Scuba divers, get ready for Halloween!

Surrounded by “spectator fish” against a coral reef background, divers off Key Largo will transform hollowed-out pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns during the Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest on Sunday, Oct. 24.

Buddy teams can meet at Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort, located at mile marker 104.5, to compete during the 8:30 a.m. dive. Their mission is to create pumpkins worthy of praise and prizes from the judges, who double as the crew of the Amoray Diver dive boat.

Contestants submerge to a depth of less than 30 feet, with dive knives as their carving tools and their imaginations for inspiration. Prizes await the top three pumpkin sculptors.

The regular dive boat fee of $80 per certified diver applies for the two-tank, two-location dive, including tanks, weights and snorkel equipment.

Divers are encouraged to sign up for the contest early because space is limited. For more information, call 800-426-6729 or visit Amoray.com.

Atlantic spadefish swim over The Duane’s main deck. Photo/Lance Bark

Eleven Florida divers recently became the first “Wreck Trekkers” to complete nine wreck dives as part of the Florida Keys Wreck Trek Passport Program.

The dive challenge, developed by tourism officials and area dive operators, showcases the Keys’ string of sunken vessels and artificial reefs. It also awards participants for completing a series of wreck dives featured in a passport-style dive logbook.

Rocky Welch, manager of a diving and adventure sports outfitting company, helped organize the Florida dive group from areas around Tampa, Clearwater and his hometown of Pinellas Park.

Theirs was a unique itinerary, planned with Tavernier-based Florida Keys Dive Center and designed to include all nine wreck dives within one vacation.

However, participants in the Florida Keys Wreck Trek Passport Program also can make multiple trips to complete the dives in their passport logbook. The program continues through Jan. 1, 2012.

Welch said he first explored Islamorada’s Eagle shipwreck in 1989 as the initial wreck dive of his 26-year diving career. This time, he reported spending 30 minutes exploring the ship.

Though he said the group considered the Vandenberg artificial reef the crown jewel of the trek, Welch’s personal favorite was the Bibb, located off Key Largo. Diving the Bibb, he said, had been a goal of his for 23 years.

“The team decided I would be the first down the line,” Welch said. “The water was glass-smooth with no apparent current … it was truly a pinnacle moment in a long diving career.”

Each of the 11 initial Wreck Trek divers are to receive a free print collage of the wrecks, as does any diver who logs a wreck in each of the five regions of the Keys. In addition, they will be entered into a drawing for prizes including merchandise, dive equipment and accommodations packages in the Florida Keys.

To learn more, click here.

The Spiegel Grove Off Key Largo.

A Wreck Trek Passport Program spotlighting the Florida Keys Shipwreck Trail now awaits divers visiting the Keys.

Certified divers can explore the destination’s most appealing feature—a string of sunken vessels and artificial reefs—and be awarded for logging back-to-back wreck dives or dives on subsequent visits through Jan. 1, 2012.

Divers taking up the challenge receive an Official Florida Keys Wreck Trek logbook upon reserving trips with participating dive shops. The passport highlights nine shipwrecks from Key Largo to Key West including Spiegel Grove, Duane, Bibb, Eagle, Thunderbolt, Adolphus Busch Sr., Cayman Salvager, Joe’s Tug and Vandenberg, the Shipwreck Trail’s southernmost addition.

After one wreck dive in each district of the Keys is accomplished, divers receive a personalized collage of wrecks suitable for framing. Upon completing all nine wreck dives, qualifying divers are entered into a drawing for one of several grand prizes including dive equipment and dive-and-stay lodging packages.

Each wreck dive varies in skill level. Shops may ask divers to present a logbook or dive computer to be reviewed for air management skills and depth profiles from previous dives. Refresher courses are offered.

For more information about the Wreck Trek Passport Program, visit here.

Christ of the Abyss stands in the water off Key Largo.

Divers who want to merge their faith with their passion for scuba diving now have an opportunity. The Reef Ministries Scuba & Scripture Liveaboard Cruise is a liveaboard dive adventure.

Divers enjoy Christian fellowship, scuba diving and worshiping God on a weeklong adventure aboard the Aqua Cat off islands of the Bahamas. Activities include snorkeling, kayaking, fishing, star gazing, and island exploration.

“What makes Reef Ministries trips so unique is the Christian environment we provide through pre-dive devotionals, worship music and great fellowship,” said Tec Clark, founder and director of the organization. “Our dive trips are great for couples and families who would like to have fun with others who share their same values, without worrying about how ‘crazy’ the atmosphere can get.”

Reef Ministries is enhancing the liveaboard mantra of “dive, eat, sleep and dive again” by adding devotions and presentations to the daily activities. Leading these presentations are Frank Sherwin and Tec Clark. Frank Sherwin is science editor for the Institute for Creation Research and an avid scuba diver. Tec Clark is former national director of the YMCA Scuba Program and is a master’s of divinity student. He is a long-time Fort Lauderdale resident.

To learn more visit here.

Diveheart, a national nonprofit that assists disabled scuba divers, is seeking nominations for its hall of fame. The mission of the hall is “to recognize and salute individuals both disabled and able-bodied who have displayed an exceptional commitment to the support, promotion and furtherance of scuba diving for children, adults and veterans with disabilities.”

 The inductees announced at the hall of fame’s inception in 2009 were Jacques Cousteau, Jim Gatacre, Matt Johnston and Cody Unser.

“We felt that there needed to be a way to recognize the outstanding individuals responsible for promoting, fostering and helping to facilitate scuba programs for individuals with disabilities,” said Diveheart president Jim Elliott. “Their impact is tremendous as they help to change peoples’ lives. We are hoping that people will take a moment to nominate the individuals they know who are deserving of this honor.”

Inductees will be announced at the 2010 DEMA convention in November.

The hall of fame is also seeking members. Elliott stated that 100 percent of the funds raised through membership provide scholarships for disabled individuals who wish to pursue educational or career opportunities in scuba diving or related fields.

Nomination forms are found here. 

Dan instructor at work.

Divers Alert Network, a leader in dive safety and emergency-assistance training, is looking for instructors nationally, including in South Florida.

DAN claims that the demand for new instructors is due to the introduction of education programs like Basic Life Support and First Aid and Dive Medicine for Divers, as well as the success of existing programs such as Diving Emergency Management Provider and the Oxygen First Aid for Scuba Diving Injuries.

To become a DAN instructor, candidates must complete an Instructor Qualification Course. Prerequisites for enrollment in an IQC include DAN membership, a certification level of divemaster or higher, a current certificate as a CPR Instructor and documentation of first aid training. If the candidate does not have a current CPR instructor rating with another agency, he or she can be certified to offer the DAN Basic Life Support and First Aid course.

“It’s a fantastic time to become a DAN instructor,” Eric Douglas, director of the nonprofit organization, said in a statement. “Not only is it the perfect time of year to do it, but with the addition of several new programs to the DAN training course offerings, there’s more demand for instructors to teach those courses.”

The IQC follows a modular format. The Core Module is followed by a separate module for each DAN training program. Instructor candidates can take all 10 modules as part of one course or take only the Core Module and the specific course modules they plan to teach. Additional program certifications can be added later without retaking the Core Module, provided the DAN instructor rating is kept current. The Core Module can be completed online.

To find a DAN instructor trainer, visit a local dive center, call 919-684-2948 or e-mail oxygen@diversalertnetwork.org.

An American has been convicted of murdering his wife while scuba diving in the Caribbean, according to FoxNews.com.

On Oct. 27 a jury in the British Virgin Islands convicted Rhode Island resident David Swain for killing his wife, Shelley Tyre, while they were scuba diving in 1999. Authorities originally ruled the death an accident but charged him after a 2006 civil trial found him responsible. The wife’s parents accused Swain of killing their daughter while he romanced another woman.

To view the article, click here.

Christ of the Abyss stands in the water off Key Largo.

A new ministry presents the underwater world from a Biblical point of view. Fort Lauderdale-based Reef Ministries offers snorkeling and scuba diving adventures that are Christ-centered, which promotes environmental stewardship while instilling discipleship.

“I’ve been blessed to teach scuba diving to thousands of students and instructors, and I repeatedly heard students say they felt closer to God underwater than anywhere else on earth,” said Tec Clark, its founder. “Reef Ministries illuminates this connection, and champions the splendor, diversity and beauty of the underwater world as the handiwork of God.”

Clark is a past national director of the YMCA scuba program and former CEO of Pro Dive International in Fort Lauderdale. He is also a graduate student at Knox Theological Seminary.

Reef Ministries includes presentations and devotionals with their snorkeling and scuba diving trips. Families, church groups, ministries, pastors, schools and homeschoolers have participated in its adventures and lectures.

Next year Reef Ministries plans to add live-aboard trips, marine mammal encounters and an underwater creation science camp.

For more information call 954-495-7810.

M/V Miss Lourdies, a 165-foot cargo freighter confiscated by US Customs in June 2008, was sunk on June 6 off Deerfield Beach.

In June 2008, according to Arilton Pavan of Pompano Beach-based Dixie Divers, during an inspection at the Port of Miami, customs agents noticed an irregular noise when they tapped the hull of the Haitian flag freighter. After agents broke through the wall they found a steel compartment filled with 154 kilos of cocaine. The ship’s log stated that the 165-foot freighter was in Miami to pick up cars, bicycles and mattresses.

With the approval of Chad Grecsek, assistant to the director of public works in Deerfield Beach, Pavan and Dixie Divers helped in the regulatory permitting process for the artificial reef and raised $20,000 to clean and sink the ship. Funds were obtained through private donations from the local diving community.

The ship was scuttled in approximately 110 feet of water and secured with chains and anchors. The vessel should provide habitat for fish and other marine life as well as serve as a fascinating new dive site.

Jeff Torode of Pompano-based South Florida Diving Headquarters said that a video camera was mounted to the vessel for its descent. Stay tuned for details on how to watch the video.

Learn with one of the best and friendliest(!) instructors in South Florida! Now based in Broward, I’ve been a scuba instructor for more than 20 years and previously worked as a commercial diver in Miami Beach. I’m also South Florida Adventures magazine’s diving columnist.

Call or e-mail any time.

Lance Bark

954-895-7733

lancetbark@hotmail.com