Another great summer of diving is now behind us and late fall, the holidays and winter lie ahead.
In the Events section, we reminisce about some of the "Things in the Past"... and look forward to some "Things in the future."

Things in the Past
As you may recall, it was a cold wet spring and as a result the local diving scene got a bit of a late start. Our weekly charters with Captain Larry Boivin and the Last Frontier were slow to fill in June but July, August and September saw full boats almost every week. Because of the wet spring, visibility was not as good as last summer, however, there were days with visibility in excess of 30 feet. Staff member and Divemaster Lisetta Hansen ran her annual trip to Kingston, on Lake Ontario. Some of the wrecks visited were George A. Marsh, Wolfe Islander, and the Munnsen. In addition to being the Divemaster on almost every Wednesday evening charter, Joe Vicere also ran two trips to Kittery, Maine for a weekend of diving at the Isle of Shoales. Divers were treated to great weather and a great variety of marine life, including seals!

This summer Instructor Gary Niquette organized and conducted our first annual Youth SCUBA Day . This event was put together in an effort to get some of our younger divers together to meet each other, do some diving and have some fun. In addition to an underwater scavenger hunt for marbles, and dominos, and a station for a game of underwater checkers, an advanced navigation course was set up.

Prizes were awarded for the most successful team of divers in the various events. The Youth Scuba Day was conducted at Oakledge Park under sunny skies, however a stiff breeze from the from the north made it a little choppy and more challenging. A barbecue followed the event for divers and parents alike. We would like to thank Gary for all the organization and a special thanks to those who volunteered their time to help. They were: Chris Lawrence, Tony Vargo, Ed Limoge, Pat Beck, and Frank Bell.

Shop staff member Lisetta Hansen outdid herself again this year in running our annual Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest on October 25. Over 20 divers participated and came up with some really creative Jack-O-Lanterns. Prizes were awarded for the top three pumpkins, judged for originality (creativity & uniqueness), and artistic value (detail & neatness). Over 30 people enjoyed the warm-up and barbecue back at the shop. Our special thanks to Steve Luhr - master chef of the day. Our thanks also to the pumpkin judges, who had a difficult job to do. They were Laurie Eddy, Steve Luhr, and Shelly Faces. Diving assistance was provided by Dick Cleveland, Tony Faces, Amy and Larry Jacques. Thanks to all. And the best thing about the day? We raised over $300.00 for DAN.

We realize that diving in Lake Champlain in January rnigh not be everyone's cup of tea, so for those that prefer 80-degree water, 150-foot visibility and lots of colorful fish, we offer these trips to the Caribbean and Pacific.

Taveuni Island, Fiji     January 6-17 2004

Bonaire     February 21-28, 2004

Grand Cayman     March 14-21 2004

Cozumel, Mexico     Apri1 21-28

Waterfront Diving Center is dedicated to providing quality education programs at every level. Diving Safety through education has always been our goal and one we strive to achieve. Diving will open up an entire new world to you. We have a wide variety of both NAUI and PADI classes to choose from. Why not take your diving experiences to the next level. Pre-registration for all classes is required.

Try SCUBA
SCUBA Diver
Refresher
Ice Diving
Nitrox
Dive Leadership

Customers have often commented how nice it has been to come to the shop and see the same faces year after year. Well, as in any business, things change. This summer Gary Niquette, who had been with the shop for over six-years, left to pursue a career as an elementary school teacher. This desire stemmed from his love of teaching diving, and the good news is that he will continue to teach SCUBA at Waterfront Diving Center. You just won't see him behind the counter. We wish Gary all the best in their new endeavors. We will miss them.

So who is left at Waterfront Diving Center you are asking? Shop co-owner and manager Johnathan Eddy will be starting his fifteenth-year at the shop, and Lisetta Hansen will be starting her seventh-year. Divemaster Pat Beck who has been working part-time at the shop for almost ten years will be around to help out. In addition, Steph Farrell, who worked full-time this summer will continue to work part-time through the winter. A new addition to the Waterfront Diving Center staff is Chris Sullivan. Chris, who has been a long time customer of the shop, and is a Burlington Fire Fighter, will work two days a week on a year-round basis.

Although our staff changes from time to time our commitment to quality customer service does not.

Congratulations - The Champlain Valley has three new NAUI instructors! Bob Moore, Amy Jacques and Larry Jacques, recently completed their instructor training course. Angelo Fiaro, the NAUI Northeast representative and a NAUI Course Director came to the Champlain Valley and completed the program with the candidates in October. Congratulations Bob, Amy and Larry.

How many of you will make a New Year's resolution to get in shape this winter? For many that means going to the pool to swim. We have just the products for you. Waterfront Diving Center has become an Aqua Sphere Swim Center. Aqua Sphere, (www.Aquasphereusa.com), a division of Aqua-Lung, has many innovative products including the extremely comfortable Seal swim goggle, the Kid's Seal, perfect for the smaller face, Zip swim condition fins, hand-paddles, kick-boards, swim caps, and even a snorkel with an FM radio inside. Yes, it really does work and makes those lap swimming workouts go by far more quickly. Stop in and take a look!

Waterfront Diving Center also recently became a Reef Master Underwater Photo Center. That means we are able to offer you a great selection of underwater photo gear at competitive prices. We have in stock 35 mm cameras from under $100, to the newest in digital underwater photography from $299 We also stock all the needed accessories such as strobes, macro and close-up lenses, ni-cad batteries with chargers, moisture nuncher packets, and film. As an added incentive to get involved in underwater photography, ReefMaster (www.sealife-cameras.com) is offering a free accessory pack to customers who purchase an underwater digital camera by December 31st. This is a $75 value and includes a 32mb SD card, a Sealife sunshade, and a soft padded carrying case- all free!

Stop bringing back only memories of the beautiful underwater world - bring back pictures!

AquaLung and Suunto are offering a computer trade-in program through December 31st. If you have an old, out-dated computer, working or not, bring it in for a $100 credit toward the purchase of a new Suunto Vytec, Vyper, Stinger or Cobra computer. There has never been a better time to upgrade to the feature-packed, easy-to-use, Suunto dive computers.

Need help choosing a gift for that diver or snorkler on your list? Stop in and speak with our knowledgeable staff. We can help With ideas from stocking stuffer to complete equipment packages. And if it all seems too overwhelming, we have gift certificates!