AUGUST...   and Beyond

                                                - By Dave Schneider, Vice President, Calendar

        Phone numbers of event coordinators are not posted to ensure privacy.  If you are a Club member please consult your Buddy List for the number you need.  If you do not have a copy of the Buddy List one will be available for you at the next General Meeting.

        Just a quick reminder.. The Calendar exists for the information of all our members.  Should you see an event that is of interest to you please contact the Coordinator directly.  You can sign-up for the event(s) of your choice at any time of the month. The Coordinator will be more than pleased to place your name on the list and tell you where to mail payment.

HELP MAKE YOUR CLUB BETTER ! ....  We need more people to step up and run events.  If you are interested in coordinating a dive.. a trip.. a dinner or any other type of event please contact an E-Board member. Any member of the Board will be more than happy to assist you.

July 30 - 31:  Mini Season!

July 26:   Member Appreciation Day (Saturday)   For the third year in a row we pay tribute to ourselves with a super party. This is another one of those days you don't want to miss.  Steve Oller will be coordinating a beach dive (hopefully), free food, free beverage and lots of fun.  Steve plans to start the beach dive around 4:00 PM.  Party time will start around 5:00 PM.  Nothing is set in stone as yet, so let Steve know your great ideas!  Mark your calendars now!  Ft. Lauderdale Beach,  opposite the Yankee Clipper hotel.

July 30:  Dinner-at-Large (Wednesday)  What a treat! Adelle Nicholson will be our Maitre'd for a great meal at Le Tub, the home to what GQ magazine called the #1 hamburger in the U.S.! Weather permitting we will dine on the back deck, right on the Intracoastal.  The dinner bell shall be rung at 7:30.  Located at: 1100 A1A, Hollywood.   Check out the menu at www.theletub.com. 

August 6:  Lobster Season Opens!

August 6:   General Meeting  7:30 PM (Sharp!)   New Location!!  Lauderdale Isles Yacht and Tennis Club We're back at one of our favorite locations. Address and directions are available elsewhere in the Newsletter.

August 11:  SFDI Executive Board Meeting at Connections for Business, 2843 Pembroke Road, NE corner of I-95 and Pembroke Road.  The meeting starts promptly at 7:30.  It's always nice to have members come and help us keep our Club growing.

August 15-17:   Annual Keys Weekend  Our favorite party weekend, once again we will be going to the Islander in Islamorada for some quality fun in the sun.  Friday night features a bar-b-que.  We will be doing a couple of excellent dives Saturday morning with Bud & Mary's followed by an afternoon around the pool and dinner at a special place Saturday night.  Cost will be around $250.00 for lodging and diving.  Call Jeff Raffa or Ginny DeMattei for more details, and be sure to register early and get a deposit to Kim Hunziker as this one sells out quickly.

August 23:  8:00 AM Show  8:30 AM Go (Saturday)  John and Dave are leading the flotilla back to sea for another Private Boat Dive. As always space is limited so be sure to sign-up early or give them a call to reserve your spot.  It may be redundant, but be on time since the boats pull out promptly at 8:30 and you don't want to be waving at them from the John U. Lloyd State Park dock.

August 24:  Tenneco Towers - American Dream - Such fun!  Details will be forthcoming.  Stay tuned or call Fred Miller for details.

August 27:  Dinner-at-Large (Wednesday)  Bravo! Bravo! Bravo Italiano!  Bruce Wills invites everyone to join him for some of the best Italian eats in Broward County.  The Bravo Italiano Ristorante is located at 1515 SE 17th. Street, Ft. Lauderdale. Bruce will ring the dinner bell at 7:30. Get more details and view the menu at www.bravoitaliano.com... or give Bruce a call.

August 31:  8:00 AM Show  8:30 Am Go (Sunday)  It's time for our annual pilgrimage to the Biscayne Wall. Pete Stephinson will lead  a lucky group to one of our more popular dive sites.  Cost will be $60.00 and this fee is very reasonable since tax, tip and two tanks are included.  Call Pete for more information.

September 1:  Labor Day

September 3:   General Meeting  7:30 PM (Sharp!)   New Location!!  Lauderdale Isles Yacht and Tennis Club We're back at one of our favorite locations. Address and directions are available elsewhere in the Newsletter.

September 6:  Bowling Night With the Stars   Okay, that might be a little embellished, but Joe G. is planning this Saturday event and will let us know the details as soon as available.  Or give him a call.  He's lonely and loves to hear from y'all.

September 8:  SFDI Executive Board Meeting at Connections for Business, 2843 Pembroke Road, NE corner of I-95 and Pembroke Road.  The meeting starts promptly at 7:30.  Everybody welcome.  We need your input to make our Club even better.

September 13:  Seafood Fest! (Saturday)  Always a highlight of the SFDI Calendar as we go through another fun- filled hurricane season.  Plan to dive today so you can bring your catch as well as the mandatory covered dish to share with all.  Cookies from Publix are not an option.  As always there will a keg, wine and chicken on the barbie.  5:00PM to Midnight.  Cost will be $5.00 for members and guests.  Lauderdale Isles Yacht Club  [Map here], 2637 Whale Harbor Lane, Ft. Lauderdale. 

September 17:  Dinner-at-Large (Wednesday)  The scene shifts to Oakland Park for a night of seafood and fun at Catfish Dewey's . John Kansman will be ringing the dinner bell at 7:30.  The restaurant is located at 4003 N. Andrews Avenue. For a look at the menu or for more information go to www.catfishdeweys.com or call John, he just loves to hear from everybody.

September 19-21:  Annual Bahamas Weekend  Flushed with success from their Keys Weekend, Jeff and Ginny are back with a special weekend of fun and diving in the Bahamas.  We'll be cruising to Grand Bahama aboard Discovery Cruise Lines.  Luxury accommodations have been secured at Pelican Bay resort.  Saturday will feature two morning dives and two afternoon dives.  There will be two more dives Sunday morning.  As an extra treat one of the dives will be a shark dive.  All this for the bargain price of $450.00.  Space is limited and will go quickly, so sign up and have a $100.00 deposit ready at the June meeting.

September 27:  8:30AM Show 9:00AM Go (Saturday) Three Tank Dive Day  We're planning a Key Largo dive with Slates' Atlantis that will be a great day of Keys diving.  As we've done for the last several years this will be a three tank, four dive day where we pick the dive sites.  We will do two dives, break for lunch and two two more dives before returning to shore.  All for only $99.00, tax and tip included, plus the box lunch you bring along with you.  Call Dave Schneider for more details.

October 17 - 19:  Penne-Camp Weekend  The Spring camping weekend was so successful that we're gonna do it again, this time at John Pennekamp State Park.  There will be room for tents only.  This location will allow us to dive the park, explore Key Largo or just kick back and enjoy the good life.  Cost will be about $15.00 per person for the tent site.  Amusing yourselves, extra.   Call Dave Schneider for more details.

November 1:  Marine Mammal Conservancy - Key Largo (Saturday)  Adele Nicholson has arranged for us to join with the staff of the MMC for an afternoon of training in the basic handling, evaluation and transport of marine mammals.  The session is 4 hours and will cost $5.00, training manual included.  After, we can all enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.  As an added after dinner feature, those "with the stomach for it" can visit MMC's Haunted House for an additional $5.00 contribution.  Further donations to the Conservancy are encouraged.  Call Adelle for more information or go to www.marinemammalconservancy.org to learn more about MMC.

                                         INTERNATIONAL TRIPS FOR 2008 - 2009

January 6 - 18, 2009:   Raja Ampat, Indonesia   Seven Seas (liveaboard)     $4500.00+/-                                                               The trip includes 12 nights on the Seven Seas, all diving, meals, coffee, tea, drinking water, sodas, optional land and beach trips.  Trip cost is based on double occupancy with a deposit of 30% and balance due 90 days before departure. Cancellations made up to 90 days before departure are subject to a $500.00 cancellation fee and within 90 days there are no refunds. Not included are all airfares, hotels, transfers enroute to Sorong and mandatory trip insurance. Departure will be on or about January 2, 2009.  Return home should be by January 20,2009. For more information please go to www.thesevenseas.com or give Fred Miller a call.

June 2009:   Beqa Lagoon, Fiji  -  Susan Judah & Ray Gonzalez                                                                            It's too early to nail down the details so keep an eye out for more information. At this point it looks like the trip will run $3300.00 +/- plus air from here to California (and back, presumably).  We will have 7 nights on Beqa, which will include all meals and 10 dives plus unlimited shore diving.   A sign-up sheet will be at the next meeting and deposits will be accepted from people who sincerely want to go.  

AND SOME LAST IMPORTANT NOTES...

Club Policies on Dives and Trips:

Dives, Trips, Activities and events are run according to the SFDI Policies and Procedures, which are available to everyone.  If you don’t have a copy, please ask the Membership VP, or other E-Board member at the next General Meeting. Here is a summary of some of the important ones:

1.      Payment for Dives, Events and trips:  A member is confirmed on a dive, trip or event only after they have paid.  Payments for dives should be made when signing up.  Payments for trips should be made according to the schedule as outlined by the trip coordinator.  In the event that a dive/trip/activity is oversubscribed, then those confirmed will be determined by the order of payment.

2.      Cancellation:  Once a member signs on for a dive/event he or she is obligated to pay for that dive/event unless they contact the coordinator for that dive/event and cancel by the specified cancellation time.  Not paying immediately does not eliminate the requirement to make full payment if you do not cancel within the designated cancellation period or simply fail to show up for that dive/event.

3.      Certification Requirements:  Some dives will be restricted to divers with certain minimum certification levels.  For example Advanced Open Water.  In some cases, these requirements will be set by the dive operator.  In others they may be set by the dive organizer in conjunction with the E-Board based on the profile and characteristics of the planned dive.  In these cases the minimum certifications required for the dive will be clearly identified on the sign up sheet and in the published calendar.  No exceptions will be made for any reason.

4.      Special Needs:  Some of our members have “special needs” when participating on a dive or trip. These can be cases where the diver needs extra assistance on a dive boat or a member has particular requirements regarding accommodations. Dive organizers will check for the common ones, such as the requirement for extra assistance getting into or out of the water.  However, it is the responsibility of the member to make sure that his/her needs are known to the organizer and if there is any doubt the member should contact the operator in advance.  It is the responsibility of the club member to verify that their needs can be accommodated prior to the event/trip/activity.

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