In this premier segment of Wet Notes - Scuba Shack Radio's bi-weekly news segment we talk about using corn starch to dust your dry suit seals, resorts offering Covid testing, big news in the scuba tank business and more.

For Your Next Dive we are going to tell you what it is like to go on the Scuba Shack dive trip to the Bahamas where we stay at Orange Hill Beach Resort, dive with Stuart Cove and experience some fantastic dinners. Let's go diving.

We all use our GPS devices to help us navigate. Great if we are driving our car or looking for a specific location, but right now using GPS to navigate underwater is a bit of a challenge. While there are technologies on the horizon that use GPS for underwater navigation, they are not yet practical. That is where you will need to depend on tried and true underwater navigation techniques. The compass is the primary tool for knowing where you are going and how to get back. We learn basic compass use in our first open water class and then get more in-depth training during advanced open water. If you are serious about becoming proficient in this capability, you can take an underwater navigation specialty course. Being able to navigate underwater gives you confidence and competence that makes your diving less stressful and more fun.

Turtles Fly Too is a 501(c)(3) organization that has a mission to coordinate and facilitate the use of general aviation to transport endangered species, critical response teams, and to educate the community on conservation of marine life. It started in 2014 in response to an unusual start of the cold stun season in the Northeast. That is when water temperature drops and turtles body temperatures fall below acceptable limits. With no capacity in the Northeast to care for them, Kate Sampson of NOAA turned to Leslie Weinstein who owned an aviation company and was also on the University of Florida Sea Turtle Research Development board. Leslie organized flights and it continued from there. Last year, they flew 536 cold-stunned sea turtle and other marine mammals. Turtles Fly Too is based out of Boise, ID and also has an office in Miami, FL.

Sea Hunt - It's Still Alive takes you to season one, episode two titled Flooded Mine. This episode premiered on January 11, 1958. Mike is called to a mine where there has been an explosion that killed 20 men. Mike must find out the extent of the flooding. During this exploration, Mike finds two trapped miners in an air pocket and the air is running out. Mike can only bring one miner out. As they are buddy breathing, the miner panics and fights with Mike. Back to the air pocket, Mike decides to take the other miner out. This goes okay but Mike wants to go back for the other miner. Problem is that he doesn't have any gas left. So Mike finds an oxygen tank from a welding torch. He uses the oxygen tank to go back and rescues the second minor. Only Mike Nelson can buddy breath, no mask swim through a flooded tunnel while carrying an oxygen tank.

A PADI Pro Night is a time to get together with a PADI dive shop to learn more about what it takes to become a leader in the scuba diving community as a PADI Professional. It doesn't matter if you are a seasoned diver or just starting out. A PADI Pro Night will give you the information you will need to make this journey. You will hear from dive professionals and get to ask questions about you can expect by embarking on this rewarding career.

The Grouper Moon Project is the most advanced tropical fisheries research program in the world. The project is a joint program run by Reef Environmental Educational Foundation (REEF), the Cayman Island Department of Environment, Scripts Institute of Oceanography and Oregon State University. The study is conducted off Little Cayman during the winter aggregations of Nassau grouper for spawning. The project incorporates research, monitoring and outreach. It has been instrumental in progressive rising policies in the Caymans. It is working. The Little Cayman aggregation grew from 1200 fish in 2009 to over 7000 by 2018. Check out more at the REEF website.

U.S. Divers was another one of the five original scuba equipment manufacturers in the United States. It started out as Rene Sports in Los Angeles that was owned by Rene Bussoz. Rene was born in Paris in 1906 and emigrated to the US in 1939 after visiting with his father who was an inventor delivering slot machines to Las Vegas. Rene was introduced to Cousteau's aqua-lung and wanted to become the West Coast distributor for their units. Along the way, Rene got the license agreement to make the aqua-lungs in the US. He formed U.S. Divers out of Rene Sports in 1952 and registered the name Aqualung. By 1956, it looked like he would lose his licensing agreement and after tense negotiation he sold U.S. Divers to L'Air Liquid with Jacque Cousteau becoming the chairman of the board of directors. In 2003, U.S. Divers was renamed Aqualung America. Rene moved back to France after selling the company and passed away in 1989.

The PADI Equipment Specialist course is a combination of electronic learning and classroom that can be either in person or virtual. This course is not a service technician course. Rather it is designed to give you the knowledge of how and why certain pieces of gear work. You will learn the benefits of owning your own gear and then dive into all the gear. The course covers tanks, tank valves, regulators, rebreathers, dive computers, SPG, compasses and enriched air. After completing the online course, we conduct 3 sessions totally over 6 hours of demonstration, dialog, discussion and questions. Our studio allows for remote broadcasting from our service department to add to the experience. While you won't become a technician - you will have a deeper understanding of your gear.

The Paris Agreement of 2015 was executed by the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on December 12, 2015. This agreement is a legally binding international treaty where the parties agree to limit greenhouse emissions to keep global warming well below 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels with efforts to keep warming below 1.5 degrees C. The uniqueness of this treaty is that we are all in this together and that developed nations should be helping developing nations. Each party creates their nationally determined contributions or NDC. The United States officially  withdrew from the Paris Agreement on November 4, 2020. It appears however we are prepared to rejoin very soon.

Where would you go if you could jump on a plane right now, head to a great dive location and giant stride in and not be worried or constrained by the pandemic? There are so many places. We all have our go-to spots. Here a few great spot. First, Sunset House in Grand Cayman. It is easy to get to, has great shore diving, cool boat dives on the wall and a great on-site dining. Diving is open twenty-four hours. If you have the time you can head to Dumaguete in the Philippines and dive with Atlantis. Diving and dining is absolutely fantastic. Biodiversity is amazing. You can also get to Turks and Caicos and dive with Dive Provo for a little less diving but have an opportunity to get to some great restaurants. Finally, Little Cayman Beach Resort is absolutely fantastic with a lot of diving and a lot of food. Where would you go?

One of the ways you can ensure that your buoyancy compensating device (BCD) is operating properly is to  make sure that you properly clean and inspect the BCD after diving. First you will want to clean out your bladder. If you've been diving in salt water it is important that you drain and rinse out the bladder to avoid salt crystallization inside. Also, make sure that the over pressurization valve (OPV) is operating properly. Rinse your low pressure inflator valve to remove any salt residue or sand. Check the velcro and buckles for any issues. Properly cleaning and checking your BCD after diving is an important step to ensure you are ready for your next dive.

Oceanographic Magazine is a bi-monthly marine lifestyle magazine with a focus on ocean conservation, exploration and adventure. First published by CXD Media, Ltd in May 2018 they are currently up to issue 16. They donate 20% of their annual profits to marine conservation charities. Oceanographic Magazine partners with Project Aware and Blue Sphere Foundation. They also sell their magazine in Crew Clothing Company stores where they make a donation for every issue sold in the store. Each issue is 116 pages long with 16 pages of advertising leaving 100 pages for editorial content. Each magazine has incredible imagery and very readable articles. You can either subscribe for a physical copy or digital version.

Sea Hunt's fourth season premiered on January 7, 1961 with an episode titled Point of No Return. In this episode Mike is working on a research project where is is living in an underwater habitat at 250 feet. The habitat is called a scuba sphere. Dottie Mayfield is a reporter who is onboard the Coast Guard cutter running the research in search of a Mike Nelson story . Well, problems come up during a tropical storm. A tank breaks loose in the sphere and renders the hatch inoperable. That means they can't bring Mike up. Well, as the storm progresses the scuba sphere breaks free of the cable and settles on the bottom. Mike has to improvise in order to be saved. Listen to find out what Mike does.

Geoengineering can be another weapon in the fight against climate change. Geoengineering refers to large-scale schemes for intervention in the earth's ocean, soil and atmosphere with the aim of reducing the effects of climate change. There are two broad categories of geoengineering - Carbon Geoengineering focused on carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and Solar Geoengineering centered around solar radiation management (SRM). SRM can be done by either deploying sulfates or diamond dust in the upper atmosphere to deflect sunlight. Also, SRM can be done by spraying sea water into the atmosphere to create marine clouds. On the CDR front there are many different ways to pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and sequestering it in various storage systems - like concrete. Lets hope that we can use all the tools at our disposal to reduce the impacts of climate change.

DACOR was one of the original five US manufacturers of scuba diving equipment. DACOR is short for The Davidson Corporation started by Sam Davidson Jr. in 1953. Sam was a US Marine who became interested in the underwater world when stationed on Guam in World War II. When Sam got back from the war he decided to build his own regulator. Along the way, he was able to sell 300 to a department store chain and his company was formed. DACOR was an innovator in regulator design and development along with all type of scuba equipment. In 1980 they introduced a dive computer - the DACOR Dive Computer (DDC). Sam died in 1987 and his wife Joan took over until selling the company to Mares in 1998. You can see all of their innovative ideas by taking a look at their old catalogs (check out CG-45 website)

When is the last time you had your underwater camera system out. If it has been a while you might want to consider taking it out, making sure it was properly cleaned before you put it in storage, and that you do an inventory of all the components. Then familiarize yourself with how to put it all together and make sure that it operates properly. Also, it is a great time to familiarize yourself with the camera, its settings and ensure you develop the muscle memory so when you are underwater things come naturally. Just because it is winter or your are not traveling doesn't mean that you shouldn't have some fun with your underwater camera system.

NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program's 2018 Strategic Plan focuses on four key pillars: 1 - Increase resiliency to climate change; 2 - Improve fisheries sustainability; 3 - Reduce land-based sources of pollution and; 4 - Restore viable coral populations. Each pillar is supported by one or more strategies that have both short-term (2 - 5 years), mid-term (5+ years), and long-term (2040) goals. The plan is an 18 page document that is packed with some powerful information. You can check it out at coralreef.noaa.gov in the About us - Who we are tab.

Your Next Dive is in Aruba - one happy island. Aruba is one of the ABC islands that includes Bonaire and Curacao. These islands are independent nations that are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. If you dive from the west side of the island you can use Red Sails Sports and your trips can either be on the west side or the south side. The south side tends to have deeper dives while the west end has shallower dives. The west side also includes the signature wreck dive - the Antilla. This German freighter was deliberately scuttled in 1940 on the outbreak of World War II. A massive 400 foot shallow wreck  sitting in about 60 feet of water. Don't sell Aruba short if you are going on vacation where you want to get some diving done.

When is the last time you had your underwater camera system out. If it has been a while you might want to consider taking it out, making sure it was properly cleaned before you put it in storage, and that you do an inventory of all the components. Then familiarize yourself with how to put it all together and make sure that it operates properly. Also, it is a great time to familiarize yourself with the camera, its settings and ensure you develop the muscle memory so when you are underwater things come naturally. Just because it is winter or your are not traveling doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have some fun with your underwater camera system.

NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program’s 2018 Strategic Plan focuses on four key pillars: 1 – Increase resiliency to climate change; 2 – Improve fisheries sustainability; 3 – Reduce land-based sources of pollution and; 4 – Restore viable coral populations. Each pillar is supported by one or more strategies that have both short-term (2 – 5 years), mid-term (5+ years), and long-term (2040) goals. The plan is an 18 page document that is packed with some powerful information. You can check it out at coralreef.noaa.gov in the About us – Who we are tab.

Your Next Dive is in Aruba – one happy island. Aruba is one of the ABC islands that includes Bonaire and Curacao. These islands are independent nations that are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. If you dive from the west side of the island you can use Red Sails Sports and your trips can either be on the west side or the south side. The south side tends to have deeper dives while the west end has shallower dives. The west side also includes the signature wreck dive – the Antilla. This German freighter was deliberately scuttled in 1940 on the outbreak of World War II. A massive 400 foot shallow wreck  sitting in about 60 feet of water. Don’t sell Aruba short if you are going on vacation where you want to get some diving done.

The Dive Equipment and Marketing Association held it's annual conference virtually this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The show featured a number of virtual presentations that were fairly effective and gave a feel to being there. The exhibitors featured a list of many different vendors. The experience with vendors is one of the big reasons we attend and this is where there were I hope that we find a better way of doing virtual trade shows in the future.

The Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 became a law on December 23, 2000 and had great bi-partisan support when it was signed by President Bill Clinton. Both Democrats and Republicans had legislation making its way through Congress. The law requires that a Coral Reef Action Strategy be developed along with a report to Congress every two years. The latest strategy published by NOAA is from 2018. More to come on that.

Sea Hunt's Synthetic Hero - season 3, episode 20 premiered on May 21, 1960. In this episode Mike is working in the Caribbean with a dredging operator when he finds an uncharted wreck that he identifies as the LST 4277. This ship went missing in action on September 12, 1944. Mike is asked by the Navy to find out what happened. He is joined by two survivors of the sinking. One of them has a secret. Listen to find out just what that secret is and how Mike has to deal with that.

The Dive Equipment and Marketing Association held it’s annual conference virtually this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The show featured a number of virtual presentations that were fairly effective and gave a feel to being there. The exhibitors featured a list of many different vendors. The experience with vendors is one of the big reasons we attend and this is where there were I hope that we find a better way of doing virtual trade shows in the future.

The Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 became a law on December 23, 2000 and had great bi-partisan support when it was signed by President Bill Clinton. Both Democrats and Republicans had legislation making its way through Congress. The law requires that a Coral Reef Action Strategy be developed along with a report to Congress every two years. The latest strategy published by NOAA is from 2018. More to come on that.

Sea Hunt’s Synthetic Hero – season 3, episode 20 premiered on May 21, 1960. In this episode Mike is working in the Caribbean with a dredging operator when he finds an uncharted wreck that he identifies as the LST 4277. This ship went missing in action on September 12, 1944. Mike is asked by the Navy to find out what happened. He is joined by two survivors of the sinking. One of them has a secret. Listen to find out just what that secret is and how Mike has to deal with that.