BlogBook

Welcome to January 2012! We’re looking forward to a great year of diving, and we’re starting it off with big news from DUI, Diving Unlimited International, the premier manufacturer of drysuits. The Drysuit Rally will return to Beaver Lake this spring on April 28th and 29th. If you don’t know what a drysuit rally is, then read further. DUI brings a truckload of drysuits in every size and style they manufacture. You get to come out and try drysuit diving for a nominal fee of about $10. There’s no sales pressure at this event-it’s just a fun time to allow divers to experience the benefits of diving dry. Water temperatures are generally about 55-58 degrees at this time of the year which is on the cool side. In a drysuit you’ll be warm, comfortable, and not wet! Only a few events like this are held in the country, and we are extremely fortunate to have on right here on Beaver Lake. Keep tuned for more information on the website. SportsCo will be staffing this event so come on out. This is a great time! Tickets will soon be available.

On the equipment front, we have the new DC1400 cameras from SeaLife. These are amazing systems. You can control your exposure to make excellent photos with really simple, easy to use settings! This camera was designed to be used underwater from the start, instead of being a camera that you just house. What that means for you is that all of the controls that are important for u/w use are right up front on the menu. They are easy to access on a one-touch type lever. No more tiny little buttons to find and push underwater....these are big “piano key” levers that are simple to operate. At 14 megapixels, the quality is outstanding. Better yet, if you want to shoot some video, the camera features HD recording! There are a lot of really cool features to make this little camera an outstanding value. We have personally used them, and we’re really impressed with their performance! If you have looked at our photo albums on the website, then you know we’re into good photography.

Michael Gray photos. Check out Michael’s first time shooting underwater photos! Michael has a good eye and SeaLife makes it easy!

scuba & snorkeling center

Welcome to the BlogBook, SportsCo’s monthly newsletter. You can now get a monthly update on all things diving at SportsCo. We’ll keep you connected to classes, gear, travel, Beaver Lake, and other diving details that might interest you! If you want to check in more frequently try our Facebook page-Facebook.com/sportscoscuba.

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/join/index.asp?RC=1450806

Classes are now signing up for Open Water certification! Now is the perfect time to get into a scuba class. You can take the course now and complete your checkout

dives in late April/early May. If you’re one of those busy people who has something to do all of the time once the weather warms up then this schedule is for you! When the diving season or your spring trip rolls around, you’ll be certified!

Join us in Cozumel for Spring Break, March 16-23!

Cozumel is our absolute favorite March destination. The marine life is really active during that time of the year, so you will see lots of cool critters. Cozumel remains one of the best values in travel-outstanding diving, great accommodations, and a really fun island for play. We dive in the morning and you can play in the afternoon! Visit town, shop, go to the beach, explore the island, or just kick back and do nothing, it’s your choice. Group travel is more fun than you can imagine. Diving with new friends adds a special dimension to travel. You can do as much or as little with the group as you want. We can personally say that we have lots of folks who have made lifetime friends traveling on a SportsCo trip.

Visit the travel page or call us at SportsCo for more details. (479)751-0636.

A word from the gear repair center...if you need to have your gear inspected, now is the time to do it! We get really busy as the season approaches. We strive to service equipment in a timely manner, but it’s still a labor intensive process. Don’t wait until the day before you are leaving on a trip to find out something doesn’t work! Get your gear out early, hook it up, turn it on, and see if it is working properly! Come in and take a test dive with it in the pool. You don’t need surprises on your trip! Please note: the gear repair center will be closed February 3-18. You can drop it off during that time, but it won’t be ready until the following week, so please plan ahead!

Beaver Lake conditions: the temperature isn’t too bad, about 50 degrees still, due to the abnormally warm weather for this time of the year. The visibility isn’t great because we have had some wind all fall and winter! The temps will cool down a little more, and we hope the vis improves for spring. Last year was an atypical year for visibility, so we expect better things for 2012.