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Plans For Trips in 2010: During the last couple of dive club
meetings we've been trying to nail down ideas for upcoming trips.
We'll post more information on the forums but here are some highlights:
Balmorhea State Park. This is always a fun trip and it's
good for every level of diver. A four hour drive puts you in extremely
clear, pool-like water with huge numbers of fish, some soft-shell turtles
and, depending on the time of year, diving ducks. You can bring an RV,
tent or stay in one of the cabins. You will be responsible for your
own reservations, but if you network with other divers who are going you can
usually work out convenient arrangements. Trips are scheduled for:
17-18 September. We've
been known to throw one together in October, but no guarantees.
PADI Instructor: Robert
Wade, #234370.
Dive Classes for 2010: Please check the forums for details on class
costs, etc. Special request one-on-one classes are available, though
at a premium rate. Download
"Things You Should
Know About Your Open Water Class"
Formally scheduled classes
for the 2010 season are as follows: September 23-26 and a possible
October class. Download
the R.S.T.C.
Medical Statement and fill it out. If you answer "Yes" to any
question you must obtain a physician signature indicating you are fit to
dive.
Advanced, Rescue Diver and Divemaster scheduled based on interest. Currently we have three
divers who have expressed interest in attaining Advanced certification, so
one of our first classes will likely be an Advanced class.
WHERE DO I GET AIR? WHERE CAN I GET VISUAL INSPECTIONS DONE? WHERE CAN I RENT GEAR? AMISTAD SCUBA! Owners, Baye & Mary Wilson. Amistad Scuba carries the Sport Diver
and Sherwood line of gear. Located
at 3821 Veterans Blvd (Hwy 90 West, on the way out of town). Phone:
830-719-5364. Stop by and give 'em
a shout or visit their website
here!
Also, PADI Instructor, Rob Wade, aka Scubadog, has
purchased a new compressor for the purposes of filling tanks during classes,
but in some cases he will be able to do tank
fills when Amistad Scuba isn't available. Amistad Scuba is the
ONLY place you can get your annual visual inspection done, so regardless of
where you get your air fills, your tanks must be current in both hydro
testing and visual.
WHAT ABOUT DIVE CHARTERS? AMISTAD AQUA ADVENTURES!
With a perfectly configured boat and a thorough knowledge the optimal dive
spots on Amistad, Captain Mark Bewley can take you there.
www.amistad-aqua-adventures.
TIDBITS ABOUT AMISTAD: Many of you have heard of Indian
Springs. located up the Devil's River. But have you heard of
Goodenough Springs? Back in the early 1900s the locals relied on
the springs, then located up the Rio Grande, to power a waterwheel that fed
water up the bluff to the surrounding land. Of course, in 1968 they
built a dam and created the Amistad Reservoir, which placed the springs well
underwater. What you may also not be aware of is that the spring still
flows and that a team of technical divers began a project that culminated in
dives in 2003 and 2005. This project is called GSEP, the
Goodenough Springs Exploration Project. Their website is located at
www.goodenoughsprings.org. They have some fascinating photographs
and detailed explanation of the project and the dives. Also formerly
known as Hinojosa Springs, it now is submerged in an average of 150ft of
water, well below the depth of recreational divers. In fact, as the
GSEP website makes quite clear, it is one of the most dangerous cave dives
in the world. There is currently a permanent bouy marking its location
and the GSEP team did extensive work to lay the guide lines through the cave
and a Grim Reaper sign at its entrance. It should go without saying,
you should not attempt this dive unless you are certified in Cave Diving AND
have had extensive experience and proper equipment. This would include
decompression stops and use of tri-mix tanks. |