Good friends with great fellowship.  Incredible and abundant food – including four different abalone dishes on Saturday evenings potluck.   Sunshine including some sunburns.  Fun times.  Decent ocean conditions.  29 abalone taken for the weekend.  Life does not get much better!!!  That summarizes the abalone campout at Ocean Cove Campground on August 26-28, 2011.  Vis was low, so we canceled the dive at Gerstle Cove Preserve.  Club members and non-members came for one night, both nights or just for the day on Saturday.  Everyone was welcome, and everyone is looking forward to the next trip!  A big thank you to Ken and Teresa L. for the incredible job they did to organize this trip and to provide the boat for Saturday’s diving adventures.

Saturday morning abalone dive adventure.

Cleaning Station – Jon, Keith & Sonya.

Kent, Jon, Bruce, Sonya and Pamela.

Game time.  Ty (yellow lab), Ryan, Colleen, Stacey, Jennifer and Jim.

Abalone pounding.  Stacey, Ken, Kent and Bruce.

Sonya preparing the abalone for her world famous abalone cakes.

The line begins for abalone cakes……everyone is in awe of the preparation….

Preparing crab and ribs.  Colleen, Ryan, Jennifer, Jim and Stacey.

Saturday evening potluck – including 4 different recipes of abalone, ribs, crab and then rum cake for dessert.

Saturday night potluck.

Saturday night potluck.  Good friends.  Great food.  An incredible time together.

Join Napa Valley Divers for the second abalone camping trip for 2011.  Ken and Teresa L. will be our hosts on August 26-28, 2011, at the Ocean Cove Campground, just south of Salt Point State Park.  Plans are being made to secure the group campground and it is hopeful that we will have two dive boats to use.  The NVD Salt Point State Park Gerstle Cove Preserve dive has been changed to August 27 and has been combined with this abalone camp out.  We will drive up to Salt Point State Park for the Gerstle Cove Preserve dive(s) on Saturday.  Come up for the day or come camp with us.  For information contact: keith@napavalleydivers.com or any Board member.

Upcoming Events

July 25, 2010   (3:00 – 5:00)   Pool SCUBA Refresher Class and Certification          Napa Valley College swimming pool with Roger Haseltine as your instructor.  Take the time to do all those little tasks that you don’t do in the ocean, like trim out your weights for perfect buoyancy.  Cost:  $35.00 per person, which includes tanks, equipment, and weights if you need them.  For additional information, contact:  jackie@napavalleydivers.com   Commitment needed:  We need a minimum of 4 commitments from club members and guests by July 15th to secure this event.

July 25, 2010   (5:00 – 9:00)   Napa Valley Divers Club BBQ          Come join us at Steve and Jayma’s home.  Please bring your drink and a side dish to share.  Napa Valley Divers will provide the meat.  For additional information, location and to RSVP, contact: Jayma@napavalleydivers.com or any club Board member.  Cost:  Free for members, $3.00 per person for non-club members.

August 7, 2010   (9:00 – 1:00)   Emergency First Response Course – Refresher & Training          Instructor Roger Haseltine.  Cost:  $50.00 for Refresher (previously certified) plus $15.00 for certification card, $100.00 for the entire course – plus $15.00 for certification card.    For additional information, contact:  jackie@napavalleydivers.com

August 9, 2010   Monthly Napa Valley Divers Club Meeting (second Monday of each month)          Filippi’s Pizza Grotto, 645 1st Street, Napa (east of Soscol), Phone: (707) 254-9700.  Dinner (Dutch treat) will begin at 6:00pm.  The meeting will begin at 7:00pm

August 13-15, 2010   Abalone and Camping Trip          Salt Point State Park in the Woodside Campground.  Come camping or come up for the day on Saturday to hang out in the campground.  Reservations at www.ReserveAmerica.com.  For additional information, contact: keith@napavalleydivers.com and please be sure to let him know you are coming.

August 28, 2010   (11:00 – 3:00)   Napa Valley Divers Club Monterey Picnic          San Carlos Beach (the Breakwater) in Monterey for the Napa Valley Divers annual picnic.  The club will provide food, sodas and waters!  Come for the day, enjoy the picnic, and enjoy the fellowship!  Arrange your own diving, dive buddies and overnight accommodations – if you so wish.  Cost:  $10.00 for members, $13.00 for non-members.  For additional information and to RSVP, contact: Joan – jlordnapa@aol.com    Commitment needed:  We need a minimum of 10 commitments from club members and guests by August 15th to secure this event.

September 13, 2010   Monthly Napa Valley Divers Club Meeting (second Monday of each month)          Filippi’s Pizza Grotto, 645 1st Street, Napa (east of Soscol), Phone: (707) 254-9700.  Dinner (Dutch treat) will begin at 6:00pm.  The meeting will begin at 7:00pm

September 25, 2010   Lake Berryessa Clean Up          Divers and land support needed to help clean up the environment.  There will be a BBQ following the cleanup and prize drawings!  For additional information, contact: Jackie@napavalleydivers.com  Time, Location and Cost:  TBD

October 11, 2010   Monthly Napa Valley Divers Club Meeting (second Monday of each month)          Filippi’s Pizza Grotto, 645 1st Street, Napa (east of Soscol), Phone: (707) 254-9700.  Dinner (Dutch treat) will begin at 6:00pm.  The meeting will begin at 7:00pm

October 14, 2010   Dive with Great White Sharks           Great White Shark Adventures   http://www.greatwhiteadventures.com  Napa Valley Divers price:  First eight divers receive $200.00 off the regular price of $775.00, when you say the magic words (found at the more detailed event listing).  Non-divers can participate for $375.00.  For additional information, contact: Jackie@napavalleydivers.com

More complete details for all events  are available on the Napa Valley Divers “events page”

Hello Napa Valley Divers!

Movie Night Under the Stars was a smashing success! All those in attendance gathered a little early to sip on a beverage of choice and to share some appetizers. As you moved from conversation to conversation you heard tales of the recent trip to Utila, the urban dive legends of Michael G., and the normal party conversations of family, friends and of course politics! At dusk everyone gathered bowls of popcorn, settled in under blankets and watched “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou”. A very strange film to be sure. For anyone who has seen it, you should know that our own Ray P. donned the Red Knit Hat worn in the movie and looked scarily a lot like Bill Murray.  Also all will be happy to know that Ray left the “speedo” at home! All and all it was beautiful night under the stars and so comfortable in Jackie’s backyard.  Thanks Jackie!

Our next big event is the Monterey Bay Picnic. The date has not been finalized, so keep an eye out for an e-mail or check the events page for more information.

See you at our next meeting on Monday, August 10^th.

Just when you think you’ve traveled the world and seen it all. Welcome to the virtual underwater world!

Here’s what they have to say…

With eDiving You can:

Why Join eDiving?

 eDive anywhere in the World

 Create a custom profile

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 Share diving photos and videos

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Check here for systems requirements.

Here is a list of current eDiving locations. I understand that Monterey Breakwater will be added soon.

Remember… always dive within your training, skill, and comfort level!  ;-)