Upcoming events

I met, Friday, with Ms. Christie Auck, Aquatic Director at the Bucyrus Area YMCA.  After discussing many options, we have decided to begin our "SCUBA relationship" with a day-long Discover Scuba Diving Day on Saturday, March 26, 2011.  While this is still over 2 months away, I'm excited about the possibilities and  hope that we will have a good turn out.  Who knows...maybe we'll even get enough interest to start up some open water classes, too!

1st Day, 1st Dives of 2011

1-1-11.  While I knew it was the first day of the new year, it really didn't sink in until I was filling out the familiar pink registration form at White Star Quarry.  Not only was today the first day of the year but, of course, it was my first dive of the new year...AND a first time I had been diving on January 1 of any year.  Thanks to my dive buddy Scott Willard and assistant Bob Beard (although Bob didn't dive today), we were able to experience 2 exhilarating dives with not less than 75 feet visibility.

Scott and I took our first dive of the day along the south quarry wall and visited a platform, both sunken vessels, the graveyard, American flag, and cannon.

While my simple point and shoot underwater camera doesn't do justice to the clarity, it was fantastic to dive the quarry and to see all the various items WITHOUT needing to navigate through the algae bloom to find your way.

We took our 38 minute dive to a maximum depth of 44' and registered a chilly 38ºF water temperature.  

After tank fills and a nice and breezy surface interval, our second dive was a bit shorter.  Our second dive of a total 33 minutes, went to a maximum depth of 43 feet and took us along the east wall to visit the crusher pit, block house, sailboat, and more.  Again, from the block house, we were able to see to, and beyond, at least the first crusher pit circular hole.  While diving drysuits, Scott had wet gloves and could really feel the elements--literally.

Overall, today was a great day.  Although the air temperature decreased dramatically as the afternoon passed, the cold nip in the air was a reminder that I was alive and able to feel the elements.  Thanks to my wife and family for letting me spend part of my day away enjoying these two dives.

While I'm not much for resolutions, were I to make one, it would be that I am involved in at least one dive activity each month of the new year.  If I'm not able to dive each month of 2011, at least I hope to be involved with a specific diving activity throughout the new year.