Annual Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest

We held the underwater pumpkin carving contest on Oct 25^th. The day started off pretty cold, but ended up being a really nice day.  We had an awesome turnout at the event.  We had about 20 divers in the water and about another 20 people for shore support. Everyone did an amazing job carving the pumpkins. Divers got very creative with their pumpkins and it was a very hard decision to pick the top 3 winners. A special thanks to our ScubaPro rep Joe Geiss for donating all the prizes. All divers got a prize for just showing up and getting into the water. Steve and Alex did a good job manning the grill so that everyone got food.  

Hypothermia While Diving

Now that the weather is changing from warm to cold and we are entering into the winter months. Its a good time to talk about hypothermia while diving. Many of you may or may not know how a wetsuit works. Without boring you with the whole explanation, it basically keeps a layer of water between you and the suit. Your body heats the water and bot-a-bing warmth.

If the suit is too big, too much water will enter the suit and your body will be unable to keep that water warm. If the suit is too small, it is restricting and you will be very uncomfortable. So there is a very fine line we dance around to get the right fitting suit. When you become chilled underwater, you lose functionality, strength, and the ability to concentrate on anything other than your own discomfort. In extreme cases, being cold can lead to hypothermia, which is a harmful drop in body temperature below 95 Fahrenheit (35 C). It can lead to impaired judgment, uncontrollable shivering and, in extreme cases, unconsciousness and possibly even death. In addition, loss of body heat is associated with an increased risk of decompression sickness because when you’re cold, your body constricts its blood vessels in an attempt to conserve heat. In a diving scenario, this means blood off-gasses nitrogen slower than your dive computer or RDP anticipates. Despite the safety risks of becoming cold underwater, however, it will have happened to most of us at some point; it’s an inevitable byproduct in a sport that involves constant contact with water. Water conducts heat away from the body 25 times faster than air, meaning that even in tropical climates we are susceptible to cold, especially in situations involving repetitive dives over a series of consecutive days. Also be sure to ensure that you wear the right amount of neoprene for the water you’re diving in; while a shorty wetsuit might be appropriate for very warm water, in general a thin, full-length suit will offer more warmth than a thick half suit. The more skin that’s exposed, the more skin will be in direct contact with water and the more heat will be drawn away from the body. This principle also explains why dive accessories like hoods, gloves and booties are so useful when it comes to keeping warm underwater. Although your suit and accessories are keys to keeping warm, how you conduct yourself before and after a dive is also a big part of fighting the cold. Maintain as much of your body heat as possible while you’re at the surface — don’t start a dive cold, and warm up as soon as you can thereafter. Water draws heat from your body as long as you’re wet, not just while you’re underwater. The water’s evaporation from your skin also causes heat loss. Windy surface conditions exacerbate this process, so oilskins, rain jackets or any other kind of windbreaker are a good idea for surface intervals. Getting dry is the best way to get warm after a dive — remove your wet wetsuit, towel off and get dressed.

The Blue Whale

Up to 120 feet long and weighing in at almost 200 tons, the blue whale is the largest animal to have ever walked, crawled, swam, or flown on planet earth. With a heart the size of a small car and eating up to almost 6 tons of krill each day, everything about this magnificent creature is BIG! They can live up to 90 years of age and are found in every ocean except the Arctic. Their sonic calls can be heard up to 1,000 miles away. 5 miles per hour is their normal travel speed but they can have short bursts up to 20.
The whaling fishery of the 1900’s hunted them close to extinction. They are now on the endangered list but making a slow comeback. There are still a few blue’s taken each year by some countries and large vessels ruin a whale’s day. Manmade underwater noises can kill a whale and there are legal actions against many countries and companies to get them to stop all the racket in the water. As always, drifting nets and abandoned manmade objects ensnare and kill.

Seafood Alfredo
Carol Ellis

Olive Oil
1 Red Pepper or 8 halved cherry tomatoes
1 Small Chopped Onion
2 Minced cloves garlic
2 Trays Mushrooms (approx. 1 lb.)
Shrimp
Fish- Optional
Mussels – Optional
Scallops – Optional
15 oz. jar of Alfredo sauce (I have used Classico, Bertoli, and Barillia brands. All are OK)
½ c. of Shredded Romano cheese (add more Romano Cheese to taste)
½ c. heavy cream
12 oz linguini pasta (or fettucine)

Cook Fettuccini
Lightly Sauté mushrooms, onions, garlic, red pepper in butter or olive oil
Salt, pepper, seafood. Lightly sauté shrimp, mussels, and scallops in olive oil. Sauté mussels first until they open. Then sauté shrimp and scallops very lightly to prevent toughness.

Add heavy cream and Romano Cheese to the Alfredo Sauce. Add sautéed mushrooms, onions, garlic and red pepper to the Heavy Cream, Romano Cheese, and Alfredo Sauce mixture. Heat on low and keep stirring until cheese is blended into the sauce.
Add warm seafood/vegie mixture over hot fettuccini and pour Sauce over it all. Mix and serve.

DDS Store COMING SOON!!!

With the lack of General Meetings due to COVID-19, there has been no opportunity for you our members to buy DDS clothing swag. Coming in the new year, we will have an online store so you can get your DDS swag! In the meantime here are a few examples of what is available. In addition, is our current inventory. If you’re interested in purchasing any items, contact Tracy Clarke at tracycdiver77 at yahoo.com.