Members who have a credit from 2023 have the option to either request a full refund or apply $49 of their refund toward the discounted rate for their 2024 membership. In the later case, the balance will be refunded and a check will be mailed to the address of record in our membership file after the first of the year. If you wish to request a full refund, contact Rachel at rachelhancock7@gmail.com. No action is required if you want $49 applied to your 2023 membership or to extend your membership one year.
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The clock is ticking away and it's time to renew your membership at a reduced rate. Renew before March 31, 2024 and your membership fee is only $49 for a calendar year of discounts and diving news. After March 31st, your annual membership renewal fee is $59.
Your membership includes periodic eNews emails about club activities as well as electronic access to the dive schedule. You may pay online (preferred) or by check. Go to https://www.activedivers.org/Membership_Renewal.php to renew your membership online. Instructions for paying by check may be found there as well.
Seven Active Divers embarked on what would prove to be a weather and schedule challenged diving adventure aboard the Sky Princess cruise ship on December 9, 2023. Months ahead of time, arrangements were made with dive operators in Costa Maya and Cozumel but the Wednesday before sailing Princess announced a change in schedule and re-arranged the order of the ports we would be visiting. After a mad scramble to contact the operators to re-arrange the dives, we were once again ready to dive and cruise. While we were scheduled to make port in four locations, we only planned to dive in three, since we were unable to find a suitable operator in Belize, our first stop. Did I mention that the weather forecast was not very good for all of the locations were going to visit? Some of our crew planned on doing some non-diving excursions but they were cancelled due to bad weather. We arrived late and the likelihood of being able to dive was not good anyway, so it worked out that we had not planned to dive at this port. Some of our group did venture ashore to explore the local sites.
Next stop: Roatan, one of our favorite places to dive with dive operator Anthony Keys, a very reliable operation that we booked as a ship excursion. Usually, the ship arrives at 9:00 a.m., so we anticipated an easy schedule, but for some reason we had to meet them at 7:20 am at the port for the dive. After a bus ride to the resort, we embarked on our boat and received all of the normal paperwork and gear setup. It seemed a little windy and there was a bit of surf breaking, but otherwise OK. It was only after we crossed the breakwater into the open water that we realized that the seas were 6 to 8 feet. The captain powered through the waves and skillfully avoided big rollers but there were times he simply had to slow down to avoid a major water event. An hour later we passed by our cruise ship on the Leeward side of the island, where we ended up diving! We arrived at the first dive site, Connie’s Dream, and while the area was somewhat protected, there was still some wave action, and yes, the cold rain. We got ready, did our giant stride into the water where we were oddly warmer than we were on the boat. Because of the recent storms, there was about a ten-foot layer of fresh milky water on top of the reef. Once we were below the visibility cleared up and we found ourselves in a shallow spur and groove reef that led to a really nice wall!! We followed the guide to the wall and had a nice low current wall dive at about 60 feet. Roatan, like most of the Caribbean has had some bleaching damage from the warm Atlantic this year, but there was still plenty of healthy coral. After 45 minutes, we surfaced to spend our surface interval in calm inland waters before our next dive at John’s Spot.
It continued to rain and it was getting cold on the surface so we were all ready to get back into the water. We were cautioned that the next dive site has some really friendly Moray eels since they had been fed by many dive operators. Once again, the surface water was cloudy but below ten feet visibility was nice as we approached the wall. As we descended, we noticed that the water did indeed get warmer which was very welcome. The wall began at about 25 feet and dropped to around 80 feet with about 50 feet of visibility. All considered, the operator did the best job they could given the rough conditions. The best part about it was that they dropped us off near the cruise ship, so we didn’t have to take a bus ride back!!
Our next port was Costa Maya where we had arrangements to dive with our favorite operator, Mar Adentro. We had our first glimpse of blue skies interspersed with fast moving clouds as we made our way to the dive shop. This is one of my favorite spots as the dive shop is located in what I call ‘rustic Mexico”, influenced more by local tourists than foreign. Seas weren’t bad, weather was clearing so it all looked good. We boarded our boat headed for “La Rampa” for our first dive. Our divemaster Donna warned us that the surface water would be cloudy but she expected it would clear as we got to the forty-foot depth. Unfortunately, due to the storms the night before, the visibility remained poor and was at best, 2 feet. We spent 30 minutes below before the dive was ended due to the poor visibility. Amazingly, all of the divers surfaced at the same time, a testament to the skills they had learned about diving in low visibility. Four of the ADA group bowed out from doing the next dive while two remained. They subsequently reported that the second dive was actually very good! We left port after a really strong squall headed for Cozumel. When we arrived the next day, waters looked flat and winds were calm in spite of a severe marine forecast. We made our way to Scubalife Cozumel, our favorite operator for our two-tank morning dive.
After two weeks of bad forecasts, the weather in Cozumel was spectacular. As always, Scubalife delivered excellent service on fast boats so that we were able to get the southern sites before others where we dove Paso Del Cedral. We asked to go to areas where there was abundant marine life and we weren’t disappointed.
Descending into the blue water with 80-foot visibility, we made our way westward to the reef and wall. Drifting along with a mild current, our guides Aldo and Jamie were excellent at finding and pointing out the marine life we were seeking. On our first dive we encountered a lobster condo overflowing with the crustaceans.
Not much further we encountered a large turtle calmly munching on a sponge as we fought the current to get pictures. There were many encounters with myriad colorful fish, but the biggest treat were multiple sightings of the Splendid Toadfish which can only be found in Cozumel.
For the grand finale, we found two Seahorses anchored in some soft corals in about 35 feet of water. After two 70-minute dives with spectacular diving conditions and amazing marine life we headed back to Marina Fonatur and our taxi ride back to the ship. So, did we have a good time? You bet we did!! Although the conditions were not the best, we practiced all the skills divers need to have to deal with bad conditions and we were rewarded with one of the best dives we all had in Cozumel.
We are using a different cruise line for next year’s dive cruise and if you want to learn more about it go to our website at https://www.activedivers.org/international/DiveCruise_2024.php.
See You on board!
Dan and Daryl
August 26 to September 2
Nothing says it better than a picture with all these smiling faces -
we had a great trip despite some weather challenges. Sixteen Active Divers went on this trip although one (Rachel)
did not join us until Tuesday due to leading the Key West Dive the
weekend before. We arrived on Saturday, August 26, and got through all
the paperwork and orientation by early afternoon. Many took advantage
of the pool and breezy weather for the rest of the afternoon before
getting ready for our first dinner. Food was served buffet style with
seating at our reserved indoor table or outside on the patio.
Throughout the week we enjoyed plentiful and delicious food. Dessert
was an ever-present temptation at both lunch and dinner and it was
just fortunate we had a busy dive schedule to burn off some excess
calories.
Our package included 12 morning dives (six dive days) and 5 afternoon
dives (5 dive days) with Nitrox. We rapidly learned the routine of
checking the Nitrox blend on our tanks with the help of Rozie, our
Siberian Divemaster, and Jon our Spanish Captain. Both were excellent
at providing the Clearly Cayman Valet Diving service as well as
leading the dives. In fact, this may have been one of the few trips I
have been on where no one complained about the dive operation. The
resort is located on the South side of the Island and this time of
year the prevailing winds make that the windward side, so the regular
routine was to head out of the cut and go to the calm North (leeward)
side. What a difference!! It was night and day, with clear and calm
blue water. The first dive was, of course the “check-out “dive where
everyone checked their gear and weights to make sure all was good.
After a second morning dive it was time for lunch, followed by an
afternoon dive. The dives were almost always in that distinctive blue,
clear water with visibility usually in the 60 to 80 foot plus range.
When we dove the M/V Keith Tibbetts wreck, we could see the entire
ship from the moment we entered the water. What a thrill!
And so, we expected the rest of the week to follow a similar pattern
as Idalia passed to the west of us on a northward path. Although
we were 90 miles east of the storm, we were still affected by the
winds and our dives on Tuesday were cancelled. Fortunately, Dan came
prepared with a Blu-ray player and we had advised the group to bring
along their favorite dive movies in case we had some down time. We
were able
to use the resort meeting room and popcorn machine to show movies
while we waited for the winds and seas to lay down. By Wednesday
morning we were back on the dive boat and making up for lost time so
that we were able to get in 16 total dives. We saw many of the local
favorite critters including stingrays and a lot of LARGE lobsters out
and about in the daytime with free swimming large green moray eels.
Apparently, they knew they were in a marine park and were not in any
danger from us.
We also knew that there was a chance to go to Little Cayman and dive
the Bloody Bay Wall if the weather permitted, but with the poor
conditions that did not seem likely. On the last dive day however, we
were pleasantly surprised to be able to make the trip over to the
island and do two dives on the wall.
On our last diving day, we were only in the water in the morning to allow time to off-gas for our return flights. We arranged a “Shore Excursion” with the help of two Cayman Government guides and did a driving tour of the island which included the famous “Brac” ridge running down the center of the island.
Once again, Steve Potanovic, provided us with a short but very descriptive video of our trip that you can view at https://youtu.be/1P1OeqLAJD0?si=XtN8lcBkI6n2x29F. Hundreds of photos and videos were shared on “What’s App” throughout the trip ,and I am sure any of the group would be willing to share them if you want.
Similar to the tradition we’ve seen at other dive resorts, there were painted rocks scattered around the property with the names of various dive clubs and groups. Fortunately, our resident artist, Deborah London, painted several including the one in this picture to commemorate our trip.
The Cayman Islands and Clearly Cayman Reef Divers provide a truly exceptional experience and value Fortunately, we have a trip to Little Cayman reserved for July 20-27, 2024 so look for details at Little Cayman 2024 as they become available.
See you on the next trip!!
Dan and Daryl
This year, we put together a trip with specific objectives in mind. We wanted to provide:
To that end, we put together a trip using the Margaritaville at Sea – Paradise cruise ship as our transport vehicle and the Viva Wyndham Resort on Grand Bahama Island as our dive destination. While there are more exotic dive destinations, no others matched the criteria of international, inexpensive, and short.
In all, eleven divers and 7 non-divers made the overnight trek from Riviera Beach to Grand Bahama Island. After clearing immigration and customs we took the 40-minute ride to the Viva Wyndham Furtuna resort near the southwest corner of the island. After dropping off our luggage, we headed to the on-premises dive ship for our 11:30 a.m. first dive. The dive operators were very accommodating, carrying our gear 200 yards across the beach to the waiting pontoon boat. Once loaded, we shoved off for a short, 15-minute boat ride across the calm, clear Bahamian waters to the dive site. The 70-foot dive was led by the competent Emilie, late of Belgium. We wound through healthy stands of hard and soft corals, experiencing virtually no current. As in most Caribbean dives, there were numerous tropicals, including yellowtails, tags, parrotfish, and schooling chub.
The afternoon and evening were ours to enjoy. Both lunch and dinner in the main dining room were served buffet style with myriad choices for every palate, including vegan and gluten-free. The unlimited beverage package on both the ship and the resort made the trip that much sweeter.
The next day, after an excellent breakfast, we began our first of three dives. As in the first days’ dive, the corals were healthy and the tropicals plentiful. We were even able to observe reef sharks up close in the subsequent dives. At the end of the day, we once again enjoyed a buffet meal that had something for every appetite. At least two other couples took advantage of the included on-premises specialty restaurants.
On the third day we bid farewell to the island as we made our way back in the included transportation to the Margaritaville at Sea – Paradise ship for our return to Riviera beach. We sailed all night, enjoying a highly energetic production show onboard in the Paradise theater. Check out this under two minute video shot by Active Diver Steve Potanovic: https://youtu.be/ln2BRL4DyPY
In the morning, docked at the Riviera Beach Cruise Port, we had a final breakfast and reentered the United States. A post-trip survey of the participants was very favorable of the dive operation and the quality of the corals but preferred a greater quantity and variety of marine life. Divers who had extensive international trip experience enjoyed the trip but would not repeat a similar trip if offered next year. Conversely, those with limited international trip experience indicated an interest in repeating a similar trip in the future. The Margaritaville at Sea ship received good but not stellar marks for food and entertainment during the two one-day crossings.
In all, we spent 5 days and 4 nights, of which two nights were aboard the Margaritaville at Sea – Paradise and two nights were at the Viva Wyndham Fortuna resort. We completed four dives at an average depth of between 50 and 70 feet. Not a bad way to spend a long weekend.
Eleven Active Divers made the long trip to Fiji, roughly 6800 miles one way for most of us. Not only a long day of travel but over two days since we crossed the International Date Line. Arriving early in the morning at the Volivoli resort we were greeted with smiles and a warm Bula Bula! - similar to aloha in Hawaii and a universal welcome greeting in Fiji. We quickly learned to say “Vinaka” which is thank- you, and we were greeted in the villages by Bula! Vinaka! By everyone we met.
While munching fresh croissants we were briefed by the hotel staff about all of the resort amenities and our room assignments. Settling in to our rooms we got ready for our first lunch and were pleasantly surprised by the selection and quality of food that was served. No buffets, individually prepared to order every meal.
The dive shop briefing was at 2:30 in the afternoon and we signed the customary paperwork and learned about the operation at the shop. Due to some boat issues, we were split into a morning and afternoon group for the first two dives the next day which are always “check out “dives to make sure all our gear worked and our weights were right.
Afterwards, many of the group found their way to the pool and the swim-up bar to relax after a long day. I was impressed at how well this group of divers bonded so quickly. Seven of the group had never been on an Active Divers international dive trip and were a welcome addition. After sunset we retired to our rooms to get ready for dinner. We had reserved tables for our group in the open-air restaurant that always had a pleasant breeze. After a very good dinner we celebrated Marisol’s birthday with a cake while the staff sang happy birthday in Fiji dialect and then in English. By then most of us needed to get some sleep and get ready for our first dives the next day.
I don’t think that any of the divers in this group had ever experienced a “checkout” dive like we did the next day. The seas had a mild chop on them and as we dropped into the water where we saw almost continuous live corals of several varieties. For most of us, we saw more healthy coral that day than we usually see in a year of diving (photo courtesy of Mike Ewanus). As for the rest of the week, that was what we saw, fields of healthy coral arranged on pinnacle-shaped patch reefs that started at 100 feet and made their way to within 15 feet of the surface. One, or even a dozen pictures cannot show what we saw firsthand as the reefs were teaming with small tropical fish hiding in the shelter of these corals. There were also some large predators like this white tip shark below. One of our divers, Steve Potanovic, put together a really good but short video that you can watch at Active Divers - Fiji 2023 - YouTube that does a good job of summarizing the trip. Aside from a stiff breeze all week that kept us from going to the Marine Park, all of the diving went well.
Some comments from our group were:
We said this trip would be both an exceptional dive experience as well as a cultural experience- and it was! On Thursday night the resort had a Lovo celebration complete with a Kava ceremony where we celebrated Dan Beery’s birthday.
The next day, many of us went to a village a few hours’ drives away where we would visit some locally famous waterfalls. We were greeted by “Mini” our local village guide leader. We had to wear a “sulu” which is traditional dress out of respect for the village residents. We then attended a short prayer session with the rest of our “guides” before embarking on the 2-kilometer trek to the falls. We were a bit surprised at how many guides there were but it became rapidly apparent that the path was muddy and treacherous with some of us taking a fall on the way. We also had to cross the flowing waters downstream of the falls to get to the final destination. Temperatures dropped 20 degrees as we got near the mist of the falls and were pelted by the cold water. We finally arrived and many of our group opted to go swimming in the waters and go behind the falls.
After an equally treacherous hike back to the village we began to understand why the village leader had us attend a prayer ceremony before the hike to the falls. Once we were back to the resort, it was time for a cooling dip in the pool before our last delicious dinner at the resort. We were tired but full of the richness of the Fiji culture. As one diver commented, “I didn’t understand why we traveled all of this distance to go to a place with palm trees and beaches, but now I get it”.
We left the next day for the airport and I think all of us had gained new friends and memories that will last a lifetime.
Bula!! Vinaka!
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Active Divers T-Shirts For Sale
We've revamped our logo! Show your pride in the best dive club anywhere and pick up a tee with a brand new logo. Hover over the t-shirt to see the logo in detail. Sizes small, medium, large, xlarge, xxlarge. Some tank tops available also. All shirts are $10 each, or 3 for $20 in sizes Small to 2XL.
CALL LON AT 305-251-4975 AND PLACE YOUR ORDER TODAY!. Lon will deliver it to you on your next dive