Saving energy and looking hot?

That's right! All in a days work.
My beautiful sister-in-law is featured on page 20 of the Febuary issue of Dwell Magazine!
As part of a partnership with Efficiency Vermont and Energy Star my brother and sister-in-law (and family dog) were photographed at their house, where my brother and I grew up. Not surprisingly(sorry Ben!) they picked this shot of Martha and Shadow in the front entryway.
Ben and Martha are working on making their house more energy efficient all the time. Solar panels are planned for the near future.
Congrats to Martha and we invite you to join Martha in the fight against global warming!!

Certifiably Certified... or something like that!

Well, I made it. I am officially an Open Water Scuba Instructor!!
I'm back from Key Largo after 3 weeks in the warm sun!! Well, except for those days that we were locked up in the classroom with the AC on and I thought we were in a meat locker. :-)

Pending applications I will be an Emergency First Response Instructor, DAN Instructor, and Master Scuba Diver Trainer. I learned alot and practiced alot of skills. It was a very busy 3 weeks!
A big thanks to all who helped me get this far!!

Hyperbaric Chamber Dive

As part of my Instructor Development Course(IDC) with Ocean Divers we did a chamber dive with at Hyperbarics International which is in the same building as Ocean Divers. Hyperbarics Int'l is run by Dick Rutkowski, the oldest active PADI member(or something like that). He signed our logbooks after the dive. His PADI number is 536 mine is 194278. I think that says it all.

Below are scans of some pictures taken of us... Thanks to Misch.

Some of the dive helmets in Dick's collection

Mark V suit and some rebreathers

Keith and I in the chamber

Keith and I through the window equalizing our ears on the descent to 100ft.

Dick on the controls. At about 60ft at this point.

Keith and I feeling the effects of nitrogen narcosis. Oh and we sounded like Alvin and the Chipmunks!

Post Dive. Me with Dick.
Dick signing my logbook.

Total dive time: 20 min
Max depth: 100 ft
Breathing Gas: Air
Required footwear: clean socks

Flying south... atleast for a little bit of winter

Well, tomorrow afternoon I am flying to Florida to take some classes. With snow currently falling here in Plattsburgh, this is a perfect time to fly south. I'll be taking the Open Water Scuba Instructor course and relevant examination, Emergency First Responder Instructor course, DAN Dive Emergency Management Provider Instructor course, and Master Scuba Diver Trainer course. Writing all that our just know makes it seem like alot. I've been studying alot and hopefully will return with all of those certifications. I'll be studying at Ocean Divers in Key Largo, just up the road from where I worked a few summers ago. I've got a bit more packing to do, so cross your fingers and as time permits I'll post updates. I'll be back in about 3 weeks! Happy diving!

2008 is here!

Happy New Years!
We hope that you and your family had a safe and happy 2007 and best wishes for a great 2008.

We still have some great deals here at Pleasure Divers. Our holiday savings are in effect until the end of the week, so hurry in to save on dive gear and adventures.

We are starting a 20% off sale on all TUSA gear bags. Just in time for those winter getaway trips! With a forecast of high of 5 degrees today here in Plattsburgh I'd be jumping on theses savings! From wheeled duffle bags to snorkeling gear bags they are all on sale!

Stop in and see us!