Florida Sea Base News

The morning started with the 07:30 seasonal staff meeting at the Florida Sea Base.  Sailing Commissioner Matt McClure, Warehouse Manager Ashley Feathers, and Divemaster Drew Smith departed for home today as the staff continues to shrink.

The full-time staff members of the Florida Sea Base (all 12 of us) had our monthly Team Meeting this morning.  We are looking pretty good program and budget wise for the end of 2010.  Most of the focus is already on 2011 – which is seriously shaping up to be the biggest year EVER for number of participants at the Florida Sea Base.  If you are thinking about attending in 2011 and haven’t made a reservation yet, please do so as soon as possible.  If not, you might miss out.

Capt. Rich took most of the remaining staff diving this afternoon.  (I was allowed to remain behind and work on the budget with Paul Beal, our General Manager).  I was told the water was a little “green” with okay but not outstanding visibility.  Regardless, I am pretty sure it was better than most lakes and quarries back home.

If you or someone you know is interested in the 2010 Divemaster Academy, please go back to my post of 11 August 2010 for a link to the brochure and application.

The weather was excellent here today.  A very brief rain shower this morning was followed by a mostly sunny day with enough wind for the sailors but not too rough for the divers.  Here’s Dr. Masters’ comment regarding the tropics:

The GFS, NOGAPS, and ECMWF continue to predict that a tropical storm will form between Africa and the Lesser Antilles Islands 3 – 7 days from now. A strong tropical wave currently moving off the coast of Africa is a good candidate for such a development. The NOGAPS model is predicting the development of a strong tropical disturbance near the coast of Honduras this weekend.

Here is tomorrow’s forecast from the National Weather Service:

Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 93. East wind around 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 83. South wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

I have a few chores to do before bedtime.  More tomorrow.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

We rarely get rained out at the Florida Sea Base, we get blown out by too much wind.  That’s what happened Friday; too much wind.  And weather that interferes with program is always a downer.  But I heard a story that shows there is the possibility of humor even when the chips are down.  I heard this third hand so I’m not sure about the accuracy, but it sounds about right to me.  Charles Harvey is one of our Divemasters who attended the 2009 Divemaster Academy.  Charles, Chuck, Chuckie (he seems to be going through an identity crisis right now) is doing an excellent job.  Apparently he was somewhat puzzled as he was nearing the surface at the end of a dive – it was SNOWING UNDER WATER.  Well, at least for a few seconds it SEEMED like snow.  Until Charles looked towards the surface and saw someone barfing scrambled eggs on top of him.  I know it’s gross.  But it’s true AND it’s funny.  Capt. Dennis needs to include this story in his next book.

Despite the wind, the Coral Reef Sailing boats made it safely on and off the dock throughout the day.  The small sailboats got to do their thing under mainsails only.  There was just TOO much wind for headsails.  The divers had a tough day.  There were long boat rides in search of good visibility and seas calm enough to allow for entries and egresses without endangering the divers.  The dive boat captains (Capt. Carl, Capt. Carol, Capt. Dennis and Capt. Tom) did an excellent job of keeping their divers safe and entertained.

Capt. Rich spent Friday afternoon in Key West visiting with Captains Skip and Deb Bradshaw from the Schooner Pirates Lady and I think he also met with Capt. Bill Malone, owner of the Schooner Jolly II Rover.  Sailing Commissioner Matt McClure and Scuba Commissioner Capt. Alex Bergstedt had the day off.

I comment on the weather almost daily.  If you click on the Weather page of this site it gives average monthly air and water temperatures and some other helpful information.  I recently added the Links page.  The page alignment is giving me a fit, but it still has some useful information.  (I will ask my computer wiz son to align the spacing one of these days.)

I am off this morning but thought I would get this posted as early as possible.  It’s going to be another tough day for the divers.  The wind is trying to lay down a little, but not enough to really help.  NOAA’s forecast:

Today…East winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas beyond the reef 4 to 7 feet. Seas higher in the gulf stream. Seas inside the reef 2 to 3 feet. Nearshore waters choppy. Isolated showers.

Tonight…East winds 15 to 20 knots early…decreasing to near 15 knots late. Seas beyond the reef 4 to 6 feet…subsiding to 3 to 5 feet late. Seas higher in the gulf stream. Seas inside the reef 2 to 3 feet. Nearshore waters choppy…becoming a moderate chop. Isolated showers.

Today is the last day for the Sunday rotation of the Scuba Certification and Scuba Liveaboard crews.  I am always disappointed when the weather is uncooperative on anyone’s last day.  Even though I obviously have no control over the weather, I almost feel like I should apologize.

Ending on a positive note, the cap is still holding this morning at the Deepwater Horizon site with no major negative consequences so far.  Billy Nungesser is the president of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. He was quoted as saying, “For the first day, we’ll be pulling more oil out of the Gulf than is leaking in.  We can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but that’s a very long tunnel.”

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

Today the American Camp Association inspectors will be at the Florida Sea Base.  Basically, it will be business as usual while the inspectors observe what we do and check massive amounts of documents for licenses, permits, and certificates.  Tomorrow they will move down to the Brinton Environmental Center and do the same there.

Hopefully today will start out better than yesterday.  There was no major issue, but the weather was gray and overcast and several of the staff seemed to be having a tough morning.  We have passed our halfway point for the summer and its common for the staff to start getting a little tired and sometimes grumpy.  Grumpy is okay in the staff meetings.  Grumpy is NOT okay when dealing with the participants and I know the staff understands that.  This year’s staff is doing a great job delivering an outstanding program.  The tough part always seems to be understanding the business side of what we do.  Interacting with the participants can be the easy part.  Maintaining the facility, emptying garbage, washing dishes, keeping staff housing clean, cleaning dorms, and washing clothes are the “chores” that seem to wear people down.  By this time of the season it becomes very easy to tell which of the staff are used to taking care of themselves and which one’s aren’t.  Many of our staff seem to get their first glimpse into parentless independence while working here.  Others still don’t get it.  But they will.  I hear them frequently comment that Dad takes care of oil changes for the car, Mom does the laundry, Dad pays for this, Mom pays for that, Mom does the laundry, and so forth.  I hope they leave here with a greater appreciation for Mom and Dad but MAYBE a little less dependence on you.  Some of them are currently learning how to check the air pressure in an automobile tire.  Scary, huh?

We had some heavy but very scattered showers yesterday.  There is a chance for more rain today and tomorrow.  But it too will be scattered.  The oil from Deepwater Horizon is still over 630 miles away.  The tropics are still quiet.  But here are some comments from Dr. Jeff Masters’ blog from yesterday:

June SSTs in the tropical Atlantic set a new record
Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) in the Atlantic’s Main Development Region for hurricanes had their warmest June on record, according to an analysis I did of historical SST data from the UK Hadley Center. SST data goes back to 1850, though there is much missing data before 1910 and during WWI and WWII. SSTs in the Main Development Region (10°N to 20°N and 20°W to 80°W) were 1.33°C above average during June, beating the previous record of 1.26°C set in June 2005. June 2010 is the fifth straight record warm month in the tropical Atlantic, and the third warmest anomaly measured for any month in history. The only warmer anomalies were 1.51°C and 1.46°C, set in May 2010 and April 2010, respectively. As I explained in detail in a post on record February SSTs in the Atlantic, the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and its close cousin, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), are largely to blame for the record SSTs, though global warming and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) also play a role. The magnitude of the anomaly has fallen over the past month, since trade winds over the tropical Atlantic have increased to slightly above-normal speeds. These higher trade wind speeds are due to the fact that the Bermuda-Azores High has had above-normal surface pressures over the past month. The Bermuda-Azores High and its associated trade winds are forecast to remain at above-average strength during the next two weeks, according to the latest runs of the GFS model. This means that Atlantic SST anomalies will continue to fall during the remainder of July. However, keep in mind that we are talking about anomalies–the ocean will continue to warm until its usual early September peak in temperature, and it is likely that we will have the warmest or second warmest SSTs on record over the tropical Atlantic during the peak part of hurricane season, mid-August through mid-October.

One of the girl’s room seems to have some type of cold type bug; stuffy heads and swollen glands.  Most of them have visited the doctor but I haven’t heard a specific diagnosis.  It does not seem to be anything serious.  Some of the other staff have sniffles or minor injuries but overall we are doing well.  The fact that we made it past the halfway point without firing anyone is wonderful.  Maybe we will make through the whole year without a firing!  That would be a first.

Capt. Rich and I enjoyed a quiet lunch off base yesterday at Debbie Doos.  She makes the biggest sandwiches I have ever seen – and the mot delicious.  Yummy!

Well its that time – I’ve got to go.  Only 40 more 07:30 staff meetings for this season.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

The Florida Sea Base is celebrating three staff birthdays today; Capt. Dennis Wyatt (BSA Tarpon), Cheryl Ferreri (Human Resources), Capt. Martin Ivy (S/V Tradewinds).  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Capt. Dennis is still a child at heart.

This fall the Florida Sea Base will have a LOT of used scuba gear for sale, about 140 BC / regulator sets.  The BCs are Aqua Lung Wave models.  They are jacket style and are NOT weight integrated.  They sell for $125.00.  (MSRP is about $300.)  We have sizes extra-small through extra-large.  The regulatords are Aqua Lung Calypso models with ABS octopus and Suunto three gauge analog consoles (submersible pressure gauge, 150′ depth gauge and compass). (MSPR is about $750.)   The regulator sets sell for $325.  We sell the BC / regulator combos for $425, a $25 savings.  The equipment won’t be available until September.  I don’t have a count yet, but we will also be selling a ton of aluminum scuba tanks.  Unfortunately we cannot ship the tanks (just too expensive) so we basically have to sell them locally.  Sometimes an operator will come in and purchase a large quantity from us and that helps.  If you are interested in any of the dive gear, please email Capt. Alex Bergstedt at FSBScuba@netbsa.org.  It is sold “as is” with no warranty.  It is in good working condition when it leaves the Florida Sea Base.

Alex is in central Mexico and is down to Tropical Storm strength.  The remainder of the tropics are quiet for now.  Locally we are expecting mostly sunny days with a slight chance of a brief thunderstorm each day for the next five days or so.  The highs will be in the low 90s with “feels like” temperatures of 110 today and tomorrow.  The lows will be about 83.

Capt. Alex and Matt McClure are off again today.  Divemaster Scott Costa is still nursing a wounded knee.  The report is he dislocated and relocated his knee cap when he fell.  He returns to the doctor on Tuesday and we hope he will be on his feet (no pun intended) Wednesday and able to take a crew.  The timing was good because we are short one scuba crew this week and therefore didn’t have to double anyone up.  Scuba Instructor Meghann Michalski is still out of the water with an ear infection.  Coral Reef Mate Hannah Locker and Warehouse Manager Ashley Feathers are suffering post concussion symptoms from unrelated incidents.  Capt. Dennis Wyatt (birthday boy) has a small cut on his thumb (he doesn’t like being left out).  I haven’t seen the cut, but he has been going around with gobs of tape on the end of his thumb and reporting he cut it.  I’m sure we have more walking wounded but these are the major ones.

The sailboat captains (mostly Capt. Ron from S/V Sudden Impulse) seem happier this week.  Sysco Foods had temporarily run out of Pringles and Capt. Ron was having a cow.  He told us he couldn’t run his trips without Pringles, the boat wouldn’t run without Pringles, he even used the kids from his boat to try to beg for Pringles from Sara and Wes at the commissary.  It was PATHETIC.  Anyway, I have seen Pringle cans in the provision carts lately so hopefully everything is well aboard S/V Sudden Impulse.

This is the 4th of July weekend.  While it is a fun time for most, including our participants, it is a very stressful time for our captains, Capt. Rich and me.  There will be thousands of boaters on our local waters this weekend.  Hundreds will be intoxicated.  Hundreds more will be what the locals call S.P.O.R.E.s – Stupid People on Rental Equipment.  Capt. Kelly Stickney had a Coral Reef Sailing crew aboard her vessel, S/V Endeavour, AT ANCHOR, about four years ago when a drunk hit her going so fast that his boat came onto the deck and hit the mast more than 6 feet above deck level (which is more than 10 feet above water level).  There were no major injuries, but it cost over $30,000 to fix S/V Endeavour.  So we will be praying for a safe and fun 4th for everyone.  Chrystene Matthews and the Galley Staff have some great plans for our on base participants the evening of the 4th.

Scuba Instructor Milly McCoy sent an email yesterday saying she had moved from Gulf Breeze, Florida to Rio Vista, California.  She took her boat, S/V Mary Joy, and husband, Capt. Tom (USN Retired) with her.  She did not report on the fate of the family cats.

That’s all for right now.  I hope your weekend is safe and fun, wherever you are.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

Today was a great day at the Florida Sea Base, unless you were in the office.  Thank goodness it’s over.  Here’s how it went.

Before breakfast one of the staff members came into the office and presented with a possible concussion including severe pain at the site of an earlier blow to the head and exceptional drowsiness.  The staff member will receive medical care.  Also before breakfast Capt. Carl Olshenske who drives BSA Explorer for the scuba program reported that he had a youth participant on his boat this week who was having behavioral problems.  After breakfast I had the young man and one of his adult leaders in my office to get the young man’s attention and assure that he acted in a safe and reasonable manner on the boat.  (The captain reported this afternoon that the youth performed much better.)

Shortly thereafter I discovered that Florida Sea Base incident reports were not being completed to reflect these and other issues.  That will be addressed at Monday’s 07:30 staff meeting morning.

Before lunch it was brought to my attention that Davis Tours had not shown up to take a departing crew to the airport.  The crew was in jeapordy of missing thier flight from Fort Lauderdale.  I tried multiple times to call Davis Tours and their emergency phone number to no avail.  We are very short handed on Sundays at the Florida Sea Base.  Capt. Alex Bergstedt volunteered to drive them to the airport.  They barely made it and we never heard from Davis Tours.  I don’t mean to give Davis Tours a black eye.  I am only reporting fact.  For the 10 years that I have worked at the Florida Sea Base they have had an exemplary record.  However, something has happened and they have had major scheduling issues recently.  Our Director of Program, Rob Kolb, will be addressing our concerns with Mr. Davis on Monday.

Immediately before lunch I saw Capt. Dutch VanderLann hobbling across the yard.  He has re-injured his left knee.  He is a trooper and will gut it out.

Check-in begins at 13:00 daily.  Sundays are big scuba crew arrival days.  One of the crews had an adult leader who had refused to submit his medical prior to arrival as required.  So Ellen, the Office Manager, was reviewing the medical he brought with him.  It was on the wrong form and we couldn’t accept it.  So he called backed home and had the appropriate form faxed to us.  The form showed that he is asthmatic and taking three medicications for asthma.  This disqualified him for the Florida Sea Base scuba program.  He was allowed to stay with his crew and he can snorkel, but he cannot scuba dive.  Somehow this gentleman feels that his failure to submit the medical when required (01 March 2010) so we could try to resolve his issue is not the problem.  I am the problem.  I am very sorry for the situation but mostly I am disappointed that this gentleman failed to follow procedure and we were deprived of the opportunity to address his issue.

Then we had a youth check in who was taking some medications that required counseling of him, his adult leaders and divemaster.  He will likely do fine.

Then another crew arrived that had a bad experience with Davis Tours.  They were aggitated but Ellen (and an air conditioned office) helped the leader calm down.

After dinner, Commissioner Matt McClure had a severe alergic reaction to some aloe vera that was being applied to his sunburn.  After two showers and 50mg of Benefryl he decided to go to the ER for a cortisone injection.  Before he left, Divemaster Scott Costa slipped and twisted his knee and decided to accompany Matt to the ER.  By the time they got to the ER, Matt was feeling better and did not see a doctor.  Scott has a sprain or torn ligament and will miss at least a week of work.

Now the latest on T/S Alex.  The official forecast still shows T/S Alex will curve into Mexico below the Texas border.

Tropical Storm Alex - Weather Underground

However, one of the more reliable computer models (GFS) still suggests the possibility of landfall south of Galveston, Texas.  This is a good example of how crazy life can be when a hurricane is forecasted to approach within a thousand miles of the Florida Sea Base.  The forecasted trajectory changes frequently and radically at times.

T/S Alex Computer Models - Weather Underground

It’s past my bedtime.  I will post sometime tomorrow.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

If I counted correctly, there are only 67 days until the last scuba crews complete their Florida Sea Base adventure.  Yesterday’s Team Meeting reflected that to some extent.  The 2010 remainder of the 2010 is mostly in the hands of the Commissioners now and Capt. Scott Martin from the Brinton Environmental Center, Capt. Rich, Rob Kolb, Chrystene Matthews, Capt. Keith Douglass, Paul Beal and I are starting to focus on 2011 and beyond.  I am already working on the 2011 budget for the scuba and sailing programs.  We have forms (a lot of forms), Participant Guides, website, schedules, program enhancements, infrastructure needs, purchasing, maintenance, fall and winter staffing, winter programming, fall and winter conference needs, and several other topics to tackle.  All of these need to be reviewed, edited, updated and finalized in the next few months.  I love my job!

Our overnight low was 85º.  It is cloudy out this morning (06:30) and there are tiny cells of rain scattered far to our north and south but nothing in our immediate vicinity.  The wind is light from the southeast – perfect for the divers but a little light for the sailors.

The Sailing Commissioner, Matt McClure and the Scuba Commissioner, Capt. Alex Bergstedt are off today so Capt. Rich and I will have the reins.  Most things are well under control at this point.  Ice production is an issue.  We are trying to get a third block ice maker purchased and installed as quickly as possible.  But in the Keys, that may mean September or October.  Not much happens overnight here.  Many of our residents and business owners suffer from “Keys Disease” and have their clocks set to “Island Time”.  If a package is sent “next day air” it might get here in two days.  Even super premium delivery service like UPS red rarely gets delivered in time.  US mail takes an extra day or two – coming and going.  It’s like living on a Caribbean island but without the tax breaks.

Everything went well this morning – all of the boats were working, no one was seriously injured and the phone calls were reasonable.  We had baked potatoes for lunch.  After lunch I ran some personal errands (post office, bank, cleaners).  Then things got ugly.

I have bragged on Capt. Rich Beliveau in several of my blogs.  He is the Program Director responsible for the sailing programs including Coral Reef Sailing, Sea Exploring, Eco Adventure and some aspects of the Scuba Liveaboard program.  He goes farther above and beyond the call of duty than anyone else at the Florida Sea Base.  He protects and stands behind his 45 or so captains and the 30 or so seasonal staff he supervises.  It makes me angry when they fail to appreciate him and all he does for them at least 14 hours a day, 7 days a week.  His phone is never off and he never ignores a call.  Today one of his captains spent the afternoon doing her best to make Capt. Rich’s day as miserable as possible.  It makes you wonder if she really wants to be a part of this program.  To beat up on someone who has done nothing but his best to make your life better is inexcusable.  In all honesty, it’s a good way to not be invited back next year.  And I almost forgot that prior to that one of our other captains had lost his cool with our commissary manager who was only trying to help him.  Capt. Rich had a short conversation with the captain and I hope (for the captain’s sake) there will be no repeat of this behavior.

Then four of our seasonal staff each developed temporary insanity and forgot Rule #1 – Don’t be Stupid.  It’s probably not appropriate for me to give details here.  I will say that no one was hurt, there was no property damage, and only two of the persons involved in the individual incidents cried.  I got most of the mess cleaned up and Capt. Rich will likely have some private counseling sessions with a few of the staff tomorrow.  In addition to all of that, I had phone calls with two parents that were not very Scout like.  I am generally the one who gets the opportunity to talk with the parents that no one else wants to deal with.  I usually get to deliver bad news and I am usually the one that gets to tell people we can’t accommodate a request.  Did I mention earlier that I love my job?  I am really a very kind person.  But someone has to be the bad guy and that role is generally assigned to me.

I have the day off tomorrow.  But, as I have explained previously, that doesn’t mean I won’t get phone calls and the opportunity to coach a few staff members throughout the course of the day.  During program season Capt. Rich and I never turn off our phones.  We cannot afford to miss a call that might involved an injured participant.  Most of the captains and staff don’t know when we’re off anyway, so we get calls and requests for assistance seven days a week.  Which really stinks when one of your captains just wants to call and whine at you all day.

I’m over that now.  I am going to bed.  With just a little luck I will sleep in until 07:00 or so since I won’t be at the morning staff meeting.  I have several projects to choose from during the day.  I might not do anything.  We’ll see.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

I slept in this morning until 07:00 – late for me.  I thought I would do a little composing while I was making my do list for the day.

It’s challenging for Capt. Rich or I to take a day off during the program season at the Florida Sea Base.  We have a very competent staff and great staff leaders; that is not the issue.  I think it’s probably because we have new crews arriving and departing every day, all of the staff members, captains and most vendors have our cell phone numbers, and we physically live on the base.  A sub-issue caused by the every day arrivals is that it is very easy for us to lose track of what day of the week it is.  So even if I tell everyone that I am going to take Saturday off, they forget today is Saturday and call me anyway.  Or if I am trying to do laundry or work on my boat or if I’m messing with my truck and a staff member or participant sees me they don’t really care that I’m “off”, they just want their question answered or their issue resolved.  It’s even worse for Capt. Rich because he has 40 plus captains and mates from the Sea Exploring, Coral Reef Sailing and Sea Exploring programs that have him on speed dial.  So we will see how the day off goes.  First on the list is to fix a nice breakfast for myself.  I’ll follow up with you later in the day.

Okay; so the day went like this.  After writing the above paragraph I fixed breakfast, wash dishes and straightened up the salon & galley areas of Escape.  Then I received a phone call from a couple who wanted a boat that I was helping a friend give away.  That took until noon.  I had lunch at the Florida Sea Base (salad and baked potato bar).  After lunch I changed the linens on the bed and then watched an episode of the TV show “Chuck” that I had downloaded from iTunes.  Then I tried to take a short nap but the phone kept ringing so that didn’t work.  I spent a little while messing around on the computer.  Then I went to Smuggler’s Cove for dinner and had a Cuban dish called Mojo Pork; pulled pork over black beans and rice.  It was excellent.  I was joined by Captains Mike & Kelly and Scuba Instructor Teri from the Tuesday Scuba Liveaboard program.  And now I’m back aboard Escape.

Capt. Rich and Capt. Alex are off tomorrow.  I have a few things to discuss with the staff at the 07:30 meeting.  Thanks for reading.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

Today was day six of summer staff training at the Florida Sea Base.  We had the pleasure of hosting the staff from the Brinton Environmental Center who joined us for a day of administration related training.  We also had folks present from the Community Blood Bank.  I did not get an official count but we are certain that at least 35 staff members donated blood today.  Lori Dekker from Keys Consortium was also here to drug test staff members who are required by law to belong to a random drug testing program.  The US Coast Guard requires testing for all captains, mates and other personnel working on the water.

The Loop Current eddy that I have referred to a few times is finally starting to develope.  There is a full report on Dr. Jeff Masters’ Wunderblog.  This eddy should be good news for the Florida Keys and the Florida Sea Base but not such good news for the folks along the Louisiana, Alabama and Florida Panhandle coastal areas.  BP is continuing with the “top kill” process.

I have homework tonight.  I have to teach a class in HazMat tomorrow for the scuba staff.  The US Department of Transportation considers a container holding 40 psi or higher pressure to be a hazardous material.  Since all of our scuba staff are likely to fill scuba and transport scuba tanks during their employment at the Florida Sea Base, thye must receive training.  I have never taught this subject before so, as I said, I have some homework to do tonight.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

Today was day three of summer staff training at the Florida Sea Base.  The sailing staff worked on small boat sailing and tubing.  The scuba staff went diving and practiced more rescue scenarios.  The water was swimming pool clear.

We completed dives at Independence Reef, Long Key Ledge and The Pillars of Atlantis.  I got to dive on the second and third sites.  Here is a short video showing Capt. Alex Bergstedt leading the rescue scenarios from the boat we use for the Scuba Certification crews.

P5250025

The first Scuba Liveaboard crew has arrived and made preparations to depart on their vessels tomorrow by doing an equipment shakedown, swim reviews, and scuba skills review.  Meghann Michalski is leading this group.

Capt. Alex Bergstedt, Sargon Smith and I taught the PADI Emergency Oxygen Provider Specialty Course to 12 of our staff members this evening.  So it is again well past my bedtime.  The scuba staff will b on base until after dinner tomorrow.  Then they will get to go out for a night dive.

I couldn’t find much news about the Deepwater Horizon disaster today.  Tomorrow they are scheduled to try the “top filling” procedure to shut down the flow of oil.  Let’s all pray that they are successful.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

The weather and sea conditions continue in our favor.  The Florida Sea Base has crews arriving daily and there has been NO impact on our normal programs from the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe.  The Florida Keys remain open in all aspects; there are no beach closures, waterway closures or fishing closures.  We are operating as usual.  The first potential storm of the season is expected to stay well north of us.  All is good.  Here is a chart of the area closed to fishing.  You can see that is it hundreds of miles from the Florida Sea Base.  Fish Close Map-5-21  I saw a report on the Weather Channel this evening.  BP is planning to begin the top filling process tomorrow morning.  They think they will know if it is going to seal the well or not by tomorrow evening.

Today was day two of staff training at the Florida Sea Base.  The diving staff worked on swim reviews, scuba skill reviews and snorkeling this morning.  This afternoon was spent on the reefs giving staff members new to the Florida Sea Base an opportunity to become familiar with their new “office” and giving all of the dive staff the opportunity to practice rescue scenarios.  We will do rescue scenarios at every opportunity for the next several days.

I got to go scuba diving myself today, with the staff.  I don’t get this opportunity very often anymore so it was a real treat.

This evening we held a refresher course on the proper use of medical oxygen during diving emergencies.

The sailing staff practiced small boat sailing this morning and worked on swimming and snorkeling skills this afternoon.

I hope you had a great day.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape