TREASURERS REPORT   Income: $2423.97   Expenses: $1381.13   Current Balance: $1042.84

Maurer Dive Shop will be starting new Dive Classes this month. If you know anyone interested, have them call the shop.

Don’t forget, Bert, Tim, And Harvey offer a variety of advanced classes to augment your skills. Call them or the Dive Shop to get details.

Congratulations to Harvey Montgomery who is now a Certified Open Water Dive Instructor. Joe Gordon made his 150th dive at Mount Storm on Aug. 7th while Barb Wyland made her 100th.

Judy told Bob she was pleased with the conduct of the Laurel Divers who camped at the Quarry the weekend of the Treasure Dive. Congratulations to us on maintaining our good reputation while still having a good time!

Anyone who left items at the Quarry at the Treasure Dive can look for them at the Dive Shop – ask Rose.

As general information, for those who may be flying off on a Diving Vacation, American Airlines and US Air charge $50 per bag for gear packed in Dive Bags. Bob recommends packing your gear in regular suitcases. Check with your airline and talk to divers who have flown if you need advice.

There was a request for info on diving at Canoe Creek State Park. Those in the know say it’s not very deep, the vis is very poor and there is an abundance of fishing line to get tangled in and practice your limited vis and escape skills. Donna Bender has a list of rules for diving in the Pa. State Park Lakes if anyone wants them.

July was the month for several Club trips. The group that went to Ocean City for a weekend met with poor visibility, bad seas, strong currents, a broken anchor, and Tim got hit on his head with a weight. (The weight is fine) But, they all came back!

The trip to Tobermory, Canada was wonderful. Captain Jeff and the MAMIE once again gave the Laurel Divers their monies worth. Lance conquered the Arabia and apparently Ricky Paige won the “hickey” contest – hopefully, Julie was involved. The women enjoyed the “mooning” boat (that involved unknown men in thongs). The trip was a success until they started home. A stop at a restaurant resulted in the kidnapping of beloved club mascot, Sherwood the Bear, and his new friend, Mounty. A rapid investigation revealed no clues and it was a saddened and sobered group who continued homeward. (Hope was renewed when a ransom note and pictures of the blindfolded Bears turned up at the Club meeting at Penn Gables but club members were chilled to think the perpetrator of such a dastardly crime could be one of their own)

Sandy Beecher reported on the trip to Thousand Islands. She said it was awesome, with 50 foot vis and (always important to us) Great food! The water was warm though a little shallow due to the drought but the good news is that Moe is getting a new Dive Boat.

A trip to Mount Storm was enjoyed by 8 club members on Aug. 8th. The vis was bad and it poured down rain but the water was very warm and it was fun diving without bulky wet suits and heavy weight belts.

Maurer Dive Shop will be having a DIVE-IN on Saturday, Sept. 4th at 2:00PM at the Clover Creek Quarry. This event is open to all newly certified divers as well as Club Members. Come out and spend an enjoyable afternoon diving...making new friends…Bring your buddy…or dive with a group…Do a tour of the quarry…feed the fish…bring some lawn chairs and a covered dish (with food in it). Need equipment?? The Dive Shop has a special rental package…$25 for the day. Call Bob @ Rose to reserve your gear and tanks now! Divers will be meeting at the Doughnut Shop and leaving promptly at 1:00PM for the Quarry. Don'’ miss the Diving and Great times!!!

David Lee says there’s still openings on the Nekton Pilot for the end of September. It’s a trip to the Bahamas to dive with the Whale Sharks. For more details or to make reservations, call David @ 943-7151 or Donna @ 472-9796

Breathe (courtesy of Mark Hooper)
> >What follows is the Commencement address that Sid recently
> >gave at a PADI Open Water Certification graduation.
> >
> >Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '99:
> >
> >Always breathe.
> >
> >If I could offer you only one tip for the future, breathing
> >would be it.  The long-term benefits of breathing under
> >extreme changes in pressure has been proven by millions
> >of people whose lungs do not have hideous, gaping holes
> >in them, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more
> >reliable than my own tragic, yet amusing, experience.
> >
> >I will dispense this "advice" now.
> >
> >Enjoy the convenience and elasticity of your fin straps.
> >Oh, never mind. You will not understand the convenience
> >and elasticity convenience of your fin straps until they've
> >broken. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll think back on all
> >the dives you've missed because of broken fin straps
> >and recall in a way you can't grasp now, how much of
> >a moron you must be to have forgotten an extra fin strap.
> >AGAIN.
> >
> >You are not as negatively buoyant as you imagine.
> >
> >Don't worry about being eaten by the local fauna. Or worry,
> >but know that worrying is as effective as expecting your
> >dive buddy to calculate the correct NDL for your dive.
> >The real troubles during your dive are apt to be things
> >that never crossed your nitrogen soaked mind - The kind
> >that will keep you in a decompression chamber until
> >4:00 PM, next Tuesday.
> >
> >Stuff everything you see into your BC pockets during
> >every dive.
> >
> >Equalize.
> >
> >Don't close the valve on your dive buddy's tank - No matter
> >how funny it may be.  Don't put up with dive buddies who
> >will turn off yours.
> >
> >Purge.
> >
> >Don't waste your time on perfect buoyancy. Sometimes
> >your dive slate will sink you like an anchor; sometimes
> >you can't submerge without the aid of a 55-gallon drum
> >full of lead shot.  There are 5 gazillion variables, and
> >you will bleed from your ears if you think about it too much.
> >
> >Remember to keep some slack in your float line.  Don't
> >get tangled in it.  If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
> >
> >Keep your old dive logs. Throw away your raunchy
> >old mouthpieces.
> >
> >Streamline.
> >
> >Don't feel bad if you haven't quite mastered the
> >compass. The most interesting dives I have been

> >on were led by divemasters who didn't know how
> >to use one.  The most interesting divemasters I know
> >often mistake it for their watch.
> >
> >Get plenty of Dramamine - Keep it in your dive bag.
> >
> >Be gentle with your mask strap.  You'll miss it when it breaks.
> >
> >Maybe you'll find a sane, human-type dive buddy - maybe
> >you won't.  Maybe he'll have a Death Star Class spear gun
> >as well, maybe you won't.  Maybe you'll need to design a
> >spear-proof vest; maybe you'll require a prosthetic torso.
> >Whatever you do, don't pity yourself too much, or weep
> >bitterly for yourself either. Your dive buddy is probably
> >insane.  So is everybody else's.
> >
> >Spit in your mask.  Do it as often as possible.  Don't be
> >afraid of it or of what other people think of it.  Spit is the
> >best de-fogger you'll ever own.
> >
> >Use the standard hand-signals, even if you don't quite
> >remember *exactly* what they meant  (If your dive buddy
> >doesn't understand, simply exaggerate the gesture until
> >he/she does).
> >
> >Sh*t-can any directions you receive with SCUBA
> >gear - Who the h*ll needs directions on "how to
> >use a snorkel" anyway!?! (Besides your dive buddy)
> >
> >Do not look at the picture on your Certification
> >card - It will only make you feel ugly.
> >
> >Do not get too attached to your weights or the
> >stuff you clip to your BC.  You never know when
> >they'll be gone for good.
> >
> >Understand that dive boat captains come and go, but
> >always tip them generously.  Slip them at least a 5 or
> >a 10, because when you surface, you'd like to see the
> >dive boat waiting for you - Not back at the dock
> >next to the Tiki Bar.
> >
> >Float on the surface, but submerge before you drift
> >to Cuba.  Play underwater, but surface before your
> >joints start to tingle.
> >
> >Off-gas.
> >
> >Accept certain inalienable truths: Your power inflator
>

  >will stick.  You'll get sand in your second stage.
> >You, too, will pee in a rental wetsuit.  And when this
> >happens, you'll fantasize that when you were a newbie,
> >power inflators never stuck, you never inhaled sand,
> >and nobody ever peed in the rental wetsuit you are
> >currently wearing.
> >
> >Pee in your wetsuit.
> >
> >Don't expect anyone else to watch your SPG.  Maybe
> >you have a 120cu.in tank. Maybe you have a pony
> >bottle. But you never know when either one might run out.
> >
> >Don't mess too much with your power inflator or by
> >the time you're 4 minutes into the dive you will
> >have 300psi.
> >
> >Be careful whose gear you buy, but be patient with
> >those who let you borrow it. Buying used gear is a
> >form of mental illness. Selling it is a way of fishing
> >your wetsuit from the dive bag (Where it has been
> >for the past 5 weeks - after you put it away wet...),
> >rinsing it off, chiseling off the reeking moldy parts
> >and stiffing some poor shmuck for more than it's worth.
> >
> >But trust me on the breathing....