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."

Cozumel Trip April 1-9, 2011

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!

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

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

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

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.