Diving

Dive Season is Coming

Bismark II is one of the dive sites used on the Tuesday and Thursday night dives photo by RU4scuba

I am looking forward to the next week. It represents the opening of the local dive season in Upstate New York, and I can tell you it is not a day too soon for me. The visit back to home has been one of many changes and one of the largest is that diving is not just around the corner. I am looking forward to the local diving, but in some ways I feel like a novice diver again. Low visibility is nothing new for me but the water temperature will be much lower. Which will mean a thicker wet suit, my 3mm shortie will not make it. I have been told that in the “summer”, most of the divers will wear a 5 mm suit. Guess it will be figuring out how much more weight I will need. It also means that I am not one of the local experts. At Subic, I know the history of the known wrecks and have researched many of them. Here I will be exposed to a new diving environment and different wrecks.

Rufour Scuba is a dive shop up on Lake Ontario about 35 minutes away from me. They will be offering dives two evenings a week, Tuesday and Thursday starting this Thursday. I have stopped into their shop the other week for a short talk and was impressed with what they do. They are also using Aqwary dive computers. The dives will be a great way to find out about the local diving and hopefully meet some local divers. The shop also offers a few dive trips each year, and has trips to the St. Lawrence. I have also joined a local dive club and am looking forward to their dives as well.

I know I am not the only one looking forward to a new local dive season. Divers in California are also “gearing” up for a new season. The 2016 Scuba Show invites all adventurous spirits to discover a world beneath the surface at the Long Beach Convention Center on Saturday and Sunday, June 4-5. I have been considering flying out for it, but do not think I can swing it. Over 10,000 people are expected to attend and interact with 300+ exhibitors, vendors and diving experts from around the world. As I looked at the list of exhibitors there were many that attracted my attention. The range of seminars is what really got me excited. Scuba show will feature dozens of seminars, clinics, workshops and classes on various entertaining, specialized or educational topics such as history, underwater photography, seafood preparation, marine conservation and more. There are a couple of seminars on Palau and another on Yap, both destinations that are on my bucket list for the next year.

Infographic_V3The show also has live cooking demonstrations, interactive art, themed photo booths, a new products showcase, a virtual reality diving experience and its popular Saturday night party at the Aquarium of the Pacific. A film festival runs all day on Saturday and Sunday with the entries running a couple times each day.

It sounds like a great event,if you are near Long Beach this weekend, consider taking a look.

Charles W Davis Jr. is the author of the “Subic Bay Travel and Dive Guide”, the most referenced source of information on the wrecks of Subic Bay. He is also the author of six other diving and travel books and has ghosted written a number of other books. A Freelance writer attracting clients from his own website www.charleswdavisjr.com and working on the upwork website as “Travel & Scuba Diving Specialist Have WIFI, Will Travel”.

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