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Scuba Venture Blog

BCD Maintenance

      

         
In addition to regular cleaning, a few simple checks after each dive will help keep your B.C. in top condition:
Look for small tears and punctures, loose stitching and stressed fasteners. Repair with Aquaseal to prevent further damage. Check for leaks by pressurizing the B.C. using the oral or power inflator, then submerging the B.C in a tub of water. Slowly rotate the B.C. in all directions, keeping an eye out for air bubbles. Mark the location of the leak, allow the B.C. to dry,then repair with Aquaseal.

        

         
Test the oral inflation and power inflation buttons to ensure they move freely. If they feel sticky, salt or sand could be the problem. Wash, and if problem persists, take the B.C. to your local dive shop for inspection. Use a toothbrush to remove sand from Velcro® and other nooks and crannies.

        

                  
Store your B.C. in a cool, dry spot away from direct heat, sunlight, car exhaust and harsh chemicals. Partially inflate it with dry air to prevent mold and mildew growth. This will also keep the bladder from sticking together when stored over a long period of time.

Everyone had a great time at the 2010 ScubaVenture picnic at Dutch Springs. To celebrate our 20th anniversary we held a luau themed party with diving, food, and lots of fun. Prizes were awarded for an underwater and a surface treasure hunt, a bocce ball contest, and a scuba themed relay race. Attendees could also donate to DAN with the purchase of raffle tickets with prizes including a new regulator set. Divers also had the opportunity to demo Whites drysuits and Scuba Pro gear. THANK YOU to all for your support and enthusiasm. A big thanks also goes out to Deb Boone and Sandy Stitzer for helping John Gebhart with the food.  A big thank you to Katharine Radosh for manning the registration table, Jim for the great surface games, Rich and Teresa for putting the markers down underwater, Chris for taking pictures, and for every other staff member that helped with the divers. You can view pictures from the event on our pictures page at http://www.scubaventure.net/gallery/photos.html

  

 

 

Teresa Franke was awarded with the DiveControl Specialist of the Year award for 2009.  She received the award for helping the SV instructors with their classes, for promoting scuba diving, and for helping students and customers within the store.  She was very deserving of this prestigious award.  If you see Teresa at the classes or at the lakes diving, give her a big congratulations!

Create a Knee Patch
Create a ultra-tough flexible knee patch with Aquaseal® to protect suits from abrasion. Simply mask off the patch area with clear tape, then apply a thin coat of Aquaseal® inside the masked areawith a dispoable plastic knife.

Important: Remove the tape mask after 45 minutes. Dry level overnight.

Wet Suit And Dry Suit Cleaning & Care

Regular cleaning with Wet Suit & Dry Suit Shampoo prevents chlorine and salt damage and keeps suits looking and feeling like new. McNett makes it easy to care for your suit. Simply add 2 capfuls of Wet Suit & Dry Suit Shampoo to a large tub then submerge your suit and give it a good scrub. To remove odors from your wet suit, add 2 capfuls of MiraZyme™ Enzyme Based Gear Deodorizer to a second tub and submerge the suit. Hang suit to dry on on a thick Hanger. As the suit dries, MiraZyme does its work – consuming organic matter such as mold, mildew, algae and bacteria, leaving your suit odor-free.

Everyone had a great time diving the Pinta on the John Jack. ScubaVenture’s own Theresa Frank was the divemaster and the skipper and crew made sure everyone had a great time. Click the pictures for larger versions.

Come join us on a great Ocean Diving Adventure on the Pinta Wreck. We will be diving on the Dive Vessel “John Jack” out of Pt. Pleasant, NJ. The trip is scheduled for June 19th. The trip leaves the dock at 7:00 AM so you need to be there by 6:15. Directions to the John Jack can be picked up at Scuba Venture. This is a great dive for both New and Advanced Divers. Artifacts, Lobsters, and fish life can be found on this wreck. Teresa Franke will be leading the trip from Scuba Venture.


Ship’s Name: Pinta
Owner’s: The Pinta, operated by Heide’s Shipping and Trading, was registered in Rotterdam
Design: 500 ton motorship, 194′ long, built in 1959 in Denmark
Circumstances:
The Pinta was small in size compared to most of the ocean going freighters. She had picked up her cargo of lumber in Nicaragua and after a stop in Norfolk, was headed for Port Newark. At one minute after sundown on May 7, 1963, with a 17 knot wind, 3-4 foot seas, and 15 mile visibility, the Pinta mysteriously collided with the 7,547 ton British freighter, City of Perth. The 485′ long City of Perth was out of New York bound for Adelaide, Australia.

The bow of the City of Perth cut into the port side of the Pinta. The Pinta would remain afloat for only 48 minutes, but it was time enough for the twelve man crew to safely abandon ship and be taken aboard the lightly damaged City of Perth. The City of perth safely would deposit the Pinta’s crew in Hoboken and ten days later sailed again for Australia, after modest repairs.

How could these two ships, both with radar, collide in such mild weather and good visibility? The Coast Guard never investigated the incident as it involved international ships in international waters. Diver John Dewhurst researched the collision through the ship’s insurance carriers to try to solve the mystery. The loss of the PINTA was small by maritime standards, damages to the City of Perth minimal, and there was no loss of life or serious injuries. John discovered that for these reasons the parties involved found it financially prudent to bear their own losses in silence rather than take the matter to court. No explanation of how the collision occurred has ever been offered to this day.

In 1968, the City of Perth, now with the new owners, and renamed the ELENI-F, sank after hitting a submerged wreck off Alexandria, Egypt. She was declared a total loss.

Location: 6.5 miles NE of Asbury Park
Depths: Top of the wreck is in less than 60′ of water. Depth at the sand is 90′
Condtions: Mostly intact, lying on her partially buried port side. Some of her cargo of lumber is pilled out onto the sand.
Goodies: The wreck is pretty easy to get around on, and just about always produces lobster. This is one of Mark’s favorite New Jersey wrecks.
Cautions:
1. Watch your depth and time. Plan up to 90′ tables.
2. Ascend on anchor line.
3. Penetration is not recommended. Lumber suspended overhead in the cargo area that creates a very dangerous situation. This wreck is dangerous to penetrate.

Jacque Cousteau would have turned 100 this month and TCM is celebrating with underwater movies on Friday nights from 7 until ?. All kinds of classic movies including his original movies. This may be something you may be interested in.

North Carolina Wreck Diving Adventure

Join Mark Stitzer, owner of Scuba Venture, on an exciting North Carolina shipwreck diving adventure.Mark has been diving in North Carolina for over 30 years and knows the wrecks and best restaurants! He has made hundreds of NC wreck dives for artifacts, spearfishing, and picture taking. We can help turn you into a real wreck diver. The fish life is great also for anyone wanting to see Caribbean fish with out the price tag that goes with it. How about diving a German U-Boat, or ships sunk by U-Boats? There is a great deal of underwater history that you will see on this trip. Many artifacts from his NC trips, decorate SV.

The Crew on the Olympus Dive Boat will take great care of everyone. This boat is one of the most comfortable on the Eastern Coast. We will automatically certify you in boat diver after completing these four days, FREE with book purchase. How about finishing some other specialty dives while we are all having fun? There is just so much to see and do!

If you have any questions please call Mark at 877-685-0944.

We are now off our winter hours and open 7 days a week: Monday to Friday: 11-7:30, Saturday: 10-5, and Sunday 11-5