Staff Blog

Twilight dive at Brownstone Park Aug. 25

Join Scuba Shack instructor Dennis Bosse at 6 p.m. on Aug. 25 at Brownstone Park for a night dive! Normally only available to season pass holders, this night is open to all divers!

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Drive and Dive – Fort Wetherill

It was a quick decision, but hey, sometimes you just gotta get out and dive.  We wanted to keep it simple and relatively close so Jamestown was the choice.  There were 11 divers and seven beach combers that headed down to beautiful Fort Wetherill in Jamestown, Rhode Island.

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Drive and Dive Report – Advanced Class at Dutch Springs

This past weekend more than 20 divers headed to Dutch Springs. Eight students, seven divemasters, three instructors, additional shore support, and tons of dive gear made the trip. Agenda? The PADI Advanced Open Water class and a lot of fun!

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Nassau Memorial Day Weekend 2010 trip report

Memorial Day Weekend found 27 hardy adventurers lead by Scuba Shack instructor, Peter Katz, in Nassau on New Providence Island, the Bahamas.

Using Orange Hill Beach Inn as our base of operations, the long weekend kicked off Wednesday with a pre-dive briefing poolside with a plethora of empty Kalik bottles to attest to the duration of the not so brief briefing. Dinner was held alfresco at Capriccio’s, where everyone was able to meet their fellow divers (and the two snorkelers).

Thursday dawned bright, sunny and calm – quite the departure from last year. The staff at Stuart Cove’s efficiently registered everyone, assigned us our boat and crew. This year we had an entirely new crew, but our reputation had preceded us and we were treated as royalty. Clee J was captain, Kayla and Ryan served as divemasters, and Vicky was our on board paparazzi.

Together with our 28 people, the boat was rather full, but fortunately with the incredibly calm seas, we were able to spread out and never felt cramped. Diving off New Providence Island did not disappoint, we dove on wrecks, Hollywood sets, walls and shallow reefs. Peter Walden was able to complete his advanced open water course and by the smile on his face, seemed to enjoy it. We saw the usual suspects during our dives: sharks, rays, eels, lionfish, turtles and assorted pretty fish. We were entertained by pods of dolphin during our boat rides to the dive sites.

Our routine after diving included the post dive debrief poolside with the ever present Kalik followed by dinner out at Café Matisse, one of our favorite haunts. Friday night dinner found us at Senor Frog’s where Bobby G. entertained the entire crowd with his diving prowess off the porch railing into the briny. This was followed by karaoke renditions by Craig and Bobby.

Perhaps the highlight of the trip was on Saturday, the off island adventure to Exuma, a two hour boat ride south of New Providence. We left early, had a moment of trepidation when we passed through a small rain storm, but arrived to bright sunshine and calm seas. I was somewhat taken aback when the crew asked me where we were supposed to dive, it was their first trip to Exuma and while they had a basic idea of how it ran, they were relying on me to orchestrate the trip. Fortunately, I chose wisely and we did two dives on the same terrific site. I don’t know what was better, the incredible swim through that we entered at 55 feet and put us out on the wall at 95 feet or the hammerhead shark. Perhaps if you see Kevin Krebsbach or Jimmy Drew who were able to get close and personal with the shark, they will give you an idea of what the diving was like. It was an adventure just getting to the lunch site, but with a little creative boat handling we endeavored to persevere. Needless to say, it was a full day of adventure in the sun, yet a diehard group was able to rally that evening for drinks and appetizers at the renowned Compass Point Resort.

Sunday, our last dive day, found us at Bacardi Reef/Port Nelson wreck where we encountered a resting nurse shark, multiple schooling fish, eels, and a lone octopus out for a walk. The other dives included the Shark Arena, where a number of people were able to find shark’s teeth, and the James Bond Wrecks. We packed a lot of adventure in four days of diving. Sunday night was highlighted by a sumptuous barbeque put together for us by Judy, owner of Orange Hill Beach Inn. An impromptu party with the dive staff of Stuart Cove’s followed in the Orange Hill bar and lounge area. Monday arrived far too quickly and people started heading home. Fortunately, this year, those of us flying American Airlines were not delayed in our return to the States. I am happy to report that our two snorkelers, Tyler and Angela, have vowed to return next year as certified divers after having to endure days on the boat listening to excited divers returning from their exciting visits to the aquatic realm.

Meteorologist Rachel Frank completes PADI certification

Rachel Frank, a meteorologist with Fox61 in Hartford, recently completed her PADI Open Water Diver certification in the Cayman Islands after completing confined water training with Scuba Shack instructor Peter Katz.

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Jeff Cinciripino completes PADI Instructor program

Completing Scuba Shack’s professional internship is certainly a high achievement, and we want to congratulate Jeff Cinciripino for going the extra step to complete the PADI Instructor Development Course and passing the PADI Instructor Examination – two full days of testing – to become Scuba Shack’s newest instructor. Read more

Kings Beach trip report – great New England summer diving

Eleven Scuba Shack divers made the trek to Newport on Aug. 16 to dive at King’s Beach. The dive team included: Dave, Bill, Devon, Paul, Bob, Joel, Katie, Maureen, Matt, Donna and Jeff.

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Chester Poling and Pickett’s Ledge with Cape Ann Divers

A group of Scuba Shack divers headed up north to dive with Cape Ann divers. The dives for the day were the Chester Poling and Pickett’s Ledge. The weather was cooperative and visability was great.

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Memorial Day Nassau group trip report

May 20, 2009 was the kick-off date for the annual Scuba Shack Nassau trip. Nineteen intrepid divers accompanied Scuba Shack instructor, Peter Katz, on a fun filled weekend of diving, dining and partying. Although the weather was not as sparkling as last year, the group’s spirit never dampened.

We were able to try new dive sites such as the BBC’s wreck, Blue Plunder. This year we did dive Hole in the Head and have the pictures to prove it.

This trip was characterized by juvenile spotted drums, turtles and the ever present lionfish.

One of our “regular” dive sites, the wreck of the Willaurie, became more interesting with the addition of skeletal remains left by a movie company.

We were fortunate to have Vivian and Barry back as our crew.

The Exuma trip was a bit of a trial for our group, but all survived and enjoyed it. All the fun was not limited to the water. We had a great meal at the Marley Resort and Spa surrounded by the memorabilia and music of legendary Bob Marley. I would have to say the “highlight” of the trip had to be the evening at Senor Frog’s. With Craig’s stirring karaoke and Bobby G’s leading the crowd in “YMCA”, the evening was a resounding hit.

I am happy to report that the hardcore blackjack players did make a dent in the Casino’s bank, with most players leaving the table with more than they started. Roulette Red started out well, but may have been overdone with the Casino scoring numerous consecutive runs of Roulette Black! Sunday night was our barbecue and farewell party with the Stuart Cove dive staff at Orange Hill.

The Three J’s held court in Orange Hill’s bar and although I recall having an adult beverage or two, my bar bill seemed to indicate I treated the entire Island!

The trip was a resounding success do to a great group of people who really know how to have a good time!

Mexico – Riviera Maya and Cenotes!

At the end of March a few friends, family and I were fortunate to take a quick trip down to Mexico.

Since the ocean wasn’t cooperating, (seas 7 – 9 feet) we decided to take in the beautiful underwater world of  ”fresh water cenotes”.  Places visited included Taj Mahal, Little Brother, Eden’s Garden, Chac Mool.  To say the cenotes are incredible is an understatement.  This was a great experience, and I will definitely be returning.  Cave diving in the future?

Along with the diving were day trips to Cancun, Playa Del Carmen and also Tulum to check out the ruins. Mexico is a great place to visit, with may fun things for the whole family!

Click on an image to to see the full size.

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