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From Recreational To Technical |
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Tacoma SCUBA |
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Hello Everyone
Here it is… the February edition of the greatest newsletter around. Well maybe not, but it is still pretty cool. So anyway….the holidays are behind us and spring is heading our way, time to get all the bugs worked out of the SCUBA gear and get back into the water. In this newsletter there is information on upcoming classes, gear servicing, and sale items at the shop. Hopefully there is something for everyone. In other news, Tacoma SCUBA in now a fully certified registered and official NAUI technical Dive Shop, Shop #64 in fact. Hooray for us!
Diver Certifications: Congratulations to the following: Steven Hafner (Open Water) John Hafner (Open Water) Adam Wilson (Nitrox) Ron Rowles (Nitrox) Chris Boitano (Advanced SCUBA and Nitrox) Stephen Beery (Advanced SCUBA)
Miscellaneous News We have one compressor down for maintenance. After two years she needed a rebuild. We still are pumping air and Nitrox but at half speed for the next few weeks. We would appreciate your support during this time by giving us a little extra time to fill your cylinders. It will be hard to fill them while you wait, so please plan ahead. We’ll be up and running at full speed again shortly We have a Trimix project in the works. Starting soon we will be able to fill just about any mix you might desire. So for those of you who are technically inclined now is the time to come in and ask about technical training.
Classes See the WEBPAGE for more information on the classes.
Oxygen Provider March 12 $25 SCUBA Diver April 7 $299 Nitrox Class April 2 $149 (Includes books and 5 tanks Nitrox) Advanced SCUBA April 9 $259 (Includes Nitrox certification) Rescue Diver Ongoing $299 (call for info and to join) We are scheduling a basic Technical training class. This will be the NAUI certifications including Advanced Nitrox, Decompression procedures, and Helitrox. E-mail us for more information Schedule Change Starting March 1st we will be changing the store schedule. Our new hours will be: Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri 10:00 – 7:00 Tuesday Closed Saturday 10:00 – 5:00 Sunday Closed
Clinics: We have two clinics coming up. 1. Ratio Decompression. This clinic will be taught by Andrew Georgitsis. Andrew is the owner of Dive Xtras. (The guys who make the X-Scooter) He runs a successful technical training operation. Check out his website here www.dive-xtras.com and here www.5thd-x.com This clinic runs all day March 1st (Sat) and runs $125.00 Space is limited. There are no prerequisites, but a solid diving knowledge base is recommended. This clinic gives no certification card. 2. O2 Provider. The next ASHI Oxygen administration class will run March 12. Class will run $25 and includes materials. Class will start at 7:00 pm and run approximately three hours. I will be ordering materials for the class by March 1. If you are planning on attending you will need to sign up and pay your entrance fee ($25) prior to this date, to ensure your seat. Come down to the shop to sign up. Registration requires payment. This certification has one really cool advantage over a NAUI or DAN certification. It OFFICIALLY certifies you to administer oxygen in SCUBA and non-SCUBA related cases. NAUI and DAN ONLY certify you to use oxygen on fellow divers.
Shop Dives: July 26-27 Porthole Charters Neah Bay (Not Full see below for more info) Call to find out about “Spur of the Moment” shore dives
Neah Bay: We are running a Neah Bay trip on July 26 and 27. We will be camping at Snow Creek, and diving with Porthole Charters on their new boat. We have morning trips scheduled both days. Each trip will be a two dive trip and there will be a compressor on board. There will be Nitrox and Helium available for those who are certified. We are almost full. Come by the shop to reserve your spot. (Payment will be due by May 1st) We recommend reserving your camping spot now.
On Sale! Last month I put HP80s on sale from $285 to $250, I have one left if anyone is interested. This month we have lift bags, reels, and regulator bags on sale. Take 25% of the marked prices. Come in and see if there is something you can’t live without. Other Stuff Reminder: New web site www.tacomascubacenter.com Tell all your friends! Coming soon……New Stickers. We are having our first run of stickers with the new logo printed up. They should be in at the shop in a week or two. We also have artwork at the T-shirt shop, and will be taking pre-orders soon. Watch for a news flash. Editorial We try not to lecture our divers too much regarding their activities. But lately we are seeing some disturbing trends in the local SCUBA circles. I want to put out a couple of reminders. While it is true that there are no “SCUBA POLICE” there are still a few rules that all Divers should follow in order to keep our sport safe and fun. One of the fundamental ones I see getting broken is “Dive within your limits.” Am I referring to the open water diver who goes down to 65 feet instead of 60? Not at all. I am referring to people who attempt dives for which they do not have adequate training. Some of the depth and time rules are there for safety reasons. We are seeing more and more advanced divers taking new divers well beyond their limits. This has the potential to be bad. There is training available to push your limits to 250 feet and beyond. These classes are taught by instructors with years of experience whose goal is to get you back from 250 feet. Please consider getting properly trained before attempting more difficult diving.
Many Divers are not doing a very good job of maintaining their gear. Remember folks, this stuff is life support gear. The correct functioning of your gear is all that keeps you alive under water. The usual maintenance schedule for gear includes proper rinsing after every day of diving, careful storage, and a yearly maintenance program. Everyone remembers that cylinders need a VIZ every year and a hydro every five. Without them you can’t get air. Many people seem to forget though that BCs and Regulators should be serviced every year also. Dry suit valves and flashlight o-rings should be checked. Save a dive kits and 1st aid kits should be checked and refilled. Many of these checks can be done by you at home (we will even show you how) but some need trained technicians. I have heard people complain about the cost of regulator service. It can be expensive but keep two things in mind… 1. It is much less expensive when serviced annually and cleaned regularly. Some Regulators even qualify for free service parts when the maintenance schedule if followed. 2. If this stuff breaks it could cost someone their life.
Please think about my two points. If you are guilty consider changing. We enjoy the freedom of our sport, let’s act responsibly and keep in that way. |
