2011 Meetings
DAN Referral-Physician Dr. Craig Cook is involved in undersea exploration and undersea medicine. As a physician he is especially interested in the mechanisms of decompression sickness and its treatment in remote locations. He has been an active diver for more than 40 years and is a PADI dive instructor. He also has technical diving certifications for both closed and semi-closed oxygen rebreathers.
Dr. Cook is a DAN Instructor with multiple certifications in diving accident management. In addition, he has been a DAN referral physician for over 15 years. His certifications also include that of a NOAA Diving Medical Officer (DMO). Dr. Cook is a contributing author for the medical textbook Expedition Medicine to which he contributed chapters on dive medicine and hazardous marine life. He is currently the Medical Editor for Sport Diver Magazine.
In 2008 and 2009 he was the Diving Medical Officer (DMO) for two NOAA expeditions to research and document German U-boats that were lost off the North Carolina coast during the World War II Battle of the Atlantic. He has also been the Diving Medical Officer on several scientific expeditions for reef surveys in the Central Pacific with the New England Aquarium, Woods Hole and Scripps Oceanographic Institutes. He was involved with NOAA and the U.S. Navy as the DMO on the Monitor Expedition in 2003 during which the ironclad's turret was raised. Dr. Cook has also served as a consultant to NOAA for search and rescue procedures in diving operations and is one of the contributing authors to the NOAA Diving Manual. He is an award-winning underwater photographer whose photographs have been published in multiple magazines, books, and calendars. Besides diving, Dr. Cook is a competitive cyclist and triathlete and has competed in the Hawaiian Ironman competition.
Dr. Cook is president of Undersea Medical Consultants in Severna Park, MD.
- Gloria, Kris, and Sarah are going to Fiji to dive on the Nai'a at the end of May.
- Eric and Larry are joining a group of friends in West Palm Beach over Memorial Day weekend.
- Gloria is talking about diving the Inside Passage in Alaska next year. Dry suit required.
- Kris is organizing a trip to dive for megldon teeth with Columbia Scuba in November 2011
- A group of us are talking about diving Roatan, Honduras late 2011 or early 2012.
- Gloria, Kris, and Sarah are going to Fiji to dive on the Nai'a at the end of May.
- Eric and Larry are joining a group of friends in West Palm Beach over Memorial Day weekend.
- Gloria is talking about diving the Inside Passage in Alaska next year. Dry suit required.
- Kris is organizing a trip to dive for megldon teeth with Columbia Scuba in November 2011
- A group of us are talking about diving Roatan, Honduras late 2011 or early 2012.
- The Pasta Pigout is planned for April 16. Contact the club for detials
- Bruce M reported on diving in Cozumel while on a cruise with his wife. At one port he dove with the boat's recommended operation, which ended up being crowded and not very interesting. Later in Cozumel he went with Scuba Club Cozumel, a favorite, and had a much better experience: better dive master, better boat, less crowded, and better reef.
- Not exactly a personal dive trip, but Paul gave a report on Deep Descent: Adventure and Death Diving the Andrea Doria by Kevin F. McMurray. The book is available from the club.
- Memorial Day, West Palm Beach--Larry and Eric are joining with other area divers to go diving off of West Palm Beach. We are diving with The Wetter the Better. We will do two dives in the morning, one or two night dives, and some shore diving under the Phil Foster Bridge in the Intercostal Waterway. If you've never done shore diving, its great.
- 2011 or 2012, Galapagos--Earlier plans have been cancelled, but we are trying again. It appears that there are some new dive boats and opportunities. October is whale shark season.
- 2012, Roatan: There was interest in diving Roatan, Honduras, but the date is not set. There are at least three all inclusive resorts to consider: Inn of Last Resort, Coco View and Fantasy Island
- Pasta Pigout: It's not a dive, put a party. We bring fresh pasta, sauce, cheese and wine. Contact the club for details.
- August 2011: Gloria is going to Isla Mujeres, which is off Cancun.
- Turks and Caicos: Bruce, Bruce and Eric reported on their dive trip to TCI, Provodenciales. The trip was arranged through Bays Adventures and the diving was with Dive Provo. There were lots of Lion Fish and little macro life. See trip reports for more details.
- Philipines: Paul reported on a trip to the Philipines to attend a friend's wedding. Luggage was lost and he pieced together proper attire for singing at the formal wedding. He also had a great time diving at Boraquin with Dinwid Divers.
- Turcs and Caicos. Bruce Baker, Bruce McLaren, and Eric Weiss are going to Turcks and Caicos with Al Bay Adventures. We are going to with a nice beach, touristy. Cost about $1300 for hotel and diving. $550 for air. February 5-12, 2011 or something like that. Beautiful white sand beaches.
- Fiji. Gloria proposes a 10-day liveaboard in Fiji for May 2012. Gloria, Chris and Sarah plan to go on the Nai'a.
- Eric and Larry are joining Esat and a group of other divers for a Memorial Day trip to West Palm Beach. We will dive with the Wetter the Better.
- A number of members discussed diving in the Honduras' Bay Islands (Roatan or Utila) in early 2012. Sarah is researching the options. There was some interest in Saba, which is a pinnacle rising out of the Caribbean near St Maarten.
- Natural History Museum. Hyperbolic Crocheting. Making a coral reef out of hyperbolic crocheting. Continuing exhibit from Oct. 16. The opening was delayed a couple of days because a water main break forced the museum to close.
