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  • Giant Stride Dives

    Diver stayed calm while lost at sea for 12 hours 

    by
    Chris Ayres
    Published on February 26th, 2012 04:38 PM

    Imagine you're diving with your buddy at 165' when you lose your dive line and your buddy. Would you panic or would you keep your calm and do a search grid before surfacing? How about when you get to the surface, after a 45 minute deco stop, to find that you're no where near your surface crew? How about after 12 hours, when it's 1:15 am and the search helicopters fly by you without seeing you? Yeah, I'd panic too.

    But not Scott Folsom, who this happened to last week while diving 2-3 miles off the coast of Makaha, Honolulu. He claims that he was very calm and comfortable during the whole ordeal. After discovering that he had gotten off course and surfaced to find himself alone, he fought the current to get back to shore but just couldn't make it. With his signaling device not ...
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    GIVEAWAY - Mask and Snorkel set from Scuba Ozzy Diving 

    by
    Chris Ayres
    Published on February 22nd, 2012 10:53 AM
    Article Preview


    On the heels of the previous giveaway, we're going to launch right into another one! This time we're giving away a Genesis Mask and Snorkel courtesy of Scuba Ozzy Diving! I dive with this same setup and it's a great pair. The mask fits nice and snug and doesn't leak despite my bushy 'stache. The bright green color will ensure that you're easy to see by your dive partner as well as looking super cool. Didn't you know neon colors are back in style??

    Scuba Ozzy Diving is located in Tavares, FL, a convenient place to stop and gear up before heading to the springs in Central Florida. His brand new shop features a classroom for training, a retail area and a service center complete with filling station. Scuba Ozzy Diving is also Lake County Florida's official Go Pro HD dealer, ...
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    Scuba Diving Magazines Top 100 of 2012 

    by
    Chris Ayres
    Published on February 16th, 2012 10:48 AM
    Article Preview


    Every year since 1994, Scuba Diving Magazine has published a "Top 100 Readers Choice Awards" and 2012's has just been released. It's no surprise at all to see Bonaire and Cayman Islands taking the Best Overall Diving in a tie for first place.

    There is too much to list here, so why don't you head on over to their site and take a look for yourself! Scuba Diving Magazine's Top 100
    ...
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    GIVEAWAY - Pair of 2-Tank dives at Jupiter Dive Center 

    by
    Chris Ayres
    Published on February 15th, 2012 09:00 AM  Number of Views: 903 
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    It's time for Giant Stride's first ever giveaway! The folks at Jupiter Dive Center were kind enough to offer us a pair of 2-tank dives on one of their 2 dive boats to giveaway to you guys! I recently dove with JDC and had a very good time. They have 2 large dive boats stocked with everything you need including very friendly crew who did a great job leading us out on our dive. You will have a great time diving with them!

    Jupiter Dive Center is the largest and 1 of only 2 full service dive shops in Jupiter Florida. They are a PADI 5-Star Dive Center so if you need training of any kind, they'll take care of you. Parked behind their shop are their two 40' dive boats, the Republic IV and Republic VII. This means you meet at the shop and get right on the boat. Since they ...
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    Massive Valentines Day Underwater Wedding 

    by
    Chris Ayres
    Published on February 14th, 2012 08:50 AM
    Article Preview


    For 16 years, couples have taken the plunge and gotten married on Valentines Day, underwater. Today is the 16th Annual mass underwater wedding event in Thailand, where 34 couple will sign "OK" instead of saying "I do" in an underwater wedding, 30' below.

    The article follows a couple nicknamed Mr. and Mrs. Smith, competitive shooters who fell in love when they met at a shooting range. They have waited for 2 years to be able to be a part of this years underwater wedding ceremony.

    To me, it's sorta cliche to get married on Valentines Day, but to do it underwater might just make up for that. I'm already married and my wife has no desire to ever join me underwater, so it's out of the question for me. Would you consider getting married underwater? ...
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    Giant Stride Needs Your Help! 

    by
    Chris Ayres
    Published on February 6th, 2012 02:54 PM
    Article Preview


    Giant Stride is more than just a place for news stories, it's also a directory for Dive Locations, Dive Shops and coming soon Dive Charters/Liveaboards and Resorts. The goal is to have the largest repository of data in these directories. This is where you, the scuba diving community, can lend a hand. Giant Stride is run by just 1 person right now, ME! Between full time work, our other business, and our kids, I will never have enough time to fill out these directories on my own.

    How can you help?

    Helping out is very simple. Each directory has a form you can fill out to add a dive location or dive shop.

    Locations are generally pretty specific but obviously there are more places to dive than there are names for them. So if it's a reef system ...
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    Diving for golf balls is dark and dangerous 

    by
    Chris Ayres
    Published on January 14th, 2012 07:54 AM
    Article Preview


    A couple weeks ago a story surfaced about a diver who died while diving for golf balls at a golf course in Brooksville, Fl. It's a dangerous job because it's dark and murky down there with hidden branches and deadly reptiles. But the pay out for some of these professional golf ball divers makes the risk worth it. A legit golf ball diver will net .08 to .09 cents per golf ball, sometimes bringing up 3,000 balls from one golf course. That's around $240, something a diver can do in just a few hours time.

    There is a darker side to this industry though. Poachers will sneak in at night and collect all the balls, selling them without paying the course or taxes, earning closer to .25 a ball. This is frowned upon but rarely punished with more than a trespassing fee.
    ...
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    Explore the remains of a 100 year old bridge 

    by
    Chris Ayres
    Published on January 12th, 2012 06:00 AM
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    Henry Flagler's Over-Sea Railroad connected the Florida mainland with the Florida Keys back in 1912 for the first time. It was a historic event and named one of the most unique railroads in the world. Nowadays, it's mostly lying at the bottom of the ocean floor as it has been replaced by a modern bridge capable of bringing cars across as well.

    This month will celebrate 100 years since the bridge was opened and Advanced scuba divers are being invited to come and dive the location just off of Marathon Key. The Marathon Reef site was created from the remains in July 1982 and has around 4,500 tons of concrete and steel making up the reef.

    This is a challenging drift dive but the sites are your reward. With colorful coral and lots of sea life, it's a great ...
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    Class ring from 1923 found in spring and returned to owners grandson 

    by
    Chris Ayres
    Published on January 11th, 2012 06:00 AM
    Article Preview


    While diving in a popular spring outside of Orlando, Reed Banjanin discovered what he describes as the coolest thing he's ever found. It was a class ring for the Mississippi Women's College, class of 1923, with a name inscribed on it: Louise Hearst. Determined to find the owner and return the ring, he began his search.

    Once he was able to identify Lousie's maiden name, it wasn't long before he tracked her down. Unfortunately, she had already passed away. But that didn't stop him and he soon was in contact with her grandson, John Entzminger of Oakton, VA. He was able to confirm that Lousie was his grandmother and Banjanin put the ring in the mail which arrive at John's on Christmas Eve.

    John plans to pass the ring down to his grandchildren as a family heirloom. ...
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    'Avatar 2' to have extensive under water sequences 

    by
    Chris Ayres
    Published on January 10th, 2012 06:00 AM
    Article Preview


    If you know James Cameron, then you know he's been doing a lot of underwater filming of Titanic, so he's no stranger to the underwater world. It's no surprise then that the sequel to the 2009 blockbuster 'Avatar' would have a great deal of underwater sequences. If you saw the first movie, then you know it will be fantastic.

    Co-star Sam Worthington had to be convinced to start scuba lessons as he's a bit leery of the whole idea. "He's trying to get me to scuba-dive," Worthington told MTV News. "I've never been, but he got me the gear and the tanks, so I've got to give it a go. I've got to get my lessons. I'm a bit nervous. I love the ocean, but I'm just a bit unsure about it. I suppose once I'm down there and have done it, it will be a snap," Worthington said. "I'm not ...
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