Hey Underwater Mothas!

Hello!

My name is Katie and I have been diving for a little over one year. Since I've been certified I have been diving, diving, diving. My husband and I went to Negril for our honeymoon, which was just so-so. The water was warm, but the reefs were barren. It seems the fisherman don't understand what a preserved reef means. We did 10+ dives on our trip and almost every time were able to see fisherman nets hooked on coral and tons of fish trapped. It was quite sad.

On a happy note, my husband and I made a nice trip out to the Channel Islands off Ventura this past May. It was amazing! The sea lions, garibaldi, sheeps head and sea anemones were flourishing. This is the first dive i've done and thought geez, i really need a drysuit.

Basically, my husband and I can't get enough of diving. We are regulars at Willow Springs (our local quarry). It'd be nice if we had the Great Barrier Reef or Bonaire close-by, but we take what we can get here in PA. After a recent trip to the Jersey beach for a shore dive, i don't mind the quarry all that much. Crashing waves and killer rip tides don't make me feel all warm and fuzzy. Having said that, i have always had the penchant for artifacts. The ocean off NJ offers some amazing wreck diving, which of course comes with some crazy currents, rip tides, etc. I'll just have to buck up and do it.

2007 Trips:

Cape Fear River, North Carolina - Artifact diving
Cooper River, South Carolina - Megalodon, sabre tooth tiger teeth and other cool stuff
West Palm Beach, Florida - Reef diving
Stuart Coves, Bahamas - Shark diving
Key West, Florida - Reef diving
Bar Harbour, Maine - Lobster fishing

Hello stinkey! Finally decided to get on your computer and check this place out. :p

Hi Katie, welcome!

Channel Island diving is definately drysuit diving, it gets pretty cold there and why be miserable trying to have fun!

We hope to be putting group trips together shortly to Asia and we'll make an HD video production out of it so all will have great memories, so in the meantime, pull up a chair and jump right in anywhere!

Hi Katie,
Welcome aboard!
It seems that you have been real busy for only being certified for 1 year?
Im like you, the child in me still begs for adventure, and the possibility of finding treasure. Be it a nice Meg tooth or a long lost artifact from a different time and place. Beats just swimming around blowing bubbles.
A good place I found for looking for shark teeth is in Venice Beach, Just south of St Petersburg FL. Good hunting spot for Teeth, and fosselized whale and manatee bone.

Hi Katie,
Welcome aboard!
Looks as though you've had a busy year thus far with all the diving you're doing/about to do..All looks fantastic!

Phlocker - I'll definitely check out Venice Beach area. Sounds like a great place for scavenging. Have you ever been to Cooper River? I can't wait to get my hands on a Meg tooth or even better yet a Mammoth tooth.

What kind of diving do you do down in Kentucky?

Hi Lottie!

Great to hear from you. Diving in St Maarten--lucky diver! I've heard St. Maarten is a marvelous place. How's the diving in St. Lucia?

Welcome aboard Katie!
Sorry to hear your honeymoon was just "so-so" LOL

Hey Katie,
The diving in St Lucia is just fantastic - I'm not sure about the diving in St Maarten though - I've heard poor things about it, but that hasn't deterred me :) Saying that the land and the island of St Maarten is fantastic as well (i was over there last year)......

Just let me know if you're ever over this way.

Katie,
The dive operator I used in Venice was Florida West Scuba School
phone # 941-486-1400. And I think they might be the only ones in that area.
He had a bunch of spots that we went to close to the local airport.
But my sisters boss say's that he goes right off the shores and finds it all there as well.
Everyone on the boat found a few meg teeth.
All of various sizes and conditions.

Not very many spots to dive here in Ky. A few Quaries and lakes. But I have a good group of fellow firefighters that always have somthing in the mix as far as getting trips together.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tigerbeach

Welcome aboard Katie!
Sorry to hear your honeymoon was just "so-so" LOL

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I set myself up for that one--LOL :)

Hello Sistah!

A warm-water welcome to you from Phuket, Katie!

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tigerbeach
Welcome aboard Katie!
Sorry to hear your honeymoon was just "so-so" LOL

I set myself up for that one--LOL

Welcome! You had time to dive on your honeymoon? You guys are hardcore!

P.S. No double entrende intended

Hell yea' we're hardcore! We got 10 dives in during our honeymoon! :cool:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Quero

Hello Sistah!

A warm-water welcome to you from Phuket, Katie!

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Hey! Phuket--WOW, we definitely need to make our way out there.

What's the diving like? And thanks for the warm welcome :)

~Katie~

Quote:

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Originally Posted by katiecat

Hey! Phuket--WOW, we definitely need to make our way out there.

What's the diving like? And thanks for the warm welcome :)

~Katie~

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The diving here is world-class. Let me know when you plan to visit. The trip is long, but well worth it! (To get an idea, take a look at my homepage listed in my profile--it's something like MySpace, but for divers.)