Local Diving

Come join us on June 13th & 14th to kick off the Tri-State Scuba 2009 local summer dive season. We will be heading to "The Quarribbean" to compete Open Water and Rescue certifications. If you would like to complete either of these certifications, come join us. If you are a certified diver and would like to join us for a fun day of diving just email scubafun@tristatescuba.com or call 513-271-2800. Please pre-register for the dives by the 6th of June. Don't miss out on the fun! 

Flying Pig Divers

Sharky and Tri-State Scuba had a blast cheering on fellow dive junkies as they competed in the "2009 Flying Pig Marathon". On Sunday May 3rd Margaret, Stephanie, Rolan, Sue & Scott passed right by the store as they approached mile marker 18 of their 26.2 mile run. It was a great turn out at the Tri-State Corner. We had a group of enthusiastic supporters armed with coffee and big cheers for there dive buddies and friends. We also had some great live acoustic music to enjoy as all the racers passed by. Congrats to all the runners and a big round of applause to all of our dive buddies that participated. 

What to go to Boston? 

Stephanie qualified for the Boston Marathon with her run time of the "Pig". She will be competing in the 2010 Boston Marathon. Congrats! You Rock, Steph! 

Colorful Curacao

Where is Curacao? 

We'll Sharky's not telling. Curacao is truly a hidden dive paradise. Fourteen of us enjoyed a fantastic week of diving, fun & sun. We got to see some world class dive sites. Some of the favorites were Santa Cruz, Mushroom Forest, Black Coral Garden & who can forget Watamula. Most of the sites had relatively no current and 100 ft vis. We did have one wild drift dive that allowed us to enjoy 4 different dive sites in 45 minutes!! King's Island roller coasters don't get close to the speeds that we were cruising!! 

While we were there Jennifer completed her Open Water Certification and 4 or the 5 Advanced Open Water dives. Helen hit the 150 dive mark. The rest of the crew dove, dove and then lounged in the hot tub and pool. We completed the week with a tour of the island, including downtown shopping. Downtown Willemstad has a Dutch architectural influence and has more colors than a crayon box! We truly had a blast. 

Ok, I'll tell you, if you have not already "Googled" Curacao. Curacao sits off the coast of Venezuela. It is also part of the ABC chain that includes Aruba and Bonaire. For more pictures check out our travel page in the next week. 

Balance & Libra Do It Again!!

Once again the Aqua Lung "Balance" & "Libra" has earned Sport Divers Editor's Pick Award. Although Aqua Lung has not changed anything on the "Balance" & "Libra" for 2009, they have once again earned top marks. These BCD's are not the most expensive that Aqua Lung offers but they come loaded with features that any diver can appreciate. The "Balance" is the male version and the "Libra" is built just right for female divers. These back-inflate BCD's are ideal for travel without compromising quality and performance. They are made with long wearing Cordura fabrics for maximum durability and lightweight strength. These BCD's are weight integrated with patented Sure-Lock weight system. With a total of four weight pockets, every diver will be able to put themselves in the perfect dive profile. The innovative swivel buckles provide fantastic comfort and adjustability. Self-Adjusting Lumbar Support system (SLS) conforms to the divers lower lumbar to maximize comfort on land or in the water. This is a very versatile BCD, so whether you are just a tropical diver or dive a drysuit in frigid conditions, the "Balance" or "Libra" is the right choice. Check out these BCD's anytime at the divecenter. On April 11th receive great savings on both of these fantastic BCD's.

Great Entry Level Reg!

Just getting started diving or looking for a nice back up reg? The Aqua Lung Titan is a perfect pick. The Titan regulator series features a balanced diaphram first stage that is equiped with the "Air Turbo System", an additional channel that is built into the first stage designed to boost the breathing performance. That means from the very first breath from a full tank to the last breath this reg will deliver the air smoothly. This reg is also Nitrox compatable up to 40%, out of the box. The new, easy to grip, Vane Adjustment Switch (VAS) controls venturi assist to reduce sensitivity to freeflow on the surface and provide maximum airflow at deeper depths. The Titan also comes with the smaller Comfo-bite mouthpiece that is perfect for younger diver or divers with smaller mouths. This reg normally retails at $330 but during our Spring Sale you can get one for $250!! Don't miss out, this sale is for in stock products only. There are 4 available. The Spring Sale is one day only (April 11th from 10am to 5pm).

Quantum 7 Wetsuit Sale

Getting ready for the local summer quarry diving or just a diver that gets cold easily? Check out the Deep See Quantum 7 wetsuit. This suit is a fantastic value made with premium quality Thermo-flex high stretch neoprene. The Thermo-flex neoprene is a 4 way stretch material that stretches 3 times more than conventional neoprene. The skin to skin back zipper seal minimizes water exchange to keep you warmer wether your are diving local quarries or hitting the springs in Florida. Heavy duty #10 back zipper has a stainless steel zipper pull for easy zip ups at your favorite dive site. All seams are triple glued and blindstitched for water tight integrity. This suit will keep you warm! It also features durable molded kneepads. This suit normally retails at $299. During our Spring Sale on April 11th from 10am to 5pm, you can get this suit for $225. Don't miss out! This price is for in stock suits only! Get here early, we have a large variety of sizes, but once gone the price will go back to normal retail.

St. Croix Live A Board Adventure

If you have never had the chance to experience "live-a-board" diving, put it on your top 5 of "must do's" as a diver! We just returned from a fantastic week of "live-a-board" diving in St. Croix USVI. For those not familiar with "live-a-board" diving, here is how it works: 

• Imagine setting up your dive gear once, moving it only to roll in Caribbean blue water. 
  
• Fresh baked cookies and naps in between dives. 
  
• Lounging on the sun deck with the hills of St. Croix as a backdrop. 
  
• And did I forget the 4 to 5 dives a day! 
  

The week was beautiful, full of dive achievements and exploration. George completed his Advanced certification and Deep Diver Speciality. Mike & Nick completed their Deep Diver Speciality, Boat Speciality & Night Diving Speciality. Nick also received the "best eater" award, out doing Dale at most meals! Sorry Nick, I don't think there is a speciality for that. Will & Julie hit the 50 dive mark. Julie earned the nickname the "seahorse whisperer" by finding 6 seahorses in one dive. Some girls have all the luck! Joyce hit the 200 dive milestone during her week on board and took lots and lots of pictures. Dale logged his 300th dive and as always was the "best dressed in the water" with his outstanding outerwear collection! Amy did the most dives during her week, chalking up 26 dives.

We hit some great divesites during our week of fun in the sun including Cane Bay, Friedricksted Pier, Vertigo and  Armageddon. The dives varied from shallow coral gardens that were great for finding your tropical favorites and taking pictures to virtually bottomless wall dives with huge barrel sponges and fans. The night dives brought out octopus, lobsters and cool bioluminescence. The highlight of the week for some was the Captain authorized food fight!

So if you have never experienced a "live-a-board" dive trip, keep it on your "must do" list. If you have been "on-board", you know how spoiled you can get. Check out our 2010 travel for great dive destinations and "live-a-board" adventures.

See you "on board"!!

Had A Grand Time!

Wow, did we time the last trip right! While most of the mid-west was digging out of tons of snow and ice, we enjoyed 85 degree days and beautiful Caribbean evenings in Grand Turk. Timing is everything! 

We had a wonderful week at the Bohio dive resort soaking up the sun, dining looking out over clear blue water and great wall diving that Grand Turk has become famous for. 

Tri-State Scuba would like to congratulate Glo on her Open Water certification. We would also like to congratulate Ryan and Heather on their Advanced Open Water certification. 

Everyone enjoyed great visibility and tons of marine life during our week of fun in the sun. Seth earned the nickname "Shark Whisperer" by finding 5 nurse sharks in our first six dives! Trudy and Andy took pictures of creatures great and small. Together creating a fantastic photo team. Diver Don and Nils became the best "got a new buddy" team. Geri came back with some great culinary ideas on how to prepare conch. Sally enjoyed cruising the walls and dodging some winter weather back home. 

Don't miss your chance to dodge some lousy winter weather. There are still a few spaces on the trip to St. Croix at the end of February. See the website for St. Croix details and the rest of the 2009 travel schedule. www.tristatescuba.com

Take Some Very Cool Pix

Want to get started taking great underwater pictures?

Check out the very cool camera and housing package from Ikelite. Ikelite has teamed up with Nikon to create a fantastic camera package that is ready to hit the water. Nikon is one of the most trusted camera companies in the world. The Coolpix L18 is a 8megapixel camera that has a huge 3 inch LCD screen for easy viewing both on land and underwater. The camera itself is not much bigger than a deck of cards! All the camera controls can be accessed thru the housing and rated to 200 ft. This camera also takes video! Now you are taking not just great underwater still photos but video too! Check out the camera package at http://www.ikelite.com/web_two/nik_l18.html. Then call Joly at the divecenter (513-271-2800) and order your new way to share all the cool pix from your next dive vacation. With a retail price of $380 for both the camera and housing, your still have enough money for that upcoming dive trip. Learn more about the Nikon Coolpix L18 and underwater photography in the upcoming digital photo class at Tri-State Scuba on February 14th from 9 to noon. Pre-registration for the course is required.

Tri-State Divers on WNKU

WNKU is by far the best radio in the Tri-State area. If you are not familiar with the station, check them out! They have really good music for everyone that you will not find on commercial radio stations. One of my favorite features of WNKU is their "Top 89". This is compiled by the listeners via email and then counted down on New Years Day. When you vote you also enter to win Cd's. I won on New Years day.

I had been listening most of the day, except when we were underwater and when I was hanging up my drysuit. Within a minute or two I received phone calls from two different friends letting me know that I had won! Not only did I win some CD's but after speaking to one of the DJ's (John Patrick) and telling him about or New Years Day diving adventure, he gave me and Tri-State Scuba a "shout out" over the air waves. I think it was just to let the rest of the listeners know we were crazy to be diving in 35 degree water.

I have meet John a few times and he always puts on a great afternoon program. Check out John weekdays starting at noon for some great tunes. Put WNKU on your radio dial for great music, new and much, much more. But please don't forget why WNKU has such great programing and lots of music. They are public radio and rely on listener support to keep the great music flowing. Become a member, I am! Check them out at 89.7 or 94.5 on your FM dial or at http://www.wnku.org/

Thanks John and WNKU for all the great music!

New Years Day Diving

A few brave and slightly crazy divers hit the water New Years Day to ring in 2009. We met at the divecenter at 9:30am while most of the rest of the population was still sleeping or nursing hangovers from the New Years Eve celebrations. By 10am we had loaded up all the dive gear and were on our way. At 10:30 it was about 18 degrees and we were at our dive destination, Indian Hill Quarry.

With some help from Ray, Tim, Dave, Amy and Hailey we geared up in our thickest undergarments and drysuits. The brave and slightly crazy divers were Mary Ann, Todd, Dave and Joly. The mission: Looking for some fishing poles that were lost during one of the most recent fishing tournaments that was held in the fall. Oh yeah, and trying not to get frost bite! The water temperature was a chilly 35 degrees. We dove until we could barely feel our fingers, then called it quits. Our shore crew assisted with pulling off gloves and assisting us out of our drysuits. By the time we got out of the drysuits, they had begun to freeze and ice up. We did not find the fishing poles. Oh well, there is always next year!

The ride back to the divecenter is only 20 minutes. By that time we started to feel our fingers. Back at the divecenter, Joly's chili was bubbling in the crockpot. A big bowl of chili with plenty of hot sauce and a cold beer hit the spot. We reveled in our braving the elements and decided that this was the best way to ring in the New Year. How can you beat a good dive with some good dive buddies! 

Very Cool Travel Reg! Aqua Lung Mikron

Check out this very cool new regulator. It is super lightweight, great for travel. It has the new braided hoses that are 30% lighter in weight and designed to outperform and outlive traditional rubber hoses. The hoses are also extremely flexible, which helps reduce jaw fatigue.

Aqua Lung has once again raised the bar on regulator design with the release of Mikron – the smallest and lightest weight regulator on the market today. Weighing in at just 26 oz. (din) and 31 oz. (yoke), the traveling diver will benefit tremendously. Even more amazing is that performance is not sacrificed by the extreme compactness of the regulator. Its balanced first and second stages produce exceptional breathing performance.

Come by the divecenter to check out the new Mikron regulator. Not ready for a new regulator. Hotrod your regulator with the flexible hoses! Hoses available for regulator low pressure and BCD quick-disconnect. Check out more information on the Mikron. http://www.aqualung.com/us/content/view/222/

Create New Dive Buddies this January!

Do you have some friends that have always wanted to try scuba diving? They have heard all your cool dive stories and tall fish tales. Now, there is a opportunity for YOU to show them what scuba is about. In January, we have two dates that YOU can introduce you friends to scuba!

On January 17th from 9 to 11am or January 22nd from 6 to 8pm bring your "new dive buddy" to the divecenter and prepare to have some fun introducing them to the basics of scuba diving. All they will need is a bathing suit and a towel. All you will need is to want to share the love of scuba!

The cost of the program is $20. If your buddy signs up for class, they will get a $20 discount on the Open Water scuba course. You gain a dive buddy and your buddy gets to start telling their own dive stories. Please pre-register for the "New Dive Buddy" events a week prior. If you have any questions feel free to call (513-271-2800) or email scubafun@tristatescuba.com.