Ocean Safari Newsletter 2007

Last Year… The New Year dawns, and the blissful memories of '06 OSDT adventures-local and overseas-linger about in the back of our minds. There certainly is much to say looking back at this year: Seminars to make our divers' dives more enjoyable (Fish Identification, Hunting, Navigation, etc.), and the frequent Basic, Advanced, and Nitrox Scuba Diver courses among the myriad of options offered here at Ocean Safari. Some of you are enrolling in our Dive Master, Assistant Instructor, and Instructor leadership courses. We are very pleased to see our divers continuing to pursue their Scuba career and obtain more diving knowledge. Within the past year, we have made roughly 35 local trips; our destinations cover all 8 Channel Islands and the occasional banks. However it is a great shame that we were unable to make it to the notorious and greatly anticipated Cortez Bank due to towering swells. Ocean Safari is pleased to announce the success we've had with Oversea Trips this past year; including Red Sea, Fiji, and Indonesia, all of which we came back regrettably with longing for just a few more days!! Other than group oversea trips, we've also sent a considerable 50-some divers who were either unable to attend these trips or preferred traveling in solitude to a score of our favorite diving locations rich in culture around the globe. As some of you might know, we held an exceptional trip to Fiji this year-visiting the island of Kadavu, home to some of Fiji's most traditional Islanders still fluent in their resilient culture-and experienced firsthand Indonesia's infamous Muck-diving. On top of witnessing the avalanche of marine life and staying at the "Rich and Famous" Teate Live-aboard, our trip to the Red Sea included exploring the major Egyptian Tombs, Pyramids, and other ancient edifices. Despite the terrorism in Egypt presently, our courageous divers were persistent and made it back in one piece (O_o)… whew! What does 2007 hold in Store for me!? Oversea Trips: To spark off this year's summer, we will be hosting an exotic trip to Costa Rica from May 26 - June 2!! =] This trip will consist of an eco-tour (some horse-back riding, Canopy-tour, and river-rafting), our divers will be staying in a five-star Pacific resort; all the time enjoying subtropical marine life. Not a subtropical diver? If you find yourself enjoying San Miguel-like conditions and are able to handle some cold water, swift currents, and rocky Panga boats you may find the La Bufadora, Mexico trip enticing. For the subpolar-eager diver, this action-packed pinnacle-diving teaming with marine life could just be what you've been waiting for all these years. Lastly, but most definitely not the least, Ocean Safari will be hosting a trip to the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador!! Known to be a catalyst for phenomenally diverse marine life ranging widely from polar to subtropical, the Galapagos is the ideal getaway for one searching for a truly spectacular experience. Due to the limitations of time and vacancies for said oversea trips, a number of divers may not have the opportunity to attend them. In that case, Ocean Safari is more than happy to design custom trips to fit the individual's needs. Please feel free to consult us if you are planning to travel or are uncertain about destinations. Local Trips: Being a close friend of Ocean Safari and having successful business relations, the captain of the popular Great Escape, Tim Burk, have decided with us on a mutual basis that it is beneficial to both his business and ours to sever our ties. It is undoubted that we will miss our old friends from the crew and epic experiences we have shared for the past 10 years. Since '06, Ocean Safari has made some additions to our local trips schedule. Great Escape has just recently been replaced with the Pacific Star; for those of you whom aren't familiar with this ocean-faring vessel, it is a fine 65' boat-handling 30 divers-very capable of maneuvering its way into NEW and UNEXPLORED dive spots. We are very excited to inform you that this boat will be hosting trips to dive spots this year you may not have even heard of. Other than being beneficial in its size and power, the Pacific Star also provides warm service and unequivocally delicious food; also having a greater crew-to-passenger ratio-leaving your needs almost always attended to =] On an equally exciting note, Ocean Safari has made some significant adjustments to our day-time trips with the popular Explorer. Originally extending from 8 a.m. to 5 in the afternoon (strictly limited to only Anacapa and East Santa Cruz), the Explorer trips have now been added with departure at 7 a.m. and return at 7 in the evening; specifically designed for middle to West Santa Cruz Is. dives. With this new addition, we are hoping to introduce to you, yet again, NEW and UNEXPLORED dive locations of Santa Cruz as well as the previously single option-Anacapa. We'd like to reiterate our excitement in the opportunity to explore regions not usually visited by divers. For those of you who look forward every year to the intensifying San Miguel Is. trips, you'll be happy to hear we have a total of 4 this year! A satisfyingly sufficient number to sharpen your skills and enjoy the beauty of the most chilling temperate waters Southern California can offer. Classes and Seminars: It has come to our attention that a significantly large percentage of our divers have a tendency to challenge the ocean in conditions or waters too harsh for them to dive in enjoyably. To this we highly recommend those of you whom this applies to a few seminars to broaden your horizon; some of the most vital include Navigation, Fish Identification, and hunting for those of you interested. However, to increase your comfort and familiarity with your equipment, it is ideal not only to be knowledgeable but skillful. Therefore, it is strongly suggested that you pursue Rescue skills, Advanced Scuba Diving Technique, or the art of Breath-hold Diving. We can certainly guarantee that, having taken above mentioned courses, you will be able to enjoy the beauty of the ocean with much more ease. To keep posted, please continue checking our website www.oceansafariscuba.com for updates in classes and schedule. Copyright © 1993-2007 oceansafariscuba.com All rights reserved.