BAY ISLANDS HONDURAS HOT SPOT

PONQUOGUE BRIDGEON LONG ISLAND

ROCK OUTIN OHIO

SINUS UP FORDIVING

APRIL 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Northeast Dive News APRIL 2008 www.nedivenews.com �

DEPARTMENTS

Editor’s note ......................................4

What’s Coming Up .............................6

What’s Going Down Northeast ..........7

What’s Going Down Midwest ...........16

Gear Check .....................................28

Book Log .........................................29

Dive Directory .............................30-31

10 World ExplorersEco-Photo Explorers Mike Salvarezza and

Christopher Weaver travel the globe on dive

adventures and gather material for presentations

and tremendous photos.

12 Ponquogue Bridge Locals can tell when high tide nears at the old

Ponquogue Bridge as divers queue up to see the

rich marine life during the slack tide.

18 Buckeye divesSpring-fed quarries and freshwater lakes lure

divers on return trips to Ohio where divers

rock out in quarries filled with fish and sunken

treasures. In Lake Erie artificial reefs and

shipwrecks keep charter boats filled with divers

ready to explore.

28 Diving into photographyHonduras’s Bay Islands sizzle with colorful

wrecks and wonderful marine life. Bob Sterner

slips away to this warm-water destination where

sharks patrol and more marine life festoons

wrecks each time you return.

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www.nedivenews.com10 Northeast Dive News APRIL 2008

PHOTO EXPLORERS PHOTOGRAPHY

“Snappa”Sailing from Pt. Judith, RI

Captain Charlie Donilon2 Congdon Dr. Wakefield, RI 02879

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EvEry wintEr divErs attEnding shows throughout thE northEast and MidwEst gEt to hEar thE talEs and sEE thE photos sharEd by MikE salvarEzza and ChristophEr wEavEr. thE ECo-photo ExplorErs travEl thE world to gathEr MatErial for thEir talks, whiCh foCus on history, MarinE lifE and thE EnvironMEnt.

Mike and Chris started diving theirnative New York waters in 1978,

inspired by the adventures of JacquesCousteauandbyamutual loveof thesea.Progressingfrombeachdivestoboatdivesto wreck dives to worldwide expeditions,they continued to advance their skills andaccumulate experiences, all the whileretaining a fascination for the sea and itsinhabitants.Along the way, they began todocumentwhattheywereseeingthroughthelensesofunderwatercameras.Thisledthem

Eco-Photo ExPlorErs: 30 yEars of loving thE sEa

to begin sharing their experiences throughvariousspeakingengagementsandfreelancewriting projects. In 1994, they formedEco-Photo Explorers to further leveragetheir work and contribute knowledge andexperience to the community on variousenvironmentalissues.

Mike and Chris are true home-grownlocal divers who trained and got theircertifications on Long Island. After hundreds ofdivesover30years,theycontinuetodivethelocalwatersasenthusiasticallyasever.Theycanregularlybefounddivingoffshorewrecksaswellaslocalbeaches.Inaddition,ChrisandMiketravelextensively,regularlyembarking on expeditions to photographtheunderwaterworld in someof themostexciting and remote locations available todivers.Their photographic journeys havetaken them to Truk Lagoon, Palau, Australia, CocosIsland,Fiji,Belize,Mexicoandmuch

of theCaribbean.Mostnotably,Chris andMikehavecompletedtwoscuba

divingexpeditionstoAntarctica,withathirdcurrentlybeingplanned.

Mike and Chris devote much of theirenergies towards providing education tothe general public regarding scuba divingactivities, expedition details, marine lifeand environmental issues. They lecturefrequently at local libraries and at variousorganization meetings, including those oflocalhistoricalsocieties,Audubonsocietiesandyouthgroups.

Inaddition,ChrisandMikehaveauthorednumerous articles and published theirphotographyinawidevarietyofmagazines,including“NationalGeographicAdventure,”“Sport Diver,” “Diver” (UK), “SportDiving,” “Advanced Diver,” “Immersed,”“NortheastDiveJournal,”“NortheastDiveNews”and“NorthwestDiveNews.”

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Northeast Dive News APRIL 2008 www.nedivenews.com 11

PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO EXPLORERS

Chris and Mike, through Eco-PhotoExplorers, have worked with manyorganizations,providingavarietyofservicesto assist in various activities.Someof thenotableexamplesofthisincludeworkdonewith Robert Ballard’s “Jason Project forEducation,” where Eco-Photo ExplorersprovidedsupportphotographyfromBelize.Inaddition,Eco-PhotoExplorershasassistedindeployingqualitymonitoringdevicesinHempsteadHarborfortheCoalitiontosaveHempstead Harbor. It also has providedAtlantisMarineWorldAquariumwithphotos

thatillustratetheinhabitantsofthevarioustanksintheexhibithall.

Scuba diving remains a passion forMikeandChris.Byattendingandspeakingat various industry conferences, Chris andMikehavetriedtogivebacktothedivingcommunity.MikeandChrisregularlyspeakatBeneaththeSea,theBostonSeaRovers,OurWorldUnderwaterandoccasionallyatthe Long Island Diving Association.

ContactChristopherWeaverandMichaelSalvarezza at ecophoto@optonline.net orwww.ecophotoexplorers.com.

Do you know the standards used by your hydro-tester or the person you pay to inspect your cylinders? ASK!Have you asked to see the standards used by your present cylinder inspector? Does the inspector have a writtenprotocol recognized by the government and courts?Do you receive a technical written inspection report? You should!Only one inspector training agency conducts training for federal cylinder inspectors, the military, NASA, PADI,NAUI and cylinder manufacturers.Quality visual cylinder inspections do not cost more. Ask for proof of inspector training. Check the standards used.Federal scuba cylinder standards require annual visual inspection. Common sense requires you to demandformally trained, certified cylinder inspectors..

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You do not have to be affiliated with a dive center to attend training,individuals are welcome. Contact us for cylinder inspector training or topurchase cylinder safety products.