Florida Sea Base News

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  There is much gloom and doom in the news.  I will leave my political views out of this.  I sincerely hope that 2013 is a great year for all of us.

MISSED POST

I apologize for not posting yesterday.  It has been an active month at the Florida Sea Base.  Most nights for the last two weeks I have been getting to bed at midnight.  I usually get up at 05:30 to write this blog and prep for the day.   A lack of sleep, plus diving, the stress of having scuba crews on base and still trying to handle my administrative duties finally caught up with me and I could not find the energy nor make the time to write a post.  I will be traveling Friday through Monday, so I apologize in advance for any of those days that I can’t put together a post.

SAILING

In all honesty, I have lost track; I THINK six of the Coral Reef Sailing crews go home today.  Two Sea Exploring crews and another 5 or so Coral Reef Sailing crews return to base today.  That leaves one loan sailing crew on the high seas aboard S/V Misty Shoals with Captain Brian.  I apologize if that is inaccurate.

SCUBA

The Scuba Certification crew chose to not dive yesterday.  The Scuba Adventure crews went to Alligator Reef under less than optimal conditions for their dives.  The scuba crews will have the opportunity to make one more dive this morning before their program ends.

DIVEMASTER ACADEMY

Sunday the DMA candidates completed two training dives in the morning at Port Antigua.  In the afternoon we returned to base and worked on skills conducted in the swimming pool.

Click to enlarge.

Monday morning was also spent in the pool.  We were in the classroom all afternoon and again after dinner.

CIRCLE 10 UNIVERSITY OF SCOUTING

The DMA will conclude Wednesday evening.  I have Thursday to complete all of my 2012 year end business and pack for Dallas.  I leave Friday morning, attend the Circle 10 University of Scouting on Saturday (I need to be there between 06:30 and 07:00 for set-up), get Sunday off (my first day off since 11 December), and fly back to the Florida Sea Base on Monday.

I will be headed out for a deep dive and a search and recovery dive with the divemaster candidates this morning.  Make it a great day!

Capt. Steve Willis
Professional Scuba Bum™
Aboard S/V Escape

SAILING

The final Coral Reef Sailing crew of our brief winter season checked in yesterday.  They will be spending the week with Captain Brian Stolzenberger aboard S/V Misty Shoals.

SCUBA

The Scuba Certification crew spent the morning in the pool with Scuba Instructors Laura Kuras and Will Yanni.  Captain Rich Beliveau took them to Alligator Reef for Open Water Training Dives in the afternoon aboard BSA Burglar.  The class only has four students so they are progressing rapidly.

The Scuba Adventure crews enjoyed two dives on the reefs yesterday but I fail to get a report on the sites visited.   Emily Sepeta and Captain Ed Miller are the Divemasters.  They are spending the week with Captain Dennis Wyatt and Captain Sargon Smith as crew aboard BSA Explorer.

The Scuba Liveaboard crew is spending the week aboard the Schooner Conch Pearl with Captain Denny Webb and Captain Holly Whitley.  Charles Kantlehner and Hank Gordon are their Divemasters this week.

DIVEMASTER ACADEMY

We aborted the deep dive yesterday morning due to strong currents.  The candidates completed their mapping assignments after two very long dives at Alligator Reef.  The maps were very well done.

Click to enlarge.

They are scheduled for three training dives today and a fun night dive tonight.

Capt. Steve Willis
Professional Scuba Bum™
Aboard S/V Escape

I thought I was running late yesterday.  I am running even later this morning.

SAILING

All of Wednesday’s sailing crews left the dock yesterday morning to truly begin their adventure.  Five more Coral Reef Sailing crews arrived yesterday afternoon.  The wind is blowing just enough for sailing while not trashing the scuba diving and snorkeling.  The water temperature is 75°, very nice for snorkeling without a wetsuit.

SCUBA

The Scuba Certification spent the day in class learning the basics.  The Scuba Adventure crews completed their scuba review yesterday morning and went to Alligator Reef yesterday afternoon for the first dive of the week.

DIVEMASTER ACADEMY

The DMA had a GLORIOUS day at sea.  We were diving from the BSA Centennial Eagle and our first dive was on a sunken freighter named Eagle.  The visibility was 50′, no current, 1′ or less seas.  The candidates completed the second of four dives for their PADI Deep Diver Specialty certification.

Then we moved to a patch reef known as Capital.  We have not visited this site before.  It is similar to a site we call Landing Strip; 20′-25′ feet deep, a lot of soft corals and tons of juvenile fish.  It’s very much like diving in a home saltwater aquarium.  Adjacent to the patch reef is acres of sandy bottom.  We used that are for the candidates to complete the second and third dives of the PADI Search and Recovery Diver specialty.

I used my GoPro Hero2 underwater for the first time yesterday.  The video is still unedited and too large to upload.  Here’s a photo:

Click to enlarge.

Gotta go, gotta go.

Capt. Steve Willis
Professional Scuba Bum™
Aboard S/V Escape

I have very little time this morning so here’s the CliffsNotes version of what’s going on.

SAILING

All of the scheduled crews (plus two crews that arrived a day early for some reason) checked in yesterday.  Our sunset is around 17:30 (5:50 pm) so the their was not sufficient time to get the participants through the required gear issue, shakedown, swim review, snorkel lesson and dinner before dark.  So the boats will be blasting out of here at first light.

SCUBA

All of the scheduled scuba crews and staff also arrived yesterday.  The two Scuba Adventure crews did not complete their scuba review because of the early nightfall so they will knock that out this morning.  The Scuba Liveaboard crew has a boat to catch this morning so we turned on the pool lights so they could complete their exercises after dinner.

DIVEMASTER ACADEMY

The DMA candidates spent another LONG day in the swimming pool yesterday.  Other than an hour for lunch, they were in the pool from 09:00 to nearly 17:00 (5 pm).  Then we had dinner and went to the classroom from 18:45 to 20:00 (8 pm).  We have a LONGER more arduous day ahead.  If ll goes well, we will complete a deep wreck dive, two search and recovery dives PLUS an early dinner and a night dive tonight.  Wowie Zowie.

Capt. Steve Willis
Professional Scuba Bum™
Aboard S/V Escape

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Florida Sea Base Divemaster Academy candidates Bob and Tina Stecker from Austin, Texas were kind enough to organize an Christmas Eve service.  A Scout is reverent and the service was well attended.  If you have the pleasure of sharing this day with family, you should be thankful and prayerful.  Keep the soldiers, police, firefighters, and others who will be away from home today in your prayers.

DIVEMASTER ACADEMY

The DMA candidates were dismissed a little earlier than usual Monday evening.  We started at 07:45 per usual.  We practiced rescues in the pool until lunch.  Then we went to a dive site known as Alligator Deep and completed the first dive of the PADI Deep Diver Specialty certification.  Next we relocated to the bay (gulf) side of the Keys for more rescue evaluations.  We returned to the Florida Sea Base around 17:00 (5 pm).  We rinsed and secured our gear, retired the colors for the night and enjoyed dinner.  Our Christmas celebration followed dinner and then the class met until 20:00 (8 pm).  The cadre met for a while afterwards.  As of this writing, we are scheduled to operate from 07:45 to 16:00 today.  However, I have planted the seed and we may go diving late this afternoon or maybe go on a night dive.

WEATHER

The weather was a little breezy but much improved Monday.  It was very sunny, our high temperature was 74 but the wind was blowing over 15 knots part of the day.

I have been following Winter Storm Euclid on the Weather Channel as best I can.  At 06:10 this morning they were explaining how they were going to update the area that will be affected by this system and move what we refer to as the “cone of death” in hurricane forecasts to the south and east “as the computer models change”.  Now other parts of the country can share with us in the nerve racking forecasts that say you’re going to die, no wait, the storm track is shifting and you will be fine, oops, we were wrong, it’s not going to shift after all and yes you are going to die and you should evacuate now, but wait, the storm is going somewhere else so don’t evacuate to that location………..

Ho, Ho, Ho.

Capt. Steve Willis
Professional Scuba Bum™
Aboard S/V Escape

DIVEMASTER ACADEMY

The DMA candidates completed three dives at the San Pedro Underwater Archeology Preserve Saturday.

This underwater archaeological preserve features a submerged shipwreck that is available for diving and snorkeling. Part of a Spanish flotilla, the San Pedro was a 287-ton, Dutch-built ship which sank in a hurricane on July 13, 1733. Her remains were discovered in 1960 in Hawk Channel near Indian Key. After major salvage efforts in the 1960s, all that remains of San Pedro is a large pile of ballast stones covering an area 90 feet long and 30 feet wide. The underwater site has been enhanced with seven replica cannons, an anchor, and an information plaque. Visitors can also appreciate the marine life that occupies the site. Located in 18 feet of water, approximately 1.25 nautical miles south from Indian Key at GPS coordinates 24 degrees 51.802′N, 80 degrees 40.795′W. To prevent anchor damage, please tie up to mooring buoys located at the site. For more information about the San Pedro and other Florida underwater archaeological preserves, please visit Florida’s Museums in the Sea.

The first two dives were training dives.  One dive was Search and Recovery Diver Specialty training and the other was simulating Discover Local Diving experience where certified divers are lead by a PADI Divemaster in an environment with which they are unfamiliar.  I also worked with Scuba Instructor/Captain Kari Dahlquist who is completing her PADI Search and Recovery Specialty Instructor rating during the DMA.

We returned to the Florida Sea Base at 16:30, secured our gear, showered, met for flags at 17:50, had dinner at 18:00 and were back in class from 18:45 to 21:00.

WEATHER

The weather is slowly but steadily improving.  The wind is gradually decreasing and the temperature is gradually rising.

Click to enlarge.

STAFF

PADI Scuba Instructor Will Yanni checked in at the Florida SEa Base yesterday.  He will be assigned to one of the crews arriving on 26 December.  I haven’t seen any other new arrivals lately.  Others will arrive in the next two days.

Capt. Steve Willis
Professional Scuba Bum™
Aboard S/V Escape

SAILING

Florida Sea Base Sailing Director Captain Rich Beliveau has returned from the US Virgin Islands.   A few of the sailing staff have arrived.  Captain Scott and Gail Penfield arrived Tuesday aboard S/V Chanticleer for the Christmas season.  Almost all of the boats sailing this season are on the dock now.

SCOUTING GOES HOLLYWOOD

I received my copy of Scouting Magazine Wednesday.  There is an article about the upcoming National Geographic Channel reality series, “Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout?”  The article says, “Tune in to Are You Tougher? on National Geographic Channel this spring.  For a list of show times and more information, check scouting magazine.org/tougher.  Plus, you can find recaps of each weekly episode at blog.scoutingmagine.org/tougher.”

DIVEMASTER ACADEMY

Click to enlarge

Welcome to Florida Sea base Divemaster Academy Class 9.  Most of the DMA cadre were in the classroom, making final preparations, by 06:30.  We met with the candidates at 07:45 yesterday with a brief hello, flags and breakfast.  Class began at 09:00.  We shut down for the night at about 20:00 (8 pm).  I have a Team Meeting from 0900 – noon today.  If I can get my gear together fast enough, I may be able to catch the boat at it’s scheduled 12:45 departure time and actually get to go diving.  Captain Christy “Awesome” Clemenson made a boat seating assignment yesterday.  Since I am so old and decrepit she put me in the slot closest to the transom so I wouldn’t have far to walk getting off an on.  OR she put me there because it is the wettest, coldest seat on the boat.

WEATHER

Senior NOAA Marine Weather Forecaster Chip Kennard sent this email Wednesday:

Hi everyone,

You may have noticed that December has been a very warm month so far in the Florida Keys.  This is about to change — Friday morning, to be specific.  A cold front currently located over west Texas will sharpen and accelerate toward the Gulf coast tonight, as freezing air rushes southward over the southern Plains, behind a northeastward-moving cyclone. This front will travel several hundred miles during the next 48 hours, as an expanding dome of cold, dry, continental air floods over the Gulf of Mexico and toward the Tropics.  Exact timing of the wind shift and surge in the Florida Keys is still uncertain, but Friday forenoon looks like the best bet.  Following the frontal passage, northwest winds will quickly turn out of due north, freshening to a steady 25 knots and likely gusting over 30 knots for a time.  The northerly trajectory will transport cold, dry air into the Keys faster than the adjoining mild waters can warm it.  The steady 25-knot breeze will persist Friday night, and the wind will retain a very gusty character owing to the nearly 20-degree air-water difference by Saturday morning (50s versus 70s).

Seas will grow fast with the rising winds, first in the extreme southeastern Gulf of Mexico Thursday night, and then through the day Friday across the Straits of Florida.  Our experimental nearshore wave prediction system is indicating seas in excess of 7 feet in most deep water around the Florida Keys by Friday afternoon.  The attached graphic shows a nice view of predicted significant wave height and peak wave direction at 4:00 p.m. Friday.

Small Craft Advisories likely will be issued for Friday through Saturday night, with winds and seas subsiding Sunday and Monday.

For the latest marine weather information, please visit our web site at www.weather.gov/keywest

To see an hourly weather graph for your favorite Florida Keys marine location, visit this site:

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/key/?n=marineweathergraph

Take care,

 Chip K.

Click to enlarge.

This weather is being generated by winter storm Draco.  The GOOD news is it is forecasted to warm up again by Christmas, the westerly wind component should be short lived, most of the wind will be from the north which will not totally trash the diving.  We expect Friday and Saturday to be yucky but hopefully conditions will improve quickly thereafter.

Capt. Steve Willis
Professional Scuba Bum™
Aboard S/V Escape

STAFF

Florida Sea Base Divemaster Academy candidate Brenda Mallory arrived in style Sunday aboard her sailboat, S/V Solstice.

Click to enlarge.

The staff members made significant headway Sunday, preparing for the Divemaster Academy and all scuba programs.  Tanks were remove from storage and put in place, the compressor area and compressors were washed down, other tanks were filled, lines were cut for the PADI Search and Recovery Specialty Diver course, paperwork was organized, spare compressed gas component were organized and repaired, debris and old vegetation was removed from the scuba area, the trash was emptied and a dozen or more other tasks were completed.

SAILING

I failed to mention that Captain Chris arrived yesterday (or was it Friday?) aboard S/V Stormalong.  Captain Chris is one of the Coral Reef Sailing captains and dropped of his boat in preparation for the crews arriving after Christmas.  I suspect more boats will start trickling in soon.

For any of you considering the USVI Sailing Adventure in 2014, Captain Carol Beliveau, RN sent me this photo from St. John’s.

Click to enlarge.

WEATHER

Hmmm, what to say here.  I don’t want to jinx it.  So I’m just going to say the weather forecast is looking better.  Here’s the official National Weather Service forecast for the coming week:

Today: A slight chance of showers between 7am and 9am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 10%.
Tonight: A slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southwest wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 10%.
Tuesday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 80. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 69. Northwest wind around 10 mph becoming north after midnight.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Northeast wind around 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 79.
Thursday Night: A slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. Chance of precipitation is 10%.
Friday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76. Chance of precipitation is 10%.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Breezy.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 76.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77.

The wind is the potential enemy, especially this weekend:

Courtesy of NWS – Key West

 GMZ005-171530-
 SYNOPSIS FOR KEYS COASTAL WATERS FROM OCEAN REEF TO DRY TORTUGAS
 459 AM EST MON DEC 17 2012
.SYNOPSIS...HIGH PRESSURE WILL RETREAT EASTWARD TODAY AND
 TONIGHT...WITH LIGHT TO GENTLE BREEZES PREVAILING. A WEAK TROUGH
 WILL APPROACH THE FLORIDA KEYS TUESDAY...AND HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD
 EASTWARD INTO THE WESTERN ATLANTIC WEDNESDAY. A COLD FRONT MAY PASS
 THROUGH THE FLORIDA KEYS FRIDAY...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR AT LEAST
 FRESH BREEZES AFTER THE FRONT PASSES.

TODAY
 SOUTH WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. SEAS 1 FOOT OR LESS. NEARSHORE
 WATERS MOSTLY SMOOTH. ISOLATED SHOWERS EARLY.
TONIGHT
 SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS...BECOMING
 VARIABLE. SEAS 1 FOOT OR LESS. NEARSHORE WATERS MOSTLY SMOOTH.
 ISOLATED SHOWERS.
TUESDAY
 VARIABLE WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. SEAS 1 FOOT OR LESS.
 NEARSHORE WATERS MOSTLY SMOOTH. ISOLATED SHOWERS.
TUESDAY NIGHT
 VARIABLE WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS...BECOMING NORTH TO
 NORTHEAST AND INCREASING TO 10 TO 15 KNOTS AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 1
 FOOT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 1 TO 2 FEET. NEARSHORE WATERS MOSTLY
 SMOOTH...BECOMING A LIGHT TO MODERATE CHOP.
WEDNESDAY
 NORTHEAST TO EAST WINDS NEAR 15 KNOTS. SEAS AROUND 2
 FEET. NEARSHORE WATERS A MODERATE CHOP.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY
 EAST TO SOUTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 15
 KNOTS. SEAS 1 TO 3 FEET. NEARSHORE WATERS A LIGHT TO MODERATE CHOP.
THURSDAY NIGHT
 SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH WINDS NEAR 10 KNOTS BECOMING
 SOUTHWEST TO WEST AND INCREASING TO NEAR 15 KNOTS AFTER MIDNIGHT.
 SEAS 1 TO 2 FEET...BUILDING TO AROUND 2 FEET. NEARSHORE WATERS A
 LIGHT CHOP...BECOMING A MODERATE CHOP. ISOLATED SHOWERS.
FRIDAY
 NORTHWEST TO NORTH WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS...INCREASING TO NEAR
 20 KNOTS BY AFTERNOON. SEAS 2 TO 3 FEET. NEARSHORE WATERS
 CHOPPY...BECOMING ROUGH. ISOLATED SHOWERS.
FRIDAY NIGHT
 NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS NEAR 20 KNOTS. SEAS 3 TO
 5 FEET. NEARSHORE WATERS ROUGH.

Capt. Steve Willis
Professional Scuba Bum™
Aboard S/V Escape

STAFF

Divemaster Hank Gordon arrived Saturday.  Hank is going to assist with the Divemaster Academy until the Scuba Liveaboard crew arrives on the 26 December.  Then he will switch duties.  Scuba Instructor/Captain Kari Dahlquist, Scuba Instructor/Captain Alex Bergstedt, Scuba Instructor/Captain Dennis Wyatt and Office Manager Ellen Stites-Wyatt, Ed.D. all arrived last night.  Scuba Instructor/Captain Christy Clemenson lives around the corner from the Florida Sea Base and officially joins the DMA cadre today.

I’m probably going to leave someone out, but several staff members went diving at Alligator Reef Saturday: Captain Sargon Smith, Divemaster Emily Sepeta, Captain Kim Morse, Captain Bob Morse, Captain African John, DMA Candidate Jenna Burton, and whomever I have forgotten.  MEANWHILE, Rich Goldman, Kyle Moran and I spent the day working on Divemaster Academy preparations.

WEATHER

I am getting frustrated with the long range forecast for the Florida Sea Base from the AccuWeather site.  This Graph for the AccuWeather “Temperature Graph December 2012″ for the Florida Sea Base was posted on Saturday.  Here is the Graph-2 posted this morning.  (My apologies; I cannot figure out how to make the PDF files open in a new window so comparing the two is a pain.)

The following graph is courtesy of the National Weather Service and is for Thursday and Friday.  Look at the how the wind ramps up on Friday to 20 knots.  (Friday is as far out as this particular product goes.)

Click to enlarge.

Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS

.MARINE...
GENTLE TO MODERATE WINDS EARLY THIS MORNING WILL BECOME LIGHT TO
GENTLE FROM THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST DURING THIS AFTERNOON AND PERSIST
TONIGHT. LIGHT TO GENTLE WINDS MONDAY WILL GRADUALLY CLOCK AROUND TO
SOUTHWEST TUESDAY MORNING...BEFORE TURNING NORTHWEST AND INCREASING
TO NEAR 15 KNOTS AS A TROUGH PASSES THROUGH OUR AREA BY LATE
TUESDAY. THEREAFTER...ONLY SUBTLE COLD AIR ADVECTION COMBINED WITH A
WEAK REGION OF HIGH PRESSURE IN WAKE OF THE TROUGH MAY KEEP WINDS
BELOW ANY HEADLINE CRITERIA. HENCE...WINDS MAY HAVE TO BE ADJUSTED
DOWNWARD IN THE GRIDS FOR TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.

It is difficult to plan safe outdoor activities without accurate forecast information.  Some of our planning has to be made well in advance.  Because of this challenge, we adopted a scheduling technique for the Divemaster Academy several years ago wherein the schedule is generally divided into daily or half-day blocks.  Then we shuffle the blocks around the weather as best we can.  Fortunately for us, Captain Christy Clemenson ENJOYS scheduling so she is handling this task this year.

It’s getting late (06:40).  Enjoy your day.  I am concerned that I have an overwhelming day ahead.  I am blessed to have the great people who are assembling to make the magic of the Florida Sea Base come to life.

Capt. Steve Willis
Professional Scuba Bum™
Aboard S/V Escape

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Mrs. Captain Carol Beliveau is now Mrs. Captain Almost-a-Doctor Carol Beliveau.  After two years of mind numbing studying, millions of hours of practicals, and FINALLY mastering the phrase, “take two asprin and call me in the morning” Carol graduated from RN school Saturday in Key West.  Now Captain Rich can retire; lucky dog!

FSB COMMITTEE MEETING CONCLUDES

The FSB Advisory Committee reconvened at 08:00 Saturday.  Each subcommittee made a report.  The bottom line is the Florida Sea Base is alive and well.  We will have an exceptional year in 2013.  This was a bit of concern because our attendance dropped 18% in 2010 due to the National Jamboree.  However, any impacts from the 2013 National Jamboree will be negligible and possibly nonexistent.

POST MEETING

The meeting concluded at 10:30.  Several committee members and I drove off base for lunch and to survey a potential future FSB project.  When I returned to the base there were two Scouts, their mom and grandmother wanting a tour of the base.  I spent 15 or 20 minutes showing them around and telling them of the programs offered at the Florida Sea Base, Brinton Center, Bahamas Base and 2014 US Virgin Island Base.  I left there and began making my way to Escape.  But under the Quarterdeck sat five members of the Sea Base Alumni and Friends Association; President Dan Gill, FSB Liaison Nancy Wells, Foggy Dosser, XXX, and YYY.  There were having a serious business meeting which I unintentionally crashed.

SUNDAY

I hope to take part of the day off, maybe take a nap.  I have chores to do on Escape and in the office.  I also need to go shopping.  We’ll see how it plays out.

Capt. Steve Willis
Professional Scuba Bum™
Aboard S/V Escape