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Summer 2008 Scuba Newsletter
What Is In This Newsletter?
 An Update from UBS Dive Center
Tortola Kayak Snorkel and Eco Tours
Your Photos
New Schedule and Prices
New Dive Sites The Wreck of The Flying Cloud
Congratulations To You!
Your Comments
What is Happening at UBS?
Dawn is still here at UBS and sends her regards to everybody that she dived with over the past year. Not only has she been diving with a lot of you but she has also taken over some of the administrative work here in the office. Additionally, she organized and executed our first internship program last summer with four young ladies from the UK and America. They all learned about the tourism industry with particular focus on diving, and they all completed various dive courses with Dawn, from Open Water Diver all the way up to Divemaster level. Becky Shapiro and Nina Rogowsky then went on to take their Instructor Development Course shortly after leaving us and were both successful in passing their PADI Instructor Exam in Florida. Nina is now working as a dive instructor in the States (in considerably colder water with much less visibility!).
Fred Drake joined the UBS team in January. Tony and Fred go way back to their college days at Humboldt State University. Fred owns Snorkel Alaska Tours in Ketchikan, Alaska, and works the summer season up in the cold northern climes. He then joins us for some sun and diving in the winter months down here. We are honored to have him share his passion for the ocean with our guests during our busy season. Those of you who got to dive with him won't forget the wonderful knowledge that he has to share.
Peter Edwards has just joined the UBS team this May and we are all looking forward to working and diving with him. Pete had his first dive experience in the cold waters of North Wales at age 10 but before becoming a dive professional, he spent 15 years as a corporate slave in the electronics industry. In 1998 he decided to turn it all around and follow his heart towards a life on the water so he became a dive instructor and underwater photographer. Sailing is another passion and Pete earned his Yachtmaster qualification in 2002. Pete's move to the BVI follows stints as a dive instructor and sailor in The Red Sea, Malta & Gozo, South Africa and the south of France. If you ask him nicely and say "cheese" maybe he'll agree to take some underwater shots of you in action!
Tony and I are obviously still here and we have had a great year and have some exciting new news to share with you all. In December we bought our first home, long overdue and much anticipated. After not too much deliberation we decided that it would suit us better if our home could float. So now we are not only working under the sea but living on it too. We bought a classic 50 foot CrisCraft Commander motor yacht and are having a great time working on her. There were quite a lot of electrical, fuel and water issues when we first bought her, but we seem to have fixed all of those.
Just like anyone who buys their first home we have turned into decorating maniacs. First we did the salon (living room) carpeted and bought new settee, varnished all the wood paneled walls and redid the interior lights etc. We then turned to the main cabin (master bedroom) and main head, making improvements to cupboards, painting and installing new soft furnishings.
We have put up new exterior lights and polished and cleaned until Navigated gleams.
This summer though we are going to take a break form all the hard work and have some fun. If you sailors out there see us at different anchorages, come on over and have a look. Although I will warn you that the only diving that we do from her is either for maintenance or for FUN!
Tortola Kayak Snorkel and Eco Tours
November of 2007 saw the start of an exciting venture for UBS Dive Center - Tortola Kayak Snorkel and Eco Tours. This is an educational Eco Experience that was offered exclusively to Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise Lines when their ships dock in Road Town, Tortola, and also with First Choice Marine (Sunsail) for their charter guests. This summer though, we are expanding the number of tours that we offer so we can cater to our diving and snorkeling guests as well. Every Friday morning you can join in on this great experience that sets off from our docks at Harbour View at 10am.
Our fun, educational tour incorporates sport kayaking, mangrove ecology, snorkeling and beach combing. Tortola Kayak, Snorkel & Eco Tours provides guests with an easy kayak across a mangrove-fringed bay to a pristine area of natural beauty to learn about the four main eco systems in the tropics. First we enter the mangrove forest to hear how the trees sustain the eco system of the tropical marine and island habitats. Then we paddle into the heart of the mangrove swamp where the waters teem with life. Listen to the hum of the dragonflies, the scuttling of crabs and the songs of tropical birds. There are three different types of mangroves and that we paddle by while you learn about each ones individual characteristics and role in the environment.
Mangroves are the nursery grounds for almost all of the coral reef inhabitants. After we learn about the importance of the nursery grounds we follow the life trail of the eco system to the sea grass beds and the adolescent feeding grounds of the fish. Here you will get to see the brightly darting fish up close and have the opportunity to touch and witness a variety of plants, sponges and some of the other sea grass residents. The queen conch, sea cucumbers, sea turtles and sea horses are often sighted here. Following another short paddle we arrive at a private beach where we have tables and chairs set up with refreshments and our popular Ginger Snap cookies. We can then snorkel a beautiful shallow coral reef and learn all about the different corals and sponges that make their homes here.
This tour is a fabulous complement to sailors and divers who generally spend most of their time in the BVI either sailing passed the protected mangrove forests without giving them a second thought and only ever look at sea grass as a place to anchor. Divers also never get to experience the beginning of the coral reef life cycle, just diving on the deeper mature reefs.
Come and try the tour it starts every Friday at 10 am at our docks at Harbour View Marina, Fat Hogs Bay. Let us know a day or two before so that you can reserve a place. In the morning sail into the Bay and pick up one of the moorings for free and dinghy in. You do not need to bring any equipment unless you want to
The cost is $60 per person and the tour lasts 3 hours. Afterward there are complementary showers and a grocery store to pick up ice and provisions, our have lunch at one of the two restaurants on the premises.
 Your Photos
Don James sent these pictures from Atlanta. They were so good that I just had to share them with you all. Thanks Don. I will be putting the rest of them in the gallery on the website.
Thanks to all of you that sent your photos of both above and below the water. If you go to the gallery on our website I have a special album of all your puictures with your credits too. Keep them coming! http://www.scubabvi.com/html/gallery.html
New Schedule and Prices
As we all know, over the last year the price of oil has increased substantially. Apart from it hitting you all at the gas pump, it has made for a little bit of a tough time here at UBS Dive Center too. We have always been committed to running the best service for the most reasonable prices and realize that diving is only part of your vacation, so we have tried to keep our prices and schedule the same for the last 13 years. Unfortunately this year we have had to have a very serious think about the best way to keep our prices reasonable while keeping you divers and UBS happy too. With that in mind, we have slightly revised our itinerary and made a small adjustment to our prices.
Instead of each of our boats making just one trip per day, we are now running two trips per day per boat. But because we recognize that our guests prefer the personalized service that only UBS offers, the dive boat will still be exclusively yours for your own small group of family or friends only now you get to choose from a morning or afternoon dive trip - either 9am-1pm or 2pm-6pm.
The beauty for divers using the rendezvous system, is that in the busy times when mooring balls are hard to get in the afternoon, you can now sail to your overnight anchorage in the morning and still get in two dives in the afternoon. Nobody else offers this!
Our new prices are as follows:
1 diver - $350
2 divers - $175 each
3 divers - $117 each
4-6 divers - $110 each
Each UBS dive experience still includes the same as it always has, a guided two tank dive, any equipment required, free instruction for Open Water Referral dives or for PADI Advanced or Specialty courses, drinks, snacks and towels. It goes without saying that our standard of service remains second to none.
New Dive Site Coming To The BVI Soon
The Wreck Of The Flying Cloud
Premiere Ralph O'Neal gives written permission to secure The Windjammer S/V Flying Cloud and sink it for SCUBA divers in the BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS!
The British Virgin Islands SCUBA Organization and the BVI Tourist Board are thrilled to announce that they are in the process of securing and bringing this 208 ft Barquentine HOME to the waters that she sailed in for so long.
Built in 1935 for the French Navy, OISSEAU DES ISLES (Bird of the Islands) served as a cadet training ship. During World War II she posed as a decoy, spying for the Allied Forces. She was based in Tahiti. After the war, she was used to transport cargo along the Baja coast. In 1968 she joined the Windjammer fleet. She is 208 ft long, 32 feet wide and her draft is 16 feet. She weighed in at 400 tons (before charter guests and rum!)
Flying Cloud sailed the waters of the Sir Francis Drake Channel with many thousands of loyal guests who came back year after year. The Flying Cloud, and the British Virgin Islands, became HOME. She was retired from active service in 2002. The upkeep expenses to keep her in the fleet for paying guests was prohibitive.
The Windjammer Fleet and Captain Mike Burke have always thought that she should be in the BVI waters for her retirement, and before they went into receivership this past fall, gave permission for the BVI SCUBA Organization to secure the wreck, which had already been donated to the Trinidad Museum.
Kevin Rowlette of Husky Towing has volunteered to tow her from her current resting place at the dock in Port of Spain in Trinidad.
She will remain on the FLYING CLOUD'S old hurricane mooring in Great Harbour, Peter Island while the BVI SCUBA Organization prepares her for sinking. The VI Shipping Registry, along with the BVI Ports Authority, Conservation and Fisheries, with input from the BVI SCUBA Organization will decide on her final resting place in the Territory.
The acquisition of this ship truly compliments the BVI's already spectacular selection of premiere wreck dive spots, numbering 10 in total, with the RMS Rhone, sunk during a hurricane in 1867, being the jewel in our crown.. The Flying Cloud will be another important part of our crown.
The sinking date, program, and chance to dive this historic wreck will be released as more information becomes available.
British Virgin Islands SCUBA Organization
BVI Tourist Board
Congratulations
As always, we are proud to list all of you that have successfully completed a couse with us since my last newsletter. Congratulations! Remember a good diver is always learning, keep your skills honed and continuing your dive training with advanced and specialty.
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Junior Scuba Diver
Barnaby Bates-Dennis
Junior Open Water Diver
Elizabeth Latham
Alicia Latham
Lynn Dauphinee
Adam Choros
Scuba Diver
Christina Mesa
Open Water Diver
Georgina Ellis
Jeffery Laux
Ellie Glendinning
Jeffrey Laux
Hudson Choros
Robert Choros
Allen Schrenker
James Hutchinson
Melany Ball
Richard Edwards
Rebecca Edwards
Ron Edwards
Paula Long
Thomas Warren
Larisa Bevan
Michael Bevan
Michael Flor
Clifford Young
Nicole Kim
Advanced Open Water Diver
Catherine Manix
Becky Shapiro
Clifford Young
Jennifer Parker
Nathanie Parker
Katherine Parker
Henrik Parker
Ellie Glendinning |
PADI Boat Diver Specialty Diver
Kathleen Mito
PADI Peak Performance Bouyancy Specialist Diver
Andrea Lewis
Sean Calarco
PADI Rescue Diver
Catherine Manix
Becky Shapiro
Nina Rogowsky
Matthew Phillips
PADI Dive Master
Catherine Manix
Becky Shapiro
Nina Rogowsky
Emergency First Response
VISAR VIRGIN ISLANDS SEARCH AND RESCUE
Tom Means
Erik Sywak
Junior Young
Elizabeth Aston
Joshua Sircaklus
David Hines
Helen Janes
Jim McCauley
Chris Ruffell Smith
Ann Roast
Heather Wood
Simon Wood
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Once again, our utmost respect and thanks go out to all the volunteers of Virgin Islands Search and Rescue. As part of UBS Dive Center's donation to the VISAR organization, we continue to train and update their volunteers in Emergency First Response. These are only some of the new or re-certifications of the VISAR squad that we have done this year. Many other members are not listed above, as they were current in their certifications.
These selfless men and women donate their time not only for rescues but also for weekly training schedules. They volunteer to protect everyone who goes to sea in the BVI in case of a medical emergency. Donations can be made to: http://www.visar.org
Your Comments
Hi - we were down last week for your Eco-kayaking (Galaxy cruise ship) and just wanted to let you know that your tour was great!
Can't wait to come back and do some scuba next time.
Thanks for a great time!
Joe
Well that is all for this year, I hope I have filled you in on what's been happening at UBS Dive Center and some of our plans for next season. As always keep in touch and we hope to blow some bubbles with you in the BVI soon.
Kathryn, Tony, Dawn and Pete
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