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We gather at 6:00 p.m.. Afterwards, we hold our “formal” meeting covering CLUB business and member trip reports, followed by our great door prizes.
We meet at TGI Friday’s, which is located at 8955 International Dr, Orlando FL 32819 (phone 407-903-9556). It’s easy to get to via Interstate 4 or the Beachline, between Sand Lake Road and the latter.
NewsJuly 2012
July Meeting
LOCKHEED MARTIN DIVE CLUB
Join us at our July 10th meeting to hear Capt. Luis Roman show-and-tell us about scuba diving equipment and maintenance. He will be focus-ing his presentation on the technical maintenance aspects and the importance of servicing regulators and equipment.
Equipment and Maintenance with Luis Roman
Luis grew up in Puerto Rico where he got his scuba diver certification in 1987. He became a Divemaster shortly after that, and organized trips in remote islands like Mona Island between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. After a couple of years, he became a NAUI instructor. Since then, he has been involved in the industry for the last 21 years. He has a lot of scuba experiences and has seen how the equipment has changed.
Luis also is a certified service technician for all the major brands: Atomic, Tusa, Oceanic, Sher-wood, Zeagle, Aqualung, to mention a few.
LOCKHEED MARTIN DIVE CLUB ‘News’July 2012 2
President Mike Gracey 407-356-5752
Vice President Mike McCleskey 407-808-6453 Secretary Nancy Wileden 407-971-8525
Treasurer Al Wileden 407-971-8525 Director at Large Al Wileden 407-971-8525
Board of Directors Bill Barney 407-356-6921
Bill Paskert 407-356-2290 Darrell Seale 817-308-9764
Your Club Leadership
President's Column
Committee Chairs
Activity Gary Comstock 407-694-3490 Camera Art Beaulieu 407-888-5775Communications Bill Paskert 407-356-2290Equipment Bill Paskert 407-356-2290Meetings Open Membership Al Wileden 407-971-8525Merchandise Carol Comstock 407-694-3490Safety and Training Darrell Seale 817-308-9764Webmaster Bill Paskert 407-356-2290
Greetings fellow LMDC divers,
Summer is in full swing, and now is the time to dive! I hope you all are taking advantage of the fabulous opportunities we have here in our back yard to enjoy the sport we love.
Speaking of diving, a high-spirited group of Club divers just returned from a fun-filled long weekend in Key West. We dove wrecks both Sat-urday and Sunday, the highlight being the wreck of the Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg. What a treat! I highly recommend you add this one to your dive bucket list. As for the topside activities, well, I promised not to divulge details. Suffice it to say that we had a great time wining and dining across the length and breadth of the island, and no one was injured as a result!
Last month's speaker, Michael Steidley, was well received by the members in attendance. Mi-chael is the corporate safety director at Sea World, and his DAN presentation on Decompression Illness (DCI) was both informative and entertaining. You know the audience is into the subject matter when you keep hearing “I'm didn't know that.” comments. If you don't learn something new every day, you're not paying attention!
Speaking of learning (smooth segue, right?), we were so excited about the many opportunities ex-plored by Michael's presentation that your LMDC Officers and Board of Directors decided to build on the momentum at a special meeting held Tuesday, June 19th. Readers of my monthly column (assum-ing there are any!) will have noticed the constant drum beat regarding training and advancement of dive and dive-related skills. Well, hold onto your hat; we've come up with incentives and assistance to help you make that happen! I know, you're excited like me and you want to know more. How does a DAN online safety course sound? Or NITROX training? What about a CPR class? Well, we hear you! Stay tuned as we roll out these opportunities to enhance your diving experience and help you be the best diver you can be!
In keeping with our ongoing efforts to create the ultimate diver, our July speaker will be talking about gear care and maintenance and showing us what we can do to service our own regulators, BCDs, etc. Luis Roman owns a local dive shop and has a great deal of experience to share with us. He'll be bringing in some examples of what to do and not do with your gear. Don't miss his presentation!
Until next time, dive often and focus on safety!
Mike
July 20123LOCKHEED MARTIN DIVE CLUB ‘News’
Lockheed Martin Dive Club 2012 Activity Schedule120613
Date Event ContactPartici- pants
Deposit Amount
Cut-off Date
Total Cost
Mar 10
PARADISE SPRINGS
&lunch in the woods
LOCKHEED MARTIN eventAl and Nancy Wileden
407-616-6270, [email protected] $30
March 10
$30 includes
lunch
Apr 7
OYSTER REEF RESTORATION
Indian River Lagoon
LOCKHEED MARTIN eventMike Gracey407-356-5752
Un- limited
N/A April 2 Free
Apr 14JUPITER DIVE CTR
Reef and wreck
LOCKHEED MARTIN eventMike Gracey407-356-5752
12 $55 April 1 $55
Apr 28-May 5
CAYMAN ISLANDSLittle Cayman
LOCKHEED MARTIN event Grace Hampton
407-737-8999 [email protected]
10 $500Until full
$2,300estimate
May 12, optional
hotel 5/11
VENICEShark Teeth Dive
LOCKHEED MARTIN event Bill Barney
12 $60 May 1$60, incl 2 tanks
and wgts
Jun 8-10
KEY WEST EXTRAVAGANZAVandenberg and
reef dives
LOCKHEED MARTIN event Marie Frank
12 max $100Until full
$415, incl diving, hotel,
shuttle to Duval St
Jun 9-10JUPITER DIVE CTR
Reef
KSC BARRACUDA eventSharon Kennedy
[email protected] $50 TBD $200
Jul 21BLUE HERON
BRIDGEShore dive
LOCKHEED MARTIN event Mike McClesky407-273-6655
6-12 $0 TBD $0
Jul 25 & Jul 26
RIVIERA BEACHLobster diving
KSC BARRACUDA eventJohn Lawlor
321-459-3374 [email protected]
$65 per day
TBD$65 per
day
Aug 3-10
CANADIAN WRECK TREK
St Lawrence RiverWreck Trek
LOCKHEED MARTIN event Gary Comstock
10 or 12
$325 Full$1700
Aug 11-12
DANIA BEACHSteve’s Reef
KSC BARRACUDA eventGinger Ballou
10 $50TBD
$250
Aug 18WALT DISNEY
WORLDDive Quest
LOCKHEED MARTIN event Trevor Campbell
(407) 234-7147 [email protected]
12 TBD TBD TBD
Sep 1-3BOYNTON BEACHHoliday Inn Express
KSC BARRACUDA eventPhil Stasik
[email protected] $100 TBD $300
LOCKHEED MARTIN DIVE CLUB ‘News’July 2012 4
120613
Date Event ContactPartici- pants
Deposit Amount
Cut-off Date
Total Cost
Sep 8-15BONAIRE I
Buddies
KSC BARRACUDA eventMax Farley
321-452-1435 [email protected] $300 TBD TBD
Sep 8-22BONAIRE II
Buddies
KSC BARRACUDA eventMax Farley
321-452-1435 [email protected]
12 $500 TBD TBD
Sep 15
LMDC CLUB PICNIC Orange
County Sportsman’s Club
LOCKHEED MARTIN event TBD
30-50 $0Until full
$0
Oct 6-7ISLAMORADA
Holiday Isle
KSC BARRACUDA event John Lawlor
321-459-3374 [email protected] $100 TBD $300
Oct 13
DELEON SPRINGSSnorkel and
excellent Sugar Mill food!
LOCKHEED MARTIN event TBD
Any $0 None $0
Oct 18-25
COZUMELHotel Cozumel
KSC BARRACUDA eventLen Shaffer
[email protected] $100 TBD $800
Tentative Nov 6
LMDC PHOTO CONTEST
T.G.I. Fridays-I Drive
LOCKHEED MARTIN event Mike McCleskey
Open FREE TBD FREE
Tentative Dec 2
Sunday
LMDC HOLIDAY PARTYBrunch
LOCKHEED MARTIN event Nancy Wileden407-971-8525
40 TBD TBD TBD
DecTBD
THAILANDLive-Aboard
LOCKHEED MARTIN event George McGuire
[email protected] TBD TBD
$3,000 approx
ActivitiesA Dive Idea
I had a really great time on Father's Day with my grand kids, snorkeling at Alexander Springs. After this weekend, I had the thought that this loca-tion might be a great opportunity to organize a snor-kel or dive outing to focus on underwater photogra-phy. Since it's a controlled environment, it may be the perfect site and might be fun with the kids and family or just some underwater photo wannabees.
We saw an alligator, a couple very large gar, tons of tadpoles, etc., nurseries of small fish, lots of birds underwater, and a host of great photo ops. Just an idea that someone could run with and orga-nize. We have the GoPro Club camera, and I have a Sealife still camera and three more GoPro's that I could donate for the day. Any Interest? They also rent canoes for $18 for 2 hours, so we shot some underwater video trailing the GoPro's through the water . . . neat stuff! Call me if you want to orga-nize a fun day for about $6 per person.
See ‘Activities’, page 7
Blue Heron Bridge DiveRiviera Beach, Saturday, July 21, 2012
Blue Heron Bridge is one of the premier shore dive sites in Florida. It is rela-tively nearby, the parking and access to the water is convenient, and the price is right - FREE! Rare and exciting wildlife seen there by past LMDC divers include flying gurnard, batfish, seahorse, octopus, mantis shrimp, sea robin, and all the usual tropical critters found in Florida's waters.
We dive according to the slack tide, so we will be hit-ting the water between 9:30 and
10:00 a.m. Max depth is around 20 fsw, so we'll have a nice, long, relaxing dive. Participants need to provide all their own gear, and buddy groups
will need a floating dive flag. If you need rental gear, I can point you in the right direction. We'll plan for a
meal afterwards, and some divers may be spending the night.
Contact Mike McCleskey at [email protected] or
407-808-6453 to get on the list. De-tails will be distributed a few days before the dive.
July 20125LOCKHEED MARTIN DIVE CLUB ‘News’
LOCKHEED MARTIN DIVE CLUB ‘News’July 2012 6
Prepare for a totally unique diving experience! Dive at "The Seas with Nemo and Friends" pavilion in Epcot. The park features a 6-million gallon aquarium. Imagine a salt-water dive with 200 feet of visibility and over 4,000 animals native to the Caribbean swim-ming with you in every direction. Tropical fish, sharks, stingrays, giant green sea turtles, and plenty of coral for you to enjoy are just part of the fun. In addition to this unique scuba experience, you will actually become part of the show.
Disney's EPCOT DiveQuestSaturday, August 18, 6:30 - 9:00 PM
• Theme park admission neither required nor included for this event; a parking fee of $14 is required when entering the park
• Guests are welcome to come and watch, but will need a park ticket
• Divers (10 and up) must have a SCUBA certification, those between 10 and 14 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian
• All required equipment provided, including mask, fins, tank, buoyancy compensa-tor, regulator, weight belt, and a 2.5 mm shorty wetsuit (ONLY masks and wrist-mounted computers can be brought to use)
• Comfortable changing rooms with show-ers
• Contact - Trevor Campbell, cell 407-234-7147 or [email protected]
Duration: 2 1/2 hours with a behind-the-scenes tour and the in-water expe-rience lasting 40 minutes
After the dive we will meet to fill out log books, pick up a souvenir T-shirt, and view the DVD made of the experience. You will have the opportunity to pur-chase the video
Cost: $95 per guest (includes all gear and a limited-edition T-shirt); almost ½ off the normal $175 fee!
Reservation Deadline: TBD; we need 12 divers to book this trip
Payment: Send you check made out to Trevor Campbell at 801 Jade Forest Ave, Orlando FL 32828
July 20127LOCKHEED MARTIN DIVE CLUB ‘News’
See ‘Activities’, page 10
Activities, from page 4
Some Breaking NewsTrevor Campbell was coerced (volunteered)
this week to help me on the Activity Committee. YEAH! Thank you Trevor!
Matt Spears is interested in organizing a second Disney DiveQuest dive, so he's going to work with Trevor and me on it. Get on the list early!
Jupiter Dive Center offers "Dive FREE for your birthday! I took them up on the offer on my birth-day and had a great time . . . on a Tuesday. Only six of divers on the boat!
At every Club meeting, I bring the Activity Planning Guide Book. This was assembled this year and details the offers that many dive and hotel operators are offering us as a group. The deals range from discounts for every diver to 1 to 2 FREE dive trips for the coordinators.
I wanted to coordinate a trip next year to dive the Aquacat in the Bahamas. I'm unable to coor-dinate that dive next year due to schedule issues (taking grandkids to New York State and New England). If you have never been on Aquacat, you haven't lived! Aquacat is offering as many as two FREE spots on the boat ($2000+ value per diver). Two coordinators could hookup to host this trip, and all you pay for is airfare ($300+-) . . . interested?
Good News and Bad NewsThe GOOD news - All of our Club trips are
booked solid right through 2012!
The BAD news - All of our Club trips are booked solid right through 2012!
At a recent Club Board meeting, this very issue was discussed and brought up by Mike Gracey and Darrell Seale. We have been 100% successful this year in filling our trips, but where is the opportunity for everyone to dive more often with the Club? The answer may be by booking more than one trip per month and having more people volunteer to be trip coordinators. There is a very good opportunity to be a trip coordinator and dive for free, based on the discount packages that operators are willing to give us. Why not book two trips a month, or are three trips a month the answer? All we need are the volunteers, and we can dive, dive, dive. Interested,
contact me at 407-694-3490 or at Seabase195@aol.
com.
Upcoming Trip NewsCanadian Wreck Trek
My trip is coming together nicely. We have the list of the nine wrecks that we'll be diving, and we have some other diving opportunities that we're exploring where everyone will have the opportunity to bring back an artifact or two. Included in the trip price is a trip to Sky Tower; a 400-foot tower that gives you a panoramic view of the US and Cana-dian waters that is 8 miles from the hotel. Also in-cluded will be touring Boldt Castle, an island castle accessible only by water. The castle was begun in Alexandria Bay, New York, in 1900 and abandoned in 1904 when Mr. Boldt's wife died. The castle lay dormant for 73 years until the State of NY took it over and renovated it. The castle has 120 unbe-lievable rooms and several outbuildings that are themselves stone mansions. We are also planning (included in trip) a dinner with two local diving legends and authors of six diving books/guides at the hotel restaurant one evening.
As optional side trips, we have a Canadian ATV adventure; we may visit beautiful, out-of-the way waterfalls in NY that you can walk under that is 1/4 mile back in the forest; and we'll probably spend an evening in the woods my sister's home enjoy-ing a bonfire and some cold drinks. For day trips, there are several small towns near the hotel that have touristy souvenirs and specialty one-of-a kind locally made items that everyone will enjoy seeing. The local options will keep everyone busy . . . and of course, there's the Canadian beer. The hotel's owner said that he'll introduce us to a few if we need an education.
Blue Heron Bridge
Mike's trip is coming up July 21st. The cost is a bit steep ($0), but the water clarity and the sea life will certainly take the sting out of the high diving fees. Mike is a veteran at Blue Heron, so if you have not dove there before you are in for a treat. Water temp 80+ degrees, clarity 60 to 100 feet, depth 20 feet+-, one 80 cubic foot tank gives you 2 hours bottom time!
LOCKHEED MARTIN DIVE CLUB ‘News’July 2012 8
Dive Key WestJune 8th-10th
Our group of 12 began to check-in to the beauti-ful Hilton Doubletree Grand Key Friday afternoon. We were welcomed with warm, chocolate-chip cookies the first day, and we were offered cook-ies whenever we came back to the hotel. I brought some along on our morning dives - Yum! Since we were at this very large hotel, it was hard to get together and mingle. We did try a few times during the weekend, and meet near Duval Street in ‘old’ Key West – big task for 12 people. We sometimes took the complimentary hotel shuttle into town, but most of the time it was easier to drive in.
Saturday morning we began to gather at the Dive Key West dive shop to fill out their waiver form and rig our gear; then we got back in our cars to head to the Key West Harbour Yacht Club where the dive boat was docked. After an interesting “briefing” from our captain, we were on our way to dive two wrecks, Joe’s Tug, considered “wreck of a wreck” and Cayman Salvage Master, a 180-foot-long, steel-hulled buoy tender that was sunk in 1985. The seas were fine, but the visibility wasn’t the greatest. There was some kind of strange ‘white algae’ in the water (possibly due to runoff from heavy rains??). We had our group’s 10 divers and 2 additional divers on this trip. The crew and captain were great! I will admit I had a few mojitos on Fri-day so I did not enjoy the boat trip on Saturday. OK – I admit it! I made up for it on our Sunday dive!
Saturday evening we were able to gather to-gether (12 of us) and meet at a local establishment to watch the Belmont horse race. We asked them to make us the Belmont drink – White Carnation. Some of us even wore crazy hats to the event.
July 20129LOCKHEED MARTIN DIVE CLUB ‘News’
On Sunday, we did two dives on the Vanden-berg, sunk on May 27, 2009 - the world’s second largest artificial reef! The 522-foot long former missile tracking ship is in 140 feet of water about 7 miles off Key West. Our Club ‘owned’ the boat. The visibility was about 40 to 50 feet, but there was no current and the seas were excellent. On both dives, we were on the aft, but there were some swim-throughs and the world’s first underwater transformative artwork on an artificial reef. 12 images were encased between sheets of Plexiglass with a stainless steel frame, a silicone seal keeping out the water. The images are attached to the ship by strong magnets granting damage-free removal after the exhibition ends. This ship is nearly two football fields long – we definitely need more dives on the “Vandy”. Another dive trip next year??
It was nice actually staying in Key West and not having to make a long drive back after watch-ing the sunset and/or having dinner to head back to our hotel (on previous trips we stayed in the Middle Keys).
Until next year!
Marie
LOCKHEED MARTIN DIVE CLUB ‘News’July 2012 10
Activities, from page 7
If you want to dive in between the lull in our schedule, contact our sister club, the Barracudas. Their latest schedule and contact information can be found at this link: www.mindspring.com/~cudas/public-
ity/bulletin/2012/June.html.
Disney's Dive Quest
Trevor's trip is full, but as you've read above, Matt may be organizing another one to accommo-date the interest. If you have not dove DiveQuest, sign-up because you will never forget it. Here are some features and benefits:
Feature Benefit1. It's discounted I'm broke2. It's close Couple of bucks in gas3. It's Disney It's Disney4. Scubapro gear You get to try out top of
the line dive products5. Big fish and turtles You'll have to dive for
years to see these fish, and EMTs are close by
6. You just roll off the platform I'm older now, my bones hurt
7. It's a 5.7 million gallon aquarium No seasickness, perfect temps, 200-foot visibility
8. Tourists stare through the glass Fun to play with them through the glass (or scare them)
9. You just roll back onto the platform See number 6
10. The showers . . . Oh the showers Warm Disney enriched water that I do not have to pay for.
LMDC Picnic
The picnic is September 15th at the Orange County Sportsman's Association on Lake Sheen on the Butler Chain of Lakes in Windermere. Plan to attend with the family, and once Nancy opens the opportunity to sign-up . . . sign-up. Weather and conditions depending, a few of the LMDC members are also OCSA members, so they may bring their boats and jet skis for some lake fun. This is a pri-vate, member-only facility, so if you have not been there, you will really enjoy the grounds, the facil-
ity, and the beautiful lake and scenery. The Butler Chain of Lakes is 11 lakes in total - all connected by a canal system.
DeLeon Springs
On October 13th, there will be a FREE event open to all divers and families. The Springs does offer snorkeling, and is a great place to swim as well. Besides the spring, the main attraction for some is the Old Spanish Sugar Mill that has been converted to a pancake extravaganza. The Mill is right next to the spring and features tables for 4 to 12 with a pancake grill in the center of every table . . . you make your own! We need a trip coordina-tor to help with this easy trip, or we'll just decide to meet at a certain time to make it easy. There is a park fee ($6 per vehicle with 2-8 people) and of course the cost to make your own breakfast or lunch ($4.50 per person for pancakes, sides are $1.75 to $2.25).
November 6th Photo Contest
Details will be coming shortly, but there are rumors that videos will be a new category! Mike McCleskey will be coordinating this exciting event. We will pack Friday's that evening. Get together your above- and below-water pictures and videos and start organizing them. We have the new GoPro that shoots stills and video. . so no excuses.
LMDC Holiday Party
The December 2nd Party is being organized by Nancy. Besides the classy location and the great food, the gift exchange seems to be getting livelier and more creative as the years pass. Have you pur-chased the perfect gift yet? How creative will gifts be wrapped this year? Nancy should have tickets for sale shortly.
Thailand December 2012
George McGuire is organizing a live-aboard trip in Thailand, his wife's native country. Imagine traveling and diving a destination as far away as Thailand with a local! What a way to cap off the year. George needs to hear from you NOW if you are interested.
Whew I'm done!
Gary Comstock
July 201211LOCKHEED MARTIN DIVE CLUB ‘News’
LMDC Connections
We have a telephone voicemail account. Got a question about the CLUB? Want to let us know that you’ll be attending a CLUB meeting? Just call (407) 306-5020 and leave a message!
Check out all the great dive information on our CLUB home page at: www.martindiveclub.org.
Editor’s Corner
Thanks for all your help. You've been great at get-ting articles to me by the 15th of the month. Please
get them to me in one of the following ways:
• Call me at (407) 356-2290 and sneaker-net your text and graphics on disk to me at MP-93
• E-mail at work: [email protected];or at home: [email protected]
June Meeting
At our June 12th meeting, Michael Steidley told us about Divers Alert Network, and his specific topic for the meeting was "I May be Bent, Now What?"
Michael Steidley was born in Washington D.C. and moved to Southern California at the age of 6. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 1981 with a master of science degree in physical organic chemistry.
Michael was first introduced to scuba diving in 1968 while he was participating in the Los Ange-les County Junior Frogman program. He became certified in 1974 and has been an active diver since. Steidley became a PADI Instructor in 1980 and has continued to actively teach diving since then, celebrating his 31st year as a diving instructor. He is now an active PADI Course Director. Addition-ally, Steidley is an active NAUI Instructor and DAN Instructor Examiner. He is also a Visual Cylinder Inspector Instructor Trainer for the Professional Scuba Inspectors Organization and a TDI Instructor Trainer for Semi-Closed Rebreathers, Decompres-sion Procedures, and Extended Range.
Michael co-authored one of the first books ever written on dive computers - entitled Diving with Dive Computers and has co-authored four other div-ing texts. In addition, Steidley has published more than 100 articles about diving and diving equip-ment in such magazines as Skin Diver, the Undersea Journal, NAUI News, and Discover Diving. He is also an accomplished underwater photographer, with hundreds of published photos and cover shots on magazines.
Divers Alert Network with Michael Steidley
Michael currently lives in Winter Garden, Florida, with his wife Rachael. He is the SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment Corporate Safety Manager. He has four children. His son, Brandon, just became a certified diver, and youngest daughter, Madison, just celebrated her sixth birthday and is already an avid swimmer and snorkeler. Their three year old son, Reef, loves the water. In their spare time, the Steidleys study martial arts: Michael tested and was promoted to the rank of Fourth Degree Black Belt and Master Instructor in the art of Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan in January of 2005.
LOCKHEED MARTIN DIVE CLUB ‘News’July 2012 12
Upcoming EventsJul 10 Meeting: Equipment and Maintenance with Capt. Luis RomanJul 21 Dive: Blue Heron Bridge - Mike McCleskeyAug 3-10 Dive: Canadian Wreck Trek - Gary ComstockAug 14 Meeting: Galopagos Islands with Susan & Mark Vitkavage
LOCKHEED MARTIN DIVE CLUBMP-933173 Battersea Way Winter Park FL 32792(407) 306-5020www.martindiveclub.org
2012 Air Fill Challenge (AFC)
You’re probably wondering how we are doing in filling the tanks for our diver stranded at Peacock Springs waiting for the Lockheed Martin Dive Club to help fill his tanks so that he can get back into the dark crevices of the Florida aquifer.
Well, we are on well on our way to filling his tanks to 3000 psi. As of June 12th, the tanks have 1970 psi in them. We of course can overfill the tanks since they’re steel; and we can even add a pony bottle, if necessary.
Thanks to everyone who has helped in adding to the fill. Special thanks to the top 10 contributors; Darrell Seale, Brian and Bruce Nelson, Mike Grac-ey, Gary Comstock, Chuck Brown, Terry Keeney, and Wendy, Mike, and Tory McCleskey. They have contributed a total of 1220 psi.
There is still time for you to help with the fill, so dust off those fins and head to the open water. Re-member that each dive you do contributes 5 psi to the tanks, and 60 psi awards you a voucher to TGI Friday's, so let’s go diving!
Al Wileden
