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest at Blue Lake October 17.

We will be diving at Blue Lake, a hot spring feed lake near Wendover. The water temperature will be in the mid 70’s and visibility 10-20 feet. Check out the metal sculptures throughout the lake, warm up next to one of the hot-pots or watch the fish that gather around the platforms!

We will meet at the lake at 10am. You’ll get your pumpkin, clean it out and head for the water. Carve your best, funniest or scariest design but remember, you must use a dive knife. Judging will take place at 1pm.

CALL AHEAD TO SIGN UP SO WE KNOW HOW MANY PUMPKINS TO GET.

For more information or to sign up, please see a staff member or call 277-3483.

Still Spots left for Egypt-Dive Only Option?

2009-10-02T15:57:00.000-07:00

Dive Utah still has some spots left for our Egypt/Red Sea Trip in November. We also have spots for just the diving. If you were only interested in the dive portion, it would be a week less and only about $2000. Call Dave at the shop if you are interested. 801-277-3483.

Sand Hollow Dive Along

2009-09-02T12:34:00.000-07:00

We had our Annual Treasure Hunt/Clean Up/BBQ down at Sand Hollow this year. Sand Hollow is a reservoir outside of Hurricane near St George. We had heard good things about it but since it is a 4 hour drive we had never made it. Well, everything we had heard was true.

The water was warm, the vis was great and it was a good time.

We got down there late Friday and the the first you notice is the heat, is was still hot at 9pm! The forecast was for a high around 105* We rolled out of camp around 9am and went over to the lake to start setting up and sneak in a dive. The dive area is located to the right of the boat ramp in a buoyed off area where no boats can come. The dive area extends out to some rock islands about 100 yards off shore. The water is a short walk down from the parking area. You can enter from a relatively sandy area. We were on the look out for a platform, a VW bus, a buoyancy course and an airplane. We found the platform right away (the fact that there is a buoy on it might have helped), From there we left on a heading of 60* for about 100 feet and ran into some pipes that you can swim through. We headed up a canyon and found more of the buoyancy course. Rings and hula-hoops you can swim through that are anchored to the bottom. On the right hand side, top of the canyon we found a concrete block with a rope attached. This lead us to the VW bus. Some of the doors are off so you can swim inside if you are careful. At this point I needed to head back so I missed the plane.

I have heard conflicting reports on the location of the plane. There is a larger island directly off shore and if you drop down on more of the left hand side you should see it on the bottom at about 40'.

The visibility was great. When we got in it was 30 feet. By the end of the day with about 70 divers in pretty much the same area, it was still 15'+. People who had dove earlier in the week said it was 40'+ when no one else was around and there were less boats in the water. The water temp was in the high 70's. There was a thermocline around 40 feet. There were plenty of fish including some good size small mouth bass.

The BBQ/Dive Along was great. We got about 3 big garbage bags full of junk from the lake. People dove all day and had a great time. We had a lot of stuff to give away from our manufacturers. We placed 30 numbered golf balls out in the lake ( about 7 are unaccounted for) and between the garbage and the golf balls almost everyone went home with a prize.

Akona 50% Off Sale

2009-09-02T12:29:00.000-07:00

Scubapro 100% Credit Back on Purchase

2009-08-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

Scubapro has announced a special deal for equipment buyers. When you buy Scubapro mask, snorkel and fins, we will give 100% credit of that price toward the purchase of Scubapro BCD, regulator and computer. Spend $200 on snorkel gear, get $200 off scuba gear. What's the catch? It must all be Scubapro equipment and the deal ends October 15, 2009. Come down and try the new MK25-A700 regulator today!!

New Camera and Regulator

2009-08-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time coming but the new Intova Sport 8 camera and housing is finally here. This 8 mega pixel camera has a huge LCD screen which makes it easy to see underwater. The best part is that the camera it self is waterproof to 30' and once you put it in the housing, you can go 130'. As a person who has flooded a camera before, the idea that the camera might survive is a great relief.

We also have the new Scubapro MK25-A700 regulator. The legendary quality of Scubapro gets a new look and if you like shiny things (like I do) then this reg is for you. Stop by and breathe off this, it is the best reg I have ever breathed off.

Sorry I'm a Slacker-August BBQ

2009-08-14T14:01:00.001-07:00

WOW, how it really been that long since I posted? My bad.....

Ok, so the next few days I will bring you up to speed-

First off-we are headed to Sand Hollow Reservoir near St George for our annual Treasure Hunt/BBQ. We will be there August 29 at 11am. The water is warm (82*), the vis is good (20Feet) and there is plenty to see (fish, VW bus and small plane). Join us for a great day of diving.

November trip-Egypt-We are headed to Egypt and the Red Sea for a week of sight seeing then a week long live-aboard. This is truly a once in a lifetime trip. We fly into Cairo and spend a day getting adjusted before flying farther south and boarding a 4 day Nile Cruise. We will float up the Nile with stops at ruins along the way. We get back to Cairo and spend a few days exploring museums, pyramids and sphinxes before heading to the coast to board our live-aboard. We spend 6 days out on the Red Sea with great fish life, soft corals and wrecks.

And lastly I thought this was a funny picture.

June Fun Dives

2009-05-18T10:29:00.000-07:00

We are headed out of town twice in June. On June 6, we will explore Sand Hollow Reservoir in St George. In conjunction with Aqua Sports, a local shop from St. George, we will be helping with a Project Aware clean up. We have heard good things about the diving there and are looking forward to checking it out first hand.

On June 19-20, we will be headed north to dive Bear Lake at Cisco Beach. Join us for a night dive the night of the 19th. Cisco Beach is great if you like camping, since you can stay right there on the beach.

Just a reminder, we have about 5 spots left on the Horizon live-aboard trip in July. This is our annual Southern California get away as we explore the kelp forests off the Channel Islands.

Fun Dive and Stimulus Plan

2009-04-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

The weather is starting to warm up again and just in time. We are headed to Blue Lake next Saturday for our Specialty of the Month dive. The weather should be great. Give us a call to tell us you will be there. It will be the perfect time to jump into an Advanced, Rescue or Specialty class. Looking for a deal you say?

Introducing the Dive Utah Continuing Education Stimulus Plan. This bold initiative will make more diving available to the common man, from Main Street to Wall Street and beyond.
Does a martial arts student stop at Yellow Belt? Is a skier happy once he’s mastered the wedge? Has a scuba diver learned all he needs to know in the Open Water Class? The answer to all 3 is no, they’ve only started to learn. Once a diver has gotten their Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver certification, then they really know how to dive. Once a diver has their Master Scuba Diver, they are a true expert in diving.

What will I learn?
The Advanced Open Water course will give you an introduction into 5 specialty areas of diving. These skills will enable you to dive more often and in a variety of environments. In many resort areas, an Advanced certification opens the door for you to make many of the “reserved”, unique or challenging dives they have to offer.
Although we don’t like to talk about it, accidents do happen while diving. Learning skills in the Rescue Diver course will not only decrease your own chances of having a problem but might save the life of someone who does.
Specialty classes build on the introduction you receive in the Advanced class and make you even more knowledgeable in that area.
You can qualify for the Master Scuba Diver rating by attaining your Advanced, Rescue, 5 specialties and logging 50 dives.

So What’s The Special Deal?
For OPEN WATER DIVERS
Advanced Open Water Package –includes Advanced class, Adventures in Diving manual and rental gear-$180 (normally $216)

Rescue Diver Package- includes Advanced Open Water, EFR (CPR and First Aid) and Rescue Diver with manuals and rental gear-$440 (normally $520)

Master Scuba Diver Package-includes Advanced Open Water, EFR, Rescue Diver, Nitrox Diver, Altitude Diver, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Drysuit Diver and Equipment Specialist resulting in your Master Scuba Diver rating with all manuals and rentals-$999 (normally $1209)

For ADVANCED OPEN WATER DIVERS
Rescue Diver Package- includes EFR, Rescue Diver class with manuals and rental gear-$250 (normally $302)

Master Scuba Diver Package-Get your EFR, Rescue Diver, Nitrox Diver, Altitude Diver, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Drysuit Diver and Equipment Specialist resulting in your Master Scuba Diver rating with all manuals and rentals- $840 (normally $991).

For RESCUE DIVERS
Master Scuba Diver Package-Get your Nitrox Diver, Altitude Diver, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Drysuit Diver and Equipment Specialist resulting in your Master Scuba Diver rating with all materials and rentals- $585 (normally $689).

*All Master Scuba Diver packages can be spread out over time and have payment options available.

You Guys Get Paid to do This?
Becoming a PADI Scuba Instructor is a great way to have fun and make a little extra money doing something you love! See our staff or webpage for more information on making scuba diving a part time or full time job.

Get Out of Town!
Dive Utah is always traveling. From our bi-monthly California trips to warm water destinations in the Caribbean or South Pacific, a Dive Utah trip is the perfect place to continue your diving education. See our staff or website for a list of upcoming trips.

Details, details, details
Prices do not include any dive site entry fees or the Master Scuba Diver application fee. Pool/classroom requirements must be completed before any open water dives. EFR classes are held the second Saturday of every month. Specialty classes are held on a rotating basis. To schedule any class, ask a staff member to see available dates.

PADI Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver and Master Scuba Diver. Increase your knowledge and your confidence. Become a better diver.

More News from Roatan

2009-04-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

So it a windy afternoon which means no diving, perfect time to catch up. Wreck dive was great, fun to explore the wreck from the bottom up. We started in the engine room and came up through 4 floors to the top of the wheelhouse. 110 feet at the bottom, perfect dive for 31% nitrox! Dove with the dolphins yesterday afternoon. So cool to see their effortless swimming. Such power and grace. Made me feel a bit bulky and clunky compared to them. This morning we dove Mary's Place, a series of cracks in a wall that were just teeming with life. Definitely the best dive of the trip. Tons of sea fans, sponges and black coral. On the way home, we could see some weather coming, crazy when it hit. Sheets of rain, wind made the rain sting, we're were trying to hide as best we could in the boat. The rain is over but wind remains so there is no diving this afternoon. If the wind is still here tomorrow, they will bus us over to the other side of the island to dive on the leeward side.

Hello from Roatan

2009-04-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

WOW, we are in Roatan at our favorite resort in the world, Anthony's Key. It is HOT, like Africa hot outside. We started diving today; 2 sites right off the resort. Saw a big free swimming eel as soon as we got in the water to start off the day and a bunch of turtles on the second one. Really cute little one that just sat there watching us watch him. It was great to swim along the wall and look down into the abyss. We are diving a wreck tomorrow, can't wait. I love the wrecks here. We are on the Odyssey tomorrow and then we get to swim with the dolphins tomorrow afternoon. Wish you could be here!!!

Where do I start?

2009-03-25T11:37:00.001-07:00

Ok, lots of news from Dive Utah today.

First a big congrats to Cortney Curran, the newest Instructor at Dive Utah!! Cortney passed his PADI Instructor Examination last weekend and is ready to roll. Good job!!

Scubapro PRO Deal-Until May 31, buy a Galileo Sol computer and any Scubapro BCD with Air 2 and receive a FREE MK25-S600!!

We had a great time at Blue Lake last Saturday with the Easter Egg Hunt. The weather held out and was beautiful. The diving was really good with descent vis. We are headed to Blue Lake on April 25 for a little Digital Underwater Photography. See you there!!!

Horizon Trip-We are almost 1/2 filled on our annual dive trip to the Southern California Channel Islands. This is such a fun trip. Go back to my November posts to see a dive by dive blog from the last trip

http://diveutahslogbook.blogspot.com/2008/11/horizon-trip-saturday.html

Baby Whale Shark

2009-03-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

Hard to belive this thing will grow into a 30 foot long man-eating beast!! Well....not exactly.

Underwater Easter Egg Hunt!!

2009-03-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

Join us next Saturday March 21 at Blue Lake for an Underwater Easter Egg Hunt!! The "Easter Bunny" will hide about 30 eggs out in the lake. Find some eggs and you can get some of the small prizes we will be giving out. Join us for a fun excuse to go diving. There is no charge for participating, just call the shop so we know you are coming. 801-277-3483.

IDC and Ice Dives!

2009-03-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

Well it is official, Dive Utah has been approved as a PADI Instructor Development Center! We are now your 1 stop shop for certifications from Open Water all the way to Instructor! We are excited to add Jon Rusho to our staff as our Course Director. We started our first IDC last weekend as Cortney, one of our Divemasters decided to take the plunge.

On a colder note, our intrepid Ice Diving instructor, Robert, took a group from the Carbon County Search and Rescue Team under the ice at Scofield Reservoir. It was a beautiful day with air and water temps right around 30 degrees. This challenging class is a must have for any diver who wants to win the "been there/done that" argument. We already have people interested in next years dive.

Advanced Class or Ice Dive?

2009-02-20T16:18:00.000-08:00

So the football season is over and you are sitting around over the weekend thinking about what to do. I have the perfect answer for you whether you like it hot or cold! Next weekend, Dive Utah will go extreme! We have extreme warm with an Advanced Open Water class at the Crater and we have extreme cold with an ice dive at Scofield Reservoir. If you are interested in either, give us a call and we can get you diving next weekend!

Greetings from Bonaire

2009-02-03T13:19:00.000-08:00

The Internet is great. I am posting from my patio at Buddy Dive Resort on Bonaire. I need to all my work from here! We got here last Saturday. We are doing 1-2 boat dives a day and then heading off in our rental trucks for shore dives as well! The shore entries have been a little harder then expected. There really aren't many "beach" dives, you are walking in over broken coral and over rocks so it can be tricky. We dove on the "Hilma Hooker" this morning, it is a very large wreck at about 80 feet. We did a night dive last night just in front of the resort. Buddy Dive is set up perfectly for divers. The night dives are really easy plus you have a lot of light from the resort. We meet up with Charlie the tarpon. Tarpon are long, silver, sport fish. One hangs out and waits for divers to show him fish and follows you around hunting each night. The weather was been ok. We have had bits of rain every day, surprising for a desert island in the dry season but it clears up fast. Tune in for more updates as the week progresses......

New Cameras and Upcoming Dive Alongs

2009-01-26T12:19:00.000-08:00

We finally got our new camera line in. Intova makes some very affordable cameras/housing packages. We have the ICC-600 which is a 6 mgpxl camera in a housing that retails for $190. They also have a strobe package you can add and get the whole thing for under $450.

We have also added our next 2 dive alongs to the calendar. We will be going up north to Tremonton to dive the Camper World hotsprings on February 21 and then out to Blue Lake for an Easter Egg Hunt on March 21. We'll see you there!!

Roatan Anyone?

2009-01-09T09:36:00.000-08:00

For years we had heard that the place to stay on Roatan was Anthony's Key Resort. We finally got their almost 2 years ago and had a great time. For the full details read my review on the Dive Utah page http://www.diveutah.com/toys/dreaming.html We had so much fun, we went back the next year since we got the same package but for a few hundred less. Well that continues this year as we head south once again. We still have a few spots left for April 4-11. Join in what is becoming a yearly tradition as we visit Roatan again at Anthony's Key Resort.

January Specialty of the Month Dive

2008-12-26T10:16:00.000-08:00

We will be headed up to the Crater on January 17 from 12-2pm for the January dive. The specialty of the month for January is Nitrox. When we increase the level of oxygen in the air we are breathing while diving, we can get longer bottom times since we are not absorbing as much nitrogen. Many people report having more energy after diving nitrox. The down side is that we have to limit our deoth to about 100 feet bu that won't matter much at the Crater. You can get free nitrox for 1 dive if you RSVP on our Facebook page-Dive Utah Bottom Dwellers.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=31030479519

See you there!!!

A Dive at The Crater

2008-12-15T10:08:00.000-08:00

I had a class set up for the Crater on Saturday and Sunday. Naturally, winter decided to finally show up. The weather service predicted doom and gloom for the whole weekend. With that in mind, I cancelled Saturday's class from 4-6pm but kept Sunday at 10am. Of course, Saturday afternoon the roads were fine and Sunday morning they weren't. Oh well....

So we got everyone up there Sunday morning and the Crater was busy. There were 2 groups there from another local dive shop. Apparently they came with more people then they had planned. I can't say anything about that since we do that all the time. Make a reservation for 5 and show up with anywhere from 2-8 people. We try to keep the numbers close since that helps the Crater have a better idea of who is doing what. Since some of our guys were late, the other groups were in the water and diving by the time we go set up on the dock. This is good since you don't want EVERYONE under at the same time. If you take turns and stagger your dives, more people can get in and it works better for everyone. The biggest part of that involves taking turns on the platform or the PVC pipe-square. After watching the other groups from the surface, it looked like all they were done and making their dives so we started down the ropes to the pipe. As soon as we go there, I could see a group below up starting to ascend back up the ropes. Naturally they weren't looking up about to run into us so I got my group to move over and hover while they came up. Only problem was once they got to the pipe, I saw the instructor give the sign for a safety stop. And they were not moving or giving us back any of the pipe. I guess that's what happens when they have more people then you do!

Once we got reorganized and diving, it was actually really nice. The vis was great, the water was warm and everyone did great a great job on staying together and buoyancy. We ended the dive and spent some time on the surface. I was hoping the other groups would notice that we were up and they would go down so that we could have a turn on the platform before our time was up. Nope, nothing doing. They took their time and didn't move off either. Finally we had to go down and share some of the pipe. The instructor gave me a look like "Who are you and what are you doing on my pipe?" but we only took a small part of it and time was running short.

All in all it was a great class on a cold day. It helps out on a busy day when all instructors realize they need to share and try not to "hog" the pipe or the platform.

Mask Issues

2008-12-12T08:49:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday I had a class in the pool for their second night. That means mask removal and replacement will be the fun skill of the night. I knew we were destined for trouble because I wasn't able to practise mask clearing as much as I would have liked the first night. The pool heater was acting up and the temp was down a few degrees and I had cold students shivering before we were even half way through with the night. They were able to clear but there were a few issues I would have like to have worked on.

The water was still chilly this night but I put wetsuits on everyone just to be safe and to make sure we could spend all the time we needed in the water. There were 2 students with issues on the mask. One student could blow through her nose and tilt her head back but was always getting water back into her mask and inhaling it through her nose while her head was back. I couldn't get her to stop inhaling while her head was up. FYI-when you tilt your head back, it opens up the back of your throat and make it easy for water to slide down your nose and coughing and sputtering ensues. After a few tries it FINALLY hit me to swap out masks. This is the situation that cries out for a purge mask. You clear it by blowing out through the nose while your head is in the down position. Since there was no tilting up, she didn't have the reflex to inhale through her nose and the problem was solved.

The second student had his mask so tight that every time he tried to start blowing out, the mask would suction up to his face and he couldn't break the seal. He was a younger diver and I think a little nervous about getting water up the nose. This was easier to solve. You need to start blowing earlier when you are looking down and then continue that as you look up and release the bottom of the skirt of the mask. For some reason everyone can breathe out through the nose easily when you look down. When he did that he broke the seal earlier and didn't get the suction cup action.

These are a few tricks to try if you have issues clearing your mask.

Christmas Specials!!

2008-12-01T11:46:00.000-08:00

Aeris-Deals on the Atmos AI and Manta computers-TOO GOOD TO PRINT! That’s right, they won’t let us advertise them but call or stop by and we’ll give you the dirt!! (Aeris deals are only until December 8)

Scubapro Zero Prime-Buy any Scubapro first and second stage and BCD with Air 2 and receive a FREE Aladin Prime Wrist Computer!

Shaka Shoes and Sandals-The most comfortable footwear your feet will ever feel!! Brand new styles in stock-20% off!!

Travel Essentials- Super absorbent micro-fiber towels (easy and light weight for packing), travel wallets, stowable carry-on bags and TSA approved locks-all travel products from McNett-15 % off!!

Freestyle and St. Moritz Watches-Every diver needs to know his bottom time, these waterproof watches are perfect! 15% OFF

ALL PADI PRODUCTS-2009 prices are here but we are waiting until January 1 to use them!

PADI ERDP-ML-The Electronic Dive Planner-throw your tables away and use the dive table calculator! The new version can plan multi-level dives as well!! 15% OFF

Mask, Snorkel and Fin Packages-Take an extra 5% off these already great deals!

Intova Underwater Cameras-Check out the latest in underwater cameras. Intova offers a 6 mega pixel digital camera with housing for under $200! Add a strobe, filter, bag and sync cord for under $500. This is a great way to get into underwater photography without breaking the bank!

Seabase Fun Dive

2008-11-29T20:29:00.001-08:00

We had our Specialty of the Month dive last Saturday out at Seabase. I hadn't been out there in about a year so it was time to go see the nurse sharks again. I know they get worried when I don't visit.

We had about 8 divers out with us for the Underwater Navigation Specialty/Fun Dives. We got out there about 9am. I have to apologize to Joe who for some reason thought we were meeting at 7am!! When you consider he lives past Park City, that meant he was up at 5:30 to get there in time. At least he got to know the staff out there really well. I was surprised to see a semi-full parking lot all ready. That usually means not so great vis. A group from Wyoming was there working on certification and a group of scouts had camped out there the night before. We decided to dive the "Abyss" first since there was no one in there and the vis is usually a bit better.

Not so much on this morning! As soon as you dropped down about 5 feet, it got really dark and by 10 feet, it was almost black. I saw a light below me that made it look like the whole thing got more clear but it was just the light on the side. You could barely see someone next to it. I ran into Courtney there and we signalled to head up. Within 5 minutes we all surfaced and determined that we were done with the Abyss. Interesting, slightly scary note-Dave (another instructor) and his buddy got tangled in some wire right out in the middle of the thing that would not allow them to go up or down. Imagine having to deal with that in no vis.

So we headed to the main pool, "White Rocks Bay". The other group had wrapped up so we had it to ourselves. The vis was a little better, maybe 3 feet but it was colder. The Abyss was in the 70's, this was in the 60's. I had loaned my hood out but happily borrowed another. Our main point on this dive was playing Blackjack. Courtney has some waterproof, non-floating playing cards so we dealt some 21. After we had each taken a turn dealing through the deck, Dustin was our big winner.

After that we headed around to show everyone the "sights." We checked out the boat (still there) and then headed through the tunnel to look for fish. The enclosed bay wasn't much better. We saw a few fish swimming around but no sharks. After 30 minutes, we were ready to head home and get ready for BYU-Utah that afternoon.

I'm a little bummed I didn't get my yearly dose of Seabase-Nurse Shark. I probably won't be back for another year, I hope they don't too worried until then!!

Join us next month for Search and Recovery at Blue Lake at December 13!

Horizon Trip-Saturday

2008-11-17T10:58:00.000-08:00

THIS IS THE LAST OF A SERIES OF 3 POSTS. TO READ THEM IN ORDER START WITH HORIZON TRIP-THURSDAY, THEN READ FRIDAY THEN THIS ONE

Saturday-Nov. 15-8:50am-Pyramid Palisades-San Clemente Island-Last night was a good night for bugs. I think all told we bagged about 8 more. The pups hung around the whole time we were there. We got the okay for San Clemente and anchored there in the middle of the night. The Captain gave us the option for a reverse night dive. If you wanted to dive to make a dive at dawn, the crew would wake you up at 5am. Naturally I passed. After getting up at a decent hour and having breakfast, we made our next dive. I dropped down with Doyle and Kent. There was a sandy bottom about 60’ deep with the kelp rising off a rock ledge that sloped upwards. The ledge was littered with small openings, overhangs and swim throughs. As we approached the kelp, there were a few thousand small fish swimming at the edge of the kelp. We dropped down to the sand and checked out a small opening that lead up to a small swim through. When I saw that I couldn’t fit through, I turned around and there was Doyle ready to take my picture framed by the rocks. As he was taking it, I noticed a lanyard hanging from the camera. Thinking it was his main one I swam up to tell him to put it on. Once I was close enough, I saw that it was attached to the red filter on the lens. Now here is where it gets fun. He thought I was taking the camera to take his picture. Once I saw that the lanyard was an extra, I turned and starting swimming up into the kelp. Doyle, thinking I wanted his camera, had taken it off and thought that I had it. Imagine his surprise when he gets into position turns around and doesn’t see me! He was thinking, that little turd just swam off with my camera! (That is an exact quote.)

So off I go into the kelp having a good old dive. It was very thick in places and with the surge moving the kelp back and forth in the sun light, it was quite a sight. I wondered down a crevice that turned into swim through. It was a bit murky, maybe someone had already been there. At the end I meet a few divers looking for lobsters. I had seen a few but they were all shorts. Once I got to the end and turned to come back up a bit, I got a little reverse block. I think it was nature’s way to tell me to stop. So I stopped, held on to some kelp and let it pass. While hanging there I found two tiny Spanish Shawls. They are nudibranchs, kind of like a slug, maybe 1 inch long and bright blue with orange mantle (hair-like growths along the length of the body). To top it off there is a scallop right between them. Really cool!!

The rest of the dive is spent wandering the kelp and I head back out the way I came in stopping to watch the school of blacksmiths and senoritas I saw on the way in. About 15 minutes after I got back, Doyle pops his head in and says, “Where’s my camera?” I’m like, what are you talking about? He says-I gave it to you, I say-No you didn’t! Turns out he thought when I swam up to him to look at the lanyard I was going to take his camera and take his picture. He handed it off without me seeing it, goes into the kelp to pose, turns around and says, where’d Dave go with my camera? As it was floating to the surface, Jeff saw it but it was going up too fast. He swims up to Doyle and give him the sign for “You camera is floating up there.” Doyle thinks yea, I don’t know where Dave is going with it. Fast forward back to the boat. We tell the captain and he send the chase boat out to look. Doyle says we have two chases on finding it, slim and none. Naturally the boat returns with no luck. I’m thinking great, I’m out for 2 cameras on 1 trip. Imagine everyone’s surprise as the Horizon ups anchor and moves and what do we drifting in the big, blue ocean but Doyle’s camera!!

11:45pm-Little Flower-Best dive of the trip! I was a little leery with my ears but I wanted to make one more dive. I jump in with Doyle and Kent and they promptly scatter. We have a sloping bottom, with a mini wall and a kelp forest on top of it. I approach the kelp and just sit still for awhile and watch the fish. There are always tons around the outside. I see a calico bass swim down and brush his side against the bottom, swim up and do it again and again about 5 times. I guess he has a little itch. After a minute of that I swim into the kelp just a few feet and hunker down to watch whatever might happen. Here is what I saw-
-about 100 little blue banded gobies. They are about 1 inch long and are bright blue and orange and sit on rocks.
-4 lobsters sitting in a hole. The biggest is in the back. As I sit there, they venture out a bit but then head back it.
-2 juvenile garibaldi, the young ones have bright blue spots on them. One of them has just about lost its spots and just a tinge of blue remains on the tips of the fins.
-a female sheephead keeps swimming up and checking me out.
-about 20 smaller blacksmiths

It is amazing what happens when you just stay put. All the fish get a little closer and you really feel part of what’s going on. After 10 minutes I am starting to get chilly so I pick up and head out a little further in the kelp to the edge of the wall. It drops off to about 70 feet. Divemasters always tell you if you hang out and wait you never know what will come swimming by. Sure enough they are right. I’m not there 2 minutes when out of the blue comes Butch. He proceeds to tell me in sign language how there was a huge fish back there with really big teeth, that it attacked him, that he had to take his knife out and defend himself and that while it was a very close thing, he prevailed and now the seas are safe for the rest of us. Thanks Butch, appreciate that. Once he passed by I saw a school of halfmoon in the top of the kelp. I slowly swam up into them and hung around them for a bit. My dive was about 30 minutes long and I think I saw more on that dive then any other on this trip.

Bugs were plentiful

1:45pm-Headed back to San Diego-We had lunch and the pool was open one last time at the same site. This time I headed closer in shore to poke around there. I did the same thing as last dive-just site there and observe. I saw 2 female sheephead that would stare at each other with their mouths wide open not more then an inch apart. I took a poll and here are some of the answers that were suggested-
-“It’s a contest to see which female has the biggest mouth.”
-“It’s just women talking, what do you expect.”
Sheephead can change sex from male to female or vice versa-“One is saying I’m about to change sex and I want to know if you’ll date me afterwards.”
Most likely it is a dominance thing. I got up close to a rock to check it out and saw toNs of small anemones. In a crack I saw a tiny little cleaner shrimp and a small starfish. It is funny, once you stop moving and look intently at something, other fish come up like m kids and say I want to see. The watcher becomes the watched and they want to know just what is so interesting. On the way back to the boat I saw a good size leopard shark just cruising along the kelp.

9:14pm-Vagabond Hotel-San Diego-What a great trip. Looking back and rereading this, one thing I should have mentioned more was how great the weather was. People think November is getting cold but this was great. We couldn’t have asked for better. During the 6 hour ride back to port, we had flat seas the whole way. Some dolphins came over and played in our bow wake at one point. They were so close, I keep hear them clicking and talking to each other. Once it got dark and we were closer to the harbor I could hear sea lions barking from the darkness. They must have been sitting on a buoy.

We had great diving conditions and saw some incredible things. The highlight was definitely the sea lions. I hadn’t been on the Horizon in over 2 years, I had forgotten how much of a fun trip this was. I talked to Ken from the Ogden shop and we are not sure if we want to do a July and a Lobster trip next year. Have a preference? Let me know and we’ll see you down here next year!

Horizon Trip-Friday

2008-11-17T10:48:00.001-08:00

Sunrise at Santa Barbara

Friday-Nov. 14-11:45am-East of the Sea Lion Rookery-Santa Barbara Island-What a difference a few hours can make. Let me bring you up to speed. We left Catalina last night for Santa Barbara. We awoke to calm seas and a beautiful morning. . The Captain moved the boat around to a site on the west end of the island. We were exposed to the swell from the northeast but I didn’t think too much of it, I was ready to go dive. Kent and I hit the water and headed down. The site had a plateau about 40’deep with a wall heading down from there. The wall was just gorgeous, covered in small anemones and star fish. The water was noticeable colder, about 58* down from 63* at Catalina yesterday. We headed along the wall until I looked out in to the blue and noticed something hanging in the water column above us and just out in the blue. From where we were it looked like a ray. As we swam closer I could see a long tail that looked more like a shark. It was an angel shark. They are really weird looking, ½ shark and ½ ray, and usually hanging around in the sand so it was strange to see him in the blue. It was hard to tell just how big it was since it was floating in blue water and there was no reference for size. We headed back to the wall and came up a gulley and then the fun started. Those of you who have dove with me in the past know that I can get reverse blocks from time to time. A reverse block occurs when you ascend and your ears can’t re-equalize. Basically you get the spins, get real dizzy and depending on how long it takes to clear, you feel real crappy. So I got a reverse block and spent the rest of the dive dealing with an upset stomach. Once we got up and back on the boat, I didn’t feel any better since we were just rocking and rolling due to the swell. I just sat down near the bow feeling miserable and wondering why I ever came on this trip. With an upset stomach and a blocked ear, I was ready to go home. We finally pulled up the anchor and worked our way around island.

As the seas calmed and I warmed up, a wonderful thing happened, my stomach got better, my ear cleared and I suddenly enjoyed life again. Once we got to the next site, the sea lions arrived! We were right next to the large rookery. This is what we came to Santa Barbara for. We had seen a few on the surface and one or two underwater but now we had a pack of about 25 pups swimming right up next the boat. Now I had a decision to make. I knew my ear was not going to like it but with my stomach feeling better and the sun shining, I felt like a new man (You know the best part about feeling bad is how good you feel once it passes). I just had to jump in and see if the pups were going to hang around with us. I suited up and hit the water and sure enough, there they were. Watching sea lions underwater is the coolest thing ever. They are so quick and graceful, they can stop on a dime, turn 180* and dart to the surface in a second. I have swum with seals and sea lions a few times but never for this long and never with this many. It was well worth it, even if my ears plugged again on the way up and the spins came back even worse then the last dive. Luckily my ears cleared quickly and I felt fine by the time I got back to the boat. Everyone enjoyed this dive, even the guys who sat this one out. The pups kept coming back to the boat to check us out. One even climbed on the swim step and hung out for bit and another climbed into the chase boat. We also finally had some luck with lobsters as Martin (one of the Divemasters) got 4 including 1 monster and my buddy from the night dive had a big one as well. Broccoli and cheese soup and a grilled cheese sandwich made for a great lunch and since my ears tell me I am done for the day, a nap might be in order.

4:45pm-Just a bit further east then earlier in the day-We made a second dive just down from the last one. Sea lions aplenty again. After that, the captain wanted to see if the swell and current had died down on the other side of the island. Since it had not, we came back to the same area as before and made the last dive of the afternoon. We will eat dinner here (Tri-tip BBQ) and make the night dive as well. Since the sea lions are still around it will interesting to see if they will come out for the night dive. Twice I have had seals dive with me at night to use my light to help them hunt for fish. They stay with you the whole time, just in front of your light. If the Navy will let us, we will move back to San Clemente tonight so we can dive longer tomorrow before heading back to San Diego. The Navy owns the island and closes it down for training exercises some times as they storm the beaches or whatever they do. When that happens you need to keep a certain distance away. I have had that happen once before but they only closed the northern end so we had to dive just one side. Since San Clemente is closer to San Diego that means more diving. If we have to stay away and dive Catalina, then it will take longer to get back and we will stop diving earlier. Of course if my ear doesn’t feel better, then it won’t really matter will it?

Horizon Trip-Thursday

2008-11-17T10:23:00.000-08:00

Wednesday-November 12, 2008-11:00pm-San Diego Harbor-We made it. After an uneventful flight and uneventful cab ride, we made it to H&M Landing to board the boat. Kent and I were the last people to get to there. Guys starting arriving at 3pm, they let you on the boat at 8pm and we showed up at 9:30pm. We only have 14 people on this trip. On trips past we average twice that. That means a lot of room on the boat. The crew took out the dividers on some of the bunks which means you have twice the space. Captain Greg gave us the safety briefing, Chef Mark gave us the galley briefing and we were off. It takes about an hour to clear the harbor and hang a right to head northwest towards the Channel Islands. Captain Greg said that the navy has closed San Clemente Island until Saturday so we are headed farther north to Santa Barbara Island for our first day, then Catalina on Friday and finish up at San Clemente on Saturday. The weather report calls for sun and calm so it should be a great trip.

Thursday-Nov. 13-8:00am-2 miles southeast of the isthmus of Catalina-I hate the first night in a new bed, especially one that is tossing and turning. Down in the bunk room, it is pretty dark so you can’t tell what is going on in the real world. I tossed and turned for awhile and came up at 7:30 to a gloriously sunny morning. Catalina is off to our right and the cut of Two Harbors is clearly visible. Breakfast with eggs, potatoes and sausage and we are off and running. About 1 ½ hours more to Santa Barbara and the diving begins!!

Pre-dive briefing

11am-Johnson Rocks-west end of Catalina Island-So about 20 minutes after the last post, the captain got on the loud speaker to say that because of the swell we were encountering we were bagging Santa Barbara in favor of Catalina. Santa Barbara is a smaller island and with the swell coming from the direction it was coming from, I guess most of the island would be too rough to dive. 20 minutes later we came around the western tip of Catalina to the leeward side and anchored at Johnson Rock. We suited up and prepared to dive. When I hit the water I first helped a boy, Chad, who was diving with his dad and brother. He was having trouble getting down. One of the biggest problems people find, especially with cold water diving, is that they feel they need more and more weight. Remember that neoprene is made up of lots of small air pockets and as you descend, they will compress and you will become less buoyant. Dump all your air, relax so you are not breathing that hard and then fin your hands so you go down a little. Once you are under, flip over and kick yourself down further. Once you are down about 15-20 feet, the air in your suit will compress and you should be able to stay down. Now keep in mind on the way back up that if you are not letting air out of your BCD at 30 and then 20 feet, once you hit 15 feet, the air in your suit is expanding and you will pop up like a cork.

So once he got down, I found Joerg and we started swimming. I looked down at my camera to turn everything on. Imagine my surprise when I saw the camera housing was half filled with water!! I had checked the o-ring and let it sit in the rinse tank for awhile. Everything seemed fine. Coming up as I checked out the housing I could see part of the o-ring pinched out. I climbed out, rinsed off the housing, took the camera out and rinsed that as well. The Horizon keeps a hairdryer for just such an emergency. I dried it out for awhile, I can’t tell if anything happened or not. I guess we’ll wait and see. I am hopeful. Back in October I soaked a camera in Zions and after thinking it was toast (and buying a new one) turned out it worked just fine a few weeks later. So much for the much anticipated “taking lots of pictures” part of the trip.
Lunch was a deli-spread and we are moving to the next site.

Like this will do any good!

2:10pm-Starlight-We moved a little further east and made the next dive. I buddied up with Kent and we had a good dive. The visibility wasn’t as good as earlier, about 30 feet max. There was lot of surge especially as you got shallower. Right under the boat was sand and not a lot to see. We headed in a bit and got into some good kelp and boulders with lots of life. I saw a small school of bait fish and saw a larger school of California Barracuda right on the edge of the kelp. We cruised around shallow and then headed back towards the boat. Just to the right of the boat, we came into some more kelp and boulders. Saw the first lobsters of the trip in here. There was a crevice with about 7-8 shorts just hanging out. It was an okay site but I’m glad we are going to move for the next dive. Due to the conditions on this end, the captain wants to move farther east towards Two Harbors. Some of my favorite dives are up that way-Bird Rock, Crane Point and Sea Fan Grotto. I might have to try and pull some rank to see what if can dive up there.

Catalina

4:50pm-YellowTail Point-I swear, sometimes I think every boat has its own name for the same site. We are just east of the old quarry. I have dove this area probably 15 times under 5 different names. Sea Fan Grotto mergers into Rock Quarry, which merges into Crane Point, which merges into the Shack, which merges into Yellowtail Point. What’s in a dive site name? A site by any other would look as good? I digress. Great dive. Started off with Doyle, Joerg, Butch and Kent. Sandy bottom under the boat at around 40’ and slopes up into kelp and boulders. Nice visibility. Most dives I am leading people so when I get to follow someone it is a bit of a novelty. Doyle was leading and I could just ignore everything and focus on the dive. The first thing I noticed was the purple covering on almost all the rocks. I have no idea what it is but it looks so pretty when you shine your light on it to really bring out the color. There are a lot of purple urchins in all the cracks. As I checked out some closer and peered my light deeper into the crack I saw an octopus. They are the coolest creatures. I can count on 1 hand the number of times I have seen one so this is a highlight. It is pretty deep in the hole and not moving around much but his eye is right there. (I imagine he is thinking, Dude-turn off your light!) I look around to show him to someone else but Joerg is the only one close to me and he doesn’t hear me yelling for him. As I leave the octopus, I see a scallop tucked in the next crack over. Naturally I brush some water at him to make him close up. That’s just what I do. I proceed to follow behind everyone else as we go up and down through the kelp. We came across one huge boulder, most likely 20 feet high and over 100 feet around. There are numerous cracks running through it and the biggest one is teeming with shorts and the big ones are hiding down deep inside. The Captain caught one on the last dive that was barely legal size. He is the only one to get one so far.
We are going to have dinner and make our night dive. We can do 2 night dives since that is when lobsters come out more. We will see how we do tonight.

8:20pm-Same Location -After a wonderful dinner of Chicken Tacos (chicken was BBQ’d on a grill that hangs off the back of the boat) with lemon cake for dessert, a few of us suited up for a night dive. I buddied up with Chad’s dad. Since he was hunting lobster and I was just site seeing, I told him to lead and I would follow. Like the last dive it was fun to just tag along. There is almost a full moon tonight so you could really see a lot without even using your light. That is one of my favorite things to do on a night dive, turn off my light and play Navy Stealth Diver. It is amazing just how much you can see once your eyes get used to the dark. A little light from the surface can go a long way. There are 3 great night dives that come to mind that were made in the dark (pun intended). 2 were in California. The first was at the Casino Point Marine Park on Catalina. There are some lights from the Casino that you could see clear as a bell. The second was on my first trip on the Horizon about 5 years ago. I was doing Butch’s Advanced class and the boat was backed up right next to a kelp forest. There was a very definitive line between the kelp and the sand. We swam back and forth along the kelp line weaving in and out using the lights from the boat as our guide. The 3rd one was in warm water in Curacao. We stayed at Captain Don’s. They have a very good house reef and put out about 50 tanks at the end of the day so you can dive any time you want during the night. They made navigation really easy. The laid a thick rope from the edge of the dock, out over the flats to the wall and then down the wall to 80’. Once you hit the rope you could find your back. Across the flats and to the edge of the wall, it was almost bright as day from all the lights from the resort. Since it was so easy and there was a lot to see on the wall, I think we did 3-4 night dives that week. There was a resident green moray that lived right next to the rope at the top of the wall. He was there day and at night, never more then 10 feet from the rope.

We didn’t see anything too exciting on this dive. Captain Greg said he had seen a lot of lobsters up in the shallows around 15’ so that is where we spent most of the dive. My buddy caught a few lobsters but they were all shorts. The captain also said he was going to check with a few sources and hopefully head to Santa Barbara tonight.

Camera Bag and California

2008-11-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

We just got in another goodie from Akona. They make some great bags and now we have their Deluxe Camera Roller Carry On. This is for the folks who want to take really good care of their underwater housings and cameras. It is also the ultimate carry on bag. Naturally it has wheels and a retractable handle. There is a sleeve that slips on to the back to carry your lap top while you are running to make your connection. Once on the plane, the sleeve slips out and the front of the bag zips off into a back pack to carry your wallet, phone, ipod etc. You stow the rest of the bag in the overhead and keep your back pack and lap top with you for easy access.

The bag is cushioned and has velcro dividers that can be moved or removed to allow you to configure it however you need. The cushion/divider part can be removed and you could use it as a regular bag. It is on the larger size for a carry-on but it does still meet the size guidelines. Basically you need to turn it sideways to have it fit as opposed to just sliding in.

The bag lists for $300 but if you come in and tell me you want one before the end of the year and say you saw it here, I will give you 20% off!!

We have a dive trip heading out to Southern California tomorrow night for 3 day on the Horizon. If I can get a phone signal on the boat, I plan to make some live updates so check back Thursday, Friday and Saturday to see what you are missing!!

NEW TOYS!!

2008-11-06T10:58:00.000-08:00

You will see a lot of these posts to let you know when the latest and greatest toys come in. Here are the latest-

Akona Snorkel Kit-$75-This is a very basic snorkel kit that includes a pretty good mask, ok snorkel and bag and a pair of fins. The fins are basically glorified snorkeling fins so don't try to wear them if you are planning to dive in cooler water. Warm water might even be a stretch. Basically this is a small step up from the Costco stuff you sometimes see. Still, it is a good package for kids or the casual snorkeler rather then renting stuff. (Other people's faces and mouths--ehh-gross!) It comes in blue and the fins run 2 sizes- small and regular.

Freestyle Watches-$55-Every diver needs a watch and these are the original water watches. I had a Shark watch spending the summers as a kid at the Jersey Shore. Well the 80's are back with some great fun colors.

Shaka Shoes-$24-$48-Get your Shaka on straight from Hawaii! These are the most comfortable flip flops you will ever wear. We have had them in the shop before and the new ones are even better with Shark Tooth Grip on the bottom. (Sounds scary) New this year are the Cabanas. Maybe you have seen this style at REI or other sporting goods stores. They are super comfy and made from 100% recyclable resources. Comfy and green-how about that?

Welcome

2008-11-05T10:56:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the blog. Part of the ongoing effort to keep up to date, we present the day to day happenings at Dive Utah. Tune in for information on new products, new trips, new classes and a behind the scenes look at Dive Utah.