5203 S. Rangeline Rd, Joplin, MO | (417) 659-9009

Tag Archives: Education

Tank Talk 3

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Good coffee morning, or iced tea, or soda pop, or whatever you’re drinking. I’m working on my coffee but you can join me with any drink you want.

I don’t get all excited by wetsuits, normally, although I’ve spent a lot of time in one lately. I’m going to have to tell you about 2 new products SCUBAPRO has come up with that I can get excited about.

The first is the SCUBAPRO “Definition.” I’ve used both the 3mm and the 5mm. First, they have a heat shield lining that does a good job of keeping you warm, and in all the diving I have done with both, I’ve remained very comfortable. But that’s not what excites me. What excites me is how easy it is to get in and out of the wetsuit. Normally, I wear SCUBA socks to help get wetsuits on, but with these, they just slide on… at least easy for a wetsuit. It’s even easy for an “old man” like me. Continue reading→

Tank Talk 2

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We have had a lot of open water classes going on this year. Justin, Chuck, and Doug have been working with various Benton County fire, law enforcement, and rescue personnel and have certified over 30.

Back in Joplin we have certified over 25 people already and have more classes coming up. So if you think you want to get certified or have a friend to get certified, now is the time!

We have lots of people who are really interested in SCUBA for different reasons and people are doing lots of travels. If you want to blog about your travels, hit up our blogger. We always want to hear about everyone’s trips.

Speaking of traveling, come join us on one of our group trips. We have so much fun. Why should you go with a group? Ease of traveling, someone to help you in case of problems, and lots of stories to boot. Continue reading→

#BlogJune 2018

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And just like that, another month has come and gone. Welcome July and a much-needed rain! If you were at the lake during the Safari Hunt, did you notice how far the lake was down? We need rain! I woke up to that thunder rolling and then the pounding rain on the roof. I did a little happy dance!

The end of the month means another month’s blog recap! I’ll quit gabbing and get to the point! :). Continue reading→

Lost Gorilla and a Cat…

Posted on by Posted in Extreme Sports Events

The Safari Hunt, known to some of us “experienced divers, as the Gorilla Hunt,” is approaching very quickly………. You need to make sure you get your tanks filled BEFORE you head to the lake, Wednesday or Thursday is the best options to get this done.

As most of you know, your friends at Extreme Sports Scuba, put on a wonderful event every June, now known as “The Safari Hunt”.  Your favorite Instructors, Assistant Instructors, and Dive Masters go to hide various stuffed animal in Beaver Lake for you to find.  There are marvelous prizes for those lucky divers that find one of these animals.  Sadly, however, not all of the stuffed animals are found, well, not found that day.

And so the story begins….

Continue reading→

Tank Talk 1

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Good Wednesday to you! Today, we thought we might do something a little different here on the ol’ blog. Be sure to let us know if you like it!!

We’re going to have a Gab session. Basically, it’s like we’re sitting down here having a coffee date or something, except this morning I’m not drinking coffee. I’m drinking a Diet Limeade with Cranberry. I blame Drake for this… last summer he got us liking Cranberry Limeades. I figured if I went diet, I could cut a few calories, right? Haha. So grab your drink of choice and let’s chat!

First things first, I want to remind you that tomorrow, Thursday, June 7, is Dive club meeting. The weather is going to be perfect! As of right now, because you know in Missouri the weather can change at the drop of a hat, we’re looking at a high of 92˚F with a low of 70˚F. Perfect evening for the Extreme Dive Club Meeting held at Deb and Grady’s house. The cuisine will be Hamburgers and Hot dogs, bring a side or dessert or come as you are. We just want you there!

I’m currently working on cooking something here at the dive shop for tomorrow’s meeting. I may or may not have had a boilover and it might smell a little like burnt marshmallow here. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have anything to do with Marshmallows. By the way, saying that, hold on, I need to go stir it!

Okay, back! By the way, I’m in the process of making Dulce de Leche for a dessert. I introduced those of you who were able to join us at the lake over Memorial Day Weekend to this indulgent stuff. I had a lot of people ask me what Dulce de Leche is. So, googled it… It’s an Argentinian dessert that is a lot like caramel. It is sugar that has been caramelized in milk. If you can’t buy store bought, there are 2 ways to make it. Check out this blog post, she goes into details about how to make this beautiful stuff! Continue reading→

#BlogMay 2018

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As you’ve seen, we’ve been watching posts like crazy over here. We even report it to you on a monthly basis. I’m sure you’ve heard numerous times through these posts as well as at Dive Club Meetings that the top blog post for the last umpteen months has been the 2016 Hydros Pro Review I wrote. But I wanted to share that the month of May, it took that post 9 days to be tied for first. It was tied with the May 2, 2018 blog post on Trails for Kids 2018.

The next interesting thing I’ve noticed is a lot of people want to know about the Mantis M2 Personal Dive Computer. On day 27 of the month of May, this 2017 blog post finally took over the #2 spot from our Trails for Kids Post.

Whether this fascinates you or not, it sure fascinates me. So humor me please o, please! And now I present you the findings I’ve have found through the Month of May. Continue reading→

Work Hard! Play Harder! {Memorial Day 2018 Recap}

Posted on by Posted in Extreme Sports Events

 

Friday

Memorial Day Weekend always seems to be the “kick off” to the summer season. I guess that’s a good thing since Summer doesn’t officially start until the end of June. We get one month of summer prior to the actual summer solstice! But Memorial Day Weekend also tends to be the start of dive season.

As we learned last week, we’ve already had dive classes in the lake this year, but for the general run our dive season starts Memorial Day Weekend.

This year the top thermocline happened around 15 feet. On Sunday, Drake stuck his arm below the thermocline long enough for his dive computer to read. Then he stuck it above. There was a 9˚ difference. Wow! And you could definitely feel it when you dropped below the thermocline. The next thermocline happened around 28 feet or so. I want to say though, our divers were troopers! Especially our students! Continue reading→

Flashing Lights Aren’t so Scary Anymore

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Picture this, you’re driving down the road. Minding your own business. Then… Red lights in your mirror. Oh-oh, what did I do wrong? Let’s face it, that’s the thought most of us have. After this past winter and spring though, I’m developing a new appreciation for the Firemen, Police, and Sheriff’s of Benton County Arkansas the more I work with them.

Benton County Dive Team

Late last year the Benton County departments signed up 40 students for open-water classes. Classes began as early as January of this year. Justin, Grady, Dan, Doug, and I have been working with 40 of these friends since then. We had to start with open-water classes – which are still going on. Continue reading→

When is Your Child Old Enough to Certify to SCUBA Dive?

Posted on by Posted in Scuba Education

When is your child old enough to certify to SCUBA dive?

This is a question that you should take honest consideration in before enrolling your child. As a SCUBA instructor, I teach a lot of younger divers. A child can become certified to SCUBA dive at the age of 10 years old. But, is that child really ready to take this course.

These are things to consider when making that decision.

  1. The classroom work that they complete is the same course that the adults take, can they read and understand what they have read to answer these questions?
  2. There are dangers involved in SCUBA, can the child comprehend what these dangers are and understand how to avoid them? Continue reading→

National Boating Safety Awareness May 19-25, 2018

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National Boating Safety Awareness Week

Most people mark the beginning of summer as Memorial Day Weekend. Did you realize that we are just three short weekends away from that? Summer is quickly approaching and after the spring we had here in the Midwest, I’m not sure anyone thought it would ever come.

This last week though the sun has been shining and the temperatures have been on the upward rise. Now would be the perfect time to discuss National Boating Safety Awareness Week which just so happens to fall next week, May 19-25, 2018.

Things to consider when entering your vessel:

  • Safety Checks. What do they include?
    • Fire extinguishers
    • Backfire flame control
    • Sound producing devices
    • Visual distress signals
    • Lifejackets Continue reading→