12 Deals of Christmas

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

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

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

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!!

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

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

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

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.

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."