Dive Newsletter

Hello Divers!

Just in time for the Holiday Season, SSDS, has a lot of new items for that favorite diver on your list.  From now until the end of the year all of our new SeaLife DC 1400 packages are 15% off!  You won't be able to touch this price anywhere and you will also get a camera class for free with Mark Tant with the purchase of any of these packages here.  This new 14-megapixel camera combines diver-friendly design and six underwater color modes for sharp, colorful photos and HD video - underwater or on land.The SeaLife DC1400 is the easiest digital camera to use underwater, EVER.  The camera features five widespread “piano key” controls, a large shutter button, and a fingertip-control lever that allows scrolling through menus or zooming in and out without releasing your grip from the camera.

From now until the end of the year with every purchase of a wrist computer, SSDS will throw in a free transmitter.  This is a $450 item so if you or a loved one is considering an upgrade to an air integrated dive computer, it is a great time to do it.

We also have just received a new shipment of our custom made headlights.  These are the heavy duty lights that we designed and have been selling the past few months.  They have a great warranty and have been no trouble so far on our Artifact, Fossil and Bering Sea Gold dives!  Since those are harsh diving environments that should tell you that they are made for it. 

My Dad, Steve, has published his book about his adventures each Summer diving for Gold in Alaska.  Dad has a gold camp on the Bering Sea near Nome Alaska and has been featured in American Digger Magazine, on The Outdoor Channel's Prospecting America and Gold Fever and the BBC's Arctic with Bruce Parry as well as others. Several of our divers have learned how to find gold themselves from Dad while staying with him in his camp.  We have copies of his book here at SSDS for purchase or you can e-mail us if you want one.

Southern Skin Divers Supply will be the first SCUBA School to turn 60 in 2013 and we just got in our new 60th Anniversary t-shirts.   These are the same comfort colors that we have been selling for a few years and with the same logo on the front that you see in the black and white photos of Bill and Bob Tant on our wall at The SCUBA School.  They also feature a 60th Anniversary Seal on the  right sleeve and come in men's and ladies sizes.

Trips

Dec 8th & 9th Panama City, FL Flounder trip  

Forrest has taken groups the past couple of weeks on some Flounder trips and we will have one more before the season is over.  These are great trips to take juniors on since it is usually shallow water and a speargun is not necessary.  Fresh flounder is great to eat and they are plentiful right now!

December 29th, 2012-January 5th, 2013, Utila Honduras Our Dive the New Year In trip this year will be on the Honduran Island of Utila. We have taken a couple of really good Liveaboard trips to Utila the past two years but this year we have decided to privately rent the entire La Guna Beach Resort! Not only will we be celebrating the New Year but we will also be the first SCUBA School ring in the big 60! We still have some spaces so come join the fun. Our package includes all meals, 3 boat dives each day, unlimited shore diving and snorkeling, horseback riding and kayak use, and Nitrox use for the week.

January 18th - 20th, 2013 Crystal River, Rainbow River manatee trip  This weekend we will be doing two days of diving and snorkeling with the Manatee in Crystal River as well as drift diving down the Rainbow River.  These giant Mammals enjoy the constant 72 degree water temp during the winter time, making this the best time of year to see them.  Kids and non divers are welcome to come on this one.

June 8th - 15th, 2013 Turks and Caicos Liveaboard What would make a better Christmas present than an all inclusive 5 dive a day Caribbean trip on board your own private vessel.  I had the opportunity to dive with this operation in September and it was one of the best overall crew, boat, food and diving I have been on.  It also is a piece of cake to get to Provo from Birmingham or Atlanta.  We are taking deposits and still have half of the spots available.

Continuing Education

December 1st, 9:30 am at The SCUBA School

Enriched Air NITROX 

Have you ever dreamed of having longer no-decompression limits to take pictures or explore a wreck? Did you ever want to be safer while diving, reducing the potential risk of decompression sickness?  Nitrox is the key. Due to the reduced fraction of nitrogen in your breathing gas, your body will have less work and the de-saturation times will be reduced.  In your ENRICHED AIR NITROX program you will learn all the necessary rules for planning dives with Nitrox and using Nitrox in a safe way. An important key point in the entire program is analyzing your own tank prior to any Nitrox dive.

December 1st, 12:30 pm at The SCUBA School - Spearfishing Clinic

Those of you that are enrolled in the NITROX Course might want to consider the Spearfishing Clinic that starts immediately afterwards. NITROX works well with most of the spearfishing that we participate in. Forrest, who teaches both of these courses here at The SCUBA School, is ranked among the top competitors in the Alabama Spearfishing Association as are several of his former students. In this class you will learn skills necessary to participate in and become a successful spearfisher.


Forrest Phillips
Southern Skin Divers Supply
4515 5th Ave South
Birmingham, AL   35222
205-595-3052

Dive Newsletter

Hello Divers!

Since our last newsletter, a lot of exciting things have happened around here at SSDS.  The Gold Divers have just returned from their annual Bering Sea Dive Adventure in Alaska.  As most of you know, my dad Steve Phillips has a Gold Diving Camp near Nome, Alaska and for 20 years now has spent his summers diving for and teaching others how to dive for and find Gold. My brother, Spencer, grew up doing this with Dad and he spends one to two months each summer there as well.  Just this week they, (along with others from SSDS) were the featured divers on The Outdoor Channel’s Gold Fever show. If you want to see it or record it they will be replaying it Saturday October 27th at 5 am, episode #256.  Dad has been keeping a dive journal from his time each year in Alaska compiling a book of his experiences.  His book is finished and any of you that are interested in owning a copy should let us know.  One season of his Alaska trip is featured in the October issue of American Digger Magazine. American Digger is a publication dedicated to the hobby of responsible recovery of Artifacts for enjoyment and Historical importance.  We also sell copies of American Digger here at SSDS.

 

Southern Skin Divers Supply is now the SCUBA School for Marion Military Institute, Alabama’s Military College.  Each semester SSDS instructors will teach at Marion a new group of Cadets Openwater Diving.  Following their training the Cadets will be taken to Panama City Florida for their checkout dives just like we have been doing for almost 60 years.  Once the checkout dives are completed the new Openwater Diver Cadets will have the option of having private Continuing Education classes taught on site at MMI like Enriched Air Nitrox and Spearfishing.  Here are Spencer, Mark and Joseph Weber with the first group of newly certified divers from MMI at Morrison Springs.

The Lionfish Invasion is becoming an epidemic.  For years SSDS has taken 35 to 40 trips annually to dive off the Gulf Coast of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.  I don’t know anyone that dives down there as much as SSDS.  Three years ago I started seeing a few small Lionfish.  They have been along the Carolina Coast down to the FL Keys for over 15 years but they are now in our waters.  I have been diving in the Gulf the past 6 weekends in a row and it is now common for me to see several hundred in a day.  Without trying too hard, I can kill 20 to 40 per dive, and do most days.  We need to start trying hard.  A Lionfish Killer (a small pole spear) is very inexpensive and easy to carry.  Whether you bring them to the surface or not, please start poking holes in them.  They taste great and I indulge on them a couple of times a week but some divers might not want to risk getting stung by their poisonous spines.  No problem.  Just knock them off of your spear after you poke them.  I do this all the time to the small ones and let the Triggerfish, Snappers and Eels finish them off.

 

Upcoming Trips

Panama City Flounder Trip - Oct.  27th/28th, Nov 3rd/4th & 17th/18th
This is the time of year we usually do best at hunting flounder. These trips start next weekend and we still have room on them. The dives for flounder are relatively shallow enabling us to have plenty of time underwater. Experienced spearfishers and those new to it will both enjoy the opportunity to harvest a lot of these tasty fish. Due to the shallow depths of these dives, Juniors are welcome on these trips. A gun is not necessary, only a pole spear and fish bag. We usually take up to 100 each day so everyone gets to take plenty of fish home to enjoy. Again the SCUBA School is privately chartering one of the nicest dive vessels in PC. It also has hot water showers and an enclosed area to warm up between dives for when it is cooler above and below the surface.

South Carolina River Trip - November 16th-18th
This will be another artifact/fossil diving adventure to South Carolina on one of our boats. Most of the diving will be done near the Beaufort, South Carolina area. Just last weekend Spencer returned from running another trip with the gang over there.  The new guy to this type of diving found a large 5 inch complete Megalodon Tooth his first day.
 

Utila Honduras - December 29th - January 5th, 2013 
Our "Dive the New Year In" trip this year will be on the Honduran Island of Utila. We have taken a couple of really good Liveaboard trips to Utila the past two years but this year we have decided to privately rent the entire La Guna Beach Resort! Not only will we be celebrating the New Year but we will also be the first SCUBA School to make it 60 years old in 2013! We still have seven spaces so come join the fun. Our package includes all meals, 3 boat dives each day, unlimited shore diving and snorkeling, horseback riding and kayak use, and Nitrox use for the week.

 

Continuing Education

November 10, 9:30 am at The SCUBA School
Enriched Air NITROX 

Have you ever dreamed of having longer no-decompression limits to take pictures or explore a wreck? Did you ever want to be safer while diving, reducing the potential risk of decompression sickness?  Nitrox is the key. Due to the reduced fraction of nitrogen in your breathing gas, your body will have less work and the de-saturation times will be reduced.  In your ENRICHED AIR NITROX program you will learn all the necessary rules for planning dives with Nitrox and using Nitrox in a safe way. An important key point in the entire program is analyzing your own tank prior to any Nitrox dive.

November 10, 1:00 pm at The SCUBA School - Spearfishing Clinic
Those of you that are enrolled in the NITROX Course might want to consider the Spearfishing Clinic that starts immediately afterwards. NITROX works well with most of the spearfishing that we participate in. Forrest, who teaches both of these courses here at The SCUBA School, is ranked among the top competitors in the Alabama Spearfishing Association as are several of his former students. In this class you will learn skills necessary to participate in and become a successful spearfisher.

November 3, 9:30 am at The SCUBA School, Underwater Photography

Mark Tant is teaching another Underwater Photo Course.  Those of you that purchased a new Sealife DC1200 or DC1400 or one of our DSLR Packages can take this course for free!  We also have a good selection of new SeaLife cameras, strobes and lights and pre owned DSLR equipment from Ikelite.  

 

Equipment Specials   

 

 

 

 

From now until the end of the year with every purchase of a wrist computer, SSDS will throw in a free transmitter.  This is a $450 item so if you or a loved one is considering an upgrade to an air integrated dive computer, it is a great time to do it.

  

Forrest Phillips
Southern Skin Divers Supply
4515 5th Ave South
Birmingham, AL 35222
205-595-3052