Dive for Debris Scuba Kick-off & the ASN Diver Boat

DIVE AGAINST DEBRIS Scuba Kick-off day

When:   Saturday May 30, 2015  10:30 am

Where:  Bonnie Boat's, Jackson's Point

Why:      Scuba divers are naturally concerned about the health of our environment on land, and especially under the waves.  We know our fragile underwater world is in peril; pollution, over-fishing, and loss of precious marine species in danger of becoming extinct all contribute to the degradation of this eco-system that provides us with sustenance and life.  Plain and simple: when the oceans die, WE die. 

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It's finally here!  Time to pick-up your mesh bag, check your gear and have it serviced if it's due, fill up your tanks, grab your buddy and head out to our annual scuba Eco Kick-off day! 

This year we have registered our event with a Foundation called
Project Aware, a growing movement of scuba divers protecting the ocean planet – one dive at a time.  This means that we will bring a "Dive Against Debris" Data card with us, and we will document the trash that we find at this location and submit the results to Project Aware.  They will then plot and map the results of our scuba diving clean-up efforts, as they do with clean-up efforts all over the world.  We will report things like:
      - any entangled animals that we encounter on our dive
      - the most unusual item of debris found on our dive
     - any items of concern for this marine location (pollution, specific types of debris, etc.  Be part of this movement, you do not want to miss out!

Learn more about Project Aware and sign up for our "DIVE AGAINST DEBRIS" here:
http://www.projectaware.org/node/38321/signup

AND, if you are interested in being a Project Aware Surveyor, there is a survey guide you can download here:
http://www.projectaware.org/resource/dive-against-debris-survey-kit

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What do I need?

1.  A mesh bag to collect garbage, and gloves to protect your hands from any sharp debris.

2.  Your gear - has it been a while since you packed your gear bag?  Get into practice now!

3.  A tank full of air. 

4.  Diver down flag - very important!

5.  Big smile - ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL!

Rental equipment is available on a first come first served basis.

We look forward to seeing many faces that we have missed through the long, cold, winter months!  We shall be there with bells on!  Jody, it starts at 9:00 (everyone else, refer to the times above).

Don't forget that after our efforts to clean up the lake, we will be hosting a BBQ!  Jody is charge of the BBQ again this year, and Jill will bring some sweets to replenish those calories burned underwater.  Hey, just because we are doing good things for Mother-Earth doesn't mean that we can't have fun and fill our bellies at the same time!

Please come out for some fun and help us to do our small part in making our marine environment healthier while keeping it beautiful!  See you soon!

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In Other News:  We've decided to name the boat the ASN Diver.

We have to thank our own Alex-Fix and friends for working so hard on the ASN Diver this spring; because of Alex, we will all get to enjoy numerous outings on (and especially IN) the water this summer!  Also many thanks to the numerous ASN divers who popped in to lend Alex a hand and check it out.  We are oh-so-ready to get this party started!  Come on boat!

Jody has been working hard too, achieving his SVOP (small vessel operator proficiency), and his Med A3 (small, non-pleasure vessel basic safety), and making sure all the insurance and licensing is in place and ready for launching day!

We hope soon to begin her maiden scuba voyage with a test charter exclusively for our PADI Pros - Our instructors and divemasters will test her out and begin her career with Adventure Sports Newmarket Inc. this spring!  Then she will begin her work in earnest.

We know that some folks are superstitious about re-naming a boat, but we have done some research, and happily discovered that there is a procedure.  Namely, appease the water god, Neptune.  No problem, big guy, we are happy to oblige.

A Wee bit O' Christening History

The Babylonians christened their boats by sacrificing oxen in 300 BC.  The Vikings are reputed to have made human sacrifices to christen a boat (Yikes!  No Jody, we are NOT Viking). The Greeks, more peaceably, wore wreaths of olive branches and poured water over their boats, then toasted the sea god Poseidon with red wine (representing sacrificial blood).

In the late 1700's the British began the bottle breaking tradition to replace the pouring of water over the boat from a precious metal "standing cup", followed by tossing the cup into the water.  Using champagne in the bottles began in the 1800's, but not exclusively.  The U.S. Navy used water from important rivers instead of the bubbly to launch their warships.

Eventually, it became tradition to have a woman christen the boat, saying the words "I christen thee______________" while breaking the bottle over the hull, but she needed a strong arm, because if the bottle didn't break, it was considered bad luck.  There are tales to this day that reinforce this superstition. One of the most notable involved a bottle that didn't break when Prince Charles' wife, Camilla, christened the new ocean liner Queen Victoria. Its maiden voyage was spoiled by the outbreak of a shipside virus. Still, this was a better outcome than the Titanic, which was simply slid into the water without a formal naming ceremony. And we all know how that turned out.

Renaming a boat is another matter entirely. While some people will swear that renaming your boat will bring it nothing but bad luck, this is not the case. The first step in changing a boat name (after carefully picking a new name, as you don't want to go through this procedure more than once) is to remove all traces of the previous boat name.  Everything must go: key chains, custom coolers, matching family T-shirts...and don't forget the documentation, maintenance logs, etc. In the case of paperwork, there are two options a) toss it entirely and get new log books or b) keep the vital records but cross out all references to the old boat name.

Pour the champagne overboard to appease Neptune while splashing some on the boat hull. An alternative is to smash a bottle of champagne on the boat hull, so Neptune and the boat both get their appropriate portions.  We are NOT going to smash any bottles, as we are scuba divers, and do not wish to pollute our waters with any glass debris.  We will pour the champagne over the hull and into the water (and we'll save the good stuff for us).

So there you have it.  ASN Diver.  Charters to be announced very soon.  Thank-you for your patience.

At the end of this blog, our courses, events, and trips will be listed for easy viewing.  They will also be added to our Facebook Events, and our website calendar.

Coming up at Adventure Sports Newmarket:

May 19         - PADI Emergency First Response
May 30         - Eco Dive and Kick-off weekend
June 4, 6, 7   - PADI Rescue Dive Course
June 9,          - Club Meeting
June 13, 14   - PADI Open Water Course
June 16         - PADI Enriched Air Course
June 17         - PADI Advanced Open Water Course
July 4, 5         - PADI Open Water Course
July 7             - Club Meeting
July 9             - PADI Enriched Air Course
July 11, 12     - Tobermory Dive Trip (weekend)
July 18, 19     - PADI Open Water Course
August 8, 9   - PADI Open Water Course
August 11     - Club Meeting
Sept 5,6        - Brockville end of season SCUBA Extravaganza
Nov 7-13      - Blackbeard's Scuba Adventure (Bahamas)
Nov 14-21    - Aqua Cat Luxury Scuba Cruise (Bahamas)
Nov 28          - ASN Scuba Christmas Dinner Party & Photo Slide Show (with Prizes)

Call: 905- 898-5338
Email:  [email protected]

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