You've probably heard the news about the proposed sinking of the missile tracking ship Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg off of Key West, Florida. The Vandenberg, at over 520 feet and 13,000 tons, will be the largest ship ever intentionally sunk as an artificial reef. This site will be the signature dive of Key West and the Florida Keys, and will become one of the most famous warm-water wrecks in the world.

And now you have the chance to name it! For the small price of $1.3 million, you can purchase the right to name the artificial reef! I'm thinking something like ?Raf's Cool Dive Spot?.

The organizers listed the naming rights on eBay in order to raise the balance of the $5.7 million needed for the project. Bidding started at 900,000, but sadly, on 3 bids were placed and the highest bidder did not meet the $1.3 reserve.

According to ARK (Artificial Reefs of the Keys), the keel and screw will rest at 140' The tops of the bridge, com rooms, crow's nest and the vast dish antennas will be only 40' below the surface in normally clear gulf stream waters. Lying outside the reef line, about 6 miles offshore, the wreck will often be visible even to snorkelers and glass bottom boats.

DiveSpots.com is now a featured RSS feed provider on DiveClips.com! What's an RSS Feed, you ask? RSS is a file format used by Websites to share/syndicate news items and other content. DiveSpots.com has always provided all dive site listings, photos, and blog posts in RSS format. DiveClips.com has added our feeds to their site. They automatically check our site every hour, along with many other dive-related sites, and bring new content into the DiveClips database. Now you can get your daily (or hourly!) Scuba news fix in one place! DiveSpots.com is proud to be a featured provider of content for DiveClips.com.

Last summer, we packed up the boat and made the 49-mile trek across the Gulf Stream, from Miami to Bimini. If you?ve made the trip, you know that the trip itself is not that bad (although bad weather or inexperience can make it a miserable and dangerous adventure). However, because of heightened border security in recent years, getting home is a HUGE aggravation.

By law, boaters returning from a foreign port must call an 800 number to announce their arrival, and then they have 24 hours to report in person to a passport control officer for a face-to-face interview. The only places to go for those interviews in Miami-Dade and Broward counties are the Port of Miami-Dade and Port Everglades.

In our case, we arrived back in Miami Sunday evening around 6 PM, tired, hungry, and wet. After unloading and cleaning the boat (now 8 PM), nobody wanted to drive another hour to the Port of Miami for our interview with Homeland Security. So we reported the next morning. But that meant we had to fight Monday-morning traffic and miss a couple of hours of work. And since the kids made the trip with us, they had to miss the first part of school.

Good news!

A new program offered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection allows boaters to bypass a step in the required process to reenter the country. Recreational U.S. boaters returning home from foreign ports may no longer have to go to an immigration and customs office for a reentry interview. With the new process, boaters can complete a one-time registration with their local U.S. Customs and Border Protection office. They must present proof of citizenship or legal permanent residence and submit identifying details about their vessels. Boaters are given a personal registration number when they sign up for the Local Boater Option program.

After registering, boaters arriving from foreign ports will still have to call an 800 number to connect with passport control officers. The boaters will give their registration numbers over the phone and, in most cases, they will not have to report in person after arriving back in the United States.

To enroll in the Customs and Border Protection's Local Boater Option, set up an appointment by calling 800-432-1216 or 800-451-0393

Via [Miami Herald]

The dates have been announced for the second annual Florida Dive Show. The show, open to the sport/recreational, technical, and professional diver (and to the general public!), will be held December 2nd and 3rd, 2006 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center (Florida). Show hours are Saturday 9:30am to 6:30pm, Sunday 10am to 5pm. Discount ticket to be distributed through dive shops in Florida.

DiveSpots.com had a booth at last year's show, and we'll do the same again this year. Stop by and say hello, learn more about DiveSpots and the many other great participating exhibitors.

From dive equipment manufacturers to exotic vacation destinations, more than 150 exhibitors are expected. Educational seminars, held daily from 12 noon until 3:30 pm, include safety and diving, underwater photography, fish identification, global travel, diving for kids, wreck diving, and more. Reef conservation groups will be offering tips and guidelines to protect local systems and regional dive boat operators will illustrate the differences between each county?s diving.

[Via Scuba PRWire]

DiveSpots: How did you get started blogging for divester?

Willy: Actually, I applied to write for one of Divester's sister blogs -- Gadling -- which is focused on travel. I didn't hear anything for a few weeks, and then one day, I got an email asking if I was interested in writing for Divester. Apparently, I had commented on a lot of Gadling's dive-related posts, and I was recruited by the editorial staff. I submitted a writing sample, and I got hired. That was 2400 posts, and 580,000 words ago. I'm happy it worked out the way it did, because I like the focus Divester provides. The wide-ranging theme of "travel" would drive me batty. I like the little spotlight I have to use.

DiveSpots: Based on the number of blog posts, you obviously have a passion for writing. How do you find the time?

Willy: I write whenever I get the chance: I wake up early each morning and write for an hour. I write on my days off. I write occasionally in the evenings, or as my wife is getting ready to go out. I like to think I'm motivated and budgeting my time carefully. My wife, however, thinks I'm freakishly obsessed and demented. She's right about most things.

DiveSpots: What's your secret? Where do you find all of the great material you uncover?

Willy: I started writing for Divester in March, 2005. At the time, I didn't really know where to find any information, and for a while, I just kept trolling the same sites and linking to them. Then, I started to explore the sites that the sites I was exploring linked to. And then I explored those sites, and so on.

In 2005, I had never used a feed reader before, and I didn't really know what RSS was. Now, I compulsively add feeds to my reader -- which has about 60+ dive, underwater, and science-related feeds in it today. I also read a lot of magazines and books, and when I discover something interesting, I mention it. That said, while I love both Scuba Diving and Sport Diver, generally-speaking, once something appears in magazines, the news is too old for Divester.

DiveSpots: Divester is owned by Weblogs, Inc., which was purchased by AOL one year ago this month (October 2005). Did the AOL purchase limit your creative license in any way?

Willy: Not at all. When Jason Calacanis -- the man behind Weblogs -- sold Weblogs to AOL, he made certain AOL wasn't going to tell us what to do. And they haven't. Not even once.

DiveSpots: Is there someone at Weblogs that edits or reviews your work before it's posted?

Willy: Never. Basically, they presume that they hire the best, most talented people they can to write about the stuff they love. In other words: I'm the expert, so why would they censor the expert? Moreover, blogging is supposed to be a "fast" medium, so reviewing my work only delays the process.

As long as you stick to the "theme" of your blog, you're never going to be censored or edited, which, of course, is the best part of working for Weblogs. For the most part, I can write whatever I like, how ever I like -- as long as it relates at least somewhat to diving or the marine environment. If I started bashing policy in Iraq routinely, then I might get a talking-to. In the meantime, I'm free. Log in. Write. Publish.

DiveSpots: You recently dabbled in Podcasting. I enjoyed the "Podcast Interview with Foots" you posted back in December. Did you find that to be a successful medium for your audience?

Willy: First, let me say that Foots may be the coolest guy on the planet. He's living his dream, despite appearing a little nutty.

Podcasts require a lot of coordination -- I have to be available at the same time as the interviewee. Then, I have to spend time editing the recording into a manageable length. While I think my podcasts were warmly received, they consume a lot of time and energy.

In the meantime, Divester is starting a new feature called "10 Questions for...", which involves simply using email to correspond with a dive personality. This is a far more manageable process for everyone involved -- although it may not be as "cutting edge." However, it doesn't require any of Divester's readers to use any kind of software to access the interview, or listen to something they'd prefer to skim for highlights. I think it's just easier.

DiveSpots: Do you foresee more Podcasts, or possibly a YouTube video or two?

Willy: I foresee more podcasts in the future -- but they'll probably only be a few minutes in length. In terms of vodcasting -- or video podcasting -- I plan on attending DEMA, and I may try to throw some videos up on YouTube from the event.

DiveSpots: You've submitted 76 stories to digg.com. I noticed that the one that got the most "diggs" was one provocatively titled "What about Shrinkage?" It got a whopping 727 diggs! Do findings such as this influence your writing style?

Willy: For websites interested in generating increased traffic numbers, not much beats having your content get linked to on Digg or Netscape. However, by and large, neither of these sites is geared towards the diving community, so hoping you're going to generate big traffic from these sites is somewhat pointless. After all, most people aren't divers. Frankly, the best way to increase your traffic over the long term is to provide interesting content or perspectives that no other sites provide.

DiveSpots: We both write and talk about diving. What about "actual" diving? Do you? How long have you been diving?

Willy: I started diving when I was 13. I have about 500 dives to my name now. Although I write about diving on a daily basis, I dive once or twice a quarter. About once a year, I go on a big trip. The last one was to Cayman.

Actually, I went diving this weekend, which was nice. I tried two different operators, much different in scale and scope. Both were great. Soon, I want to visit Foots in the Brac, and I'd really like to hit PNG. I want to see the walking sharks.

DiveSpots: Tell us about your most memorable dive.

Willy: It's always the last one I did. In this case, it was Palm Beach County's Captain Tony. A 167-foot-long freighter in about 85 feet of water, the Captain Tony is almost entirely covered with coral, including some gorgeous, delicate bluebell tunicates. The sun was out that morning, and the current was mild, so the wreck was brightly illuminated and easy to dive on. The highlight was the pair of Goliath grouper on the wreck -- one of which kept making that distinct "thunk"-ing sound. So cool.

DiveSpots: Are there any cool new technologies on the horizon for Divester or the blogging platform that you can share with us?

Willy: Soon, you'll be able to access Divester via mobile phone. Is that cool? I don't own a cell phone, so for me, it's not that cool.

DiveSpots: Somewhat off-topic, but extremely interesting... You volunteered for the Peace Corps for 3 years up until 2001. Fantastic! How cool of an experience was that?

Willy: It was a great experience, and one that will shape my life forever. I taught rural communities in Zambia, Africa, about safe water, sanitation, and hygiene practices. We also applied for some grant money and used it to have HIV/AIDS prevention workshops and build wells and latrines. For the first three months, I swore each day that I was leaving. Then, a few minutes later, something amazing would happen, and I'd be thrilled I was there. By the end of my two-year commitment, I realized I was in the middle of several projects, and if I left, I'd never see them through to the end. Consequently, I decided to stay for an extra year and finish the projects. I'm glad I did, but I was ready to come home after the third year.

DiveSpots: I read your article titled "An Exorcism in Zambia". The article tells a great story about a community communicating with dead relatives to solve a problem -- to "make something happen". Did the experience change the way you approach problems?

Willy: It reminds me that my way is not always the best way. Being an only child, I often forget this important concept.

What started out to be just a "night dive" on the World's largest artificial reef, the USS Oriskany, blossomed into the most magical and spiritual dive of my life. I had assembled a group of divers, who were part of an original dive team devoted to having a good time under the water when their off time would permit.

One member of the dive team, however, was missing. His name was Ray Jones and he had succumbed to a heart attack last year. We had vowed to make a memorial dive in his honor every year to mark the anniversary of his death. Ray's widow had donated one of his dive computers, an Edge Orca to be left on the site as a living memorial in his name. Each of us wrote Ray a small note on the face of the computer, and then placed a fresh battery in the housing.

A year had past, the sea was calm, the moon was full, the site had been chosen, the time was right! At 6pm we met at my boat, the "Y KNOT?", a 29' Catamaran with twin Yamaha 200's and loaded the gear.

We decided to make our first dive on the submerged Chevron oil rig 2.2 miles from the Oriskany. This would allow the Moon a chance to gain some altitude and provide a little more ambient light for the dive.

After our first dive, we arrived at 9:30 pm directly over the sub-surface buoy attached to the yardarm of the Oriskany 70 feet below. My brother jumped into the ink black water with mask, fins, and snorkel and secured our line to the buoy at 25 fsw.

We hit the water and made our descent through the darkness to the smokestack at 80 fsw. After forming a circle and all of us holding the computer directly over the dark abyss, we released it at the same time. It skipped off the sides of the smokestack and gathered speed and dust particles to its final resting place, deep within the bowels of the ship. We held the circle in prayer for a moment, and then dispersed to all points of the compass, each of us to reflect on the experience in our own way.

The wreck was alive with the fish and crustaceans not normally seen during daylight hours. The visibility was a good 80' and the ambient light provided by the full Moon overhead was sufficient enough to dive without a light! Baitfish and small squid swam nervously through the clear dark water with no current to alter their course. Small crabs scurried about in their search for food, you could almost hear them saying "hey!, hey!, hey!" as they jockeyed for position.

When our lights were on, the backlit surface of the wreck seemed alive with color. Soft corals and algae have already taken hold and continue to grow after only four months. A Peppermint Shrimp was surprised by one of our group, who quickly took his picture, no doubt blinding the little guy temporarily.

After forty minutes of exploring every nook and cranny, it was time to make our way back to the sub-surface buoy line. Making our stop at 25' we hovered, lights out, absorbing our surroundings and reflecting on the dive. It was truly a magical experience, one that will live on in each of us for the rest of our lives.

I have dove this magnificent wreck many times, but it was a totally different dive at night. One that everyone should experience at some point in his or her life.

Safe diving,
Capt. Dave Mucci

Are you looking for something different this Halloween? How about an Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest, or a Haunted Dive?

If you're in the Key Largo Area, grab your dive knife and dive into Key Largo's annual Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest, hosted by Amy Slate's Amoray Dive Resort, mile marker 104 bayside. The event is set for Sunday, Oct. 29th. Each participating buddy team is to receive a hollowed-out pumpkin, which is to be turned into a work of creative underwater art during the one-of-a-kind contest.

A bit further north, The Haunted Quarry (Bainbridge, PA) & Pumpkin Carving Contest will be held on Saturday, October 14th at the Bainbridge Scuba Center. The $40 fee benefits the National Ovarian Cancer Alliance and includes participation in the Underwater Pumpkin Carving Event and the Underwater Haunted Quarry Tour, an eerie night time tour of underwater ghosts and goblins.

[Via Divester.com]

Scubapro, in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, has issued a safety recall for its MK 20 First Stage Regulators (recall details). The recall affects approximately 48,500 units worldwide. Over-tightening of the Yoke or Din retainer during annual servicing of these regulators could result in a stress crack and failure of the regulator. If this occurs during a dive, air supply could be interrupted, posing a drowning hazard. Consumers should bring MK 20 regulators to any authorized Scubapro dealer to have a service upgrade completed free of charge.