Dives, course, trips, dinners, movies, dives, jam sessions at Baha's, dives and more dives. This sums up what has been going on around the shops over the last couple of weeks. There are still plenty of people in the water which is fantastic. We had 19 people go out to do Lonny wall on Sunday morning. This got changed to Boarfish reef due to rough conditions. Although the seas kicked up underwater was beautiful. There was a bit of false advertising in the last newsletter because instead of diving with me the group went out with Jimmy as I was a bit blocked up and didn't want to push it before going to Vanuatu on Friday. I however still did my weedy dance in the morning while I was looking after Rye and sent my weedy whispering powers to Jimmy. Looks like Jimmy is not as charmed as me when seeing these critters. Next dive I take out we will see them.
On Friday we have got 25 of AOS's finest members going to Espiritu Santo to dive the President Coolidge wreck. It is going to be fantastic. Kat and Kate will be leading the trip and the boys (Trav and Jimmy) will be holding down the fort. Sorry boys - maybe you can go next time.
We have had a few impromptu social events with the Vanuatu clan going to dinner and a group of members going to the movies to see Robin Hood. One of the funniest things that I have seen this year was on Sat night when the band that was supposed to play at the Mexican restaurant in Rye canceled so the boys from Academy decided to help out and did a set. Krumins was on electric guitar, Mike Valle was on bass, Jimmy was on the drums and Tim was the lead singer. It was obvious to everyone that they had not played together before as Tim read the words to songs from his i-phone and they jumped from song to song. All and all the boys did great. Over the coming months or years listen out for the seedy weed dragons. I'm sure they will have a bright future.
Still heaps going on so read below and catch up on the goss.
| The
What's on Spot | |
| Club/ Reunion Dives | Check out the Website for all club dives both boats and Shores, under Calendars - Social. Check with the shops for the finer details of the Shore Dives Sunday 6th of June- Shore Dives of Victoria Continues. 2nd try of diving Davey's Bay at 11am. Ranley Point at 3pm. For all events for dives and social activities go to our calendar. It is updated daily. |
| Graduation Nights | Glen
Iris- Thursday 3rd June Rye- Friday 4th June |
| Special
Activities | Vanuatu video and slide show night- Thursday 17th June at Glen Iris from 7:30pm Advanced Open Water course with Kat- June 19th and 20th Night Diver Course- 26th and 27th June Drysuit Course - 17th, 19th and 20th June Digital Photography Course - 19th and 20th June Twin Tryout day- Sat 10th July BOOK NOW |
| Travel | Truk Lagoon- October 22nd- 31st 2010 Whyalla- Cuttlefish breeding road trip. |
| Specials | Academy of Scuba- Tank
Sale- 10.5 Litre steel tanks for only $400. That is saving a huge $280. Only a few tanks left. Do your night diver course and get 20% off underwater lights Get a free wetsuit or $200 voucher towards snorkeling equipment for anyone who does their open water diver course in June, July or August. |
I have been refraining from putting this in the newsletter but realise that it is quite important to get people talking about this and hopefully we will never see anything like this again. If you had dived Rye pier last month you would have seen a horrific site towards the end of the pier. 18 banjo rays and 1 eagle ray lay dead after someone had stabbed them in the head. Some also had their tails cut off. Jane Bowman from AB Ocean divers spotted this and reported it to fisheries immediately. Fisheries confirmed that this act was illegal and said that they would be monitoring the piers more closely. If you see anyone illegally fishing or killing rays please report it straight away to fisheries on 13 34 74.
Photos supplied by Ian George
As the days get colder in Melbourne we have 25 of our dearest club members off to enjoy the sunshine and beauty of Vanuatu. After over a year in the planning we are flying out this Friday night Kat and Kate have been given the task to take a large, boisterous and excited group of divers to dive the Coolidge in Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu. I'm sure that you all wish everyone a safe and amazing journey.
Come along on Thursday the 17th of June to hear all of the stories and welcome them back. There will be a slide show and dvd of the trip played and it is also your chance to come and book yourself in on a Academy of Scuba dive trip. Remember we are going to Borneo next year.
Drysuit Madness-
It is getting cooler so it is time to warm the cockles of your body and see what it is like to stay dry while diving. Thank you to all who participated in our dry suit tryout a couple of week ago. One of the hits of the day was the Evolution 3 drysuit. Coming out at a ridiculous price for a shell suit this suit has evolved 3 time to come out as one of the best priced and best featured drysuits on the market. Order your new drysuit now so you don't miss out on this great special. As an added bonus Academy of Scuba will also do your drysuit course for only $150 (normally $325).
In the last couple of years we have produced some outstanding divemasters. They have been an integral part of the 
Academy of Scuba family assisting on courses and taking people out diving. Now is your chance to join the elite team of AOS Divemasters. The divemaster course is your first step to claiming all your dive gear back on tax and becoming a PADI professional. You will learn about all the ins and outs of dive theory from Decompression to physics and physiology and to dive equipment. You have to be a Rescue diver before starting this course so if this is something that interests you jump on our July Rescue course and start the greatest adventure of your life.
The dates for the Divemaster course are August 28th and 29th, and September 11th, 12th, 18th and 19th. Contact kat@academyofscuba.com.au for more details or book on.
Spread the word. If you have had friends that want to learn to dive, but have always been procrastinating, tell them to get their skates on and book onto their PADI Open Water Diver Course in winter. Any one who learns to dive in June, July or August will recieve a free wetsuit worth $350 or get a $200 voucher towards a semidry suit or thier snorkelling package. Remember that if you let us know that you have refered them you will also receive $50 cash. Book your friends and family on by calling Rye or Glen Iris now. Free wetsuits are limited.
Someone sent me something interesting-
The Shell of the argonaut octopus. It's a puzzle that has survived more than 2000 years. Why does the elusive but beautiful argonaut octopus need a shell?
The question was contemplated by Greek philosopher and scientist Aristotle in 300BC, who proposed that the delicate white shell functioned as a boat, allowing the octopus to sail. Other theories include that the structure, seen only in female argonauts, existed as a kind of nursery to protect her eggs.
But work by two Museum Victoria researchers may have at last answered the puzzle, concluding that the opaque shell is key to the mollusc's ability to achieve neutral buoyancy in the ocean waters it calls home.
Working with octopus expert and colleague Mark Norman, research biologist Julian Finn said that, unlike other octopuses, the argonaut lived in surface waters rather than close to the sea floor. He said that while the shell did protect eggs, this was not its sole purpose.
''It's quite a different structure from a normal shell,'' he said. ''For that animal to move in the surface waters it needs to be able to stop itself from sinking. This octopus has got around that by catching air from the surface and manipulating it for buoyancy, so it's pretty special.''
The female makes the shell by secreting calcium carbonate from an arm which she then moulds into a shell. After observing the animal in in the Sea of Japan, Dr Finn released octopuses without air in their shells to compare how they reacted.
''As soon as I released them a couple of metres down, the animals went straight up to the surface and rocked back and forth putting air in their shell, and then dived down to a depth where the air was compressed by the water and then swam away,'' he said.
The research, which challenges the long-held belief that air held in the shell could be harmful to the creature and possibly explain mass beach strandings, was published in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B yesterday.
Argonaut octopuses are found in tropical and subtropical waters worldwide, and in the waters of Port Phillip Bay and around Philip Island.
At their largest, female shells can measure 30 centimetres in diameter.
Males do not have a shell and grow to only a few centimetres. Females can measure up to 50 centimetres long and weigh 600 times more than the male.
Mask Strap Amnesty-
After a long wait we finally have our new mask straps in at Rye and Glen Iris so the amnesty is on. If you have an old mask strap with our old company details it is time for you to upgrade. Bring in your old strap and we will exchange it for one of our new ones. If you don't have one yet they are one of the best inventions ever. No longer do you have to rip out your hair. These little beauties go over or replace your strap for ease of donning. 
One other product which I have found invaluable on occasions is these little keyrings. Not only do you get to show off that you are a part of Academy of Scuba but if you need easy access to your keys these keyrings let you put your keys over your wrist. Very handy.
When I get back from Vanuatu i will also be ordering our new Academy of Scuba fleece jackets. These are the warmest jackets you will own. They will be $70 each but will last years and keep you so very very warm. If you would like one of these please email info@academyofscuba.com.au and place your order to help me judge the sizes and quantity I need. They will be in by the end of June.
Come along in August to see the magnificent giant cuttlefish breed in August.
|
Every year between the months of May and September,
thousands of Giant Australian Cuttlefish (Sepia apama) descend on The
migration by these majestic creatures to these waters is for the sole
purpose of spawning. During these months, the female attaches her eggs
to the underside of the rocky ledges around the area. The male then
fertilises these eggs, which hatch a couple of months later. The males
can only reproduce once, and as with the females die not long after. |
the
rocky
coastline between Fitzgerald Bay and False Bay. These amazing
‘chameleons of
the sea’ are one of the largest species of cuttlefish found in the
world; and
can reach up to 60 cm in length and can weigh up to 5kg
Now that winter has kicked in we have also seen the end of daylight savings. This means that you will not have to wait until 9pm to do a night dive and see all the creatures that hide from you during the day. Put an end to getting home at midnight- go for a dive and be ready to have dinner afterwards. Diving at night is one of the best types of diving. It is even more tranquil than during the day and the closest thing you will ever experience to being in space as you float through the darkness guided by the light of your torch. Complete the PADI night diver course and learn all the safety techniques to diving at night. This will enhance your enjoyment and make sure you get it back on shore safely. Book into this course by the end of May at Glen Iris or Rye to receive 20% off underwater lights.
When- Friday 25th and Saturday 26th of June
How Much- $220
Backplates, harnesses, single webbings, quick releases, 10's, 12's..... what to go for? If you have been a diver on the boats that stares at people with twin tanks and have no idea why people use them, or how they work, here is your chance to find out. When it comes to any form of diving, equipment is personal preference. This is also true when using twin tanks but there is a bit more thoery that goes into your decision. We will be conducting a twin tank discovery day to answer all your questions and let you try all the different systems on the market. For divers interested in getting into twin diving this is a prime time to make an informed decision on your future new toys.
When- Saturday 10th of July at 1pm
Where- Ashburton pool
How Much- $40
What to bring- Your wetsuit or drysuit and snorkelling equipment.
Diving off the boats has never been so simple. Not many people know that you can save money on boat dives and not worry about having to pay as you go. With a 10 dive card you pay for your dives upfront. For $530 you will be saving some money and not having to worry about having to pay after every dive. These cards never expire so make the saving now and use your dives at your pleasure.
If you love your boat dives you can go nuts with unlimited dives from June to October. That gives you 5 months of diving pleasure. Costing $1699 this won't be for everyone but if you are going to be doing 30 boat dives in the next 5 months this has paid for itself. You can then do all the extras for free.
Give us a call at the shop for us to organise any of these specials for you.
We have been stocking these fins for a while now and they are undergoing the same interigation that split fins did when they first came on the market. Now we have some proof of how scubapro's sea wings have dominated in the test for the greatest fin. Here is what Scuba lab had to say. These fins are $249 and available in white or black. The white is awesome as your buddy will never lose you again. (just ask Kat's students)
Yours in diving
Kat, Trav, Jimmy, Kate, N'deane and the rest of the Academy of Scuba crew.
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| Glen Iris | Rye |
| 267 Burke Rd Glen Iris, VIC 3146 PH- (03) 9813 8722 email- info@academyofscuba.com.au | 2385 Point Nepean Rd, Rye VIC 3941 PH- (03) 5985 8722 email- rye@academyofscuba.com.au |