Every month – January through May – Scuba Shack is planning trips to Florida. Florida is an easy dive destination to get to, and many divers have been car-pooling and driving in shifts to make it a safe comfortable and inexpensive destination.

During each week, Scuba Shack staff – including instructors – will be on-site to complete pre-arranged Open Water certification dives as well as continuing education programs. What’s great about these trips is you can dive for one or two days, or dive a full week with the professionals at Scuba Shack who are very familiar with the dive sites, hotels and dining establishments in central and south Florida.

This is a large organizational challenge, and watch for a invitation to an early-January meeting to review the destination, schedule and diving opportunities.

• Central Florida invasion to the grottos & springs. Great manatee diving! Jan. 14 – 28
• Florida Keys – Feb. 15 – 22
• Florida Keys – March 14 – 21
• Florida Keys – April 18 – 25
• Florida Keys – May 16 – 23

Additional trips to other destinations are being planned during the next two weeks. We’ll have individual posts on each trip published as soon as we have details.

• Annual Memorial Day Weekend trip to Nassau, Bahamas, Orange Hill and Stuart Cove’s – May 23 – 28
• Back to Coco View Resort in Honduras Aug. 11 – 18 with Nick Civitillo
• Second Annual Labor Day Weekend trip to Turks & Caicos with the Cinciripino’s – Aug. 29 – Sept. 3
• Warm ocean and cavern diving with Dive Adventuras and staying at Catalonia Riviera in Mexico – Oct. 6 – 13
• Second Annual Pirate’s Week Diving Adventure on Grand Cayman with Peter Katz – Nov. 8 – 12

Drive & Dive Local Trips in June, July, August and September. Where are you interested in diving this year? We’re planning our January staff meeting for early in the month and we want to hear from you concerning local diving destinations so we can set a schedule. Let us know what you’re interested in!

Cobalt Coast is a well maintained dedicated diver resort, located in West Bay beyond Seven Mile Beach and not far from the turtle farm. It is extremely well run, yet laid back where you can hang by the pool, or lounge on the beach. It is very comfortable for non-divers who may decide to accompany divers. Our trip included daily breakfast buffet, lunch and dinner were also available. The quality and variety of the meals was remarkable, the first night some of us dined on lionfish, prepared fresh from local waters.

Diving was provided by Dive Tech the onsite dive operation. Our trip included three days of two tank boat dives and unlimited shore diving on boat dive days. Unfortunately, there was a strong northeast wind that prevented us from diving in front of Cobalt Coast but more of shore diving later. The dive staff at Dive Tech was extremely friendly and attentive. Emma and Christian, to name just a couple, provided us with excellent dive briefings (the turtles were found exactly where they were drawn in relation to the boat) as well as generous bottom times (60 minutes). Diving was typical Cayman, 82 degree water with 80+ feet of visibility, walls, swim throughs, wrecks and reefs.

One of the highlights was the treasure hunt shore dive. In conjunction with Pirates Week, Dive Tech and Cobalt Coast sponsor an underwater treasure hunt as a charity fund raiser. Participation is an extra $25, Dive Tech provided us with transportation to Light House Point, their second shore dive site, as well as nitrox and weights. Approximately 70 divers participated, searching for metal disks with numbers written on them that ended up corresponding to prizes. This was shore diving at its finest, no need to trudge across sand and rocks. Benches under a protective covering provided a stable area to set up our gear and access to the water was via a giant stride from a concrete pier. Exiting the water was no problem due to the large, stable ladder provided at the end of the pier. The dive was in 30-60 feet of water to a mini wall where I was more distracted by the variety of sea life than the task of finding the prize disks. We were allowed to take two disks each thereby allowing others to also reap rewards. Needless to say, there were many more disks than divers/snorkelers and those of us who collected more than the allotted two were more than willing to share with those who couldn’t find any. The treasure hunt ended up at Cobalt Coast with the awarding of the prizes, no disappointments, everyone was a winner.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was the pirate activities. On Friday night, my band of marauders, dressed in our pirate/wench garb, went into Georgetown to participate in the street festival/firework display. Much to our surprise, we were not the only pirates in town. Actually, we felt underdressed since some of the people we met spent a great deal of time and effort in getting the pirate/pirate wench costume just right. The fireworks display was first rate, much to our amazement. Food vendors were in abundance with a variety of palate pleasing offerings at a reasonable price. There were bands, singing contests and wenches strolling the street. It was quite a night! Not to be outdone, Saturday afternoon the pirates attacked Georgetown with two ships and the requisite cannonade. The governor and the red coats were taken captive and all spectators and participants cheered! Immediately following the enactment, the parade started. It was a wonderful afternoon.

What would a trip be without some terrific restaurants? We were fortunate to stumble upon a delightful beachfront place, The Tiki Bar, on Seven Mile Beach that provided us with a couple of evenings of relaxation and quality libations. The Calypso Grill, although conjuring up images of fried fish and chips, was anything but. A beautiful setting in Morgan’s Harbour, an extensive menu, and a well stocked wine cellar made it the surprise hit of the trip. Of course a trip to Grand Cayman would not be complete without an evening dining under the stars at The Wharf, a premier dining establishment.

Our weekend was jam packed with fun activities and all too soon came to an end. Divers and non-divers alike agreed that it was an exciting time and vowed to return next year for Pirates Week, although, next year we would invest more effort in our pirate/wench costumes so we could compete with the “regulars”.

Upon arrival to the resort, many of us we surprised to find out how large and spacious the villas were. They were 1,400 square feet with two completely separate bedrooms, each with their own private full bath, a full kitchen, living area, and outside patio. Each villa also was given a good size vehicle to accommodate tanks, gear and divers for the travel to the more than 60 named shore access dive sites.

Click here for the Oct. 2011 Bonaire Trip Photo Gallery.

Sunday started out with a shore check out dive in front of the resort to make sure of proper weighting and that all gear was in fine working order. The rest of the day divers split up into groups and did more shore dives either locally or travelling to other sites.

Monday started with the first of three days of two tank boat dives which were included in the package price. The group was split between the two dive boats, the Green Flash and the Blue Moon. We enjoyed some fabulous reef dives on Klein Bonaire and the north end of Bonaire, not to mention the and a wreck dive on the Helma Hooker in the clear 84 degree water.

Most afternoons divers split into small groups and headed out to distant locations to do shore dives such as Oil Slick Leap and the invisibles. Night dives in front of either the pool location or the Tipsey Seagull were a common theme and many did dives at 5:30 a.m., which started in the dark and ended at daylight when the reefs came alive with the morning light.

Thursday was a busy day of diving with shore dives in the morning, a 3 p.m. dive at the Salt Pier escorted by divemaster Jackson, and a boat night dive to Klein Bonaire or Small Wall, depending on which boat you were on. The night dives were also included in the trip package.

The diving was a great experience for both the newly certified and the more accomplished divers. Besides the usual beautiful coral reefs and marine life some more exotic discoveries were seen including a scalloped hammer head shark, a manta ray, seahorses, sharp tail eels, turtles, and two different colored frog fish were seen and documented by the many photographers on the trip. Friday night we celebrated the close of our diving with a nice dinner for 22 people at the “It Rains Fishes” restaurant. The Sailing Regatta was in town which is a big festive occasion for the local people with a street carnival and live music in the streets.

Special thanks go out to Ed Hayes, Joel Toohey, Forest Rothchild, and Gary Woods for organizing, planning, and making this trip safe and enjoyable. This was one of Scuba Shack’s best trips to date and another one is in the planning stages for the same time slot next year. Your suggestions and comments are always welcome.

Congratulations to each of these divers for the accomplishment!

Looking for a totally different date night idea? How about dinner and scuba instead of dinner and a movie! Couples can pre-register for the experience and meet with their own private instructor for a totally unique date that will include at least one hour of diving in the pool.

How about bachelor and bachelorette parties? Before you head to the bar, your group can meet us at the pool and we’ll provide all the gear you need to try scuba diving and you’ll have a group of dive professionals who can show you the ropes.

Scuba Shack can also arrange Discover Scuba experiences for co-workers, groups of friends, families and birthday parties for teens and adults.

What do you need?

It’s really simple, bring a bathing suit and plan to have a fun time! Although scuba diving can be a bit frightening for those trying it for the first time - oh my … you’re breathing underwater! - the activity is completely safe, and the indoor pool has great visibility and is comfortable.

One think you will need to do is complete a medical statement and liability release. If you answer YES to any of the questions, you’ll need to check with your personal physician prior to trying scuba diving.

Read more about the Discover Scuba experience right here.

How do I arrange the experience?

Give us a call at (860) 563-0119 or contact us through the online form below.

Note: The email that went out had the wrong date, the correct date is Sunday, Oct. 2. This cost will be $15 for tickets (in advance) and $16 at the door. You can pick up tickets at Scuba Shack or Cadillac Ranch, and make additional donations of support if you’d like. If you’re unable to make it to the event, you still can make a donation. Contact us here at Scuba Shack if you have any questions.

One thing you can do very easily is write a message of support to Dennis by sending him an email using the form below, or follow Dennis’ progress on Caring Bridge.

Again this year, you’ll need to pre-qualify as an Open Water Diver who has taken Scuba Shack’s Buoyancy & Control program, the PADI Enriched Air Nitrox class (or equivalent) and the Advanced Open Water Diver course.

This package – which must be purchased in advanced to realize the cost savings – includes the PADI Rescue Diver and Divemaster classes, plus the Emergency First Responder (EFR) first aid and CPR program, Scuba Shack’s Buoyancy 2, and the GUE Fundamentals class. Although the program must be purchased in advance, payment plans are available.

These programs – individually priced at up to $2,000 – will be offered at a great discount, and we can customize your package depending on the qualifications you currently have.

Want to join in? We have an Advanced Open Water Diver class starting Tuesday, Sept. 6, that will help you meet the pre-requisites, and we’ll have an EFR class scheduled soon. Program enrollment will be limited to ensure your success. For more information on the package and pricing, set up an training counseling session – which is required – with Ed Hayes by calling Scuba Shack at (860) 563-0119.

If your looking to add a couple of tanks to your collection or if you’re looking for your first tank, this is a great opportunity to save some money. Each tank will have acurrent hydro and visual inspection and include a used valve with new o-rings and burst disc.

These tanks will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Process

1. Come in and pick out your tank and valve. Pay for your purchase.
2. The tank will then by hydro-statically tested, and visually inspected.
3. You’ll pick up the tank about two weeks after your purchase.

The process is set up to ensure you receive an up-to-date tank. It’s rare for a tank to fail inspection, but if one does fail, you’ll be given the opportunity to select a new, used tank.

Stop in soon to ensure you’re able to pick the best from our selection of used tanks!