November 2007

Fall weather is here!

Temperatures have dropped. At night, it’s below 80 air temperature but the water's still a very comfortable 82. While some of us may wear a shortie, it’s still wonderfully warm and tropical. This is also a great time of year to dive. We’re “between seasons” so the reef and the boats are uncrowded. You get the same three dives on the best reef in North America plus plenty of room to spread out. Check our trips page for more information.

Want to get certified? You can do the entire program, here with us, in as little as three days. Or talk to your local dive shop about doing a “referral”, where you do the classroom and pool training there, and then complete your open water dives in warm, clear, tropical water instead of a cold quarry or lake!

“Spring forward, fall back”...

Moving the change for daylight saving time to November may have played havoc with your PDA and cell phones, but it’s providing a great opportunityfor us here - with darkness coming earlier, we’re running night dives to Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. While not a scheduled event, we’re run a “six pack” boat (maximum of six divers) on-demand for groups of four or more for a 2-tank trip. Don’t have four in your group? Let us know and we’ll try to gather a few more for you. Since it’s not a “scheduled” trip, the more notice you can give us, the better we’ll be able to serve you. Check or trips page for more information.

Pay back time on the reef!

Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary gives us great diving all year long. So, in an effort to give something back to the reef, Looe Key Dive Center has donated our boat to a Reef Cleanup on December 1, 2007. We’ll be coordinating snorkelers, kayakers, and divers to help bring up trash and debris from the reef. For those who join us, there will be no charge for the boat that day. All we ask is that you help us take care of the reef. Space is limited, so make your reservations early! Find out more about Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary on our Dive Sites.

And speaking of cleanliness … 

There’s a commemorative plaque on the Adolphus Busch wreck that attracts a lot of marine growth (part of that “nature abhorring a vacuum” thing). Some considerate divers have been kind enough to tie some wire brushes nearby to help keep it clean. So, as you swim by the front of the wheelhouse, look for the plaque and give it a couple of rubs. In addition to helping it look better, it might bring good luck!

And finally, your 15 minutes of fame.

See your Looe Key and Adolphus Busch wreck photos or videos in our Photos of the Month Gallery (with complete credit, of course). Just email them to our web master at wetweb@comcast.net. As for format, bigger is usually better, but a minimum of 150 dpi and 300 x 400 pixels works best. Don’t worry too much though - we can resize them , if needed. Be sure to include your name and the date it was taken.

PADI’s Specialty of the Month Program

Be the diver everyone wants to follow and make your sense of direction legendary with the PADI Underwater Navigator Specialty course. Everyone’s buzzing about the reef or checking out the wreck, having a great time – until it’s time to go. Then they turn to you, because as a PADI Underwater Navigator, you know the way back to the boat.

Underwater navigation can be challenging, but in the PADI Underwater Navigator Specialty course, you master the challenge. Learn the tools of the trade - including navigation  by compass and natural terrain, how to estimate distance underwater, and knowing where you are all during the dive.

For more information,  go to http://www.padi.com/padi/en/kd/underwaternavigator.aspx