Descend Downunder

How to find a new mask..

What does a DiveCon do when they discover a tear in their mask that causes an effect similar to Niagara Falls when it gets wet? Come and see me of course and ask if they can try a new one out at their next pool session. Then what happens when you cant make the pool session due to being stuck in Sydney for work? You get inventive!!!! Fill up the bath tub and dive in (well maybe not dive), submerge yourself as much as humanly possible in a bathtub and leak test your new mask.

What shouldn’t you do – tell me about it!!!!! (At least I didn’t mention any names but I do think your new blue X-Vision mask was a wise choice!!)

Easter in Narooma..

Our trip to Narooma is fully booked and I'm sure they will have a wonderful time diving The Lady Darling & Montague Island among other great sites. Just a reminder final payment is due BY 11th March. I have spoken nicely to the dive operator and they will provide the 2nd cylinder for our double boat dive at no charge, however they are yoke valves so if you are running a din set of reg’s you will need to make sure you take a din/yoke converter. Talk to us if unsure.

Course Congratulations..

Congratulations to our latest Open Water Divers – Celeste Walsh, Dan Walker, Katherine O’Neil, Le-Anne Penrose and Kylie Clarkson who did a refresher course. We look forward to seeing you at 5:30 on Thursday 17th March for your reunion dive at The Pit.

OzTek Dive Conference..

The ultimate experience for serious divers! Featuring the very best of the world’s International speakers and presenters, plus workshops, seminars, and an exhibition featuring the latest and greatest in diving equipment. More information inside or log onto www.diveoztek.com.au

Engagement Congratulations..

A very special Congratulations goes to Narelle Meade and her partner (now fiancé) Pete who proposed on Valentine’s Day!! We wish you both all the happiness for the future.

Vanuatu Information Night..

Interested in finding out more about our fabulous trip to Hideaway Island and Santo

Come along to our information night which will be jammed packed with all the information you’ll need to plan for this amazing diving holiday

When: Friday evening 18th March

Time: 7:30pm

Nibbles provided – BYO drinks

Zeagle– Custom configured buoyancy systems.

* Zeagle's approach to buoyancy systems is unlike that of any other manufacturer.
* Divers come in many shapes and sizes, and they do different types of diving in widely varying environments.
* Zeagle doesn’t believe a limited range of models in fixed sizes can meet everyone's needs.

Zeagle's BC's are systems of interchangeable components. They can be quickly and easily customized by your dealer to fit your individual needs.

Start by looking at our standard systems, locate the BC that has the basic features you need, and configure it to match your exact requirements.

Design, Lift and Weight Capacity

* What is your diving environment? Lighter, more compact BC systems are an advantage in warm water diving and for travel, while diving in colder water or deep diving can demand much more lift and weight capacity.
* What is your size, and what type of suit will you wear?
Larger, heavier divers will need more lift and weight capacity, particularly if the wear a thick wetsuit or a drysuit.
* Will you ever dive with twin cylinders?
Twin cylinders require a heavier BC designed with a wider back, or a backplate system. Zeagle's heavy- duty BC's and backplate systems can all be used with both single and twin cylinders.
* Will you dive in varied environments?
Many divers travel from cold to warm water, or do both deep and recreational diving. Zeagle's component systems allow you to custom tailor your buoyancy system's features by switching components as you go from one diving environment to another.

Sizing Points to Remember

* Fit in a buoyancy system- particularly a weight integrated system- is critical to the system's performance.
Typical "generic" sizing can't provide a good fit for all divers.
* The vertical position of both buoyancy and weights on the diver is critical, particularly for rear flotation BC's.
Both weights and buoyancy should be positioned low, as close as possible to your body's centre of buoyancy. This will allow comfortable surface flotation and good balance underwater.
* Torso length (shoulder to waist dimension) can vary a great deal, even for individuals of the same height.
If you are either very short or long waisted in relation to your height or waist size, conventional "generic" sizing may not give you a good fit. Zeagle's interchangeable components allow your dealer to fit waist size, torso length, and chest size independently, giving you a personally sized system.

Australasian Diving Technologies Conference 12-13 March 2005.

Australian Technology Park, Sydney, Australia.

• Exploration
• Rebreathers
• Underwater Imaging
• Decompression
• Cave Diving
• Wreck Diving

• Free Diving
• Military
• Commercial
• Under Water Environment
• Workplace Health & Safety
• Diving Physiology

Speaker Profile: Internationally respected authorities in their respective fields of diving expertise, including: Recreational, Technical & Exploration diving Diving, Physiology & Medicine, Construction & Salvage Diving, Scientific & Military diving, Underwater Photography, Videography & Film-making, Equipment Designers, Wreck-Hunters & Cave Divers.

Exhibitor Profile: Training Agencies Dive Stores & Retailers Dive Equipment Manufacturers & Distributors (Compressors, Computers, Drysuits, Regulators, Rebreathers, Underwater Cameras, ROV.’s, Helmets, Hardware, Software, Accessories, etc.) Clubs & Diving Associations, Safety Organizations, Dive Travel & Resorts,  Live-aboard Dive Operators & Dive Charter vessels, Dive Media.

For tickets and further information visit - www.diveoztek.com.au

From some of the reports I have had it sounds like this weekend was a monumental failure. What a pity, in my opinion it is one of the best fresh water dive sites in Australia. So what went wrong? Well firstly the preparation. I am at fault here. I intended to be there, however last minute business commitments had me in Melbourne and I got lumbered with working on Saturday but I didn’t cancel the weekend because I knew Geoff and Gordon were going and of course this was always going to be a DIY weekend. If you wanted to come you had to book your own accommodation and boats, and if you remember from previous newsletter articles, diving was only part of the trip. I intended to walk to the top of Koscuisko, some good company, a nice meal and the dive.

I checked Lake Levels, copied all the info for everyone going and I really did think that would be enough to ensure a good weekend. Then of course there was the weather. How unusual is the weather for February, but I am sorry I cant control that.

Now on top of that the visibility was low, and even though I equipped everyone with the map I used to find it the first time I dived it, no one could find the spot. Now I am keen to dive it again in the next few weeks while the lake levels are good and this time I will ping it with GPS so everyone can find it.

Now this was never going to be a hand held guided tour, and those that took the initiative tell me they still had a good weekend.

This type of diving is very much out of the main stream, no charter boats, no air fills etc, and I guess you have to take your chances and make your own fun.

For anyone who didn’t get value out of the weekend the best I can offer is to refund your hire gear costs. Come and see me. Of course one of the really neat outcomes is that you will all still get to enjoy your first dive on Kalkite if you are game to try it again.