NEWSLETTER April 7,
2002
Members may submit articles
for future editions. This is issue no. 14
Peggy’s News
DA Dive Log
DA Dive Plan
Large Marine Animal Story
Robinson Crusoe Book
March DA Meeting Minutes,
Unapproved
DA Calendar
Peggy’s News
Peggy Bowen, Director, NJ Council of Diving Clubs
The New Jersey Council of Diving Clubs provided good
support for our NJ dive clubs by providing a table at the Beneath the Sea show.
Flyers from several dive clubs including Divers Anonymous were provided to
interested divers who stopped by the table. Including officers and members of
the council, Tom, Al, and Norva from DA greeted interested people and offered
information as was needed. Rich had previously prepared flyers to be distributed
about our club.
______________________________________________________________________
DA
Dive Log
Boat Dive Log
March
11~18: Ben Gualano and Rich Mullen joined New Yorker’s Ken and Ed for a
week-long trip to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. What better place to
spend a cold season week than in a beautiful island like St Thomas. We did a
total of 20 dives and some permitted us to glimpse into the past to see old
wrecks and antique relics of the 16 and 1700’s. The conditions were great, the
air and water temp was always around 80F and Vis was 20’or more. Dives out at
Savanna Island had visibility up to 100’. From this dive site, you could see
some mountains of Puerto Rico in the distance. This site was beautiful with
healthy reef and lots of marine life and even saw a few cannon balls from past
shipwrecks. There were big lobsters all over the place and everyone caught
lobsters for dinner that night. Rich also took one day off from the rest of the
group to go over to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands to dive the wreck of
the Royal Mail Steamship Rhone. This shipwreck is considered by many to be one
of the best wreck dives in the Caribbean. If anyone is interested, Rich has a
one-hour underwater videotape of diving the RMS Rhone with some footage taken
during this actual dive and lots of plug-in video taken from other exciting
dives at this same wreck site.
Shore Dive Log
April 4: Tom Gormley and Rich Mullen did a high
slack tide shore dive at Horseshoe Cove in Sandy Hook State Park. The air was
50F, water was 48F and Vis was 3 feet. The dive plan was to enter at the tip of
the cove and swim southwards towards the old footings and eventually back to
walkout location. Rich was using a borrowed dry suit and unfortunately did not
fully close the zipper. He slowly became fully flooded with cold-ocean water.
After about 30 minutes Rich indicated to Tom he wanted to abort the dive due to
having some difficulties with cold and could not easily move. After Rich
crawled along the bottom back to the shoreline and was finally able to stand
up, Tom then fully realized what was the problem. At the shoreline, Tom
realized Rich’s dry suit was filled with about 40 lbs of cold saltwater. His
legs were full to the hips with water. After much laughter and some picture
taking, Rich was able to get quickly changed into dry cloths. Lesson learned -
try out and get familiar with any borrowed equipment before entering the ocean.
Remark - dive buddies stayed together and when one diver wanted to abort there
was no hesitation, but followed pre-agreed plan to abort immediately if anyone
elected to abort at any time.
April 6: Gary Mullen who is a member of both Divers
Anonymous and In Too Deep Dive Clubs, met some of his fellow In Too Deep
members at 10am for an opening Day Dive at Dutch Springs. Although the Quarry's
water level is down about 12 FT (I logged 54' now at the Silver Comet) it is
still Great Diving. DO NOT BELEIVE STORIES that you need ropes to enter. You
will need to use the entry platforms, as it is a sharp slippery drop if you try
to wade in from shore. Stu has done a wonderful job of relocating the entry
platforms to the new water levels and his staff is building more.
Surface Temp was 45 degs and I logged 39 deg at the base of the Comet.
Paul took some pics and I'm sure he will post as soon as he gets them
developed. As for me I forgot to turn on my camera before entry. I did check
out my doubles configuration and my New Dive Rite Transpac II. I am ready for
Boat Diving hopefully starting next Sat.
April 7: Rich Mullen and Tom Gormley did a shore
dive off Mantoloking beach to one of the many unidentified shore wrecks in the
area. Conditions were very good for an early April dive. Visibility was a good
5 feet and wave action was light, about 1 to 2 feet crests. Air temp was around
50 degrees and Rich’s computer provided an underwater digital reading of 42
degrees while Tom’s analog thermometer read a much better 49 degrees. That
would explain why Rich got cold on the dive while Tom was nice and toasty. It’s
all in your equipment!! You just need the right gauge!!
Some ocean marine life is beginning to show. The
divers saw a couple of bottom skates, blackfish, crabs, large surf clams, and
early mussel growth.
Any club member who wishes to join the diving on a
Thursday or Sunday should contact Tom or Rich. At least for April we plan to
use Tom’s temperature gauge.
South African Adventure
Have you ever dreamed of an African Safari? How about going to dive with
the King of the Ocean, The Great White Shark. Whales come so close to the shore
to mate and give birth you can view them without going on the sea.
Want to visit this paradise?
All this is possible for less than $100 a day. In fact down to $50 a day
Go look at http://www.walkerbayadventures.com
For more infomation email mailto:barryrey@mweb.co.za
Robinson Crusoe Book
Book shines light on the real Robinson Crusoe
By Michael Conlon
CHICAGO, March 27 (Reuters) - The real Robinson Crusoe
loved rum more than truth, took to bestiality with the goats on the island
where he was stranded, and died at sea, his untamed search for easy money
halted finally by tropical fever.
This is not Daniel Defoe's mythic man from the novel
of 1719, but Diana Souhami's story of Alexander Selkirk, a Scots seaman who
inspired it.
In the end, Defoe's character may be far more
civilized.
"He was kind of a football hooligan, a bit of a
thug really," Souhami says of Selkirk. "He was the sort of guy who sorts
out a problem with his fists."
Her finitely researched book, "Selkirk's
Island: The True and Strange Adventures of the Real Robinson Crusoe"
(Harcourt, $24 hardcover) won this year's Whitbread Award for biography. The
award's judges called her work "a great adventure, a great read and a real
advance for the art of biography."
On a recent research trip to libraries in the United
States, the London-based writer told Reuters she was drawn to Selkirk because
not much had been written about him. And despite the raw truth that marks her
222 pages she is not without some admiration for him.
"He must have been so incredibly strong. Who
could chase up mountains and just survive for four years? He must have been so
strong and so fit -- and to not kind of go catatonically depressed and sit in a
heap and die," she said.
NOT UNUSUAL
Nor was he atypical. In the early 18th century it
was the seamen who survived, relying on their wiles at a time when the ocean
was a battleground where the Spanish and British empires collided.
Government-warranted privateers lured by stories of treasure-laden galleons
willingly traded land for peril under sail.
"The lure was gold and alcohol and very often
they were just kind of rather desperate people," Souhami says.
Selkirk's desperation drove him from Nether Largo in
Fife, eastern Scotland, where he was born in 1680, to seek fortune on the seas
rather than be chained to his father's trade as a hide tanner and shoemaker.
And in a fight with equally desperate men, it landed
him alone in 1704 on the island of Juan Fernandez, 360 miles (579 km) off the
coast of Chile, left behind by double-dealing superiors who accused him of
inciting treason for questioning the safety of their rotting vessel.
The island where he would spend 52 months alone was
known to those who traversed the South Seas, and his rescue came from a ship in
search of the very food and water that kept him alive while alone.
Souhami's meticulous mining of ancient journals and
records yields a story that pairs research-paper precision with bursts of
poetry. She details every aspect of Selkirk's life on the island -- his
clothes, food, shelter and even his sexual conquests in the local goat herd,
animals whose ears he notched after satisfying his needs.
THE ISLAND
In the end the island -- today a Chilean territory
inhabited by about 500 people -- takes as memorable a place in the book as
Selkirk.
"I was amazed when I went there. It's not the
stereotype of a desert island -- it's a volcanic island of mountains and
valleys and gorges," she said. "It just doesn't lend itself to
settlement. The people who live there are very cut off."
Before his death on an ill-fated voyage off the West
Coast of Africa in 1721, Selkirk had amassed property and a bit of wealth by
the standards of the day and married two women -- the second wife, Souhami's
says, simply for a tryst in the port from which he left on his final voyage.
The idea of one man surviving alone (there was no
"Man Friday" on Selkirk's island -- has as much appeal today, Souhami
said, as it did when Defoe put the story into what many regard as the first
English novel, a story that has never been out of print since then.
Is there anyone today with the physical and mental mettle to do what Selkirk did?
"The one person I've thought of is a Devon
farmer," she said. "He would manage all the practicalities, husband
the creatures and know what to do and how to build things."
In the meantime Souhami -- whose earlier works
include "The Trials of Radclyffe Hall" -- is busy at work on a new
subject far removed from the Alexander Selkirk she came to know so well.
"I'm back to Paris in the early 1900s, and a
more civilized subject," she said.
22:01 03-26-02
________________________________________________________________________
March Meeting Minutes, (unapproved)
Divers Anonymous
Meeting Minutes
Next Meeting Note: Our next
meeting will be held on Monday, April 29 at 7:30PM at Mario’s Restaurant.
DA Secretary, Richard Mullen,
respectfully submits March Divers Anonymous Monthly Meeting Minutes.
Members Present:
Richard
Bertoldi
Edith and
Rick Farmer
Ian Fryer
Norva and Tom Gormley
Ben Gualano
Bob Jeffas
Mick Lacatena
Connie
and Leo Mazur
Ramon Medina
Gary Mullen
Richard Mullen
Al Nesterok
Lara and Charlie Padula
Derrick Teel
Don Van Dyk
Guests
Present:
Paul
Ward
Mike
Safer, The Bottle Guy
The meeting
began at 7:30 pm / 19 of 36 active members were present.
Executive Committee Reports
Vice President’s
Report / Al Nesterok
Al ran
tonight’s meeting on behalf of Tom.
·
Election of club officers will be held on
April 29. Nominations from the floor
were made as followings:
President: Tom Gormley and Richard
Bertoldi
Vice President: Al Nesterok and Ian Fryer
Secretary: Richard Mullen
Treasurer: Lara Padula
President’s Report / Tom Gormley
Tom requested members to
become more actively involved with club activities and consider joining some
committees. There are committee openings
for the Membership, Safety & Training and Dive/Picnic Committees.
·
April 29 – 7:30 PM club meeting. Election of officers and club dues are
due.
Treasurer Report / Lara
Padula
Club 2002 dues in the
amount of $25 will be due at April 29 meeting
Secretary
Report / Richard Mullen
The Jan 25 meeting minutes were contained within
the February Monthly Newsletter, which were made available to members by email
and posted on the clubs web site.
Members present accepted the filed minutes unread. Pizza and soda was available for $5+$2.
Capt.
Steve Nagiewicz of Diversion II is helping The
Special
Committees Reports
Legislative
Committee / Richard Mullen
Nothing new
to report.
Local
Dive Committee / Ben, Tom, Rick and Rich
Boat dives are being planned for the upcoming dive
season. Contact any of the committee
members for dive info. Our calendar
includes several shore dives and some picnics.
Plan your schedules to get involved.
Membership
Committee / Tom Gormley
Placed club
fliers at BTS Expo at the NJCDC table.
Members are encouraged to seek out new members.
Newsletter
Committee / Tom Gormley
Report all newsworthy articles and events to Tom before
the tenth of each month for possible inclusion into the Newsletter. The newsletter is now being posted on our
website or mailed to anyone who needs that service (contact Rich Mullen or any
officer to subscribe to the mailing list.)
Safety & Training Committee / Ian Fryer
Nothing new
to report.
Special
Event Committee / Rick Farmer
Nothing new
to report.
Travel
Committee / Norva Gormley
Ben and Rich
went to
Web
Site Committee / Rick Farmer
Visit club
web site at https://www.angelfire.com/nj4/divers/
This web site
offers Calendar of Events, Newsletters, Scuba Links and other cool stuff.
If members
want to post any timely club or scuba related activities they are encouraged to
use email group mailing. Addresses are available on request from Rich Mullen.
Members are reminded to use care in protecting each others private email
address and should not send email to members who request not to receive such
group mailings. You may want to check out linked Yahoo club sites for In Too
Deep and Dutch Springs Dive Buddies.
Old
Business
Anyone who has not yet
signed DA 2002 Release of Liability Form should contact Rich. This is general liability waiver form and
must be signed by each club member each year.
The following members have not yet signed this form: Richard Bellero, Richard
Bertoldi, Michael Gaynor, Joe Giannetto, Garth and Norva Gormley, Emilio
Grugnale, Fredrick Marcus, Ramon Medina, Gary Mullen, Christine Nesterok,
Charles Nunez, Erica and Imre Papdi, Kevin Stoltz, Meredith and Pat Tierney,
Henry Van Ginneken, Don Wilson, Joseph Youncofski and John Young.
Tom asked if
anyone has any information about a club flag. Al said he would look into that.
New
Business
Nothing new to report.
Guest
Speakers
Tonight we were honored
by guest speaker Mike Safer, who is long avid collector of bottles. He explained details how to locate, restore
and identify old bottles. He has been
digging and collecting bottles for the past 30 years and many of his greatest
finds have been locally in
Anyone who wishes to
contact Mike Safer with a bottle question should call him at his plumbing
supply shop at 9737512100.
Minutes are submitted by
Divers Anonymous Secretary, Richard Mullen
2002 Calendar
2002
Divers Anonymous Calendar 2002
January 2002
·
1/12 - DA Holiday Party, 8:00 pm, San Carlo
Rest., ·
1/14 – DA Planning Meeting, 7PM, 6 Bros Diner, Rt 46 ·
1/28 - Dive Club Meeting, Featured Speaker: Capt Ted Massotti, How to
become rebreather certified |
February 2002
§
2/16 Third Annual DA Ski Day §
2/17 Tom’s River Flea Market §
2/25 - Dive Club Meeting |
March 2002
·
3/3 NYC Aquarium Trip ·
3/20 Pool Check Out Dive, Clifton Y, 9PM ·
Beneath the Sea 3/22, 23, 24 ·
Dive Club Meeting 3/25 |
April 2002
·
April 14 Manasquan River Dive 10AM ·
4/29 - Dive Club Meeting Annual
Dues & Officer Elections
|
May 2002
·
5/18 - Memorial Day Picnic and Dive ·
5/20 - Dive Club Meeting ·
Boat Diving |
June 2002
·
6/8 Shark River Inlet Dive ·
6/16 Boat Diving Scuba Too ·
6/24 - Dive Club Meeting ·
6/30 Boat diving Scuba Too Mohawk Trip |
July 2002
·
7/7 Dual Wrecks, Long Branch
Shore Dive, 7:30AM ·
7/14 Boat Dive Scuba Too ·
7/27 & 28 Dutch Springs Camping and Dive Weekend ·
7/29 - Dive Club Meeting ·
Boat Diving |
August 2002
·
8/4 , 8/18 Scuba Too Boat Dives ·
8/10 Night Dive at Shark River Inlet & Sat Night Out ·
DA Day at Great Adventure ·
8/26 - Dive Club Meeting ·
Boat Diving |
September 2002
·
Labor Day Picnic & Dive, Sun, 9/1, 8AM ·
9/8 Boat Diving Scuba Too Mohawk Trip ·
9/22-23 Long Island Diving ·
9/30 - Dive Club Meeting ·
Boat Diving |
|
October 2002 ·
10/27 Halloween Dive ·
Boat Diving ·
10/28 Dive Club Meeting |
November 2002
·
11/17 Fifth Annual Equipment Maintenance Workshop ·
11/25 Dive Club Meeting |
December 2002
·
12/16 – Dive Club Meeting 2nd
Annual Artifact & Photo Exhibit and Dive Story Contest ·
Happy Holidays |
Pink Highlighted
Events are supported by DA dues: food, prizes, subsidized admission etc.