Steve D's Scuba Blog

FYI

2007-12-30T12:26:00.000-05:00

We have changed blogs so look for updates off of the diverstwo web site www.diverstwo.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2007-12-27T15:05:00.000-05:00

2007 was a rather strange year in my opinion as far as diving is concerned. The vis off shore seemed to be touch and go yet the inshore vis during May, June and July was outstanding. Spear fishing was very popular around the jetties that is if you can keep up with the ever changing game laws. Certifications were certainly up this year and there were great turnouts for our Happy Hour Dives yet there seem to be less divers getting off shore. We had some fun trips this year including a couple down in Florida. (You know they were good when the local bar calls you to find out when you are returning)..

We learned recently that the Charter boat Outlaw is up for sale. I personally have many many fond memories of diving and crewing on the Outlaw. I probably learned most of what I know about Diving off shore in NJ from being on the Outlaw and working with Captain Bob.

So it look like 2008 is going to provide us with a few changes and a few challenges but look for the staff at Divers Two to provide you with the best service and the best training and to keep you diving as much as you want to. Look for more Local dives including off shore and inshore. Look for more trips both exotic and those within driving distance.

Have a Happy and Healthy 2008
Steve D

Merry Christmas

2007-12-23T14:19:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,
Well we are still waiting for the weather to cooperate and allow us to get a few more dives in before it get really cold in January. So Santa please bring me better visibility and calm seas so i may go diving before the really cold weather gets here next month. Well it doesn't hurt to ask...

Merry Christmas from our family to yours and may the Christmas spirit stay with you throughout the year.
Your friends at Divers Two

Rich Goldman's Florida Pic's

2007-12-20T10:02:00.000-05:00

Well, Do to the weather I haven't had any local reports do give you so he is what is going on down florida way;

12/19/2007 – Twas a few days before Christmas and the Ocean was a stirring. The wave heights were less then 2 feet high and the water temps were down to 75 degrees on Black Condos Reef in Boynton Beach , Florida . The visibility was a poor 50’ (usually around 100’) and the fishies were quite friendly. The reef systems at Boynton & Delray Beaches start only ¾ of a mile off shore. The tops of the reef are at 60’ and you are 80’ in the sand. That leaves you with a 20’ wall of plenty of places for critters to hide. This is a common place for the loggerhead turtles to hang out. They are quite friendly and will often approach right up to you if you just hang out with the drift. I frequently dive with Lynn of Splashdown Divers because of their knowledge of the area, hospitality of their diver masters and spaciousness of their dive boat.

Try Another Day

2007-12-14T15:58:00.000-05:00

Well, After looking at the vis we made the decision not to go in to the inlet today.It also looks like this weekend is going to be a washout but hey, that's northeast diving as they say Hopefully it will just rain and we can give it another try the Tuesday. I'll keep you posted.

Conditions Off Shore

2007-12-11T16:03:00.000-05:00

Hi Folks,
I haven't made it out lately (there's a surprise) But i did get some reports last weekend. reports from Sunday on the lady go diver said they had about 15 to 20 foot vis on some of the inshore wrecks and the temps were in the mid to upper 40's I am going to try to do an inlet dive on Friday morning however i don't think the sun will ever come out again so we will see what happens.

Things to do when it's chilly.

2007-11-30T14:27:00.000-05:00

Hi Folks,
We haven't been in the water this week but there is allot going on around the store. We have an Emergency First Responder course coming up on the 12th of December. This class will train you on basic first Aid, Adult CPR. If you are considering taking the Rescue Diver course next year you will need this course.
We Still may pull a dive off in the next week or so but you will probably want to have a dry suit unless you are brave enough to go in with a we suit.
Also coming up we will be having a Happy Hour dive...OK not really a dive but something fun. look for details on that next week.

Carl went diving

2007-11-25T13:13:00.000-05:00

Carl made it offshore yesterday and dove a couple lesser known wrecks but had a blast. He braved the Freezing cold air temps in the morning but the diving made it all worth it.
Visibility was around 10 ft with water temps around 52 degrees top to bottom. All in all it was a great day.

Things you can learn from a 2 yr old.

2007-11-21T10:52:00.000-05:00

So i was trying to come up with a Thanksgiving day blog for this year. I was looking back at last years and thought well yea i 'm thankful for good vis ,warm temps blah blah blah, that's a giving.
I was walking on the boardwalk with my daughter this morning and she ask me to take her down to the water so of course i did. When we got down to the edge she looked up and said "thank you daddy" . Then after a while she asked to go up to the playground, we got there and again she says "thank you daddy" after that we went back to the van, dropped her off at grandma's and before I left again she says" thank you daddy" So i thought about it and said you can be thankful for things but how often do we say thank you. makes you wonder. so i will say this.
Thank you to everyone who has taken classes with us this year.
Thank you to my great staff who tries to work hard to make all of our your diving experience safe and fun
Thank you to all of our customers for supporting the store so I can continue to do what I love.
And most of all thank you to my two year old for reminding me to stop and say "hey thanks"

Happy Thanksgiving
Steve D

Bill's St Croix trip

2007-11-18T14:22:00.000-05:00

The diving in St. Croix is done mostly along the North shore at Cane Bay. There are a wide variety of sites including the Cane Bay Wall which runs along the entire North shore. Max time by boat is about 15 minutes on very calm water. The Cane Bay Dive Shop has 4 boats with a maximum of 6 divers per boat. Entries are done through a hole in the bow or over the side with doning gear in the water. What's great here is the shore diving possibilities. Unlike many resorts there actually is great shore diving because the Wall is a short swim off the beach.
The coral and sponge life is abundant and very varied.
There are plenty of hiding spots for critters, including eels, lobsters, crabs, octopus, stone fish, and the always enjoyable find sea horses. Fish life is sparse at times but just when you don't expect it, a sea turtle, barracuda, or rays swim by. The Night diving is available every day, except at the pier where they need a minimum of 2 divers.
Boats go out at 9:30, 1:30, and 3:30. Nitrox is available at any mix but the standard mix is 32. Dive time is not limited and you are free to explore on your own. There are only 2 wrecks, one at 110 ft to 70ft, a 100 ft ferry, and a tug boat at about 60 ft. You never have to touch your gear except at setup and break down, the DM's change over and load the gear.
We stayed at Carambola resort about 2 miles away, and the shop will pick you up and drop you off, but we had a car. The rooms at Carambola have a king bed and pull out sofa bed with the largest bathrooms I have seen, and a screened in porch for a natural feel. We had a fridge but I think some rooms didn't.
Right at the dive shop was a bar and restaurant, not pricy but very local, called Full Moon. Down the road a piece was Off the Wall a real local stop where you will see much of the dive staff relaxing after a hard day lugging tanks.

Today's Shark river conditions

2007-11-11T13:22:00.000-05:00

Sharon and newly certified Joe Parone braved the chilly temps this morning and jumped in to do Joe's final two dives today. air temp was in the upper 30's. Water temp has now dropped to 54 degrees and the vis was only around 4 feet and turned worse as the tide changed. Weather looks better this week but i don't see the water getting warmer. Oh well

brrrrrrr

2007-11-02T16:15:00.000-04:00

So Carl just got out of the bay a few minutes ago, he had 6 ft vis and the water temp has droped to 59 degrees.

Yep we are still diving

2007-11-02T11:40:00.000-04:00

Carl was in the bay the other day here is what he had to say:

Water temp 61 degrees, vis 10-15 ft. Fish are moving out, but did see a couple of butterfly fish, a fluke, and zillions of hermit crabs and green crabs.
One whelk slowly digesting a crab, great for Halloween.
George Koutris was treated to the sight of a cormorant diving and swimming underwater.

Carl

Looks like the happy hour will not go tomorrow due to the high wind.

PUMPKIN CARVING CANCELLD

2007-10-25T14:10:00.000-04:00

Sorry Folks this years underwater pumpkin carving contest is cancelled due to the weather. It dosent mean the seasons over so keep checking for more dives and events.
Happy Hollween!!!!!

GREAT TIME THIS WEEKND

2007-10-23T12:15:00.000-04:00

A great time was had by all last Sunday up at Dutch Springs in Pa. Weather was warm and sunny with the air temperature pushing 80 degrees. Water temps were 73 degrees at 25 feet, 68 degrees at 60 feet and 58 on the bottom.
After the rains last week the back bay mucked up pretty good so we opted to stay out this past weekend being it was the first big rain storm in along time. Today looks pretty good but more rain is for casted for today. hopefully it will all clear up by Friday for our pumpkin carving.
stay tuned for more info on that event.

Manasquan River R R Bridge

2007-10-15T15:12:00.000-04:00

Had a nice dive at the RR bridge last Friday. Vis was around ten feet and the water temp. was around 66 degrees. Unfortunately we had to cancel last Saturday's happy hour dive because the winds were blowing NW and that sometimes can make the dive back there difficult.

This Sunday Carol and Lance are heading up to Dutch Springs for the day. If anyone would like to join them give ma a call at the store for more details. Also don't forget our underwater Pumpkin carving contest on the 26Th. Hope to see a good turn out from the MATES school this year. MAST out did us last year so lets all come out and have fun and you even might win a prize.

2007 Shark River Clean Up

2007-09-29T20:06:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,
Despite the higher than expected northwest winds, this years Clean up dive was a huge success. Approximately 60 divers and non divers came to the Belmar Marina to help keep one of the best shore dive sites clean and safe for everyone to enjoy. This was our 14Th year and yet still allot of metal, plastics and other types of garbage were picked up. We brought up everything from fishing line to plastic bottles and bags and also a few fishing poles. One lucky diver got himself an anchor to use for his boat.
Special thanks to the D2 Staff who turned out to help - Sharon, Pete, Adam, Mike, Katie, Blair, Linda, Jeremy, Bob, Anne, Joe, and Carl. (If i missed someone sorry ). Also thanks to the Town of Belmar, The Belmar harbor, The NJ State Marine Police, M.A.T.E.S Kids for being a huge help and Mayor Ken Pringle for helping me put it together.
SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THE DIVERS FOR COMING OUT TO HELP.
Here are some pics of the day!!

Dosen't get much better

2007-09-24T15:14:00.000-04:00

I was supposed to head off shore but missed the boat (had to close store) so I jumped in the Shark River inlet. Man was that a good idea. 40 ft vis, 70 degree water temp and fish everywhere from tog to sea bass to bait fish and trops. Who knows how long the weather will last so jump in.

Fun Day at Dutch Springs

2007-09-17T21:35:00.000-04:00

SEPTEMBER 16, 2007

DUTCH PLAY DAY

THANKS TO THE EIGHTEEN DIVERS WHO BRAVED THE COOL 45* SEPTEMBER MORNIN TO JOIN US AT DUTCH SPRINGS FOR OUR PLAY DAY.THE WATER WAS A BALMY 63* AT 65 FT WITH A GOOD 30 FOOT VIZ.
LANCE TOOK SOME OF THE FUN DIVERS ON 2 EXTENDED TOURS TO THE SIKORSKI HELOCOPTER, THE NEW HELLDIVER AIRPLANE, THE CESSNA WITH IT'S NEW WING, THE SCHOOL BUS & ASHORT HOPE OVER TO THE NEW TRAINING PLATFORMS TO CHECK THINKS OUT.
WHILE SOME OF THE DRYSUIT DIVERS VISITED THE TROLLEY & THE NEW CRANE. ( MORE TOYS )
CREG B. & CAROL WORKED WITH 8 DIVERS ON THEIR DEEP, NAVIGATION & SEARCH & RECOVERY PORTION OF THE ADVANCED OPEN WATER CLASS .
BY NOON THE TEMPERATURE CLIMBED TO A COZY 73* AS WE ALL ATE LUNCH UNDER A BEAUTIFUL BLUE SUNNY SKY.
SOME EXPRESSED INTEREST IN A RESCUE CLASS & OTHERS ANOTHER PLAY DAY WHICH WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON FOR DATE IN OCTOBER,
SO L@@K FOR THE EMAIL !

HOPE ALL HAD A GREAT TIME,
I KNOW WE DID !

MANY HAPPY BUBBLES,

CAROL, LANCE & CREG B.

Tonights Inlet Dive

2007-09-11T12:12:00.000-04:00

HI folks,
As of now the dive at A street is still on however we will check the weather around 4:00pm and make a finale decision by then.

IT'S A BOY

2007-09-06T08:54:00.000-04:00

Congatulations to Pete and Megan Pfeifer on the the Birth of thier son Sean.

Upcoming Inlet Dive

2007-09-05T13:30:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone,
It's that time a year again when the benny's go home and kids head back to school so you know what that means...It's time to take back the inlet in the name of us locals. We are meeting Tuesday the 11th at 7:15 PM at the A Street in Belmar for a locals only night dive. Join Sharon and myself for a fun filled evening repelling down the rocks and blow'in some bubbles.

GREAT JOB!!

2007-08-31T15:07:00.001-04:00

Congrats to Tori, Steven, Rachel, John, and Thomas for becoming PADI Open Water divers on Aug. 31st!!

Water temp - 72 degrees, viz - about 5 feet.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

2007-08-26T17:36:00.000-04:00

Congratulations go out to Carol Fletcher, Ray Ruffini, and Tom Matthews on successfully passing thier PADI Instructor Exam this weekend!!

Great Job!!

A good time

2007-08-26T07:17:00.001-04:00

A good time was had by all at the Happy Hour held on Aug. 18th... We had 4 Happy Hour divers, 1 student finishing up there Open Water Cert. and Carl had 4 students working on there Advanced Cert.

Water temperature was about 70 degrees and viz for me was about 5 - 8 feet depending on if you got behind someones elses dust cloud!!

But all in all everyone came back safely and had a great time.

Some St. Lawrence Pics

2007-08-24T11:37:00.002-04:00

Here are some of Carl's St. Lawrence Pics -

Newest Seal Team Members

2007-08-23T07:22:00.001-04:00

After a long summer of fun and bubbles I can now announce our 9 newest Seal Team Members!!

Congratulatsions to Matt, Sara, Christian, Peter, Miller, Mae, Owen, Jordan, and Ally!!

After completing the 5 Aquamissions to become Seal Team members, they also had the oppurtunity to participate in Safety, Snapshot and Wreck (Thanks Rich for building the wreck it was awesome!) specialty Aquamissions. Everyone did a GREAT job!!

Here are some more pics:

Our next Seal Team will begin September 12th at the OCYmca!! For more details contain Divers Two!!

Carl's Trip to St. Lawrence River

2007-08-21T20:15:00.001-04:00

The Divers Two 2007 Expedition to the St. Lawrence River recently returned victoriously to New Jersey. The members of the expedition had the opportunity to dive the unique shipwrecks of the 1000 Island Region of the river in 73 degree water with visibility in the 20 - 50 ft range. In all, the group completed 18 dives on the six day trip and had ample opportunity to feast on Poutine and the native malted beverages.

A charming and complete dive report with photos is available at:
http://www.wreckvalley.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=25666#25666

deficient only in that the charismatic, personally charming leader of the expedition is barely mentioned.

Plans for a 2008 return engagement are underway. Stay tuned.

Shark Dive Trip to Mexico

2007-08-15T19:32:00.000-04:00

Mike Ryan took this picture of a great white Shark on his trip to Mexico's Pacific coast. More info on the trip coming soon.

Andrea Doria

2007-08-06T14:29:00.000-04:00

Divemaster Anne Dashevsky recently dove the Andria Doria and here is her story...

Andrea Doria dive report, July 28-30 on the Independence II

Saturday, July 28
It’s a hot and sticky night. I’m already dripping sweat just from loading my gear on the boat. I’m not complaining though, this is the best weather for diving. The hot west air and lack of wind means the ocean will be flat. I haven’t told many people about this trip. Mostly because I know that my chances of actually getting a single dive in on the first try are slim. At least three of the scheduled charters this year were blown out before the boat even left the dock. Then there’s always the possibility that we’ll get there and spend all our time helplessly waiting for the strong current to slow down or it will be so choppy that I’ll be too seasick to dive. And finally, I’m tired of wasting my breath explaining to people that I do not have a death wish. Just because this shipwreck has been dubbed the “Mount Everest of scuba diving” doesn’t mean that you can’t come back alive. With the proper training and preparation, it can be done safely; I’ve been working on this goal myself for at least 10 years. Yes, I’m talking about the Andrea Doria, an Italian oceanliner that sunk on July 26, 1956 about 50 miles off the coast of Nantucket in 250 feet of seawater.

I met the other guys on the boat (they are all guys; you won’t find many women diving in the Northeast and even fewer on a deep dive like this). I recognize some of the names (Dan and Brandon from NE scuba) and I’ve met most of the crew before (Capt’s Dan and Jay and Mark). Terry and Dave are the only ones I haven’t met before. What I like most about diving is the camaraderie—just a few good stories about past dives breaks the ice and soon I feel like I’ve known these guys all my life.

We leave the dock around 1 am. I try to sleep in one of the bunks below but I’m too excited. I feel like a kid again at Christmas time, wondering if this year that I’ll get that pink Huffy bike I petitioned for all year.

Sunday, July 29
The crew, Terry and Mark, splash first and tie us in to the wreck. We wait eagerly for the Styrofoam cups to pop to the surface, our indication that the pool is open. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, the cups appear and we start gearing up. Today is just as hot and humid as the previous night but the water temperature at the bottom is in the mid 40’s and we are all wearing dry suits. Unlike a wet suit, a dry suit keeps you completely dry keeps you warmer in cold water. However, it also requires lots of insulation, fleecy garments that we call underwear. I wear the same long johns and fleece outfit that I wear when I go skiing. There’s no way around it, putting on all those heavy layers and a dry suit in the middle of summer is just miserable.

Dan and Brandon get ready first. I’m diving with Dave (the other rebreather diver) who isn’t quite ready so I wait and sweat. Captain Dan waters me like a dying plant with a nearby hose but the cool water only gets to my face. Finally we’re ready to go. I waddle to the transom wearing gear that probably weighs more than I do. The rebreather alone is 50 pounds yet it’s positively buoyant in the water so I have to wear another 20 pounds of lead to compensate for it. Then there are the extra bailout tanks, two 40 aluminum tanks weighing about 10 pounds each and a small 6 cubic foot tank to inflate my dry suit. I’m sure this is just one of many reasons why you don’t see many women on the deep dives. I travel frequently for work and I can’t help but laugh when guys offer to help lift my little 15 pound suitcase everywhere I go.

The current is pretty strong and I struggle to swim the couple of feet between the stern and the down line which is weighted and slopes down to the anchor line, making it easier than swimming on the surface. I head down as fast as I can but the current is still ripping at 20 feet. I suspected as much when I dropped my gear line in the water and it immediately went to a 45 degree angle. I pull myself along the line; hand over hand, working up even more of a sweat. Although I’m not really seasick, I feel nauseous from the heat, the lack of sleep, food and caffeine (we skipped breakfast in the rush to get into the water). I try to flood my hood with some cold water but like the hose on the boat, it only cools down my head and it’s the rest of me that’s burning up.

About halfway to the anchor line, I feel caught. Dave comes up behind me and frees my dry suit regulator which was caught up in the line. I try going forward again but I’m already exhausted. The current may be the same, better or worse on the bottom. I ask myself if I have enough energy to do the dive, especially if something should go wrong and I have to bail-out. Since the dive is so deep, I can’t just check out the conditions on the bottom and pop back up to the surface. I’ll probably have at least 15 minutes of deco and the thought of hanging out in the current is not appealing. I decide to head back. I signal to Dave to go on without me and I reluctantly head back to the boat.

After the dive, everyone else talks about how great it was; there was no current on the bottom. Now it feels like Christmas morning and I got nothing. I’m kicking myself for turning around but I know it was the right decision at the time. Suddenly, during the surface interval, smoke starts coming out of the electrical closet. The crew rushes to see what the problem is. There’s a short in the generator switch. The crew is working on the situation but without a generator, there’s no radar and we can’t stay out overnight without that or else we too might end up on the bottom next to the Andrea Doria (of course, radar did nothing to prevent the collision between the Stockholm and the Andrea Doria :-). Now I’m kicking myself even more that I missed the first dive. The current could pick up this afternoon and then I won’t get a single dive on this wreck. After weeks of preparation, the long 4+ hour drive up to Montauk and the 6+ hour boat ride to the site, it seems like this is the closest I’m ever going to get.

The crew works some magic and somehow fixes the switch. What a relief! Enough time has finally passed so that we can do another dive. I check my gear line, this time it’s hanging nearly vertical in the Carolina blue water, it’s a good sign. I feel better after drinking some iced coffee and eating. A slight breeze has come in making it much more pleasant to get dressed.

Dave and I splash first this time. There is no current and I drop down the anchor line as fast as my ears allow me. It seems to take forever, 100, 150, 175, and then finally we hit the port side at about 190 feet. It’s so dark; it feels like a night dive. I switch on the big light while Dave ties off his wreck reel. There are portholes everywhere but we would have to find a way inside the wreck to get to them and Dave and I have already agreed to just make this an orientation dive.

We drop over the side and start swimming along the wreck at about 220. We’re anchored at mid-ship and it’s pretty much collapsed. It looks like a big Mohawk as Dan Crowell told me it would. I spot a window with the glass still intact but it’s wedged under so much other debris, I can’t get it out easily. I decide that I don’t want to spend my precious 25 minutes of bottom time struggling with it. We cruise along and spot several flounder. It’s so disorienting because the wreck is on its starboard side the flounder are lying on the deck floor which now looks more like a wall. If I wasn’t using trimix, I might think I was seeing things.

At about 15 minutes, Dave signals that it’s time to go. We didn’t find anything to bring up this time. The most important part for me is just saying that I did it. Before we leave, I give the wreck a pat and say, “this one’s for you Carol” Carol’s one of the divemasters at the shop. When she heard I was going to the Doria, she told me how she always wanted to do that dive. She went through all the training but when it came time to go, her family just didn’t want her to do it. I do understand why your family and friends worry about you when you announce that you’re going to do a dive like this. After all, even though all of your intentions are to come back alive, there’s no guarantee that you will. This isn’t some highly engineered and tested amusement park ride where you or your family can sue the owners if things don’t go just right.

We start working our way up the anchor line. It will be at least another 75 minutes before I can get out of this suit and pee (that’s the other disadvantage of a dry suit over a wet suit and probably another major reason why more women don’t dive). At least I know I’m drinking enough water. The minutes tick by so slowly. I don’t enjoy the deco as much as I usually do. It’s so peaceful in the water, especially at the shallow stops where the water is warmer and the sunlight still filters through. I usually get bored but I decide to take on Terry’s perspective—we all have so much going on in our lives while on the surface, why not enjoy the time you have in the water where you’re completely unplugged--no email, phone calls, or any other demands.

Once my deco is complete, I take advantage of the calm weather and head over to my gear line and unclip my bail-out tanks so I don’t have to struggle up the ladder with all that extra weight. I rush up the ladder and strip off my gear so I can get to the head. Another great dive was had by all and Captain Jay already has dinner ready for us. The red sun is just starting to set and the full moon begins to rise. I feel great but apparently some of the guys don’t—they head over the side and throw up from seasickness.

Monday, July 30
The next day we wake up to the most awful smell, “poopourri” or the head being cleaned out. It was an effective alarm clock. I check my gear line—it’s going at a little bit of angle but not as bad as the day before. We start getting dressed. The crew warns me that my drysuit was in the line of fire the night before so I hold off on getting dressed until the last minute (luckily it was zipped shut so the puke was only on the outside). In my haste, I realize that I forgot to put my knife on my leg. It’s nearly impossible to bend over with all the gear on so I let the crew put it on my leg.

Dave and I buddy up again, this time in search of some tile. Everyone told us the tile was directly below the anchor line so we swim straight down. I see the lifeboat davits—about the only thing recognizable in this wreckage. All I see are mounds of cables and steel plates heaped on top of one another. I spot something that looks like an engine. I’m beginning to doubt the location—I can’t imagine that the pool is here no matter how the wreck has collapsed. We’re well into our bottom time and Dave must read my mind because he signals to me to go to the right.

We head off in that direction and still don’t spot anything. It’s already been 20 minutes, time to go back. But then just as we’d given up, we spot the huge mounds of tile! Dave grabs two large chunks, one for each of us. I wasn’t too optimistic this time either though and didn’t bring my bag so I’m holding it in my hands as we head back to the anchor.

Soon I realize that I’m not getting anywhere despite the hard kicks and I’m sinking when I should be letting air out of my drysuit. I shine my light near my legs and see the dreaded fishing wire entangled around my fins. I reach for my knife but I can’t get it out of the sheath. “What the ?” I say to myself and then I see that the sheath is facing the inside of my leg. Dave is almost over the lip and since he has the line, I decide I better signal him so I don’t lose my breadcrumbs back to the anchor. I wave my light and Dave comes to help me as I cut the line free. I put the tile down when I went for my knife and I’m afraid that it’s slid off the ledge and lost forever but luckily it’s still there. We hurry back to the anchor line—an extra five minutes at the bottom here can add up to another 20 minutes of deco on top of our already 99 minute run time.

The current has picked up again and my mask is flooding as a result. I’m trying to catch my breath but I keep getting water through the rebreather mouthpiece too. It seems like every breath is half air and half water. Is it the current? Did I put a hole in one of the hoses while we were swimming around? Should I switch to my bailout? I had a similar incident while going through my initial rebreather training and in the end, there was nothing wrong with the unit. I face away from the current and concentrate on my breathing. I realize that I’m breathing through my nose and inhaling water through my flooding mask. It takes a few breathing cycles but I finally get enough air in my lungs to blow the water out of my mouthpiece and get things back to normal. I look at our depth; we’re still below 100 feet and have a long ride ahead of us. The current lets up as we get shallower and I relax for most of it. One computer is already clear but the other one still has another 20 minutes to go. I always knew it was on the conservative side but I didn’t realize it was that different. I have to fly for work the next day though so it’s probably just as well that I follow the ultra-conservative computer.

While I’m waiting, I decide to unclip my tanks again. I notice a piece of Sargasso weed is wrapped around my line. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I was in North Carolina again. As soon as I get to my gear line, the current picks up. I’ve already clipped one part of the bottle to the line so now I’m committed to unclipping the second one too. It takes me several minutes but I have plenty of time anyway and I figure it’s good practice.

Then the current gets even stronger and incredibly warm like bathwater. I hold on to my line as tight as I can and exhale to let some air out of my loop but I find myself at 10 feet. I had planned to complete my deco at my preferred 20 feet. Luckily my computer shows a ceiling of only 5 feet anyway but I make a note to myself to complete my deco on the anchor line next time. Just as suddenly, the current slacks and the water turns cold. I think about the crew telling us how last year the water seemed to be boiling off the stern of the boat—the result of the Gulf Stream and Labrador currents having a smack down. This happens a few more times and just when I think my arms can’t take it anymore, the computer finally clears. I decide to climb up the ladder with the other tank rather than risk another sleigh ride.

It was another fantastic day of diving and wish we could’ve stayed out there another week. I’m know there are better, deeper wrecks out there—wrecks that still look like ships, where you can go inside and navigate without a reel but you just can’t beat the cachet of this wreck. I freely admit to being a wreck name-dropper, i.e. mentioning the name of the wreck when it has no relevance to the story, “I was diving on the Texas Tower when I heard this joke…” Most of the wreck names result in blank stares from non-divers but mention the Andrea Doria and their eyes are wide open.

I always thought that diving the Doria once would be enough but I’d go again tomorrow if I could. It’s still an amazing wreck and I’ve only seen such a small part of it. If only I could dive it often enough to know it as well as the Mohawk…that might take another ten years but I’m willing to try!

The weather is GREAT

2007-08-05T07:11:00.001-04:00

and the water is even better -- last check of the L Street beach on Friday - Aug 3, the water temp was a great 72 degrees -- felt like bath water and viz was easily 10 - 15 feet!! We saw a HUGE eel, plus lots of fluke/flounder.

And congratulations to our newest open water divers -- Bridget and Joe from MATES -- GREAT JOB!!

Remember to keep an eye on the Divers Two website for upcoming Happy Hour dives and upcoming classes!!

Stay Wet!!

CALLING ALL DIVERS!!

2007-07-17T16:07:00.000-04:00

It is a GREAT time to get out and dive -- the weather is great!! Last check on water temps in L Street was upper 60's and a viz of about 15 - 20 feet!!

Last weekend Carol had a GREAT turnout for the Happy Hours, everyone had a fun and got a little wet too!! Don't miss out on this Saturday's Happy Hour at L Street - with a 12:45 meet time...

Happy Diving!!

UPCOMING DIVES

2007-07-12T13:16:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,
This weekend we have two Happy Hour dives with Carol and Lance in the back bay, first one is Friday night meeting at 6:45 PM and Sunday Morning meeting at 8:00AM at the Lst beach in Belmar. For those of you not familiar with the dives they are free dives open to all of D2 customers.
Latest conditions have been fantastic yet a bit nippy holding in the low 60's. Vis has been around 15-20 feet with lots of life including seahorses, Puffers and strippers. Hope to see ya there.

GREAT JOB TRAVIS

2007-07-06T21:31:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Travis Nagiewicz For completing his Jr. Open Water Certification.

MORE MATES BECOME OPEN WATER DIVERS!!

2007-07-02T19:38:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to our next round of open water dives from the MATES school!! WE had another 10 divers complete thier certification this weekend and all had a great time.

With water temps of about 65 degrees and viz of about 15 feet -- how could you not have a good time!!

BACK BAY UPDATE

2007-06-18T13:21:00.000-04:00

As of Sunday the water temp was a nice 65 degrees -- quite comfy in a 5 mil wetsuit, with viz increasing to about 10 feet by Sunday -- so not a bad day to be out in the water!!

MORE OPEN WATER MATES!!

2007-06-18T13:18:00.000-04:00

Congratulations goes out to our next group of MATES which completed thier certification this past week and weekend. And a special thanks to all the Dad's that brought thier kids out to finish up on Sunday!!

Also congrats to GraceAnn, Emily, Paul, Lawrence, and Nick who are not shown in the pic.

GREAT JOB MATES!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

2007-06-04T07:23:00.000-04:00

A great big applause goes out to our first 11 MATES who completed there open water certification this weekend in the back bay in Belmar. The water temperature was 64 on Saturday and then dropped to a cool 54 on Sunday, but the viz was excellent both days!!

And thanks to our staff -- Danielle, Blair, and Ray for coming out to giving us a hand.

Hey brown gook is gone

2007-05-31T13:55:00.000-04:00

Hi all,
Looks like the Algae as broken up in the Shark River and you can see again. There was a big algae slick of the coast and was heading in on the high tide all week so we didn't make it in the river this week . Water temps are moving up a bit, Bay is in the upper 50's last i checked (toe check).
So that being said the first save our sanity dive will be held on June 14th at meeting at 6:30 in the inlet at the A st side. Being that Sharon and I have spent the last six weeks in the pool teaching we need to see what salt water is like.
Hey don't forget if you are looking to get a new reg we have a special going on where you can get the octo free so you can save yourself some bucks.

Last Tuesday's Dive

2007-05-18T14:29:00.001-04:00

Hi Folks,
last Tuesday's dive was a lot of fun although the water was a weeee bit chilly still about 46 degrees. Vis was around 10 feet but the critters are starting to wake up. We had about 12 diver's including a dry suit class with two divers. We are hoping to get an inlet dive in some time next week. I will keep you posted.
Steve

Back Bay Dive This Tuesday

2007-05-10T12:48:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone,
We are going to do a back bay dive this Tuesday May 15th Meeting at 5:45PM. The Water has been very clear although still a we bit nippy. Expect water temps. to be around the high 40's to around 50 degrees. We gotta start somewhere. Hope to see ya there.

Happy Hour Kickoff Dive ,Sunday April 22nd

2007-04-20T15:34:00.000-04:00

Join Carl as he starts the dive seaon off right!!

I know it’s short notice, but the weather forecast looks great for this weekend and the tides are favorable, so how about kicking off the dive season with a dive in the Back Bay?
We’ll be meeting at the shop at 11:00 AM and plan on getting in the water around noon.

The water is still very chilly – maybe 50 deg if we’re lucky, so a drysuit is highly recommended. A good wetsuit might work for hardy types.
Call the shop if you have any questions – 732.776.7755

Carl

Also remember to bring in your regulators for its annual service BEFORE the season of diving starts. Joe is ready to help with all your service needs to get you ready to dive this year!!

And don't forget the GREAT new Tshirt designs that Joe has been working on all winter long. Stop in today and pick one up in your size!!

WHERE THE (BLANK) IS THE SUN

2007-04-19T11:18:00.000-04:00

This is crazy. They say it may get warm this weekend. (who they is i do not know) last report I heard the water temps were still in the low 40's so as soon as it gets a little warmer we will be starting up our shore dives as well as charters.

We now have t-shirts with our new designs for 2007 in at the store come on and check it out.

Even more pics!!

2007-04-05T08:16:00.000-04:00

Blair 2 (Jr) Description of Florida Trip (con't)

2007-04-05T08:10:00.000-04:00

On Monday we all packed and headed to IHOP for breakfast. This was of course after hanging out at the suite long enough to see the pain on some people's faces... wonder why they weren't feeling good in the morning. After eating and purging demons we hit the road. My carpool stopped at a key lime place, but I wasn't in the mood. Neat tiki huts and swings though.

We were relatively early for our flight. We went to a beach in Fort Lauterdale where I dug a sweet hole in the sand. Then we hit a nice restaurant with a broken swinging table, biggest let-down of the trip... which I guess is good. The guys saw some really fine looking boats that were adjacent to the nearby marina. ;) I had the quesadillas. They were good.

We navigated back to the airport just in time to assume we were late enough to miss our flights. Didn't help that I had what appeared to be a pipe bomb under x-ray in my carry on bag (regulators, computers & canister light). We ended up being right on time.

This time, no beefy muscle guy... but a strangely attractive cowgirl. And then Ryan sat across the walkway... so we just chatted about diving the whole flight back. haha, and some lady stared me down for making a comment I won't repeat. I was just being realistic, she needed to relax.

Arrival at the airport included a nice landing and missing baggage for a few people. :( Mine came out first, but I hung around to keep the scuba aura alive. They announced the missing bags, people yelled, so I figured I'd leave. haha.

Short drive home, went to bed, woke up, put my gear away, and then went to the dive shop. :)

Let me know if anyone wants to dive!

More Pics from Florida 2007

2007-04-04T18:31:00.000-04:00

Blair 2 (Jr) Description of Florida Trip

2007-04-04T18:25:00.000-04:00

Thursday, March 22, 2007
I started the trip off appropriately with a Jack & Coke in AC at 5am. A majority of us took the morning flight out of AC, so we got together to chat before boarding. I naturally got stuck sitting next to a bulky muscle guy, and I don’t want to talk about it. After arriving in Fort Lauderdale, my carpool group and I took the long route to the car rentals, and then got lost getting to the turnpike. Shortly after some navigation, we got back on the turnpike in time for the monsoon and drawbridge. We arrived mid-day at the hotel, I think. The weather was overcast, but somewhat warm. It looked bad.Everyone took some time to inspect the pool, which because of the wind was quite chilly the entire trip. The hotel wasn’t too shabby. The girls had a nice suite with a living room and kitchen, so dubbed “the hang out.” After roaming around, we broke off in groups to shop for random food and supplies for the weekend. I got water, beer, and fruit… which worked out perfectly.I can’t remember when we did stuff for dinners, so I’m assuming the first night we got seafood. I got the Caesar salad with chicken. It was good.

Friday, March 23, 2007
Friday we arrived at the dive boat at 9am. We met our enthusiastic divemaster Nick, and boarded. The first reef was relatively boring, as there wasn’t too much going on. I didn’t bring my camera, but it was fun picking photo subjects out for Pete. Did I mention a lot of people were either throwing up or nauseous?The boat was fairly spacious and the crew was great. Despite the bad weather, morale was high… in part due to our group’s high spirits and Nick’s over-enthusiasm, haha.The second dive was to a finger reef, I think. I’m sure this is all wrong. It all happened at some point though during the trip though, I swear. The dive was very shallow so we were able to stay down an hour. The high coral bluffs sheltered a ton of sea life, and it turned out to be a great dive.Shortly after arriving back at the hotel, a bunch of people wandered around the pool or played with Adam’s dingy. The afternoon consisted of drinking, sunbathing, swimming, snacking, etc.I think this night we went to some local restaurant that I guess was famous. I think a guy named “rocketman” or something was singing. It was NOT my thing. Food, again, was awesome. I got the coconut shrimp/fish/chicken. I forget what we did after that, probably drank a little. We were beat from getting tossed around on the water, so I think we headed to bed early.

Saturday, March 23, 2007
We did two reefs, same story, haha. I’m not a reef guy. But the diving was relaxing and exactly what I needed. Again, it was fun finding stuff with Pete. We saw a few rays, dolphin topside, huge barracuda, a nurse shark… again maybe some of that was on Sunday. Who knows? Oh yeah, more sick people with surprisingly high morale. We did some more pool lounging in the afternoon. Afternoon drinking carried into an evening BBQ. Evening BBQ carried into more drinking… and a showdown at the big chess board. Checkmate! Then a few of us went to the local bar within walking distance. After a victorious match at the pool tables by us guys (barely), we played some picture matching… so addicting. Then we went back.

Sunday, March 23, 2007
We started off with the Thunderbolt, a cargo ship I think. The down line went to the bow, which sat at 80’ or so. 20’ aft was the deck, which sat at around 100’. Another 20’ or so aft started the superstructure which was about 20’ thick. After that sat a cargo bay which was maybe 40’ long, then another 30’ or so of deck to the stern. Pete, a random guy and I hit the down line and hovered at around 80-90’ as we headed aft. We passed the super structure and inspected the cargo bay a little. The bottom of the bay was easily 120’ so we didn’t venture deep on our 80 cu ft tanks of air in an effort to extend our bottom time. We hit the stern, but there wasn’t much to look at besides a few holes. The prop sat deeper as well, so we just turned around. We hit the superstructure at around 70-80’ and penetrated a clear opening in the back. Lots of windows and doors provided a safe swim-through. The visibility was fantastic and the swim-through made the dive. It was very peaceful inside. A swim to the bow and up the line ended the dive. No current allowed for some nice hovering for the safety stop. Verrry cool dive.We did a reef dive with a ton of lobsters after that… or maybe the one with the… ok, no idea.More seafood at the seafood place… Caesar salad with scallops this time. Also good. The festivities for the night, well, are classified.

Monday, March 23, 2007
I’m too tired to type. We went home…

Blair 2 (Jr)

Florida Keys 2007

2007-04-01T08:51:00.000-04:00

Just a few of the things we saw on our dives off of Marathon in the Florida Keys.

It's getting warmer

2007-03-11T13:13:00.000-04:00

Where almost there. Last report in the in bay was was that the water temp was around 37 degrees. Sorry still to cold for me. We are gearing up though for more inlet, beach and back bay dives this year starting as soon as the water gets back above 50 degrees.
Look for new D2 wear coming this week with new t-shirt and sweat shirt designs for 2007. We should have them available by mid week.
I still have room for my NW Bahamas trip aboard the Neckton Pilot. I will also be throwing in a Underwater Digital photo course for those of you interested. For more info check it out on our site or contact me direct through the store.

AND THE RESULTS ARE IN

2007-03-02T13:18:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone who voted in our last poll -- here are the results.

What is the coldest water temp. you have ever dove in a wet suit?

-10 - 0 degrees - 0
0 - 10 degrees - 0
10 - 20 degrees - 0
20 - 30 degrees - 2
30 - 40 degrees - 12
40 - 50 degrees - 18
Not unless it is above 70 degrees - 2

Thanks again to everyone who voted!!

Bill's Bahama Trip

2007-02-22T10:34:00.000-05:00

The Following is instructor Bill Straus's Log of his Trip to Cat Island Bahamas. I hope you enjoy it.

Cat Island Bahamas has some of the most diverse reef formations I have ever seen. Our first dive called Coral Gardens was from the beach a short ride from the resort. Max depth was 20 feet and it was a good place for novice divers to get their first experience. From there a short boat ride took us to Hammer Reef max depth of 59 ft. The diverse reef made for excellent exploration as there were plenty of nooks and crannies for creatures to hide.
The Resort owner Waldermar, we called him Val, knows every site inside and out so he was always pointing out stuff. Val is 70 yrs old and all he loves doing is diving. The rest of the dives Canyon, Elfie’s Point, The Blue Hole, and The Anchor, were all along different areas of the Island and all as good as the last. And even though we dove each site on 2 dives we never saw the same part of the reef until our exit, extraordinary! Depths ranged on every dive from reef tops around 40 feet to canyon swim-throughs that let you out on the wall around 100 ft. Greenwood Resort is the kind of small facility that will allow divers to make the decisions on the dives. Val set no time limits and we dove on our schedule not a set one. The dive boat can hold up to 8 divers, there are no bungie racks, so tanks laid on the deck but we never felt cramped, and entries are seated entries. Dinners were always appetizer soup salad fish entrée and desert. Breakfast had some fresh fruit, meats and cheese, cereal, and several menu items like Eggs, French Toast, or Pancakes. Lunch menu was basic sandwiches or burgers. The Bar was an honor bar so if you didn’t watch yourself the bar tab could outdo the cost of the entire trip. Whew, thank God I learned hangovers don’t mix with diving. Cat and Greenwood are exactly what the serious diver who wants peace in the evenings is looking for. Also as Greenwood is not a resort dominated by a lot of dive groups you can bank on Val and his staff being totally committed to your group. The Divemaster Pedro was on top of everything, and Tim, Val’s son was great, he put all my pictures and video on 3 copies of DVD for us to take home. Anna, Val’s wife, asked me the first day if there was any liquor I liked they didn’t have, I said yes Captain Morgan and the next day there were 2 bottles behind the bar. Sadly I could only finish one.
All there is left to say is “God I love this job”

PADI'S SPECIALTY OF THE MONTH, ENRICHED AIR NITROX

2007-02-18T14:37:00.000-05:00

Hi All,
Sorry it has been a while since my last post but hey, it's winter but here is whats been going on.
Bill Straus and company just returned from Cat Island in the Bahamas and had a great time. They had great vis and alot of fish to see. I should have some pics from Bill soon and I will post them up.
This Month PADI is featuring the Enriched Air Nitrox course. In this course you will learn how to safely use Enriched Air to allow you to extend your bottom time longer than using Normal Air.
Another words more time to hang out and have fun. For more information on using nitrox or if you want to know when we have classes please give me a shout at the store. My next Nitrox class will be held March 7th at 6:30 PM at the store.
Well that is all the news I have for now.
As always
Safe Diving
Steve D

THE RESULTS!!

2007-02-01T14:27:00.000-05:00

Well first of all we would like to thank everyone who voted on our Mini Poll, we had a GREAT turnout of results.

And here are the results:

What type of Specialty are you looking to complete this year?
Answers & Percent:

1. Wreck -7 votes 15%
2. Nitrox -3 votes 7%
3. Night - 6 votes 13%
4. Dry Suit - 7 votes 15%
5. Navigation - 0 votes 0%
6. Underwater Photgraphy -12 votes 26%
7. Underwater Naturalist - 1 votes 2%
8. Deep - 4 votes 9%
9. Search & Recovery - 6 votes 13%

For a total # of votes: 46

As you can see Underwater Photography was the winner!! Remember to sign up for your favorite specialty this spring/summer.

Thanks again for your votes.

TRIP REPORT FROM FLORIDA

2007-01-28T11:26:00.000-05:00

Hi all,
Dan Crowell, Carl and Matt from the store spent some time in Pompano Beach Florida doing some rebreather training and fun dives. Here is Carl's report from the trip:

We had great weather, awesome diving, and lots of fun on our trip to Pompano Beach last week. Some people were there for AOW classes, some for rebreather and tech training with Dan Crowell, and others to just dive.From Thursday through Tuesday we had 6 days of good weather and cooperative seas (though Monday was a little hairy with a few 6-8 footers) and did a mixture of wreck dives and drift dives on the reefs. We hit some familiar wrecks for me like the Sea Emperor, Rodeo and RSB1 as well as some new ones like the Hydro Atlantic and Miller Lite. Mostly sunny skies and water temps around 77 deg made this a great change from NJ winter.It was a very rewarding trip for me. I got to introduce some of my AOW students to wreck and drift diving and had the chance to do some deeper rebreather dives on my KISS using trimix.Of course I caught a cold on the last day of diving just like last year, but it's worth it.Carl

Poll Results

2007-01-12T16:03:00.000-05:00

So we tried something new this week with Steve's Mini Poll and we had some good results!!

Our Question of the week was: Where do you do most of your Jersey diving?

The Results:
Inlet - 27%
Beach - 0%
Boat - 64%
Other - 9%

As you can see the Boat diver was the winner!!

Since we had so much success with this poll check out our new poll on the side of the page.

Thanks to everyone who voted!!

Trips and Stuff

2007-01-11T11:28:00.000-05:00

Well we are still looking to do some winter shore dives but the visibility still hasn't returned yet. We do however have some trips coming up that I would like to tell you about.
Bill still has room on his Cat island trip in the Bahamas Feb 6th -feb 13th. You can get more info under trips on are website. I will be setting up a trip with Neckton Diving Cruises for August 25 - Sept 1st of this year. The cost will be around $1900. I will have more info sometime next week.

If you are looking for something to do and are not Nitrox certified yet I have a registration on Wednesday January 17th and the class will be held Wednesday January 24th at 6:30PM both days.

Congatulations to Tim Wall, Gary Widman, Katie Riley, Mark Dirato, John Frercks, Sterling Levie, Kathleen Hanlon and Linda Chris for completing the Equipment specialty course with Joe Skimmons.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2006-12-31T11:11:00.001-05:00

Well, 2006 is gone and left us with many new things and many changes here at the store. The diving was good both inshore and off, we saw some changes in some of the gear this year, Carl shaved his mustache, among some others. We also have seen a trend in more divers changing to rebreathers instead of doubles. We had a very successful open water class with the M.A.T.E.S. school this year and we even got some of them in the inlet and off shore.

We at Divers Two are looking forward to the New Year and as always will be there to provide the best possible service and training we can. Let us all hope for warm weather, clear sky's and great visibility for 2007

Happy New Year to All.

Merry Christmas

2006-12-22T16:15:00.000-05:00

On behalf of the Staff at Diver's Two We would like to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and happy holidays. Please feel free to stop by on Christmas eve to say hi and eat some cookies. We will be open until about 3:00pm for you last minute shopping needs.

Today's Shark River Inlet Dive

2006-12-15T20:50:00.000-05:00

Hi all,
Unfortunatly for me i am recovering from a bad virus so i missed today's dive so the following is Sharons news on how it went. We had planned to do a dive on the Western World however there had been a report of a storm surge and bad vis so we moved it to the Inlet.

It was about 60 degrees above water and about 50 degrees below, but all in all it was a good day to go diving in the Inlet at A Street . It was just Sharon, Pete and Bill OConnell who made the journey out today. And despite the cold water, Bill was a trooper and made the whole dive in a 7 mil wetsuit with no complaints of being cold. Viz was about 6 – 8 feet, but not too much life to see, Pete and Bill did find a nice sized lobster to look at!! We made it out past the bridge, and then turned around and the current kicked up quite a bit!! But for a day in Mid December it wasn’t all that bad to be under the water!!

Need a Christmas Tree

2006-12-08T15:38:00.000-05:00

Looking to cut down a fresh Christmas Tree? Check out Pattersons Green houses on Adelphia Rd in Howell and Let Instructor Sharon help you pick one out. She will even cut one down for you. Just ask Carl. (Lazy bum).

Well even though it's geting colder we are not giving up without a fight. Pete Sharon Carl and I are going to try to dive the Western World next Friday afternoon (Weather Permitting)We will be meeting at 1:30 at the store. If the surf is to big we will probably head back to the Inlet.

Look for new Divers Two T shirt and sweart shirt designs coming sometime next week. They are awsome and will make for a great Gift.

Life can be tough sometimes

2006-11-30T14:02:00.000-05:00

So, It's been warm an somewhat sunny. Water temp has been in the mid 50's, Not to shabby for diving in November. Problem is the vis has been terrible for shore dives and now look, Vis today is starting to look like it is coming back, then you look at the weather and it going to blow 40-60 mph tomorrow. yes life is tough sometimes.
Hey but we arn't giving up that easy. keep checking for more upcoming beach dives.

Anyway, Looking for a great gift for someone? How about a course? We offer all courses from Open Water to specialties such as Nitrox, Equipment, and Dry suit to name a few.It's the gift that keeps on giving. (ok at least when the vis is good)

Hey you want good vis, I mean really good vis? Check out Bills trip to Cay Island in the Bahamas this february 6th through th 13th. for more details check out our web site under trips.

Rebreather Orintation Postponed

2006-11-24T14:04:00.000-05:00

Hi all, Dan Crowell's rebreather orintation will be postponed until January. Any questions you can give me a call at the store.

Things To Be Thankful For This Year....

2006-11-21T16:30:00.000-05:00

Good visibility (well ok at least the beginning of the season)
Warm tempeture (air that is ...hey it was a warm winter remember)
tons of life in the bay like puffers and trop's and things
Going out on the boat all summer..(NOT!!!)
Carl shaving his mustache and cutting his hair (damn hippie)
Diving old WW2 wrecks off Key West
My new Dry Suit (wahoo!!!)
Well anyway, I hope everyone has a nice Thanksgiving despite the weather. I was hoping to get one in on Friday but it doesn't look good.
Keep checking in for more upcoming dives.

Diving This Weekend?

2006-11-15T11:38:00.000-05:00

Well it looks like Mother Nature is making it tough to get in the water this weekend. The water in shore is looking like mud. Hopefully the rain will blow out of here by next week and we can try for the 25Th. I will keep you updated
FYI Joe and I are changing our schedule for the Winter months starting this week I will be in the store Tuesday through Friday, Off Saturday, On Sunday and off Monday. Joe will be working Monday, Tuesday Wednesday, off Thursday, on Friday and Saturday and off Sunday. Carl is keeping his schedule a secret.
I am currently working on next years class schedule however we are still offering specialties and Advanced classes while the weather holds so if there is a specialty you are interested in just give me a call.
Captain Dan Crowell will be holding another rebreather orientation on Saturday November 25th at 9:00am. If you are interested in finding out how they work please join us. The orientation is free and there is no obligation. Take it from someone who's tried it it is really cool.

Inlet Dive Planned for Saturday Canceled

2006-11-10T13:27:00.000-05:00

Sorry Folks, Due to the wrath of mother nature we will not be diving tomorrow. There has been a big surf rolling in causing a bit of a surge that will make diving the inlet difficult and the vis not so good. Carl was in the back bay today and only had about three foot vis. We will try again next week with another night dive in the inlet next Saturday meeting aroun 5:00PM. I will give you more details later in the week so check back with me.

Why Change a Good Thing

2006-11-07T12:25:00.000-05:00

We are looking to do another save our sanity Inlet dive this Saturday Nov. 11th. This time we are going in during the day meeting at 11:00am At the A street side of the inlet in Belmar.Water temps should be in the mid to low 50's and it look like the air temps should be around 60. Hope to see you there.

Fantastic Dive

2006-11-06T20:24:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday night's inlet dive was Incredible to say the least. Their were so many bait fish in the water you had to keep brushing the out of your way. The visibility was around 15 feet or more with tons of life still around. Divers spotted feather Blennie's, Black fish, Sun Dials (windowpains), skates, butterflies,Sea ravens, and i think toad fish or what I like to call baby head fish. The full moon gave us lots of water to play in.

We aren't done yet, we are planning more dives in the near future so check back soon

Inlet Dive This Saturday

2006-11-02T13:16:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone,
We are planning an Shark River Inet Dive this Saturday Meeting at 5:30PM. Instructor Carl was in with a couple of students on Tuesday. He told me the water temp. was about 55 degrees with less then two foot Vis. I have been watching the tides and it seems to be getting better with each change so we should end up with about 6-10 feet by the weekend. We will be meeting this time on the Belmar (south)
side of the inlet at A street. Keep in mind the the Air temp will be in the mid 40's so if you are diving wet be prepared. Hope to see you there.

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY

2006-10-28T10:50:00.001-04:00

Well, Sorry folks but it looks like the Underwater Pumkin Contest is a wash out this year.Bummer to because Carl was in the bay yesterday with about ten foot vis however the water temp. is now around 55 degrees. We are planning a dive in the Belmar side of th inlet this Saturday to celebrate Divemaster Rich's birthday. We are wating to see if he will wear his birthday suit or not. Sharon, Myself will also be on hand as well as other D2 staff members. should be a great time so don't miss it.

Special shout out to my good friend Kathy, we miss you and get well soon!!!!!

Another Fun evening in the Inlet

2006-10-21T11:39:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday evening we jumped in the Avon side of the Shark River Inlet with about 10 divers. It was a bit challenging due to a front that moved in and created a bit of a surface surge. Once we got down to the bottom everything calmed down a bit and we had a nice dive with about 5'-8' of visibiliity. Sean my dive buddy and I got to see some butterflies, tog and small sea bass to name a few.We had a few M.A.T.E.S. kids out their collecting cridders for there tank at the new school.I will be doing it again real soon so check in with me often.

Dive Cancelled

2006-10-20T13:52:00.000-04:00

Due to the weather we have to CANCEL tonights SAVE OUR SANITY Dive.

We thank all those that participated in last nights dive -- there was a great turnout of new and seasoned divers.

INLET DIVE THIS THURSDAY

2006-10-18T14:29:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,
Join Sharon and myself this Thursday at 6:00pm at the Avon side of the inlet for another insatllment of the save our sanity dives. Bring a light and being that it is getting dark earlier. Looks like the river is recovering from the rain quick so it should be ok for the dive. water temps in the low 60's.

GREAT TIME!!!!

2006-10-05T21:37:00.000-04:00

Tonight's inlet dive was tons of fun with 15 divers heading into the water (where else would they go.) We made a slight change due to the northeast winds today and changed our location to the A St. side of the inlet. We had around 10-15 foot vis with tons of fish to look at. Water temps were around 67 degrees with a strong full moon current. Kyle and Dakota from the M.A.T.E.S. school collected some aquatic life and other items (rocks and wood) for there touch tank at the new school. Congratulations to Melanie and Hank for completing thier Advanced Open Water dive and I found out my camera has a "freak'in Laser" on it. (ok the last part wasn't important but it was cool). Sharon and I are getting closer to finding our sanity but we are not there yet so we hope to see you on our next inlet dive.

A couple of Steve's pictures taken with underwater camera.

OH MY!!!!!!!

2006-10-03T21:19:00.000-04:00

That's the only way I can describe today's Shark River Inlet dive. Sharon, Rich Goldman, and myself jumped in the inlet for an Advanced Open Water dive. We had 20-25 feet of (tap water) visibility and saw many types of aquatic life such as butterflies, tangs, little grouper, black fish, sea bass and we even found a huge puffer. Water temp was around 66 degrees. Looks like Thursday may get a little fluffy so we may end up at the A street side so make sure you check with me during the day.

Save our sanity dives

2006-09-30T11:39:00.000-04:00

Help Sharon and Steve find thier sanity after a long, long, long spring/summer of open water classes and scuba camp!!

Join us in the inlet on -
October 5th @ 6:00 pm - Belmar OCean Side/Shark River Inlet
October 19th @ 6:00 pm - Find the puffer dive! Avon Side of Shark River Inlet
October 20th @ 6:30 pm - Find the missing Buddha Statue! A Street of Shark River Inlet

Please help -- it is a very good cause!! It will be a LONG winter of open water pool sessions!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

2006-09-27T14:54:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to the following people for completing there Open Water Certification - Mark Murphy, Steve Brown, Melissa Burdoff, John Burdoff, Grace Ann Shotwell and Kevin Burns.
Also Congratulations to Mark Dirato for completing his Advanced Open Water, Night diver and Nitrox classes.

Underwater Clean Up a BIG success!!

2006-09-23T13:25:00.000-04:00

This years Shark River Underwater Clean up was a HUGE success with over 60 participants. This year we picked up close to 200 pounds of debris including a bicycle, chairs, traffic cones, and fishing line and bottles.

A special thanks goes out to the Belmar Mayor and Council and the Municipal Marina Staff, also MATES of Ocean County, Jekinson Aquarium, Clean Ocean Action, Adventure Aquarium, and ALL the divers and non that helped to make the day a great success.

Also a special thanks to the D2 Staff for making it a great event!!

Here are some pics!!

Some divers gearing up

Some stop for a quick photo!

Just a couple of the unusual items found this year.

BUMMER

2006-09-22T21:48:00.000-04:00

Looks like the boats are staying home this weekend 4-8 foot seas predicted. Maybe October will be better. Our scheduled charters are ending September 30th but it doesn't mean the boat stops running. Check our web site often for charters in October.

Congratulations!!!!!!!

2006-09-21T12:51:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Joe Crilly, Rachel Kuras, Richard Goldman, and John Pelligra on completing thier Open Water SCUBA course. All though Vis was only a couple of feet in the Back Bay a great time was had by all.

Shark River Clean up 2006

2006-09-14T11:16:00.000-04:00

This year marks are 11th year cleaning up the Shark River off of the L str beach in Belmar. So far we have picked up over 24,000 Lbs of debri and garbage.We have brought up many unusuall items over the years such as engine parts, jewlery, old bottles, a bowling ball, a floor sander, and even an old urn. I have been diving and snorkeling the river for over 30 years and it is nice not to see garbage every few feet. Unfortunatly it is a never ending task and we will probably be picking up another 10,000 lbs pounds over the next few years. Please join us to help keep one of the best inshore dive sites in New Jersey clean. We will be meeting at 7:00am at the Belmar Marina near the boat ramp on Saturday, September 23rd. Splash time is at 8:30am. Lets hope mother nature stops sending the storms our way so the vis gets better.