NEWSLETTER March 1,
2002
Members may submit articles
for future editions. This is issue no. 13
Peggy’s News
DA Dive Log
DA Dive Plan
DA Ski Day
Ocean Wreck Diver’s Flea
Market Update
Grand Opening of NJHDA
Environment and Marine Life
Stories
February DA Meeting Minutes,
Unapproved
DA Calendar
_______________________________________________________________________
Peggy’s News
The seminar schedule for Beneath The Sea 2002 is now on line at
Beneath The Sea's web site
http://beneaththesea.org/attendinfo/seminarsched.html
BENEATH THE SEA's 26th Undersea Exposition and Dive Travel Show will be at the New Jersey's Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey - March 22nd, 23rd and 24th, 2002.
The largest consumer diving event in North America, this year BENEATH THE SEA will have 300 exhibitors from all corners of the world, over 60 seminars by specialists and industry experts, diving demonstrations, exotic destinations, social events, and workshops, to entertain, inform and excite the experienced diver, new diver, and entice non-divers into becoming divers.
NOAA Fisheries has
proposed revisions to the National Artificial Reef Plan. Originally developed
as a NOAA Technical Memorandum in 1985, this Plan
provided guidance on various aspects of artificial reefs, including use, types
of construction materials and planning, siting,
designing, and management. Since 1985, the progression of state artificial reef
programs has shed new light on issues pertaining to artificial reefs. The most
significant proposed revisions address issues of construction materials, permit
programs, liability, research and evaluation, and site location.
A copy of the plan and comment and contact
information can be downloaded by going to: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/irf/irf.html
Comments must be received no later than May 23,
2002.
Hard copies can be received by calling Michael
Bailey at (727) 570-5474.
The FishNews website is
available by going to
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ and clicking on the FishNews
icon.
---------------------
Peggy Bowen, Director, NJ Council of Diving Clubs
__________________________________________________________________________________
DA
Dive Log
Boat Dive Log
Connie
and Leo Mazur traveled to Curacau in the Dutch
Shore Dive Log
Sat - Feb 9 - Tom and Rich dove beneath the
Sat – March 2 – Tom Gormley
and Rob Pettigrew dove the
________________________________________________________________________
Aquarium
Information
Our trip to
the NY Aquarium scheduled for Sunday, March 3 went off as planned. Norva, Tom, Rick, Edith, Connie, and Leo got to see the
dolphins, penguins, beluga whale, sharks, sea lions, turtles, sea horses,
various fish, and numerous displays. Fun was had by all, and a late lunch at
the Tic Tock Diner completed the enjoyable day.
________________________________________________________________________
Tanks and
Burst Disks
Original
article by Al Nesterok
There is a
myth that leaving a SCUBA tank in the trunk of a car places the tank in serious
danger of blowing a burst disk. This is not likely, especially with new
equipment. This would only happen if the disk is fatigued, and well out-of-spec
on the low end of its rating. The purpose of the burst disk is not to protect
the tank from solar heat in a trunk of a car. Its purpose is to protect the
tank if left unattended while filling it from a running compressor, and
possibly protecting the compressor, though most have
their own pressure relief valve. They are designed to burst at well above the
tank rating - often around 40% above nominal. For an aluminum
80, that would be:
3000 PSI x 1.4 =
4200 PSI.
Charles' Law
states that: (Pressure x Volume)/Temperature is constant, meaning that pressure
rises with temperature to keep their ratio a constant if the volume remains the
same. This can be expressed as:
P1/T1 = P2/T2
Many people
believe that a 140 degree F trunk vs. a 100 degree F fill temperature would
yield a 40 percent increase in tank pressure:
3000/100 =
P2/140, or P2 = (3000/100) x 140 = 4200 PSI
BUT!!!..... It
doesn't work that way because the pressures are relative to "absolute
zero" temperature (-460 degrees F). Degrees Rankin is Fahrenheit degrees
in size, but measured relative to absolute zero. Since the equation for
Charles' Law is based on degrees Rankin, the example above is correctly
calculated as follows:
3000/(460+100) = P2/(460+140)
3000/560
=P2/600
P2= (3000/560)
x 600 = 3215 PSI,
which is well below burst disk
concerns. The burst pressure is rated at nearly 1000 PSI
above the expected 215 PSI rise in a 140 degree
3000/(460+80) = P2/(460+140)
3000/540
=P2/600
P2= (3000/540)
x 600 = 3333 PSI,
which is still only about 11%
over rating, and within tank safety margins. A tank tip - Store your tank with
very low pressure (100 PSI) to keep water out and
material stress low. If that isn't practical, store it full. In a house fire,
the burst disk may blow from heat combined with pressure if the storage
pressure is high. If the aluminum tank is half full, the tank will likely give
way before the burst disk because aluminum is severely weakened by extreme
heat, and the pressure rise might never reach the rated burst temperature
before catastrophic failure of the tank.
All rights
reserved by Al Nesterok
_______________________________________________________________________
Better
Diving Tip
Referenced
Source of Information: / Rodale's Scuba Diving Magazine /
newsletter@depth-finder.com
How to Prevent
Dive-Related Headaches
Symptom: Dull,
throbbing headache after diving that does not respond to analgesics or migraine
medications. Cause: Carbon dioxide
buildup in the body, usually due to improper breathing, which triggers
increased blood flow to the brain.
How to Prevent
It: Take deeper breaths. Check the fit of gear. A too-tight wetsuit or
jacket-style BC can prevent your lungs from fully expanding. Take more breaths.
An abnormal time between breaths allows carbon dioxide buildup in the lungs and
blood. Don't skip-breathe.
Live
Underwater Video of Race Rocks,
Canada's most southerly
point on the Pacific coast, Race Rocks is a legendary site for
Getting into a
stubborn wetsuit, by scuby_diver
"Have you
ever tried to get into a wetsuit that didn't seem to want you in it? Here is a
tip that will give you the advantage and allow you to slip into it as if it
were made of satin. You know those plastic bags they use at the stores to put
your groceries in or whatever? Simply put your foot in the bag and pull the bag
up over your leg as far as it will go. Then just pull your wetsuit on over it -
the neoprene slides over the plastic easily. When your foot pops out at the
bottom of the leg, simply pull the bag out, and presto, you are one quarter of
the way done."
Preparing for
Your Photo Trip
Taking
successful photos on your dive vacation starts before you ever leave home.
Stephen Frink answers some of the most commonly asked
questions about getting the best shot under water. For the complete article, go
to: http://www.scubadiving.com/photo/instruction/phototrip/
Beat the Cold:
8 Hot Tips
By the end of
a diving day or the middle of a week of diving, you'll feel run down. Becoming
more chilled at the end of the dive than you were at the beginning also
increases your risk of DCS. That's because warm
tissues transfer gas more efficiently than cold tissues-they have more blood
flow. For the complete article, go to: http://www.scubadiving.com/training/DLAP/dec01.shtml
Minimize Your
Risk of DCS Even tropical
water as warm as a swimming pool is cool compared to your body's core
temperature of 98.6F. You have to burn extra energy to replace lost body heat,
and by the
Avoid Sawtooth and Bounce Profiles. The point is to minimize the
number of ascents and descents in a dive because each ascent is a DCS risk, and when you crowd in more ascents, they tend to
be faster. The only way to avoid DCS entirely is not
to ascend at all. Since you have to come up eventually, do it as few times, and
as slowly, as possible.
.
________________________________________________________________________
On February 17, 2002 Rich Mullen and Tom Gormley handed out club flyers to prospective members at
the Ocean Wreck Divers Flea Market. Tom, Rich, and Ben Gualano
also had success selling some of their unwanted personal dive gear to flea
market buyers. Also in attendance were Gary Mullen, Ian Fryer and Chris DeLuise.
Trading dive gear and making connections with dive
friends and businesses are the activities that bring most people to the flea
market. By the size of the crowd, it was another successful event. If you
missed this event, please look forward to another in the winter of 2003.
Contact: Frank (732) 367-8631 or Howie (732) 255-2865
_______________________________________________________________________
Grand Opening of the
Tom Gormley, Ben Gualano, Rich Mullen, and Norva Gormley attended the grand opening of the NJHDA at the
Our group got an opportunity to see the archives,
tour the facilities, and hear about the plans for developing the shipwreck
museum in the future. There were about 75 people in attendance including
several dive boat captains, local divers, and others interested in the museum.
Dan Lieb is the
owner/operator of the museum and is actively seeking support for this project.
Please contact Dan at aqualieb@aol.com or
visit the NJHDA website at:
http://members.aol.com/aqualieb
_______________________________________________________________________
Protect your local environment
I received this announcement too late to advertise it, but anyone interested should follow up with a call or email to those listed in the announcement.
R E M I N D E R ALL ARE WELCOME!
You have heard me talk about working in you
watershed to improve your boating future.
Here is an opportunity to learn first hand how to help remedy stream
conditions to improve our environment.
Only a few hours of your time for this training course will make you a
part of this very important team!
THE
BE PART OF THE RIVER ASSESSMENT TEAMS PROGRAM
· WHAT
STREAM OR
SEE WHAT YOU FIND!
· NOURISH
YOUR SPIRIT
· LOOK
FOR WILDLIFE
· ENJOY
THE WATER
· FORM
A TEAM, JOIN WITH FRIENDS, EXPLORE WITH THE WHOLE FAMILY
· COMMIT
TO ONLY A FEW HOURS BUT HAVE A BIG IMPACT!!
· USING
ONLY YOUR EYESIGHT, GATHER INFORMATION NEEDED BY THE NJ
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION *
· FREE
TRAINING PROGRAM
*The information will be used as the basis for developing
a watershed management plan for your area that will help repair stream banks,
restore vegetation, improve water quality, and protect wildlife habitat.
Sponsored by the NJ
Department of Environmental Protection, the
Cooper River Assessment
Program: Saturday, February 23, 2002,
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM, Horace Mann Elementary School,
To SIGN UP for the program and for directions and
information, call Area Watershed Coordinator Suzanne McCarthy at 215-238-2934
or email to smccarthy@dvrpc.org
Jerry Donofrio Sr.
Chairman
Tel 609-877-2561 voice mail
Visit our Boater Voter Coalition Web Page !!!!
Information on Boating in
Join The BVC web site click here for it http://sport.nj.com/sport/boatervoter
_______________________________________________________________________
Environmental and Marine Life Stories
Decay of world coral reef threatens ocean wonders
By Mark John
PARIS, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Human abuse risks turning
the world's coral reefs into a "seaweed-covered pile of rock and
rubble" bereft of its technicolour marine life,
the author of a new report said on Thursday.
The death of fragile exotica like the venomous cone
snail or the
"There's been a reluctance to consider sea
animals as at threat from extinction," said British-based marine
conservation biologist Callum Roberts, co-author of
the report to be published in the February 15 issue of Science magazine.
"What we have shown is that many species are
limited to small islands and that localized impacts can wipe them out."
The study highlights 10 coral reef
"hotspots" from the
The United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP), which last year warned the world's coral
reefs were shrinking fast, said the study was a wake-up call to focus
conservation efforts.
"We must ensure that this unique ecosystem continues
to feed, protect and dazzle us and our descendants for generations to
come," UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer said in a statement.
DEADLY MOLLUSC
Coral reefs, often called the "rainforests of
the ocean" for the rich diversity of life they support, occupy 284,300
square km (110,000 square miles) of the planet's surface -- an area half the
size of
Dynamite fishing, polluting sediment caused by
farming and deforestation of coastal land areas, global warming, and the growth
of scuba-diver tourism are threatening over half the world's reef, the report
found.
"Degraded reef looks like a seaweed-covered
pile of rock and rubble," Roberts, a senior lecturer at the
"The water is murky and is less productive for
food," he added, noting the risk to diet and livelihood for coastal
communities heavily reliant on seafood.
Turning coral reefs into marine reserves would not
only boost fish catches in the long term but also, Roberts argues, make them
more attractive for carefully regulated tourism.
The study, supported by U.S.-based biodiversity
protection group Conservation International, focused on more than 3,000 species
of fish, coral, snail and lobster that need healthy reef environments to
survive.
Some creatures are already feared extinct, including
some variants of the brilliantly colored angelfish and damselfish popular in
home aquariums.
But more is at stake than maintaining supplies to
fish tanks. Coral compounds are used in drugs such as AZT, a treatment for the
HIV virus, and some reef-dwellers could provide inspiration for further medical
breakthroughs.
Roberts cited the cone snail, a fish-eating mollusk
with venom 1,000 times more powerful than morphine, as showing promise for
development as a human painkiller.
"We are only scratching the surface of what
reefs could potentially supply," he said.
05:33 02-14-02
_______________________________________________________________________
Underwater video reveals
lobsters behaving badly (sent by Peggy Bowen)
12 February 2002
JOHN WHITFIELD
A lobster pot is more like a
Wild West saloon than a cunningly laid snare. Lobsters show up for food and a
fight, and only the unlucky few get reeled in, underwater video footage is
revealing.
Camera recordings how that
lobster traps catch a mere 6% of the animals that enter them. The result
suggests that lobsters' rowdy behavior could be confusing attempts to count and
size them, and so to manage the fishery1.
"Predicting the future of the population is difficult," says
Lobster numbers are usually
estimated from the catches of experimental traps. To gauge the accuracy of this
technique, Winsor Watson, of the
Traps have a 'kitchen' where
bait is kept. This leads to two 'parlours' where
lobsters are supposedly held. They also have emergency exits to let undersized
animals out. Lobsters, however, don't
play fair: "75% of them went right back out the entrance," says
Watson. The few that were caught tended to be larger specimens that could fight
off intruders, and were interrupted mid-meal. "We call it the restaurant
hypothesis," Watson says.
What's the catch? "A
lot of lobstermen feel that traps are really feeding stations," says Cobb.
New England's lobster fishery is in good health - perhaps, says Cobb, because
of all the bait that fishermen put out. Lobster catches worth about $200
million are landed each year in
But researchers are not sure
how long the good times can go on. "We catch about 90% of lobsters bigger
than the legal size limit. I'm concerned we're fishing too heavily," says
Watson. Catches are beginning to decline in the southern area of the fishery,
and there are signs that disease is damaging the crustaceans.
Researchers would like to be
able to read any warning signs, so that they can move to avert possible
crashes, rather than have to repair a shattered fishery. To do this, they may
need new ways of counting lobsters - one possibility Watson suggests is a trap
that can catch multiple lobsters by moving them away from the entrance,
"like a maze".
References
1. Jury, S. H., Howell, H., O'Gradt,
D. F. & Watson, W. H. III
Lobster trap video: in situ surveillance of
the behavior of
Homarus americanus in and around traps. Marine and
Freshwater Research,
52, 1125 - 1132 , (2001).
© Nature News Service /
Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2002
From Nature article: http://www.nature.com/nsu/020211/020211-1.html
___________________________________________________________________
February Meeting Minutes, (unapproved)
Next Meeting Note: Our next
meeting will be held on Monday, March 25 at 7:30PM at Mario’s Restaurant in the
back room. The scheduled presentation
is to be “All about old bottles” will begin around 8PM.
Divers Anonymous Minutes
Divers Anonymous Scuba Dive Club
Mario’s Restaurant /
February 25, 2002 - Monthly Meeting Minutes
Members
Present:
Richard Bertoldi
Ian Fryer
Norva Gormley
Tom Gormley
Ben Gualano
Mick Lacatena
Connie Mazur
Leo Marzur
Richard
Mullen
Al Nesterok
Charlie Padula
Lara Padula
Derrick Teel
Henry Ginneken
Guests Present:
Frank Copren
/ Sales Rep for O.S.S. and other scuba equipment
manufacturers
The meeting began at 7:30 pm / 14 of 36
active members were present.
Executive Committee Reports
President’s Report / Tom Gormley
Tom reviewed past month’s activities and upcoming
events.
·
Feb 8 – Ben, Mike. Rich and Tom attended
Shore Aquatic Club meeting held at Manasquan Fire House. Howard Rothweiler
brought in many bottles that he collected along Atlantic
Highlands shoreline over the past years and Captain Dan Crowell brought
many artifacts collected from the Andrea Doria. Col Bob Randolph gave excellent presentation
all about bottles.
·
Feb 16 – Rick and Edith held their Third
Annual DA Ski Day. Ian ran into them on
the slopes.
·
Feb 17 – Ben, Rich and Tom represented our
club at the Ocean Wreck Divers Flea Market held at Toms River High School
Gym. Many items were sold from our
club’s table, but we brought more than we sold.
This flea market is a great place to get pre-season sales on both used
and new equipment. Club fliers prepared
by Rich were distributed to several prospective members.
·
Feb 23 – Ben, Nova, Rich and Tom attended
the New Jersey Historical Divers Association grand opening of their Archives
and Research Facility located within James J. Howard Marine Science Laboratory
located at
Interested parties are welcome to visit their facility for study and research
projects. Also, all are invited to
subscribe to their Annual Membership for $15, which entitles you to receive four
issues of their NJHDA Journal, a certificate of
membership and discounted tickets to any NJHDA events
and lectures. For details, contact Dan Lieb at (732)
776-6261 or NJHDA @ aol.com or http://members.aol.com/aqualieb
·
Feb 24 – Al, Ian, Rich and Tom gave water
safety and scuba demo to
·
Mar 3 – Planned club outing to visit NYC
aquarium – interested members to meet at 10:00 am. Tom will email directions.
·
Mar 23 – BTS Expo. Al will be at the NJCDC
table Sat morning with club flyers and Connie and Leo will work the table in
the afternoon. Tom will be present for
Friday and Sunday sessions. All members are welcome to spend some time at the
table to promote the dive club. No special plans were made this year for club
members to meet at show and for lunch.
If interested, please send email invite or intentions.
·
Mar 25 – Next club meeting will have guest
speaker to talk about bottles. Bring in
your treasured found bottles for possible identification. Also, club officer nominations are due this
meeting for April elections.
·
Apr 10
– Planned pre-season pool dive at 9:00 pm at Clifton Y. Good chance to check out your new equipment
or just practice basic skills before hitting the ocean. Cost to Y is $10 per diver – contact Tom for
details.
Vice President’s
Report / Al Nesterok
Al is looking into taking orders for
club hats, shirts and sweatshirts. Al
reported about Lakeland Divers located at 34 Ridgedale
Ave. in East Hanover, are now hosting first Wednesday of each month meetings
for general scuba related discussions - contact Al
for details.
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 28 meeting
minutes were make available to members by email and hard copies were mailed to
members without email address. Members
present accepted minutes unread.
Pizza and soda
was available for $5+$2 and some members ordered from the main menu.
Special Committees Reports
Legislative Committee / Richard Mullen
Nothing to report.
Membership
Committee / Tom Gormley
We placed club flyers at Ocean
Wreck Divers Flea Market. Al, Tom, Norva, Connie and Leo will attend the BTS Expo and place club flyers at the NJCDC
table.
Local Dive Committee / Tom, Ben and Rick
Newsletter Committee / Tom Gormley
Report
all newsworthy articles and events to Tom before the tenth of each month for
possible inclusion into the Newsletter. Tom intends to post the
newsletter on the website. Anyone needing a hard copy sent via snail mail
should contact Rich Mullen.
Safety &
Training Committee /
Ian Fryer
Nothing new to report.
Special Event Committee / Rick Farmer
Contact Tom for 03/03 Aquarium Trip.
Local Diving Committee / Ben Gualano,
Rick Farmer, Tom Gormley, Rich Mullen
Boat dives are
already 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. Winter diving is still
ongoing and spring diving is fast approaching. The next shore dive is planned
for Thursday, March 21 in south
Travel Committee / Norva
Gormley
Ben, Mike and Rich are going 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. 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. Anyone who wishes to
use Yahoo club sites can join the two options included as links from our
website. These include Yahoo Virtual
Dive Club “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 type form that NAUI
recommends to be signed each year.
Before you can dive with the club, you need to sign a waiver according
to our established by-laws
New Business
Nothing
new to report.
Guest Speakers
Tonight we were honored by visit from Frank Copren, who is sales representative for O.S.S.
and other scuba related equipment manufacturers. Besides explaining about some new equipment
that is available, Frank gave detailed presentation regarding O.S. System’s drysuits.
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 §
Grand Opening NJHDA, 2PM, §
2/25 - Dive Club Meeting, Frank Copren,
Dive Gear Rep |
March 2002
·
3/3 NYC Aquarium Trip ·
Beneath the Sea 3/22, 23, 24 ·
3/21 South jersey shore dive ·
Dive Club Meeting 3/25 “All about old bottles” bring yours |
April 2002
·
April 10 pool dive for gear check and warm-up, 9PM, Clifton Y ·
April 14 ·
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 on Ol Salty 2 |
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, ·
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.