Underwater World Newsletter

April, 2003

Travel

Sea of Cortez - July 12 - 19
I love the Sea of Cortez !! There is nowhere you can go and interact with the Sea Lions like the Sea of Cortez. They are the friendliest, most curious sea lions that I have ever encountered. It is one of the ten best dives you will ever make. And I’ll throw in a dive with the manta rays as well. When we were there last year, we dove a new site where several mantas hang around most of the day. It is a great dive as well. We are looking for about 8 to 10 people to join us on this adventure. It is coming up soon, so you have to act quickly. The trip was $1595 but we managed to get some better airfare prices and have reduced the cost by $200. Let us know immediately if you can join us.

North Carolina -- August 1 - 3
The best wreck diving in this hemisphere is right off the North Carolina coast. And we have a trip scheduled to visit some of these great wrecks.We will be heading to Morehead City, NC on Friday, August 1st (or earlier). We have rooms reserved at the Hampton Inn and a boat chartered for both Saturday and Sunday. It is also possible to go down earlier as some of our people are planning on diving Friday as well. The cost of the trip is $350, the same as last year. You can stay Thursday and dive Friday for only $150 additional.

Bonaire - August 16 - 23
It is family month in Bonaire and we are heading back. We will be staying at Lion’s Dive this year. It is right on the beach with good diving right off the dock. To get your heart racing, try a night dive right off the dock. There are a couple of big tarpon that will trail along behind you while you are diving. The flash of silver as your light hits them will get your attention. We stay in condos with a full living room, dining room and kitchen. It is a great way to do a trip. Diving includes 6 boat dives and unlimited beach diving. Kids 12 and under can stay free in your cono. Call and ask me for details. The trip includes air, condos, diving, and rental cars. We already have 11 spots sold. Don’t delay in making your reservation. The price of the trip is $1395. This is the same price we charged 3 years ago and without the car.

Tobermory, Canada -- September, 2003
This is what we wish Jersey diving would be like. Clear, fresh water with well-preserved wrecks. This is really fascinating diving. Tobermory is located on the Bruce Peninsula where Lake Huron meets the Georgian Bay. There you will find Fathom Five National Marine Park. We have chartered a live aboard vessel to provide us with three days of great diving. They also provide us with all our meals, airfills, and kayaks to play with between dives. This will be a lot of fun. I dove here many years ago and I am really looking forward to returning. You will have the opportunity to spend an additional day at Big Tub Harbor Lodge to explore the surrounding area. It is really beautiful and worth the time and effort. We feel the cost should be about $450 and will have a firm price posted on our web site by the time you receive this.

Cozumel - October 11 - 18
Our infamous Cozumel trip is scheduled again for October, 2003. And it is a pretty good deal to boot. We will once again be staying at the Reef Club with all meals, drinks, accommodations, and 5 days of diving included. Airfare is included as well. And the cost is only $1450 !! We have to give up any seats we are holding after August 1. So don’t plan on waiting until the last minute. This is considered by many to be some of the best diving in the Caribbean. Don’t be disappointed.

Grenada - Thanksgiving Week
We have decided that this is the year to explore the southern Caribbean islands. With our April trip to St. Vincent and now our Thanksgiving trip to Grenada as well as our August trip to Bonaire, we should have it pretty well covered. Granada, which is also known as the Spice Island (nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon), is a mountainous island, 12 miles by 20 miles criss-crossed by deep valleys, streams and waterfalls. Sea turtles nest on the beach and there are some great shallow reefs as well as the wreck of the Bianca C, a cruise ship that burned and sunk just outside the harbor. We are still piecing the details together, but call us and let us know that you are interested and we will keep you posted.

Dive with the Whales -- August, 2004
Some of the best diving that I have ever done is in Papau New Guinea. And, of course, Al will vouch for the great diving in Northern PNG. Now add on top of that, diving with minke whales off Australia and you have one fabulous trip. And the countries we are traveling in as about as safe as we could hope for. We are also planning a little touring while in Australia. Here is how it works. Arriving in Australia, we pick up Mike Ball’s Supersport and head out into the Coral Sea. Traveling along Great Barrier Reef, we should run into the migrating minke whales. After two days at sea, we wind up at the Cod Hole where you will have the opportunity to hand feed giant 300-pound potato cod. It is a blast. We will then sail over to Lizard Island and catch a flight to Cairns. After spending two days touring that area we head to PNG where we will pick up the Paradise Sport. This is the finest liveaboard that I have ever been on. A week of diving here will knock your socks off. Follow this with a little more touring in Australia and a flight back home. There are only 22 spaces on the boat , so talk to me.

Travel Notes
It is important to remember that all prices are based on double occupancy and on current airfares. Unfortunately airfares can change up until we actually purchase the tickets. (Then, of course, the airlines charge a penalty for any changes, if they allow changes). This is usually not a problem, but it can happen. Remember that on most trips you can supply your own airfare. Many people today think that they can find cheaper airfares on the web, and that works fine for us. (See the following article). Also please note that if you are signing up alone, we will try to line up a roommate for you, however, if we cannot there will be an additional charge for a single supplement. Again, this is not something under our control and we must pass this charge along. We also recommend trip cancellation insurance. If you do need to cancel the trip, there may be penalties that are not under our control.

Diving And The Web
I was recently reviewing some sales statistics compiled from several sources. We found some interesting facts. Many people believe that they can find cheaper airfares on the web. Studies show something different. For instance, Topaz International did a study from January to June, 2002. It studied over 19,000 itineraries on various internet sites including Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity, and the airline sites. They found that the average travel agency booked fare was $116 lower than the average internet fare. That’s not what the internet companies want you to believe, is it? Topaz is an auditing firm so is not prejudiced one way or the other.
In a different vein, I recently had a customer tell me that he could get a Scubapro regulator off the web cheaper than we were selling it for. We explained to him that the regulator he was purchasing did not come from an authorized dealer and did not come with a Scubapro warranty. Although he was told it came with a warranty, a little further research showed it was not the manufacturer’s warranty. It came with a warranty by the on-line company. Instead of a limited lifetime warranty, you get a 14-day satisfaction warranty which reads in part "Equipment must be returned in brand-new condition, with no wear at all (if it is used even once, we can’t take it back.)" So you can’t try it before you decide if you want to keep it. It further states that returned items "must be in original factory condition, including all packaging materials, inserts, and manuals, warranty cards (not filled-out) and all accessories with a shipping carton. Do not write anything on the item or box. We will charge for replacement of damaged, altered, missing, written on, or taped contents. We reserve the right to refuse and such returns. Equipment that has been assembled will incur a $25 disassembly fee. " Are these the people you want to buy your life-support equipment from? It is a little different if you buy from Underwater World. If you are not happy with it, we will take care of you. And you will have a manufacturer’s warranty. This will save you real money when you have your equipment overhauled. For instance, a warranted Scubapro computer has a lifetime battery replacement policy. If it is not covered, it can cost you big time. We just got back a computer the cost us $88 for the battery replacement. Then we had to add on our charge. These are the deals that the web has to offer. We do an outstanding business with thousands of customers who have figured this out. You don’t want to spend too much money on something, but if saving a few bucks today cost you more in the long run, then you haven’t saved anything. If it sounds too good to be true........

Courses

Advanced Openwater
It has gotten a little too chilly to continue our Advanced Courses at Dutch for the time being. However, if you would like to complete the Advanced Course before we start them up again in the Spring, consider signing up for one of our trips. On most trips, we can do your Advanced Course during the trip. I actually enjoy doing it that way as we can get some real boat diving and some real beach diving in as part of the course.

Rescue Diver -- June 21 & 22
This is another course that every diver should take. It is much more than teaching you how to rescue other divers. Diving is a really safe sport because we are very safety conscious. The trick is not to just be ready to react to a crisis, but to stop the crisis from occurring. We will teach you to recognize dangerous situations and how to manage them. We will teach you self-rescue and finally we will teach you how to rescue your buddy or another diver. You will want to have First Aid/CPR (see below). Also if you want an Advanced Rescue Diver card, you will need O2 Provider (also see below). You will be thrilled with this course. The fee is $175.

Master Diver Course -- June 9th
This is the premier course for diving knowledge. With 6 - 7 class sessions and 5 days of diving, you will complete this course and feel really knowledgeable about diving. We will even take a trip to the recompression chamber at the University of Pennsylvania. The cost of this course is $195 and is one of the courses that you need to take on your way to becoming a Divemaster (or as an end in itself). The course will start on June 3rd, so sign up now.

Divemaster/Assistant Instructor Course -- June 16
If being a dive leader is what you want to do, this is the course that you need to take. What confuses people is the difference between Divemaster and Master Diver. A Master Diver is a diver who has achieved a level of diving recognized as a knowledgeable and experienced diver. A Divemaster is a leadership position, someone who runs the dives. You will need the Master Diver certification and Dive Rescue to become a Divermaster. If you plan on becoming an instructor, then you will want to take the Assistant Instructor add-on as well.

SPECIALITY COURSES

First Aid / CPR
Not just because it is a prerequisite for Dive Rescue certification, this course should be taken by everyone, whether a diver or not. It is two nights long and may save the life of a loved one someday. You never want to be in a position where you wish you had taken it . Sign up now. Only $75.00. May 1 & 8.

Equipment Specialist
This is a great course to take over the winter when you can’t drag your sorry butt out there to dive in that cold water. (Of course, if you took our dry suit course below....). This course is three nights long and will teach you how to make field repairs to some of your equipment. You will have a better idea how things work and will feel more comfortable with you equipment. The cost is only $95.00. May 7, 14, & 21.

Dry Suit
This is a great way to extend your diving season or just make yourself more comfortable any time of year. We will spend a night in the classroom, a night in the pool, and then go diving. the cost of the course is $125.00 and we will credit that towards the purchase of a drysuit if you purchase one within 60 days. That makes it a free course. We will be starting the next one on April 9 & 10.

Nitrox
Looking for more bottom time. Nitrox will change the way you look at no decompression limits. You will find that in some cases you can double those limits. Many people believe that nitrox is used for deep diving, but the truth is that it is used to extend diving at tbe depts that we normally dive, 70 -120 feet. We run the course about every 6 weeks. Check our web site or give us a call for starting dates. $75.00. May 10 & 17

Underwater Photography
Share the excitement. Take great pictures to decorate your home or office or show your friends. We will be looking at digital photography as well as film photography. And we can also offer you the opportunity to dive with the sharks at the New Jersey State Aquarium. Call for details. Course starts May 12. Only $125.00

Buddy Teams

Best wishes are in order for Kevin & Toni McCartney who have finally followed their dream and moved to Hawaii. We heard from Kevin today. He said he was sitting out on his lawn under a palm tree and that he had his number unlisted and don’t bother to call him again. (But Kevin, I already bought my ticket!)

On a sadder note, I want to express our sympathy to the family of Gene Ferri on his passing in mid-March after a long and exemplary battle with cancer. Gene was a mover and shaker at Bucks County Community College who, along with his wife, Carri, ran the whale watching program at Bucks as well as snorkeling and scuba trips for the college’s continuing education program. I had worked with Gene on many of these trips and it was always a pleasure. Our hearts go out to his family.

Diving and Digital Cameras