New Trips, New Course Dates

It's been a busy few days. After a slow start to the season, people are starting to come out of the woodwork to inquire about classes. Here's a quick rundown of what's happening. Go to my website for more details. New course dates are on the "Calendar" page. Trip info is on the "Trips" page (oddly enough).

July 12-15 I'm diving Lake Huron in the Presque Isle Michigan area. Wrecks around there include the Cornelia B. Windiate, the SS Florida, and the Kyle Spangler. I have one spot available. You must be a certified Trimix Diver with significant Great Lakes diving experience.

August 11-14 I'm heading up to the 1000 Islands region of the St. Lawrence River (near Brockville, ON). I'll be working with Advanced Wreck Diver candidates but have room on the boat for a few divers who would like to go along. As my students and I will be doing wreck penetration, depths will be within recreational guidelines (130' or less). The only possible exception may be Friday 8/14 when we may do a deeper technical dive.

August 22-23 I will be beginning a TDI Advanced Nitrox/Deco Procedures course at Gilboa Quary (near Findlay, OH). This initial weekend will consist of academic training as well as several dives Saturday and Sunday. The course completion dives will be conducted in September either on a Great Lakes charter or back at Gilboa.

If you're interested in any of these trips or classes, drop me a note and I'll be happy to discuss details.

June Intro to Tech Course

I'm teaching a TDI Intro to Tech course June 20-21 at Gilboa Quarry near Findlay, OH. I have room for 2 more students. More information about the course can be found here on my website.

If you're interested, e-mail me for details.

NACD Conference Presentation

I've just agreed to be a presenter at the 41st Annual Seminar of the National Association for Cave Diving (click on the image at left for more info about the seminar).

You're probably wondering what in the world a Great Lakes wreck diver is doing speaking at a cave diving conference in Florida. Not a bad question. The seminar is not strictly about cave diving, despite the fact that it's sponsored by NACD. It's more about diving in overhead environments than strictly cave diving.

Marshall Allan and I will be presenting our video of the wreck of the North Wind, which features a lot of wreck penetration. Also featured in this year's seminar will be Steve Lewis, wreck diving luminary and tech diving guru talking about the application of cave techniques to wreck diving.

I'm looking forward to heading south in November and attending the seminar, seeing old friends, making new ones and getting in a bit of diving after the show.

Spring has Sprung

It seems that warm weather has finally arrived in Northwest Ohio. I can tell because I have to spend way too much time on yard work now. I've managed to squeeze in a few dives though, and it feels good to get back into the water.

I have an Adv. Nitrox/Deco Procedures course coming up June 6-7 which is fully enrolled. I'm going to add another Adv. Nitrox/Deco course towards the end of the month, perhaps June 19-20. If you, or anyone you know, is interested, contact me for more info.

I also have several people interested in Advanced Wreck this year. Dates aren't set yet, so if you're interested in participating, let me know so you can have a say in the schedule. It looks as if we'll be do the course in the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence River. After last year's successful trip, I'm getting tons of requests to run more courses over there.

Lastly, I'm taking a few days off in July to dive the fabulous wrecks in the Presque Isle area of Lake Huron. A few friends and I are going up to dive wrecks like the and the Cornelia B. Windiate and the SS Florida.

That's it for now. Safe diving to all.

Course Dates Added

I've added two course dates to my 2009 schedule.

I'll be conducting a TDI Intro to Tech course at White Star Quarry (Gibsonburg, OH) on April 18-19. The objective of this course is to familiarize students with technical gear configurations, to enhance open water diving skills (such as buoyancy, trim, and situational awareness), and to introduce students to advanced gas planning techniques within a no-decompression context. This course is strictly a no-decompression course; students are permitted to use Enriched Air Nitrox mixes, provided the gas mix is within their current level of certification. This a very exciting, new course. It can be conducted in as little as one weekend. You may participate in the course using your own standard open water dive equipment.

On June 6 and 7, I'll conduct the academics and quarry dives for TDI Advanced Nitrox/Deco Procedures. This is the entry level technical diving course. Advanced Nitrox examines the use of EAN 21 through 100% (oxygen) for optimal mixes to a depth of 150fsw/45msw. The object of this course is to train divers in the benefits, hazards and proper procedures for utilizing EAN 21 through 100% (oxygen). Decompression Procedures examines the theory, methods and procedures of planned stage decompression diving. The objective of this course is to train divers how to plan and conduct a standard staged decompression dive not exceeding a maximum depth of 150fsw. The most common equipment requirements, gear set-ups, decompression techniques and decompression mixtures (including oxygen and nitrox) are presented, with an emphasis on streamlined configuration, thorough planning and a team approach.

By combining these courses, students are able to safely plan and conduct decompression dives (Deco Procedures course) and enjoy the benefits of using oxygen-rich gasses to aid decompression (Advanced Nitrox course).

If you (or someone you know) may be interested in either of these courses, please contact me.

2009 is Here

The new year is here, and actually not all that new anymore. If you're like me, the few warm days we had this week turned your thoughts to diving. If you're considering advanced dive training this summer, now is the time to contact me to arrange a program.

I offer an extensive range of courses from SDI/TDI, including Nitrox Diver, Wreck Diver, Advanced Wreck Diver, Adv. Nitrox/Deco Procedures, Trimix Diver and others. See my website for more detailed course descriptions. Or e-mail me with specific questions.

Shipwrecks and Scuba Show Saturday

Just a reminder that I'll be presenting at Shipwrecks and Scuba this Saturday in Huron, OH. I'll be showing the video Gunilda: Superior's Golden Wreck. I'll also have a table in the exhibit area. Go to Bay Area Divers website for information and tickets. Please stop by and say hi.