Hi, I found information about this event here:  <a
href=http://www.nwdivenews.com/divefest.htm
target=new>http://www.nwdivenews.com/divefest.htm</a><br>I can't make it, but it
looks interesting.<br>Todd

Help! My wetsuit has been pretty dry lately, my
gills are drying out and my fins are shrinking. Anyone
interested in going diving with me and get all of the above
back into the water? No, I don't want to dive in
Battle Ground Lake, thank you! <br>E-mail me and lets go
diving!!!

Is anyone planning to go to the Scuba Festival this Sat. Sept. 11 around
Hoodsport, WA.? It might be a lot of fun.

Hi, Galen, Scubaduber here! I also live in
Vancouver and was wondering if you have ever dove in
Lacamas Lake? I was on a water toy behind a boat and got
tossed in. I had my expensive glasses on with a croakie,
but they came off and sunk. I was thinking of diving
there to see if I could recover them. It would be nice
to have a buddy to dive with, and even a boat. Do
you or does anyone know anything about diving in
Lacamas Lake? Thanks.

Hello all. Just wanted to give you all an update
on a dive site. Last Saturday, my dive buddy and I
needed a place to dive so we headed up to a lake that
was close by. Battle Ground Lake. Need I say more!!
For those of you who ain't from around here, the next
day, they closed the lake for ecoli contamination. I
guess I'm safe cause I still don't have any symptoms.
Anyhow, I really love to dive and needed a quick dive
fix. This lake is small, muddy and well used. Need to
watch out for fishermen and their hooks. Vis was about
3', temp was about 54 degrees. But it was water and
we did get to dive. Hope you all have great diving,
somewhere! Thanks

Hi, I led a trip to  Barkley Sound a few years back on a boat called "Spirit of
the Pacific."  I heard a rumor that she sank.  Anybody have details?  Thanks,
Todd

Hey Jon send me your email address so I can get a
hold of you. Mine is
schaffernm@...<br><br>Almost all of my dives are from hawaii, most
specifically Kona on the big island. If you are going there
let me know and I can tell you about some great spots
for shore dives since the boat dives are expensive.

Hi!<br><br>I too have been to Barkley Sound
diving with the Rendezvous. I must say that Dave and
Renate are the best dive hosts I have ever come across.
I also loved the setting for their home and hot
tub. It is also true that Rentate has to be one of the
best cooks I have ever come across. Oh yeah -- the
diving is great too!

Hi Nathan,<br><br>I also live in the
U-District...<br><br>I just got my advanced cert (last weekend) and have
only done about 10 dives...<br><br>Some nice spots
that I've dived at around here are Alki Beach (Cove 1,
just past salties)...try later in the afternoon or at
night because they teach a lot of classes there during
the day...<br><br>Also Edmonds Underwater Park or
Edmonds Oil Dock...<br><br>A couple of great Dive Shops
near the U-District are Lighthouse (up on Lake City
Way) or Underwater Sports (in northgate) which is
where I got my certification...<br><br>E-mail me
sometime, maybe we can go diving...I will be leaving for
Hawaii in a week and won't be back until the 20th of
September...but I'm cool to go diving after that as well...

Thanks, What was your favorite dive in Barkley Sound?  I think my favorites had
to be Renate's Reef and the Vanlene Wreck.  Cathy

Hi all.<br><br>I am looking for dive buddies, I
live in the U-District and have not done much diving
in the area. I have been diving for 2 months and
have over 20 dives. 19 of those dives are warm water
but really enjoyed my 2 cold water dives.<br><br>I
also would love to know of good dive spots around
town. Hope to hear from you soon.<br><br>Nathan

Glad to here you had such a wonderful time at Barkley.  I know I rate it one of
my top 10 spots to dive in the world.

Hi to all,<br>I have just returned from British
Columbia's Barkley sound which lies on the West Coast of
Vancouver Island. Nutrient-rich waters from the open
Pacifisc swirl around her reefs & islands making for
incredible scuba diving. My husband & I stayed & dove with
Rendezvous Dive Ventures.<br><br>Rendezvous is owned &
operated by Dave & Renate Christie. They have built a home
& dive lodge on Barkley Sound & host divers from
all over the world. They have five double-occupancy
guest rooms which all share a bathroom. There is one
shower with poor pressure to go around, but they have a
lovely big hot tub to soak in. The rooms are small, but
comfortable. Renates's terrific home cooked meals are almost
better than the diving, well almost. Best of all, Dave &
Renate are wonderful hosts and made us feel like part of
their family.<br><br>Their boat the M.V. Rendezvous is
a 36ft. customized dive boat with a sheltered deck
for gearing up, a swim grid, and a boarding ladder
you can used with your fins still on, really cool.
The boat has a full galley, head and heated cabin to
warm-up in between dives. They always have hot coffee &
hot water available for hot drinks for the chilled
diver.<br><br>The diving in Barkley Sound was incredible. There are
hundreds of islands & reefs to choose from. The vis. and
array of marine life was simply outstanding. We had
vis. of 40-80ft. on every dive. For the PNW, as you
know, that is excellent. The water temp. wasn't bad
either at 50 degrees. Our local water temp. is 43
degrees, so 50 felt warm.<br><br>We saw huge schools of
Krill, Herring & Anchovys. On one dive the school of
Krill actually covered the entire reef making it look
like an enormous cloud three feet thick. We also saw
Kelp Greenling, Wolf Eels, Tiger Rockfish, Puget Sound
Rockfish, Swimming Scallops, huge Ling Cod(some 5-6ft.),
Cabezon, Rat Fish, China Rockfish, Nudibranchs of every
size & color, colorful Anomes & the list could go on.
I even found a bomb, one of many dropped by a
fighter jet pilot just before he crashed.<br><br>One of
my favorite dives was on a ship wreck. This was my
first wreck dive and was really thrilling. This ship is
the Vanlene, a freighter which sank in 1972 with a
cargo of Dodge Colts aboard. The Vanlene was coming
from Japan skippered by a man for whom this was his
first solo trip at the helm. The shipping company he
worked for was not good at keeping their navigational
equipment in good working order and he had only one working
compass. He met with bad fog & weather. He was actually
headed for the Strait of Juan De Fuca, but since his
compass was off one degree, he ran aground on some low
lying rocks in Barkley Sound & sank. They were able to
salvage most of the Dodge Colts, but a few still remain
in her hull. She now lies in 130ft. of water still
mostly intact. Her shallowest point is at 30-40ft. The
day we dove her we had excellent vis. and from 130ft.
you could look up and see at least 80ft. of her. She
is 500ft. long and an impressive sight and a fun
dive. Marine life has taken residence at about the
30-40ft. range. This is a dive I would love to do
again.<br><br>All of the reefs we dove on were extremely colorful &
teeming with life. I highly recommend Barkley Sound &
Rondezvous Dive Lodge as a dive destination. I know I will
be back.<br><br>It is good to get home, clean the
gear, and catch up on the news. <br>Dive safe, often &
have fun, Cathy

The dive shop I teach for had some cancellations
for 2 spots on a dive boat for Saturday & Sunday this
weekend. If your interested, call Divers Paradise
(684-4388) in Portland.<br><br>Should be a fun weekend.
Leave from Tacoma @7:00 AM. We'll do Z's reef and a
couple of other fun sites.<br><br>With cc in hand you
can probably name your price.

This is for firefighter_dawn. Also, for anyone
else having this trouble. I as well as a lot of you
use Yahoo Pager or Messenger for instant messageing.
Often I will receive an instant message, such as from
the two listed above. I immediately reply, but the
other person never receives anything. I would want to,
but can't get in touch with the other person. I have
to send actual e-mail to explain the situation.
However, if the person's e-mail is private, I can't get
any message to them. I do know that 2 way messages
work fine for some friends, but not all. There may be
a problem with their software, or mine. Maybe we
should contact Yahoo to see what the problem is. If any
of you have this trouble you might want to post
something about it.

Hello PNW Divers,<br><br>Tomorrow my husband & I
are heading to Vancouver Island, B.C. for five days
to do some diving. We drive from Victoria to Port
Alberni, on the middle east side of the island. Then we go
by boat to Barkley Sound, on the west side of the
island. There we will be staying & diving with Rendezvous
Lodge. We have never stayed at Rendezvous Lodge before,
but have read great reviews on it and are excited to
experience it for ourselves.<br><br>I will let you know how
we fair. Until then, dive safe, often & have fun,
Cathy

Hello to everyone, I have been gone for four days
and I was glad to see that the club has really taken
off. Welcome aboard to all! I leave again on Monday to
go diving for five days in Canada. I am excited
about the trip and will let you know how it goes. Cathy

Hey, a triple congratulations to you! First that
you found diving and enjoy it, Second that you found
a bride, and last but not least, that you found a
bride who is also a diver. That opens up a whole world
of common activity and enjoyment for you two. So
many of us have non-diving spouses who just don't
comprehend why we love to dive so much. Congratulations
times three!!!

Thanks for the invite...<br><br>A little about
myself...<br><br>I am a new diver...just got my padi open water
diver certification...start my advanced diver training
next weekend...<br><br>I live in
Seattle...<br><br>I've only been on a few dives (mostly during my
training) but I fell in love with it right away...I loved
it so much that I just dropped a butt load of money
on new dive equipment...heheheh...a dry suit, a reg,
an octo, and a bc....<br><br>In a few weeks I will
be travelling to Hawaii to do some diving in Kauii
and Maui with my soon to be bride (who is a long time
scuba diver).

Is there anyone planning to dive in the Nanaimo, Victoria, Vancouver BC Canada
area the weekend of August 27, 28, 29, 30? If so, lets hook up and dive
together. Send e-mail to scubaduber@...

Hi Galen, Lets see if I can help... What normally
happens with new divers is they have a tendency to not
completely exhale, especially at the begining of the dive
(nerves etc.) This causes them add more weight to their
belt then really needed to try and compensate the
positive bouancy. As they get comfortable with the dive
they start relaxing and taking more normal breaths.
Thus they then find themselves in a negitive bouancy
situation while breathing normally. Your tank is also a
factor when you dive. An full 80 tank starts with a
negitive bouancy but as the air gets used the tank
actually becomes positive bouancy.My suggestion for
everyone with a simular problem is, either in a pool or on
a shallow dive is to start by sitting on the
bottom, get comfortable and relax. Then using your BC
raise yourself up off the bottom 3 feet. hover there
for awhile. Then have your buddy hand you a 2 - 3 lbs
weight. Work on stopping your desent by using your power
inflator before you hit the bottom so that you are
hovering still. Then hand the weight back to your buddy
and stop you assent again by dumping the air out of
your BC prior to getting greater then 3 feet off the
bottom.This is not as easy as it sounds, I challenge all
divers to try it. The exercise teaches you to control
your bouancy and helps you gain confedense in your
equipment.Hopefully this helps your bouancy problem. atomicdiver

Just found the club. Hope you all can teach my
what I need to learn! Been diving since last October.
Have about 10 dives completed. Having trouble
controlling bouyancy. Its either sink or float. Can't get
neutral. Maybe I'm just to excited with it all yet. Have
to calm down more. Any suggestion?

Hi, I would like to welcome the new members. Lets
make this an "Active" club. We can't all just listen
and not talk. We don't have to give away our secrets,
but lets get to know each other and most importantly,
lets get out and dive. Since this is more of a "local"
group, it should be easier to get together. Why don't
you post some of your interests and where and when
you like to dive.

I recently did some diving off of the Sampan boat
out of Tacoma. We had about 14 divers, many of whom
were very new. On the second dive, one of the new kids
jumped in for his dive and came back with his instructor
about 5 minutes later. It seems that when changing
tanks from the first dive, he got a used tank. It only
had a few hundred pounds in it. He or his buddy
didn't check the pressure gauge before jumping in. It
was only his instructor who checked it underwater and
ushered him back up to the boat. After getting a fresh
tank, he did fine. It is very important to check each
other AND yourself, before getting in the water. Good
diving everyone.

I belong to several other Yahoo Scuba clubs. I
posted a message about this club on the other clubs
because there are several members who hail from the
Northwest. I would like to see this club grow. However, I
have the feeling that, as independent as most
Northwesteners are, that member growth may be slow. We all need
to let our local diving friends know about the club
and encourage them to join.

I encourage all of you who view this club page to
join us. Cold water diving in our Emerald Sea is a
special sport. Though it takes more training and gear to
participate in, those who do it, love it. Join us and share
your stories of your favorite dives, gear and critter
encounters.<br><br>In two week my family & I are headed to Barkley
Sound on Vancouver Island, BC. staying at Rendezvous
Lodge. We are looking forward to four days of boat
diving. Our hope is to get to see the Pacific White-sided
Dolphins. We have never done any diving in this are so are
really excited. We have our fins crossed hoping that the
visibility will be good, but we will enjoy it even if it
isn't.<br><br>Dive safe, often & have fun, Cathy

Hello to all,<br><br>I have been diving for a
little over a year now and have logged over 50 dives. I
did my dive training in Port Angeles, WA. Recently I
completed my Advanced training & Nitrox training. The only
warm water diving I have done so far was in Mexico,
the rest of my dives have been in the waters of the
beautiful PNW. Some of my favorite dive sites are Sund Rock
& Octopus Hole, by Hoodsport, WA. And Salt Creek,
by Joyce, WA. My dive buddies are my husband & 21
year old son. Soon my son's girlfriend and another
female friend will be certified so our list of dive
buddies is enlargeing. I try to get out diving at least
once a week. Starting a PNW dive club was a great idea
and I look forward to posts from other PNW divers.
Dive safe, often & have fun, Cathy

On Saturday, July 17, I dove at Salt Creek, west
of Port Angeles, WA. We saw the usual sea life, bull
kelp, etc. But did you ever see floating rocks? It
seems that some of the kelp attached itself to rocks on
the bottom when young. Later, as it matured and got
bigger, it got enough bouyancy to start lifting the
weight of the rock. So here we are, swimming along the
bottom at 60 feet through the kelp and here are these
rocks hanging about 2 to 3 feet off of the bottom. Next
time I'll have to wear a crash helmet! The viz was a
good 25 feet, the water was about 45 degrees and the
dive was lots of fun.

Post a message and let us all know what's going
on and where you want to dive. I've got Whidbey and
up to the San Juans covered, crab, scallops and fish
too.<br><br>Want my secret fish hunter's location? Shoot a big one
lately? Post a message on the club message board and
brag!!<br><br>There I was, @ 80' in Deception Pass, one angry 45
pound Ling with my spear through her head and no more
air........<br><br>The concept of this yahoo club could be a
blast!<br>Contact me andretto@... and let's go get wet!

Welcome, This is the Yahoo! Message Board for Pacific Northwest Scuba Divers
community.