We are SO excited about our new store in Annapolis, and we want you to share in our excitement. We thought and thought about a way to make the opening memorable. We came up with an idea that will be, no doubt, memorable!

We are going to celebrate the opening of the new store with a polar bear dive/swim. The store is right on the bank of the South River, with a small beach right out the front door. Come for the first day of business and we'll all 'take a plunge' together!

You can scuba with us, or just do a polar bear plunge for fun, if you're not a diver. We're not really sure what's down there to dive, and it will be cold, but we'll all be there together so it will be fun!

Ring in the New Year and the new Atlantic Edge-Annapolis with us and participate in an unforgettable day of fun.

Where?-The NEW Atlantic Edge- Annapolis Store: 64 Old South River Road, Edgewater, MD
What?-Polar Bear Dive/Plunge to celebrate the opening of the new store
When?-Sunday, Jan. 3rd at 11:00am

If you are diving, we will provide tanks and weights free of charge. BCs, Regulators, and Wetsuits will be available for rental for $10/item.


Click Here for Details

Atlantic Edge is coming to Annapolis!! On Jan. 4th, we will be opening a new store in Annapolis, right by the Route 2 Bridge in the Liberty Yacht Club (right under the bridge from the Yellow Fin restaurant).

This new store is going to be extremely cool - it is located in the yacht club, so it’s right on the water with great views of the marina and South River. But the very best thing about the new store is that it has a pool! Come summertime we will be able to offer lots of awesome diving opportunities at our very own pool, right next door to the shop!

Click Here for Details And To See Photos

Underwater Quarterback

Underwater Quarterback - Sunday, Jan. 10th!! Get psyched for the big game in February by playing in our 'underwater quarterback' contest. This will be a skill game testing your quarterbacking skills - underwater on Scuba! You don't have to be certified to participate - just come on out and have some fun with us! We will have prizes for the winner!


Click Here for Details and to Sign Up Online

Atlantic Edge Happy Hour in Rockville

Atlantic Edge Happy Hour Gathering: Rockville Town Square

Date: Wednesday, December 9

Time: 5:30 pm start

Place: Gordon Biersch

Address: 200 East Middle Lane, Rockville, MD 20850
http://www.gordonbiersch.com/restaurants/index.php?pg=location&sub=loc&location_id=35

Metro: Walkable from Rockville Metro Station (Red Line)

Parking: Available across the street in the AMC Movie lot

Look for: Small table top dive flag and/or yellow snorkel ;-)
Questions: Email Mel [mel_limson@yahoo.com]

Bring a Buddy Diving

Want to get a chance to dive with your non-certified buddy? We are having a 'bring a buddy diving' day on Jan. 24th at Hood College in Frederick. Bring your non-certified buddy and they can try diving with you. We'll do some fun events, games, and relays, with prizes for the winning team! Come check it out and have some underwater fun with us!

Click Here for More details

Gift Card Special

THIS WEEK ONLY - Buy any Learn to Dive or Aquarium Diver gift card, and get a FREE $25 Gift Certificate that can be used for any other purchase! You can use your $25 for another class, gear, a trip - anything you want!!

If you have been looking for a great gift for the diver (or wannabe diver) in your life, take advantage of this great deal. Now, they can learn to dive AND get start on getting some of their own dive gear. Or, you can get them in the Aquarium, and they'll have a few dollars towards that future trip.

Even better - you can get the gift card for one person, and the gift certificate for another. OR - get the gift card for someone, and keep the gift certificate for yourself!!!


Click Here for Details

Scuba Dive With Santa

Scuba Dive with Santa! For this event, you DO NOT need to be scuba certified - anyone ages 8 and older can participate on Scuba, and younger kids can participate on Snorkel. Join us Dec. 6th at Georgetown Prep in Bethesda. Sessions starting every 30 minutes from 8am until 11:00am.

Click Here for More Info

New Trip! Fish Collecting in Fort Lauderdale

This is one of the most unique and exciting dive trips you'll ever see. This is not just a dive trip, it's also a seminar on collecting tropical fish! Join Tropical Fish Collector John Harman in Fort Lauderdale to learn how to collect, maintain and transport tropical fish for your own aquarium!

This trip includes 3 days of two tank dives, 4 nights accommodations at the Ocean Pointe Beach Resort in Pompano Beach, instruction from John, as well as all the equipment necessary to keep your fish alive while we are on the trip - which is yours to keep, free!

Don't yet have an aquarium at home? No worries- this trip also includes a seminar on May 19th where John will explain how to set up a salt water aquarium. You can have your aquarium up and running by the time the trip happens!

This trip includes all the knowledge and equipment you will need to collect tropical fish for your own aquarium. The trip cost does not include the actual cost of shipping the fish back from Florida, but we will help you with the shipping process should you decide to ship fish home


Click Here for More Info

Oyster Dive Pictures

Check out some Oyster Dive pictures here:

http://www.atlanticedge.com/albums/oyster_dives/index.html

There is still time to get out diving and get some oysters!! Click here for more info.

Two New Happy Hours Scheduled

Everyone that came had such a great time at our happy hour this week that we've put two more on the schedule - Nov. 3rd in Alexandria and Nov. 4th in Baltimore. We hope you can make one (or both)!

Details:
Nov. 3rd -
Alexandria 5:30pm
Southside 815
815 S Washington St
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 836-6222


Nov. 4th
Baltimore, 5:30pm
DuClaw Brewing Company
901 S Bond St
Baltimore, MD 21231

New Fall Hours for Atlantic Edge

Our new store schedule for October 11 through November 30th:

Monday-Friday 12pm-7pm
Saturday 10am-6pm
Sunday Closed

Happy Hour Oct. 14th

Join us for happy hour at Uncle Julio's at the Rio in Gaithersburg (231 Rio Blvd, Gaithersburg, MD 20878) on Oct. 14th at 5:30pm (we'll be there for a while, you don't have to come right at 5:30). Lets just get together, have some fun and talk diving!

Oyster Dives This Weekend!

This weekend will be our first weekend of Oyster Dive charters in the Bay! This is a great time of year to do some Oyster Dives becuase the water is still pretty warm (high 60's) and the beds haven't been picked over yet.

Spaces are limited - sign up today! Click here to see the schedule and sign up online.

Coral Restoration Trip Coming Up Fast!

As you may have read on our web page, in 34 days we will be working in the warm waters of the Florida Keys, with Ken Nedimyer, the founder of the Coral Restoration Foundation. We will have an active role in preparing and then transplanting Staghorn corals from Ken's nursery to their new home on a living reef. The trip runs from Thursday November 5th thru Sunday November 8th, 2009.

We will be having an info session for this trip Tuesday, Oct. 6th at 6:30pm at the shop. This will be a great time to come by and meet trip leader Dan Higgins, talk with other divers, ask any questions, and have a good time. Come join us - we'd love to talk with you.

There is spots still available but space is limited- sign up today!

New Shark Tooth Trip Added

April 2010 Shark Tooth Trip Added :

We have just added a trip to Venice FL to dive for shark teeth for April 8-11, 2010! This will be a GREAT time to go down there because it will be the beginning of the season, before the teeth have had a chance to be picked by other divers.


This trip is the same itinerary as our other shark tooth trips - Thursday through Sunday, with dives on Friday morning and Saturday morning. This will be our fourth trip like this one, and all the previous trips have gone great - everybody has a great time and finds teeth!

Click here to Learn More

New Cool LOCAL Diving Opportunity

We have a new, cool local diving opportunity for you - oyster diving in the Chesapeake Bay! Diving for oysters in the bay is a really fun, easy, and exciting opportunity to go diving. The best part - its local! You don't have to jump on a plane to do this - our boat leaves every Friday and Saturday from Annapolis, so just jump in the car and do some fun diving with us!


Charters start the weekend of Oct. 9th. For the early part of the fall, the water won't be all that cold - in the upper 60's even - 7mm suits are all you need.



Charters are only $60, and you get to keep your oysters! Impress your friends and family with all the delicious oysters you can find.


Click Here to Learn More

Click Here to See Schedule and Register Online

Coral Restoration Trip Info Session

We will be having an info session for the November Coral Restoration Trip next Tuesday night (Oct. 6th) here at the shop. Dan Higgins, an experienced Coral Restoration trip leader and the leader of the November trip, will be conducting the session. Dan will be able to answer all of your questions about this awesome trip. Come out, learn about the trip, and meet some divers!

November Coral Restoration Trip Coming Up

One of the most rewarding and unique experiences that we offer at Atlantic Edge is our Coral Restoration Trips down to the Florida Keys. On this trip we work with the Coral Restoration Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Key Largo that grows corals in a nursery and then transplants them to the living reef. This is a very cool project and has the potential to be a groundbreaking way to help restore the world's ailing coral reef system.

On this trip you will get hands on with the corals- working with them in the nursery, transplanting them to a site on the reef, and doing some condition monitoring of old transplant sites. You will also take part in lectures with Ken Nedimyer, the founder and president of the Coral Restoration Foundation.

This trip will change the way you look at diving and the coral reef system. We as divers CAN make a difference, and taking part in this trip is a great first step. To learn more, click here.

OC Dive Boat Moves to the Bay

We will be moving our dive boat from Ocean City to the bay next week! The diving in Ocean City has been awesome this summer, but its sadly over. While its sad to leave the beach, we're lucky enough to live in an area where we can keep diving!

The bay diving is different from the ocean. The depths are shallower, the visibility can be more limited at times, and the spearfishing isn't quite as good. There are, however, oyster beds, which make for really interesting dives collecting oysters. There are also over 400 known wrecks in the bay ( not to mention all the uncharted and unknown wrecks ), so there are tons of opportunities to get in and do some exploring. Lots of these wrecks almost certainly still have artifcacts on them.

Don't put your gear away for the year quite yet. Come out and do some dives with us - you can learn more at www.atlanticedge.com/baydiving.

Lake Season Quickly Coming to an End

Its hard to believe, but lake diving season is quickly coming to a close, and with it your opportunity to take advantage of local training dives. We will be running a full schedule of Lake classes through the end of October, with opportunities still left to do Open Water Training Dives, Advanced Class, and Rescue Class.

The early fall is actually a really nice time to dive some of the local lakes. The water has had all summer to warm up, and while the air may be a little crisp we are usually lucky enough to have pretty warm air through most of October. There generaly won't be as many divers at the lakes so the clarity tends to be a little better, too.

If you have taken a Learn to Dive class but have yet to do your training dives, remember that your referral is good for 12 months from the point of completion. Don't let your referral expire - take advantage of these last few weeks of training dives and complete your certification! This is also a really good time to take that Advanced or Rescue class you've been promising yourself all summer!

Summer slips away so quickly, but we still have some time - sign up for a local lake class today!

Click Here for Info on Training Dives

Click Here for Info on Advanced Classes

Click Here for Info on Rescue Classes

Save Bluefin Tuna

Western Atlantic bluefin tuna are in deep peril. This amazing fish that can swim over 40 mph and weigh up to 1,500 pounds is in danger of becoming extinct within 10 years. Rampant commercial fishing has reduced the mature population of this fish by 80% since 1970. Despite this, the federal government is proposing to increase the catch in the Gulf of Mexico, the only known spawning area for bluefin tuna in the western Atlantic Ocean.

Fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico targeting swordfish and yellowfin tuna deploy up to 40 miles of long-lines in the water with hundreds of baited hooks attached. During the 10 hours a day these long-lines are fishing, species that are supposed to be protected in the Gulf of Mexico including bluefin tuna, marlins, and sea turtles are caught and killed. Instead of eliminating this wasteful fishing gear, the Federal government is proposing to allow commercial fishermen to kill and sell more bluefin tuna, despite the fact that their population is at the lowest levels on record.


Click Here to Read More and Sign the Petition

Its Shark Week!

Remember that this is Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. There is lots of great shark focused programming going on all week, so if you're into sharks, check it out!!


Click Here to Learn More About Shark Week



Click Here to Watch a Clip from the CBS Morning News on Shark Week



Check out Sharks After Dark on Thursday at 9pm, co-hosted by the National Aquarium in DC's Director of Biological Programs Andy Dehart

Scuba Diving Fun at Camp

We have been working with various camps in the area to do Discover Scuba Diving experiences with the kids, so that EVERYBODY gets a chance to experience Scuba Diving and how much fun it can be. The kids have been having a great time underwater, and we have been having even more fun giving them their first scuba diving experiences. Click the link below to see some of the photos from our most recent Discover Scuba Diving session.

Click Here to See Photos

Wounded soldiers take to diving (from carolina coast online)

MOREHEAD CITY — Four wounded soldiers boarded a dive boat at Olympus Dive Center and were under way Saturday to a sunken submarine about 30 miles off Atlantic Beach.

The four soldiers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., are members of Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba, a nonprofit organization developed to provide dive opportunities for the injured soldiers.

The program is part of the Wounded Warrior Project that caters to severely injured service members during the time between active duty and their transition to civilian life.

For two years, the SUDS have taught more than 100 injured veterans how to scuba dive. The program is designed to assist returning veterans injured in Afghanistan and Iraq with their rehabilitation at Walter Reed and is the brainchild of John Thompson, SUDS president and certified scuba instructor who worked several summers with Olympus and was volunteering at Walter Reed with the Red Cross when he asked the hospital about the possibility of teaching scuba diving.

Capt. Danny Facciola, assistant and coordinator for the dives, said Mr. Thompson approached him about helping with the program.

“I thought it was a wonderful idea, and I would do anything I can to help,” he said.

Capt. Facciola said after some planning to establish the nonprofit group, Mr. Thompson approached Walter Reed and the proposal was accepted with enthusiasm.

Click Here to Read Full Article
(photo by Helen Outland)

Top 10 Things You Can Do To Help the Bay

As part of the Smart, Green & Growing initiative, the Department of Natural Resources has released a Top 10 list of action items citizens can do to save the Chesapeake Bay. Recently, scientists environmental experts noted that some river systems may have reached a "tipping point," where self-reinforcing elements within the ecosystem are working to maintain either positive or negative trends. An increase in underwater bay grasses, for example, can promote the growth of more bay grasses, improving water clarity, increasing oxygen levels and providing better habitat for fish and crabs.

Click Here to See the List

Scuba Diving is Fun!

Taking the plunge and getting your scuba diving certification is fun, and it will open up all kinds of new opportunities for you.



One of the best things about scuba diving is that it can be whatever you want it to be - it can be a pulse pounding, adreneline rushing adventure; it can be a relaxing, calming, floating along the reef zen-like experience; it can be educational; you can do it with large groups or small groups; you can do it close to home, or you can travel the world..... Hopefully once you're certified you'll do all of the above. There are so many amazing opportunities to take advantage of, you could dive for a lifetime and not see everything. Don't wait - start today and start your scuba adventure!



In just the last couple of months, some of the things Atlantic Edge has done (that you could be doing too, once you're certified!):



We collected lobsters and flounders off of Ocean City (and had a GREAT dinner that night!)
We hunted for fossilized shark teeth in Venice, Florida
We dove with stingrays and sea turtles at the National Aquarium in Baltimore
We worked with the Coral Restoration Foundation in the Florida Keys to preserve and build new reef structure

And in the next couple of months.

We will be traveling to the Bahamas to collect and study the invasive Pacific Lionfish
We will be traveling to Yap and Palau to dive some of the most exotic and pristine dive sites in the world
We will be traveling to Bonaire to train Master Scuba Divers

Does any of that sound good to you? Once you're a diver, its all possible! There's still plenty of time to get certified this summer - we hope you will join us for a class!

Award-winning Marine Documentary Slated for Release this Summer

Sundance Award-Winning thriller The Cove will be released in theaters throughout the country beginning this summer. Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) and Roadside Attractions have acquired all U.S. rights to the film, while The Works International, in conjunction with James Atherton's London-based Quickfire Films Fund, acquired distribution rights for all other territories outside North America.
Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, The Cove is an astounding piece of investigative journalism with the heart of an action thriller. Led by Louie Psihoyos, co-founder of the Ocean Preservation Society, and Richard O'Barry, an internationally recognized authority on dolphin training who is best known for his work on the 1960's TV show "Flipper," the film follows a high-tech dive team on a mission to discover the truth about the international dolphin capture trade as practiced in Taji, Japan. Utilizing state-of-the-art techniques, including hidden microphones and cameras in fake rocks, the team uncovers how this small seaside village serves as a horrifying microcosm of massive ecological crimes happening worldwide.

A local premier of The Cove is scheduled in Washington, DC to take place on July 16th at the Landmark's E Street Cinema at 7:30pm. The film will be publicly released July 31st in New York and Los Angeles and will expand into additional markets the following week. Screenings are scheduled at the Bethesda Row Cinema and the Landmark Harbor East 7 Cinema during the first week of August. For more information on The Cove, visit the film's web site at: www.thecovemovie.com

Loads of Shark Teeth Found on First Shark Tooth Trip

Our first trip down to Venice to hunt for Shark Teeth was last week, and it was a huge success! Everybody found teeth, with lots and lots of variety of different things to find.



'I was really pleasantly surprised with all the different types of teeth and fossils we were finding down there', says Trip Leader John Harman. 'In a lot of spots you are just finding one kind of tooth, but in Venice you find fossils from all different kinds of sharks, whales, stingrays.... there's really a lot to find.'



Want to join in on the fun? We still have spaces left on our October trip.

Scuba Dive With Zoe the Zebra Shark at the National Aquarium in Baltimore

Zebra sharks are striped as juveniles, and gradually "grow out" of the stripes. They feed mainly on mollusks and crustaceans as well as small fish. Their flexible body allows them to wriggle into narrow reef crevices in search of food. The largest reported is 12 feet or more, although sizes of less then 7 ½ feet are more typical. They are found around inshore reefs of the western Pacific, Japan to Australia, the Indian Ocean, and the Red Sea.


Zoe is very closely related to a nurse shark - she doesn't have 'teeth' in the way that most sharks do (so don't worry, you won't get bit!). As the divers feed animals in the Wings in the Water exhibit, you might notice the Zebra shark swimming extremely close to the divers - even between their legs.
She is partially blind, and because of this she is trained to respond to sounds, so we can call her to a station when we feed her. When you dive, you might see the results of this training.

Underwater Hunter Course

We have just added to the schedule an Underwater Hunter course, taking place Friday Sept. 11th in Ocean City. If you've never had the opportunity to spearfish but would like to try this course will be a great opportunity.

Spearfishing is actually a very eco-friendly and sustainable way to fish. With spearfishing, you can control which fish you are taking, opposed to line fishing where you're bringing up every fish that hits your hook. You can also learn to be responsible and only take the fish you're going to eat.

This is a one day course - we will teach you how to use both a pole spear and a spear gun, how to identify which fish to catch, and how to clean and prepare fish once you have caught them.

We hope you can join us! Click Here for more info.

Great Time Diving in Ocean City

Last week some of the staff of Atlantic Edge had the privilege of going out diving with Captain Jeremiah on the OC Dive Boat. Weather was great, sea conditions were pretty good, and we hit some awesome dive spots.

We first hit the Al Giles Memorial Reef, commonly refered to as 'The Barge'. The Barge is a great spot for spearfishing, as its just a big upside square barge - you don't really need a wreck reel to navigate and its teeming with life. We got some fish for dinner and then headed over to the BI Cutters.

The BI Cutters are a pretty cool wreck site. They aren't entirely 'intact' so you can have a good time exploring and trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together to see how they used to come together as a ship. Lots of great life on this site, too.

After that we hit the Pharoby Dragger, sometimes referred to as the 'Dinner Wreck' for its high quantities of good eating fish. There were flounder everywhere and a few big tog swimmming around. We even were lucky enough to catch an angel shark swimming in the sand.

A great day all around!

South Africa Shark Diving!

Check out this pic from Jon Acton from his recent trip to South Africa for Shark Diving. These aren't professional photos - real pics from Jon! Can you imagine what it must feel like to see something like this?

You don't have to imagine - we have a trip to Africa in the fall of 2010 to do this! Click Here to get more info.

First Scuba Camp a Success

Our first scuba camp is complete and it was a huge success! Thanks to Mark and Mel for running a great camp, and congratulations to all the campers who are now one step closer to being scuba certified! We hope to see all of you in a training dive weekend very soon.

Scuba Camp is an awesome program for kids to learn to Scuba Dive. If you are interested in learning more about scuba camp, click here.

Play Hooky With Us in Ocean City This Thursday

Play hooky with us in Ocean City this Thursday! We've set up a Thursday charter to go out and do some diving and have some fun - take the day off, join us and start the 4th of July holiday weekend in style!

Click Here to Sign Up to Dive on Thursday July 2nd

NEW TRIP!! - Bonaire March 2010

Atlantic Edge has added a trip to Bonaire in March of 2010 to our travel schedule! This is going to be a cool trip - focused on making the travelers into Master Scuba Divers. Master Scuba Diver is the highest recreational ranking PADI offers - in order to acheive this status you must have Advanced and Rescue Diver certifications and 5 specialties. On this trip we will offer Rescue and a few specialties during the week, so you can come, do some great diving and get some awesome training! We will be staying at Buddy Dive - one of Bonaire's nicest and most diver-friendly resorts!

Click Here to Learn More About This Trip

Scuba Dive in the National Aquarium in Baltimore with Calypso the Sea Turtle

Meet Calypso the Green Sea Turtle, one of the many friends you can dive with at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Calypso was found cold-stunned in Northport, Long Island, NY in November 2000. About a month into rehab in Long Island the turtle developed a secondary infection in the left front flipper joint and the flipper had to be amputated. These types of infections are not uncommon in cold stunned turtles. Calypso was deemed non-releasable by USFWS, as s/he was one of the first sea turtles to undergo surgical flipper amputation in rehab in this region. At the time, not a lot was known about the survivability of surgically amputated sea turtles in a natural environment. Calypso was later transferred from the original rescue organization to the National Aquarium, Baltimore.



Calypso loves divers and is very curious - s/he'll come right up to you and take a look and sometimes even surprise you by giving you a little *kiss*!

Lionfish - Not Just for Breakfast Anymore!

Across the diving community a lot has been said about the lionfish invasion. Pacific Lionfish on this side of the world pose a potential threat to the reef system as we know it - they are voracious predators, able to decimate a reef in a matter of weeks. Nothing hunts them naturally, so they are multiplying in numbers at a fast rate.

Atlantic Edge and others are sponsoring dive related trips to collect, study and analyze lionfish. We as a dive community are in a position to help solve this problem by collecting lionfish and helping the scientific community understand more about them.

Now, there is another solution on the table - eating them! More and more has been said about eating lionfish - they are tasty, healthy, and by eating them we help solve the problem of them eating everything else! Click Here to read a recent article on the virtues of eating lionfish.

Local Diving Spot - Hydes Quarry

A lot of people ask us about local diving spots in the DC/Baltimore area. Given that we are relatively landlocked (aside from the Bay, which presents only a few diving opportunities), there are a few spots that are good for a fun day of diving. If you want to get wet and enjoy a day out in the sun, check out Hydes Quarry in Westminster, MD. Hydes has been set up pretty much exclusively for diving- it has some nice easy entry points, a few good sunken attractions like a sailboat and a school bus, and tons of fish!

Entry into Hydes is $20 for the day for divers. Make sure to bring your c-card and your gear, as there is no dive facility there so you're on your own once you get there. Hydes is managed by the folks at Undersea Outfitters in Westminster. They are friendly, if you have any questions about the Quarry they're helpful.

It isn't quite the Caribbean, but in a pinch it'll do! Click Here for Directions to Hydes Quarry.

Cool Article on Sharks

If you like sharks, check out this article - its pretty cool:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090622/sc_livescience/sharkskillerstrategyrevealed

2nd Annual Ocean in Focus Conservation Photography Contest

Marine Photobank and Project AWARE Foundation are teaming up once again to bring you the 2nd Annual Ocean in Focus Conservation Photography Contest on June 8, World Ocean Day. We challenge ocean lovers worldwide to submit their most compelling marine conservation images to this one-of-a-kind photo contest. This summer, point your lenses in a different direction to tell the true stories of our ocean's health and share your story with us and the rest of the world.

Click Here to Learn More

(photo credit Steve Spring, Reef Rescue)

Getting Ready for a Busy Weekend of Diving

Another busy weekend of diving.... Learn to Dive classes in Bethesda and Roxborough, dives at the Aquarium, and Captain Jeremiah has three days in a row of full charters in Ocean City. There's plenty of diving going on, why aren't you diving?

OC Dive Boat - Special Charter Updates

We have two special charters on the OC Dive Boat for the weekend of June 27/28:

June 27- On June 27th, we will be heading offshore to the African Queen and the Blenny. These are two of the most famous wrecks off Ocean City. The Blenny is an intact WWII sub and the African Queen is an old wreck with LOTS of life. Both are awesome spearfishing sites.

Click Here to Sign Up for the Blenny/African Queen on June 27th



June 28 -
On June 28th, we are offering dives for a special price of only $100!!

Click Here to sign up for June 28th dives for only $100

Sunfish Off Of Ocean City

Last weekend Capt. Jeremiah and the crew of OC Dive Boat saw a sunfish while out diving. This is just an example of all the cool stuff you can see out there! Check out the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXj_YVhEouk

We're seeing great stuff every weekend - come out and dive with us! Click here for more info.

Atlantic Edge Has Two New Instructors!

We are happy to announce that we have to brand new instructors at Atlantic Edge. Mary Robinson and Jeff Wilson, both of whom have been long time Divemasters with us, completed their insturctor courses over the weekend. Congratulations, Jeff and Mary!

Want to teach Scuba yourself? Click Here to learn more about our Instructor Development Course.

Congratulations to Benoit LeGros, Our Newest Divemaster!

Congratulations to Benoit LeGros, who has recently been certified as a PADI Divemaster. Benoit has been working on his Divemaster internship through the winter, but now his paperwork is in he's official (well almost, pending the PADI seal of approval). Great job, Benoit!

Want to become a divemaster, too? We have a great training program - click here to learn more about becoming a divemaster.

New Shark Tooth Trip Scheduled for October

One of the hottest trips around lately has been the shark tooth trips to the Gulf Coast of Florida. The tooth beds there are shallow, in reasonable visibility, and are abundant with teeth.

These trips have been so popular that we're scheduling our THIRD trip, for Oct. 8-11. Collecting teeth is really cool - its fun to be underwater with a purpose in mind, and you can really wow your friends and family with some of the teeth you'll find. These are fossilized teeth, some of them megalodon teeth that can be 5'' in length or longer!

If you're interested in finding out more about the trip, click here.

Request for Scuba Gear Donations

Montgomery County Fire/Rescue Captain Lee Silverman, who has been instrumental in supporting the Public Safety Session at the Training Academy and Capt. Rick Steer are preparing to travel to Haiti to continue their mission to develop a Water Rescue Team for the island nation. the men and women firefighters of Haiti are extremely dedicated but have very little in the way of resources to perform their tasks. Many people take Scuba classes or snorkeling classes and then for any number of reasons put the gear in their basement and never go back to using it. That gear could potentially save lives in Haiti. If you have any snorkeling and/or Scuba gear you can make a tax-deductible donation through the Florida International Volunteer Corps. This agency has been instrumental in arranging for training in numerous islands in the Caribbean and specifically Haiti. Any individual that has gear to donate: Scuba masks, snorkels, swim fins, weights and weights belts, BCDs, primary and secondary regulator stages, scuba tanks, gear bags, underwater lights, dive knives/cutting devices, or PFDs etc. should contact Captain Silverman to arrange to have it picked up. lee.silverman@montgomerycountymd.gov

July 5th- Dive and Picnic to Benefit the Coral Restoration Foundation

On July 5th we'll be sponsoring a fun day of diving and goofing off at Hydes Quarry in Westminster, as a benefit for the Coral Restoration Foundation. Tickets will be $25 for divers, $15 for non divers and will include rentals of tanks and weights (for the divers only, of course) as well as a picnic lunch of burgers, hot dogs, drinks, snacks etc. All proceeds will be donated to the Coral Restoration Foundation.

Shake off the July 4th party the night before with a fun day at the lake with us! Get out, meet some of your fellow divers and have some fun, all for a great cause.

Click Here to Learn More About July 5th Fun Dives to Benefit the Coral Restoration Foundation

Coral Restoration Foundation Coming to DC Aquarium

One of the coolest ocean related non-profits out there is the Coral Restoration Foundation, run by Ken Nedimyer. We have worked with Ken in the past to bring divers down to work on his projects, which is not only fun to work on but has the promise of turning around the downward spiral the world's coral reef system seems to be on. Ken grows and transplants live coral to the living reef, reestablishing portions of the reef that are in decline.

The plan is for the Coral Restoration Foundation to get an exhibit at the National Aquarium in Washington, DC. More on this later, but this would be great for those of us that live up here to be able to get a first hand look at what Ken and the CRF are doing.

Check Out Shark Trust Wines

Divers and Wine Afficianados alike - check out Shark Trust Wines. Their mission:
'Our goal at Shark Trust Wines is to bring great wine from around the globe to your table while actively spreading the message about the need for shark conservation and making it easy for people to make a difference through the donation of 10% of our profits. '

What a cool way to support ocean conservancy- by drinking wine!

Happy Diving,

--Trevor