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| Monday, July 19, 2010 - Mid-July Newsletter from Olympus Dive Center |
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Greetings from Olympus Dive Center
Full Day Charter Availability
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The dog days of summer have arrived and have brought with it clear, blue, 80 degree water. As always, it has been a pleasure to see so many familiar faces and welcome new friends to North Carolina diving.
If you are familiar with the diving here in Morhead City, then you know that we typically run our Full Day Charters 7 days a week with Half Day Charters on weekend days and some week days. Our approximate availability can be found on our home page and also on this newsletter and to book, all you need to do is give us a call between the hours of 6am and 8pm.
When we have the opportunity, we like to offer specialty dives like our Spar Night Dives and we typically offer these once a month and have them listed on our calendar.
If you have contacted us recently about availability for July, you have learned that our boats are pretty full for the remaining weeks. Although this is something that we like, it does make it harder for you to chose your dates. With this, we would like to offer our assistance.
The month of August is a great time to dive off the coast of North Carolina. The conditions are the same as July and the water is traditionally a tad bit warmer. As an added bonus, most people traditionall take their vacations in July so in August, the boats have fewer people on them and local hotels traditionally offer lower rates for your stay. For discounted August hotel rates, please call the Sheraton Atlantic Beach and ask for their DIVE rate.
Coming this week:
Full Day Charters: Every Day
Half Day Charters: Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Photo Workshop with Mike Gerken This Friday
Professional photographer and Olympus's very own captain of the "Midnight Express", Mike Gerken, is offering an UW photography workshop on "How to Shoot Wrecks". For three hours Mike will share some of his best kept secrets of wreck photography he has collected over the years shooting in such places as Truk Lagoon, the SS President Coolidge in Vanuatu and of course North Carolina, the wreck diving capital of America. The course will cover everything from equipment requirements, dive skills, basic camera functions, lighting, research and the mind set needed to get "The Shot". Visit Mike's website, Evolution Underwater, to see a collection of his work.
Date: July 23, 2010
Time: 5-8PM (with 15 minute break)
Fee: $55
Location: Olympus Dive Center, Morehead City, NC
The workshop is open to all levels of photographers. Call for more information and to reserve your seat at 252-726-9432.
Travel:
We currently have spaces remaining for our annual St. Lawrence Seaway trip in October. For more information, or to book, please give contact Jon via email or give him a call at 252-726-9432.
We also just had 1 spot re-open for our 2011 Truk Lagoon trip that Bobby is leading. This trip had been full for some time so if you are interested in joining in at this point, please contact Nema via email or give her a call at 252-726-9432 today! This space will not last long!
Until Next Time!
- The Staff and Crew of Olympus Dive Center
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| | Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - June Charter Schedule With Olympus Dive Center |
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Greetings from Olympus Dive Center
June is here at last and the warm gulf stream is settling in to our favorite dive sites! In the past couple of weeks since our last newsletter, we have experienced some outstanding conditions! The Papoose has been ideal with 75 degree water temperature and 70 foot visibility with lots of sand tiger sharks present! Inshore sites like the Indra have been fantastic this year with a consistent 30 foot visibility and a comfortable 73 degree water temperature. We even had the chance to make our first trip to Caribsea on Monday and were greeted by the ever present sand tigers and a really descent 40 foot visibility. Basically what we're trying to say is…the conditions are great and we'd love to have you here to share it with!
Here's your chance…
Full Day Charter Availability
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Availability this Week:
Full Day Charter's on Thursday and Friday
Half Day Charter's on Saturday and Sunday
As of press time, we had 3 spaces remaining for Sunday's Full Day Charter
Availability Next Week (June 14-20):
Full Day Charter's each day
Spar Night Dive on Friday
Half Day Charter's on Saturday and Sunday
As a reminder, we are still running our lodging special from now until July 20th. Book any 2 days of diving and we will cover the cost of your lodging in the Olympus Dive Lodge!
What's Going On After Next Week?
Our online calendar and availability on our homepage are kept as up to date as possible. If you have questions beyond that or if you would like to book, please give us a call at 252-726-9432. We are now open from 6am to 8pm and are eager to assist you.
June Charter Highlights:
Full Day Charter - 7 days a week
Half Day Charter - On most Saturday's and Sunday's as well as week days by request
Spar Night Dive - June 18
Indra Night Dive - June 26
From the Training Department
We had a successful Tech weekend to the Naeco and have several opportunities for Advanced Nitrox and Deco training coming up in June and July. North Carolina offers a great location for technical diving the water is warm, visibility is great and the marine life is popping!
For recreational divers we have a PADI Advanced Open Water June 18-20 and a PADI Open Water June 24-27 with space available. Or take a specialty class in Night Diving on June 18th in conjunction with our Spar night trip.
Now is the time to enroll for July classes as things are filling rapidly. PADI Open Water is scheduled for July 10&11/ 17&18 and July 15-18. Don't forget, we teach PADI and NAUI and we can be very flexible, so even if it's not on the calendar, call and we can make it work!
New to The Online Store!
Stylish and functional Messenger Bag with U-352 embroidered logo! You'll also find 2 new Scuba Pro items - a long sleeve t-shirt and sweatshirt! We're also running a special on the U-352 Crest T-Shirt - select sizes and colors $20.00 from now until June 20th!
Until Next Time!
- The Staff and Crew of Olympus Dive Center
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| | Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - Your 4th of July Weekend Guide from Olympus Dive Center |
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Greetings from Olympus Dive Center
Full Day Charter Availability
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Looking for a last minute diving opportunity? By popular demand, we've set up some great dives just for you! Check out this edition of the newsletter for a Wednesday night dive as well as some Half Day Charters! The warm, clear, blue water is here and we are ready to take you there!
Availability this Week:
Every Day - Full Day Charters
Wednesday, June 30th - Indra Night Dive. $75/pp - This dive is back by popular demand! Our Indra night dive last Saturday was so great that people are asking for another one.
Thursday, July 1st - Half Day Charter. $60/pp - Arriving into town early? Why not book this half day trip to kick off your holiday weekend. These are great trips to get familiar with diving in North Carolina.
Friday, July 2nd - Half Day Charter. $60/pp - If you don't have the opportunity to come in town early, you still can catch our half day trip on Friday!
Sunday, July 4th - Happy Independence Day! Celebrate our country with 4th of July fireworks on our back dock. There is nothing like a slice of America enjoyed on a small waterfront community on the 4th. Watch as the fireworks start just over the water behind our shop and extend all the way down the island.
Sheraton Special Dive Promotion
If you're coming into town with the family and want to stay on the beach in a family friendly resort, than check out the Sheraton Atlantic Beach. They're currently offering a DIVE rate from June 29-July 1st for $89/night. The Sheraton is the only ocean front hotel in the area and is full service with everything from night life to great kids activities. Visit their website and make sure you call ahead to book the DIVE rate!
Just Announced: Photo Workshop with Mike Gerken
Professional photographer and Olympus's very own captain of the "Midnight Express", Mike Gerken, is offering an UW photography workshop on "How to Shoot Wrecks". For three hours Mike will share some of his best kept secrets of wreck photography he has collected over the years shooting in such places as Truk Lagoon, the SS President Coolidge in Vanuatu and of course North Carolina, the wreck diving capital of America. The course will cover everything from equipment requirements, dive skills, basic camera functions, lighting, research and the mind set needed to get "The Shot". Visit Mike's website, Evolution Underwater, to see a collection of his work.
Date: July 23, 2010
Time: 5-8PM (with 15 minute break)
Fee: $55
Location: Olympus Dive Center, Morehead City, NC
The workshop is open to all levels of photographers. Call for more information and to reserve your seat at 252-726-9432.
Until Next Time!
- The Staff and Crew of Olympus Dive Center
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| | Wednesday, April 28, 2010 - Whale Sighting and other Exciting News from Olympus Dive Center |
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Greetings from Olympus Dive Center
The 2010 Dive Season is off to a fantastic start with an offshore bottom temperature of 65 and visibility of 40 feet! We have had great success so far this year with Full Day and Half Day Charters, we have even squeezed in an Indra Night Dive last Saturday! Our charter and training calendar is beginning to fill up and we have already begun to see some familiar faces as well as some new NC divers! We're already off to a great start for 2010; we've accomplished much on our to-do list before the weather warms up and we wanted to share some of the excitement with you.
 A Whale of a Tale
Divers on the Midnight Express last Saturday got a special treat following their dives on the U-352 and Spar when they came across a Humpback Whale just outside Beaufort Inlet. While the occasional whale sighting isn't unusual, this is one of very few Humpback Whale sightings. Even more lucky was that staff photographer Chris Walker was on board to capture the special creature as it danced in front of our boat. The complete series of pictures is online in our photo gallery under 'Humpback Whale 2010' but we've included a teaser picture into this newsletter. Moral of the story? You never know what kind of surprises and special encounters the waters of North Carolina have in store for your dive trip!
Boring Weekend Ahead? Fix That With Some Diving!
We've got the fix for boring weekend syndrome! Join us this weekend for lobster and spearfishing charters aboard the Olympus or a Full Day Charter on Saturday and Half Day Charter on Sunday on the Midnight Express. Our lobster and spearfishing trips head out to the rock ledges which are abundant with spiny lobster. It's not uncommon for our boat to return after one of these trips with divers having caught the maximum allowable catch for the day. While the Olympus is out hunting, the Midnight Express will be going off shore on Saturday to hit some of our popular shipwrecks where the conditions are getting better by the day. On Sunday enjoy a relaxing in shore charter to one of our popular local wrecks.
Spaces Remain for Memorial Day Weekend
You've got a long weekend coming up at the end of May, have you made your diving plans yet? Join us on Memorial Day weekend (May 29-31) for a weekend of full day charters. And if you want to stay in economical housing over the weekend, don't forget about our diver's lodge located right across the street! Give us a call to book your charters today.
5th Annual Michael J. Norwood Event
Join John Chatterton May 14th-16th for the 5th Annual Michael J. Norwood Event. All proceeds from the weekend will be donated to DAN's Michael J. Norwood Memorial Research Fund. Michael was an avid diver and worked as the co-host of Deep Sea Detectives on the History Channel when he met an early death filming for the show. The fund established in his memory now serves to support research initiatives into diving accidents. For more information about the event and the Michael Norwood fund, please visit our website. The event is a fun filled weekend which includes 3 full days of diving, a dinner on Friday evening at The History Place catered by Floyd’s 1921 and a presentation by John Chatterton, along with a silent auction that evening. There will also be a BBQ on our docks after the dives on Saturday which will basically be a big party on our docks. Representatives from Scuba Pro will be on hand for Saturday and will have equipment with them for our guests to do dive demo’s with. Schedule of events and pricing is as follow, for complete details see our website.
May 14th - Full day Charters with John Chatterton $155
May 14th Evening – Dinner and Auction with a presentation by John Chatterton and Scuba Pro $70
May 15th - Full day Charters with John Chatterton $155
May 15th – BBQ on our docks $20
May 16th- Full Day Charters with John Chatterton $155
Dive Into Yoga! Support SUDS
Join Olympus Dive Center and Yoga for You on Saturday, May 15th for this event that parallels the Michael Norwood Dives. If someone in your family isn't a diver, here is a great activity for them to still support a great cause while you're out diving! Yoga for You will be offering free yoga classes at 9am, 11am and 1pm and a silent auction. All proceeds from the event will support Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba (SUDS). For more information, visit Yoga for You at www.yogaforyouandme.com.
Explore Further, Dive Longer, Learn Something New!
Every newsletter we talk about how North Carolina is probably the best place in North America to take a Wreck Diving or Nitrox class, yet we see plenty of divers who miss the opportunities to really explore by not taking one of these classes. Most of the classes we offer, like Wreck or Deep diving, are supplemental to your dives and the instructor will join you on the same charter you'd enjoy anyway. The benefit is that you'll learn new skills like wreck penetration and the instructors will be able to point out some of the unique sights and marine life along the way. If you want to know the fastest way to extend your bottom time, spend a few hours with one of our instructors taking a Nitrox class, which will almost immediately double your bottom time. Don't forget about our Any Class, Any Time policy; we're happy to schedule almost any class at almost any time to meet your diving and training schedule, even if we don't currently have one planned. To see a complete list of the courses offered or the training calendar, visit our website.
Olympus Dive Center Mexico Trip
Join Olympus Dive Center November 1-6th as we take on the reefs and cenotes of the Mexican Rivera. Our 6 day, 5 night adventure will include two days of 2-tank ocean dives and two days of 2-tank cenote diving with Dive Aventuras while enjoying the relaxing accommodations of the all inclusive Catalonia Rivieria Maya. Our resort is approxi mately 1 1/2 south of Cancun, making it easy to get to with inexpensive airfare offered by a variety of carriers. If you need even more reasons to come along, our favorite dive shop manager, Nema Triplett, is leading this trip, and she's sure to bring some good times along in her suitcase! Relax on the beach, enjoy all the food and drinks you can stand, and smile at the 5 minute boat rides to our dive sites on this all inclusive trip. Price is $950/pp which includes all diving, tanks, weights, taxes, transfers from Cancun, hotel and all meals and beverages. A $300 deposit is due to reserve your spot with the entire balance due September 1st.
Did You See Scuba Diving Magazine? Mike Gerken Took the Cover Shot!
If you just tossed this month's issue of Scuba Diving Magazine onto the coffee table, go grab it and open up the front cover and read the cover photo credit. That's right, it says Michael Gerken, as in Olympus' one and only captain and photography instructor. We'd like to congratulate Mike on this great achievement for having one of his photos on the cover of such a prestigious magazine. Want to take pics like this and be published on the front cover of a magazine too? Mike offers photography classes where you can learn the tricks and tips required to boost your photo skills. Don't forget, you can also see Mike's other works on his website, where you can order several of them to adorn your walls.
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Until Next Time!
- The Staff and Crew of Olympus Dive Center
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| | Monday, February 08, 2010 - Dive Season Planning Guide from Olympus Dive Center |
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Greetings from Olympus Dive Center
We're already off to a great start for 2010; we've accomplished much on our to-do list before the weather warms up and we wanted to share some of the excitement with you.
Olympus Presents New Website
If you were browsing our website mid-January, you were the first to witness the live renovation of our website. In our pursuit to always be 'The Better Way to Dive North Carolina' we spent much of the last month working on a new website that has more features for you! If you haven't seen it, please take a second to drop by www.olympusdiving.com. If you were a regular on our old site, you'll notice many changes beyond the revised look; our calendars for dive charters and training are now separate, we have added tons of cool info to the shipwrecks (with more still coming), and we've embedded tons of videos throughout the site. Enjoy!
Three New Special Events Announced
 5th Annual Michael J. Norwood Event: Join John Chatterton May 14th-16th for the 5th Annual Michael J. Norwood Event. All proceeds from the weekend will be donated to DAN's Michael J. Norwood Memorial Research Fund. Michael was an avid diver and worked as the co-host of Deep Sea Detectives on the History Channel when he met an early death filming for the show. The fund established in his memory now serves to support research initiatives into diving accidents. For more information about the event and the Michael Norwood fund, please visit our website. The event is a fun filled weekend which includes 3 full days of diving, a dinner on Friday evening at The History Place catered by Floyd’s 1921 and a presentation by John Chatterton, along with a silent auction that evening. There will also be a BBQ on our docks after the dives on Saturday which will basically be a big party on our docks. Representatives from Scuba Pro will be on hand for the entire weekend and will have equipment with them for our guests to do dive demo’s with. Schedule of events and pricing is as follow, for complete details see our website.
May 14th - Full day Charters with John Chatterton $155
May 14th Evening – Dinner and Auction with a presentation by John Chatterton and Scuba Pro $70
May 15th - Full day Charters with John Chatterton $155
May 15th – BBQ on our docks $20
May 16th- Full Day Charters with John Chatterton $155
Wreck Week 2010: Back by popular demand, Olympus Dive Center is once again teaming up with Wreck Diving Magazine to conduct another Wreck Week. We will spend part of the time searching for new wrecks and diving on some of the fabulous well known wrecks. In addition, we plan to conduct evening seminars, both at the Olympus docks and an indoor pool, on the use of the following equipment, and we'll even let you try them out: ROVs, Sidescan Sonar, Metal Detectors, Scooters, Dive to Diver communications with full face masks, and much more! This year's wreck week is being held June 14th-18th. For complete information and schedule see our website.
SharkFest 2010: Sharkfest is a long weekend of shark diving, shark movies, and good times! The obvious focus of this event is to get face to face with one of the most misunderstood creatures in the sea... the sand tiger shark. Another fun part of this event is the shark film festival. This isn't Cannes so leave the tuxedos at home! Movies will be screened on a digital projector in the Olympus Dive Lodge or outdoors on the back deck of the dive center (weather permitting). Sharkfest is a long overdue opportunity for all shark divers to get together, dive and talk sharks! If you are a shark junkie, you belong here! This year's SharkFest is August 6th-8th.For complete information and schedule, see our website.
2010 Dive Season Opener
 As you have probably guessed, we are currently in our winter dive season which means we're doing alot of preperations for the spring and summer dive season. That being said, we'd like to announce our official season opener the weekend of March 20th-21st. We'll be running our regular Full Day Charters with hopes to go out to some of our favorite sites like the Schurz, Papoose, U-352 or Spar. That same weekend we'll be conducting a deep diver course for those of you who may be interested. When you take a look at our online calendar and scroll through the upcoming months you'll probably see some other things that catch your eye like the popular spearfishing and lobster charter on April 17th-18th. Once you've picked out your dates, give us a call; or if there are dates you're wanting to dive but that we don't have a charter listed on, give us a call and we will see what we can work out for you.
Technical Charter Schedule
We're pleased to announce our technical charter schedule for 2010! Join us June 5th & 6th, September 4th & 5th, or October 30th & 31st for one of these popular technical charters. We have also added a Tech Week July 12th through 15th! If you're looking to do several days of technical diving this summer, then Tech Week is for you! We're going to be doing a progressive 'step up' to the most advanced wrecks each day, starting with 'warm up' dives on wrecks in the 100-120ft depth. The second and third days will hit different wrecks in our typical 140ft+ technical charter range, with the last day doing a more advanced wreck, possibly up to 200' in range. Deco will be permitted on all days and you don't need to dive every day to participate. Rebreathers and Open Circuit divers welcome, this is a great time to do some training dives too! For more information or diver requirements, contact Jon.
New in our eShop
 Ready to breathe some new life into your dive t-shirt collection? Olympus has the solution for you! We would like to present three new t-shirt designs to compliment our standard line for 2010. These shirts are available now in our e-Shop as pre-orders, so check them out, and be first to get yours!
Beat the Rush! Service your Equipment Now!
As the weather warms up, more people will remember about that dive gear that needs service, and the wait times for equipment to be serviced extends. Beat the rush and send us your regulators and BCD now and Jon will work on them. Thats right - we do mail order equipment service. For complete details, see our repairs page and contact Jon with questions.
Coming in the Next Edition....
Dates for Jon's annual St. Lawrence Seaway trip as well as a trip to the Riviara Maya! Join Nema as she takes you on a week long trip to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula to dive the world famous cenotes and reefs. We'll also be announcing the details of a camp-aboard trip in May.
Until Next Time!
- The Staff and Crew of Olympus Dive Center
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