May 30, 2008 newsletter

Join Sea Lions Dive Center as we visit Gilboa Quarry in Ohio June 14 and 15. The Quarry is about 5 hours drive from the Dive Center. The quarry features clear cold water diving, lots of fish, an airplane and more. We will be holding Rescue Diver and Advanced classes and will do a night dive on Saturday night. Stop in and view the DVD on our widescreen TV at the Dive Center.

Our next presentation on Wreck Diving at the Dive Center will be June 20, 2008 at 7:30. Renowned wreck diver, wreck finder and diver Paul Ehorn will do a presentation on the wreck of the America in Lake Superior. Our last event was well attended so come early.

Dive the Bahamas with Sea Lions. We will travel to the Exuma Island from Nassau. Dive, Dive, Eat, Dive, Dive, Sleep, Dive………. November 15, 2008. Watch for air fair special!!!!!!! Can you say fly free????? Watch for news next week. All on a catamaran sail boat. Only takes twelve passengers.


At this writing only two spots left on our Lake Michigan Charter trip on June 8, 2008 on the Len-Der. Call Dive shop for availability

New to diving or have friends you would like to get interested get more information on the Open Water Class here.

Sea Lions Dive Center just returned from Key Largo. Look for pictures next week. Plan now to join us November 28th through November 30th.

MARINE LIFE INJURY TREATMENT - STINGS
Do you know the steps for treating stings from jellyfish, fire coral, hydroids, Portuguese man-o-war and anemones? Did you know the following unproven folk remedies are possibly harmful or even dangerous? Learn more

MARINE LIFE INJURY TREATMENT - STINGS

Do you know the steps for treating stings from jellyfish, fire coral, hydroids, Portuguese man-o-war and anemones? Did you know the following unproven folk remedies are possibly harmful or even dangerous?
Such as:
• Urinating on the injury site
• Making an incision on the sting
• Applying gasoline or oil on the wound
• Applying oxidizing agents, strong alkalis or acidic substances

New recommendations advise against using vinegar for jellyfish injuries, with the exception of treating the sting of the box jellyfish (chironex fleckeri). Do use vinegar for this sting.

Hot water is now the remedy of choice for most jellyfish stings. Studies have found that hot water (113 F) can neutralize the venom in common jellyfish, fire coral, hydroids, Portuguese man-o-war and anemones. Use the following steps:

1. To dislodge any remaining tentacles, flush the area with large amounts of Seawater. Do not use fresh water. Fresh water can trigger any undischarged nematocytes.
2. To neutralize any undischarges nematocytes, immerse the affected area in hot water (113 F) for 30 to 90 minutes.
3. Remove the tentacles with tweezers or forceps.
4. Shave the area with shaving cream and a safety razor. If these are not available, scrape the area with a credit card or such.
5. Apply topical hydrocortisone lotion or cream.
6. Monitor for allergic reaction or infection.
7. If hot water is unavailable, apply warm packs to control pain. If hot water is available, repeat immersion in hot water as necessary to help control pain.
8. If warm packs are not available, apply ice or cold packs to help control pain.

As a general recommendation, do not rub the area and get to medical attention as soon as possible.

Keep a copy of this in your dive log for future reference.

Gilboa Quarry

This is a sample of what you can expect at Gilboa Quarry in Ohio

Newsletter May 23, 2008

Schedule of events May 31 - June 1 Bonne Terre Mines June 1 - 4 Mackinaw trip June 7 Bonne Terre Mine Treasure hunt June 7 and 8 Open Water Checkout dives June 6 - 8 Lake Wazee Deep specialty class June 14 and 15 Advance open water dives June 21 and 22 Open water checkout dives June 28 and 29 Advanced Open Water dives July 5 and 6 Open Water - Haigh July 10, 12 and 13 Wreck Diving Class July 12 and 13 Advanced and Rescue – Haigh July 19 and 20 Open Water Haigh July 20 Jim Haigh Memorial Dive at Haigh Quarry July 26 and 27 Open Water - Haigh August 31 Figi – see the blog for details. Nov 15 Cat Ppalu trip to Bahamas

Our next presentation on Wreck Diving at the Dive Center will be June 20, 2008 at 7:30. Renowned wreck diver, wreck finder and diver Paul Ehorn will do a presentation on the wreck of the America in Lake Superior. Our last event was well attended so come early.

Buccaneer Scuttling Moves Forward by Chris Kohl reprinted with permission

The old Chicago tourist cruise ship named the Buccaneer is slated to become another ship scuttled off the Windy City for the express purpose of creating a new scuba dive site and artificial reef. Click here for the balance of the article.

Sea Lions presents the Bahamas aboard the Cat Ppalu. Sea lions will travel to the Exuma Island out of Nassau on November 15, 2008. Cost of the trip is only $1,450 per diver. If you reserve before July 1 you will receive a $200 store credit with your final payment. More Information

If you have a friend who wants to know about the Open Water Class get more info here.

We are working with a reporter on an article on the Best Ten Dives in the Chicago area. We need suggestions and pictures. We are including the area from Milwaukee to Kankakee and Lake Michigan to South Beloit. If you have suggestions or want to present the case for your favorite dive now is the time. If you have pictures that well represent any of these sites and have the right to publish them call me or send them to info@sealions.org.

This week’s winner of a free air fill for a contribution to our list of “When you know you have been diving too much” comes from John Zalewski. You know you have been diving too much when you begin to call the rooms in your house by nautical terms; head, portholes and galley.

Books on Diving…. We have added a list of our favorite books to the blog. Please send us you suggestions.

We have a few spots remaining on the June 8^th Milwaukee Len-Der Charter. We will be diving the Prince Wilhelm and either the Number 6 Dredge of the Car Ferry Milwaukee. For more information on the wrecks click here. The cost of the charter is $95 for a two tank dive. You will need to provide your own equipment or rent equipment from the Dive Center.

Congratulations to the following students who completed their
Advance Open Water Diver Course; Joseph Cartier, Jamie Dahm, Dariusz Semanyzyn, Gregor Godlewski, Martin Maziarz, Ray Petrosius, Christopher Lonergan and Arthur Ciupek.

Our sympathies go out the family of Captain Bill Prince of the Nordic Diver who passed away on Monday.

The Bahamas aboard the Cat Ppalu

Sea Lions Dive Center

Presents

The Bahamas aboard the Cat Ppalu

November 15 through 21, 2008

$1,450 not including air fare

Sail from Nassau to the Exuma Islands

Catamaran Sail Boat

Three to four dives a day

4 double cabins and 2 cabins with 2 singles each.

Only ten spots available

$200 Store Credit with full payment on deposits made before July 1, 2008

For information or to make a reservation email info@sealions.org

Cat Ppalu website

Newsletter May 16, 2008

Thanks you to Chris Kohl author of The Great Lakes Diving Guide and other books on Great Lakes diving for his presentation at the Dive Center last Firday. There was a great crowd. We apologize for running out of copies of Cris’ book. We now have additional signed copies for purchase for only $19.95.

Our first Lake Michigan Charterof the Summer is coming up on June 9^th. We will be diving off the Len-Der out of Milwaukee. We intend to visit the Car Ferry Milwaukee and the Price Wilhelm two of the premier wrecks in Lake Michigan. Click on the pictures for video on the Car Ferry Milwaukee and the Prince Wilhelm.

Monday is Open Pool Night at Taylor YMCA in Elgin. $10 in advance. We will supply the equipment if you need it but you need to call ahead.

We have one last minute opening for our Key Largo trip. Leave Wednesday May 21^st - 7 PM by van and return Monday May 26. Cost of trip is $460 for dives, hotel and Preserve Medallion. Share gas on van. Call for details.

A very special Congratulations to our two newest Instructors Kim and John Zalewski who passed the PADI Instructor Evaluation on May 4, 2008. This is a significant accomplishment that takes a lot of hard work and dedication. John and Kim have jumped right in and are already serving new divers.

Congratulations also to our new open water divers who completed the Open Water Class on Sunday at Haigh Quarry: Jack Koestler, Michael Dziedzic, Amanda Negrete, and Jaime Dahm. Ray Petrosius also updated his Basic SCUBA Diver certification to a full Open Water Diver Certification.

Thank you to Ron Levin who brought us a copy of the video from his recent dives in the Cenotes in the Riviera Mia. We have the video available at the Dive Center if anyone is interested in watching it on our wide screen TV. The water is unbelievably clear. We want your video to share. Bring us a copy or we will make a copy from your original. We currently have videos available on a number of destinations including Cayman Islands, Aggressor and Nekton Cruises, Belize and Bahamas among others. We welcome contributions.

John Graham has several student interested in doing an Advanced Class at Bonne Terre Mine in Bonne Terre, Missouri. The date has not yet been selected. If you are interested call the shop and we will try to arrange a good date fro everyone.

We want your list of Top Ten Signs You Have Been Diving Too Much if too much is possible. Send us your suggestions. Sample: You know you have been diving too much when you see a cruise ship and say “What a great wreck dive that would be.”

Learn to Dive

If you are not a diver or have a friend who is not here is an article on the process of learning to dive.

Open Water Class May 11, 2008

Car Ferry Milwaukee and Prince Wilhelm

Prince Wilhelm



Car Ferry Milwaukee

Buccaneer Scuttling Moves Forward

Reprinted with Permission of Cris Kohl and UWAC

Newsletter May 9, 2008

Remember Tonight Cris Kohl at 7:30 at the Dive Center will be talking about wreck diving in the Great Lakes. Cris is author of many books on Great Lakes shipwrecks and is an underwater archeologists.

Visit our Blog to view the video of our open water class playing catch with a bowling ball

Schedule of events May 9 7:30 Cris Kohl speaks at Dive Center May 14 Rescue Class and Pool May 18 Bar-B-Q and Clue at Haigh May 17 & 18 Advanced Class Haigh May 18 Rescue Class Haigh May 19 Open Pool Taylor YMCA Elgin May 29 Confined water begins at Canpaneli May 24 Key Largo - SOLD OUT – look for our next Key Largo trip in November. May 31 - June 1 Bonne Terre Mines June 1 - 4 Mackinaw trip June 7 Bonne Terre Mine Treasure hunt June 6 - 8 Lake Wazee Deep specialty class July 10, 12 and 13 Wreck Diving Class July 20 Jim Haigh Memorial Div

May 18 we will have a Bar-B-Q at Haigh Quarry. We will meet at Haigh in Kankakee at 10 am. We will have organized fun dives. Enjoy an underwater game of Clue. Find the clues and solve the mysteries. Win the admiration of you fellow divers. Winning dive team wins the soon to be famous Sea Lions Logo Hat and gets their picture in the newsletter and on the blog – no modeling fees will be paid. Cost of the Bar-B-Q is $20 in advance at the dive shop or $25 at the quarry not including entry to the quarry. You must make reservations so we can bring enough supplies. Food will be served at 1 PM or when the crime is solved.

Register now for the Deep Diving Specialty to be held at Wazee Lake, WI. on June 7^th and 8^th. There will be a classroom session on May 29 at the Dive Center at 6:30 PM. The specialty will include four dives, two each on Saturday and Sunday.

Wreck Diving Specialty Jul 12 &13, 2008 in Milwaukee. See the Sea Lions Blog for details.

Wreck Diving Class July 12 and 13, 2008

EARN YOUR PADI WRECK DIVING SPECIALITY

THROUGH

SEA LIONS DIVE CENTER

630-289-1680

www.sealions.org

Join Sea Lions Dive Center diving the shipwrecks of Lake Michigan, out of Milwaukee Harbor

Four (4) dives, over two days, off the 33’ “NORDIC DIVER”, captained by Bill Prince USCGC.

Bruce Bittner, thru Sea Lions Dive Center, will be conducting

two (2) this summer.

• 1^st class – limited to four (4) students
• Classroom @ Sea Lions Dive Center in Hanover Park, on Thursday, 7-10-08.
• Open water @ Lake Michigan out of Milwaukee, on Saturday, 7-12-08* & Sunday 7-13-08*.

• 2^nd class– limited to four (4) students
• Classroom @ Sea Lions Dive Center in Hanover Park, on Thursday, 9-18-08.
• Open water @ Lake Michigan out of Milwaukee, on Saturday, 9-20-08* & Sunday 9-21-08*.

If you:

are at least 15 years old

have a rating, or equivalent, to that of PADI Advanced Open Water Diver

have a desire to expand your local diving experiences beyond quarries

want to become a “better” diver

want to have fun

This course will:

Demonstrate practical wreck diving knowledge, including recognizing and avoiding potential hazards, and planning procedures that make wreck diving fun.

Enable you to explain the historical value of wrecks, social and legal issues surrounding the value, and describe some of the pros and cons of removing artifacts from wrecks.

Enable you to plan and organize dives to safely explore wrecks found within conditions as good as or better than those in which you trained, and within comparable or shallower depths.

Enable you to identify the hazards of wreck penetration diving and demonstrate the techniques and procedures required to minimize those hazards.

You will:

Read the PADI WRECK DIVING MANUAL

Watch the PADI WRECK DIVING VIDEO

Complete the PADI WRECK DIVING KNOWLEDGE REVIEWS

Attend (1) PADI WRECK DIVING CLASSROOM SESSION – weeknight, approx. 3 hours in length

Make (4) dives conducted over two days, weather & lake conditions will determine which wrecks, the list to choose from includes, but is not limited to:

the freighter “Prinz Wilhelm”

the car ferry “Milwaukee”

the tug “Ed Gillen”

the barge “906 Dredge”

Have fun, become a better diver and learn something along the way

Your cost is $475.00 (all air fills are included, equipment is not)

$225.00 to Sea Lions Dive Center, which includes book, video, classroom instruction & “C” card.

$250.00 to Nordic Diver, which includes two (2) trips of two (2) dives each, this is done over two days.

Saturday Boat leaves Milwaukee dock at 2:00 p.m. and should be back by 6:00 p.m.

Sunday Boat leaves Milwaukee dock at 2:00 p.m. and should be back by 6:00 p.m

May 1, 2008 Newsletter

Remember author and wreck diving expert Cris Kohl will speak at the Dive Center at 7:30 Friday May 9, 2008. Come early to get a seat. We are expecting a large crowd. Cris will be available to sign copies of his books. Bring your copy or we will have copies available for purchase

Wednesday May 14, 2008 our first Rescue Class of the year will take place at the Dive Center. The open water portion of the class will be Sunday, May 18. The cost for the Rescue Class is $195. You will also need to complete the Emergency First Responder course or equivalent to receive your rescue certification. We will schedule EFR courses as needed.

Enriched Air Nitrox is a great specialty to have if you are planning a dive vacation. You will get a lot more bottom time.

May 18 we will have a Bar-B-Q at Haigh Quarry. We will meet at Haigh in Kankakee at 10 am. We will have organized fun dives. Enjoy an underwater game of Clue. Find the clues and solve the mysteries. Win the admiration of you fellow divers. Winning dive team wins the soon to be famous Sea Lions Logo Hat and gets their picture in the newsletter and on the blog – no modeling fees will be paid. Cost of the Bar-B-Q is $20 in advance at the dive shop or$25 at the quarry not including entry to the quarry. You must make reservations so we can bring enough supplies. Food will be served at 1 PM or when the crime is solved.

June 8^th is our first Lake Michaigan Charter of the year. $95 for a two tank dive aboard the Len-Der out of Milwaukee. We will be diving the Prince Wilhelm and the Car Ferry Milwaukee. This is an advance dive and you must have at least you advanced card to do this dive. We recommend that you have at least 50 dives to make this trip.

Visit the Exuma Islands with Sea Lions Dive Center aboard the live-a-aboard the Cat Ppalu November 15 to 21. Only $1,450 plus air fair to Nassau. The price includes many extras that will be announced including getting your Master SCUBA Diver Certification at a significantly reduced price. Visit the Cat Ppalu website at http://www.catppalu.com/ and watch our blog for more information. $200 holds your spot on this trip The boat has a capacity of twelve and only ten spots are available so Make your reservation early.

Congratulations to our news group of open water divers: Dariusz Konefal, Martin Maziarz, Dariusz Semanyszyn, Gollewski Grzegorz, Michael Siwinski, Mike Upham and Francois and Elizabeth Strydom who completed their open water dives at Haigh Quarry on Saturday and Sunday April 26 and 27, 2008.

Copies of past newsletters and other dive related information is on our blog at http://sealionsdive.blogspot.com/ Coming soon “playing catch with a bowling ball” video.

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VIDEO Sea Lions Open Water Class at Haigh Quarry April 26, 2008