July 2009 >> Archives
Caribbean Diving – No Passport Required
| In this issue... |
The Vandenberg is ready for divers
The 522 ft. Vandenberg was sunk seven miles off of Key West on May 27th. The conditions were ideal and the sinking went perfectly. In a little less than two minutes, the ship slipped below the surface and settled upright on the bottom.
Video of the sinking.
Dive the Vandenberg.
Are you ready to dive the Vandenberg?
The depth of the Vandenberg ranges from 40 feet at the top of the superstructure to 140 feet at the bottom of the hull. Need a dive refresher? Ready to get your Advanced Open Water certification? Want to extend your bottom time by diving with Enriched Air Nitrox?
Schedule your class today. Call our shop 1-800-942-5397 or e-mail us
Study up on the History of the Vandenberg
School is out but our classroom (and pool and ocean) are open! Take a second dive course within 30 days of completing your first course and get 10% OFF your second course. We offer dive training at all levels - from Intro to Scuba to Divemaster.
Lobster mini-season opens Wednesday July 29th at 12:01 am and closes on Thursday July 3oth at 12:00 midnight. Get ready!
We have air fills and all of your "hunting supplies." We also rent scuba gear. Questions about gear prep, hunting regulations, online license purchase? Check out Mini-Season FAQ's
Underwater Music Festival
Saturday July 12th. 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Come celebrate the 25th anniversary of this unique event which takes place right onLooe Key Reef. This year's theme is the Beatles.
Forty years after the release of their “Yellow Submarine” album, the Beatles are embarking on another underwater adventure. Divers costumed as the iconic quartet are to star in the 25th annual Underwater Music Festival. Divers portraying “Ringo Starfish,” “John Lemon-shark,” “Paul McCarpney” and “George Herringson” are to rock the waters of the continental United States’ only living coral barrier reef during the offbeat underwater event, which typically draws as many as 600 divers and snorkelers each year. As well as watching the Beatles pretenders “perform” beneath the sea accompanied by backup singer “Mako Ono,” finned fans might even spot a replica yellow submarine saluting the album’s 1969 release.
Keys radio station US1 Radio 104.1 FM stages the event and broadcasts music underwater via Lubell Laboratory speakers suspended beneath boats positioned at the reef. The playlist is to include ocean-themed ditties such as Jimmy Buffett’s “Fins,” authentic humpback whale song and, of course, the Beatles’ “Octopus’s Garden” and “Yellow Submarine.” Underwater music “afishionados” also plan to jam on aquatic instruments sculpted by Florida Keys artist August Powers. Blending elements of sea creatures and actual instruments, Powers’ creations include a trom-bonefish, manta-lin and drumfish.
Yes, it's goofy and fun. But the underlying focus is serious - promoting preservation of the Florida Keys' coral reef ecosystem. Divers and snorkelers come join the fun from 10 am to 2 pm!
Call now to reserve your spot aboard the Kokomo Kat II 1-800-942-5397.
2008 Festival photos
Learn to dive in your jammies
Did you know that PADI now offers ONLINE instruction for Open Water as well as Advanced Open Water Diver certifications? That's right - you can do the classroom work at your convenience, from the comfort of your home. Once you've completed the course work online, you'll meet with your scuba instructor for a quick quiz, some skills practice in the pool
then four open water dives. Learn more about
Gear Meister answers your gear questions...
Staying Power - a reason to "Get Gassed"
Over the last few months, we talked about regulators. In your regulator search, perhaps you came across the phrase “NITROX compatible.” What does that mean and how could it effect your purchase? To answer that, we need a few sentences of technical discussion and a quick review of decompression theory.
As you recall, there are really only two things that determine how long we can stay down at a given depth in recreational diving – how long the gas in our cylinder lasts, and how much nitrogen we absorb. Bigger and more tanks solves the first problem. Altering our breathing gas solves the second.
The normal air that we breathe is roughly 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen. Our body uses the oxygen to feed our cells. Nitrogen, on the other hand, can’t readily be used by our bodies for fuel. Instead, it is stored in our cells and can cause problems with decompression illness when we surface. At depth, the greater pressure surrounding our body forces more nitrogen into our cells at a faster rate than on the surface. It is this stored nitrogen that limits the amount of no decompression time we can spend at depth. The greater the depth, the greater the rate at which nitrogen is absorbed by our body, and the less time we can stay down before we reach our no decompression limit. That’s why we can stay at a shallow depth for a long time but only a short time at deep depths.
NITROX, also known as Enriched Air Nitrox (EAN), was designed to reduce the amount of nitrogen that our body absorbs at depth and thereby increase our bottom time before reaching our no decompression limit. Nitrox is made by removing some of the nitrogen from the air and replacing it with additional oxygen. For example, a common Nitrox mix is EAN-32, or 32% oxygen and 68% nitrogen. Our body simply uses the additional oxygen as it normally would. But since there is less nitrogen in the mix to begin with, there is less for our body to absorb, and we get to stay down longer. For example, a diver breathing normal air on a dive to 100 feet (33m) is limited to 20 minutes. Breathing EAN-32, that same dive is safely extended to 30 minutes. So you can see the benefit of using NITROX.
Too much of a good thing...
But, if it’s so good, why don’t we use it all the time? Or why don’t we get rid of all the nitrogen and replace it with 100% oxygen.? There are some negatives to using NITROX. One major reason is that a given percentage of oxygen will become toxic at a certain depth, causing vision problems and seizures. The greater the percentage of oxygen, the shallower the depth at which it becomes toxic. So, depending on how deep you want to go, you may not be able to use NITROX at all. Or the ratio will be so little changed from regular air, that the benefit is marginal. This oxygen toxicity hazard is why a diver should never use NITROX unless they have first been trained in how to safely use it.Equipment hapzards
Another hazard associated with oxygen affects our equipment. High concentrations of oxygen are extremely flammable, even explosive. High concentrations of oxygen can be ignited by coming into contact with petroleum products, certain kinds of rubber (as in o-rings), or other contaminants in the cylinder or other equipment. For recreational diving, the oxygen limit has been restricted to 40%. Most scuba regulators (first stage, second stages, and SPG) made today - 1995 and later - are made to be compatible with oxygen concentrations up to 40% and will include a statement on the box to that effect. If a new regulator set doesn’t specifically state that it is NITROX compatible, it may not be and could present a fire/explosion hazard. Regulators made before 1995 may or may not be compatible and you should check with the manufacturer for guidance.
You may also see some regulators that are NITROX compatible above 40% - all the way up to 100%. These are for technical diving and far beyond the scope of what you will use in recreational diving. And no, more is not better. These regulators have greater care and maintenance requirements that cost you extra money.
Plan ahead
Do you really need your regulator to be NITROX compatible? Even if you’re just getting started in diving and can’t even see yourself using some “voodoo” gas, it’s very likely that you may change your mind later on. Recreational NITROX is very useful, safe, and available if you get proper training. Even if it were to cost a few dollars more to purchase a compatible regulator, it would be worth it in the long run rather than have to rent or buy a second reg just to use NITROX."Mo' better"
Of course, using NITROX can’t help you stay down longer if you run out of gas in your cylinder - that only gets better with practice. The more you dive, the better you dive.Deep Diver
After your first few scuba dives, you soon want to explore a bit deeper. There’s something exciting and mysterious about the depth that attracts divers.
What You Learn
- Techniques for diving in the deeper range of 18-40 metres/ 60-130 feet
- Deep scuba diving equipment considerations
- Experience in planning, organizing and making at least four deep dives under the supervision of your PADI Instructor
Prerequisites
Be 15 years or older
- Have a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification (or have an equivalent qualifying certification from another organization.)
The Learning Materials You Need
PADI’s Deep Diver crewpak (DVD and manual) provides a thorough overview of the principles and techniques needed to complete the PADI Deep Diver specialty. In addition to previewing skills you’ll practice with your instructor, the materials serve as a reference guide for deep diving in a variety of conditions and environments.
You can purchase this product at Looe Key Dive Center.
More info at PADI.com
Schedule your class now! Call Looe Key Dive Center 1-800-942-5397
or contact us by e-mailHave you seen this fish??
Beautiful but deadly, the lionfish is an invasive exotic species native to the Indo-Pacific region. It is being found in increasing numbers along the east coast of the United States as well as the Caribbean. The red lionfish (Pterois volitans) is a predatory fish with few natural enemies that devours smaller indigenous reef fish at an alarming rate. It also poses a threat to divers and fishermen - the fins are tipped with venomous spines that inflict a painful sting.
So far, we have not seen the red lionfish on Looe Key reef. It has, however, been spotted off Key Largo. What can you do?
If you see this fish, report it
More info about lionfish here
Sergeant Major - Abudefduf saxatili
This member of the damselfish family can regularly be seen feeding along the top of the reef or guarding the algae gardens in some hole along the reef. The upper part of the body is usually yellow and the lower part silvery white. They have five black body bars that make them easy to distinguish. Typically 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) in length, they occasionally grow up to 7 inches (18 cm.)
