Capt. Bob

[CAPT. BOB HINES-S.F.M.I.]

Greetings all:

I am the SCUBA & Seamanship Instructor at the Southwest Florida Marine Institute in Ft. Myers. We are a school for At risk teenagers 14-18 years of age.

I am taking three of my new SCUBA students to Marathon Key next week for SCUBA certification and fun diving. Are there any docks who could accomodate our 42 ft. vessel? We will be there from Monday late afternoon until Friday morning. We are a non-profit school and are looking for a donation of the space.

Thanks in advance for you help.

Captain Bob

 

[BILLB]

This state park has a deep water channel where many sailboats and yachts anchor sometimes for days. This is of course free. The park has a marina that can take boats much larger than yours. Electric and water are included with the fee.

Bahia Honda Park may be perfect for your group. The beaches are the best in the Keys (and probably in Florida). Camping is also available.

Marathon is only a ride across the seven mile channel where you can dive Sombereo Reef. From Bahia Honda, Looe Key reef is only a short ride toward Key West. If the weather is really rough, there are a couple of gulf side spots for check out dives too. The gulf water is shallow. The deepest I have seen is only 20 feet.

Good luck.

 

[The Chairman]

Welcome to the board Capt. Bob... Please check out our "Scouts in Scuba" forum and www.ScoutBoard.com which is an affiliate site. We discuss the in and outs of youth leadership, and would welcome your input.

 

[CBulla]

Ahoy there Capt Bob! I have seen the Southwest Florida Marine Institute sign down under Matanzas Pass for years and often wondered what it was about, but the shop was always closed when I was around. Now that I know, you have yourself a new local supporter, at least in spirit at the moment!

 

[CAPT. BOB HINES-S.F.M.I.]

The boat trip was a wash out. We had to turn around in Forida Bay and return to Ft. Myers. Got back at 7:00 A.M. What a ride. 5-8m footers & 25 knot winds. 80 miles at night with no visibility will test ones navigation skills.

Drove to Marathon the same morning. 36 hours with no sleep is not fun any more.

Had a great trip with the kids at Knights Key. Capt. Jerry Powers at Captain Hooks is a great resource for information in the area. Halls Dive Center also worked with our large group to insure that our tanks were filled each day of diving. The wind & surge was less than fun. We certified our divers at Key Largo at the Jules Verne Lodge, & at Grass Key Quarry.

To think I moved all the way from Cleveland to dive in a quarry.
Capt. Bob Hines
Sunbelt Divers-ft. Myers. 1-239-247-1330

This state park has a deep water channel where many sailboats and yachts anchor sometimes for days. This is of course free. The park has a marina that can take boats much larger than yours. Electric and water are included with the fee.

Bahia Honda Park may be perfect for your group. The beaches are the best in the Keys (and probably in Florida). Camping is also available.

Marathon is only a ride across the seven mile channel where you can dive Sombereo Reef. From Bahia Honda, Looe Key reef is only a short ride toward Key West. If the weather is really rough, there are a couple of gulf side spots for check out dives too. The gulf water is shallow. The deepest I have seen is only 20 feet.

Good luck.

 

[CBulla]

Capt Bob! I envy your determination to get these young folks certified!! It looks like you were able to turn a bag of lemons into a lemonade and things worked out in the end! Thanks for the follow up report

 

[GrierHPharmD]

Hi Capt. Bob. Ever thought of bringing your group across for some East Coast beach diving? I'm sure our local group would love to have you guys over for one of our dives and long surface intervals. I can't think of a better group of role models, both as divers and as people.

It's cheap and easy diving, and the companionship can't be beat. We can set up a beach dive/barbecue for later in the summer if there's interest.

Best wishes and safe ascents,
Grier

 

[CAPT. BOB HINES-S.F.M.I.]

Sounds great. We want to do as many trips as possible for the new divers. My E-mail address is BOBHDIVER@COMCAST.NET

Capt. Bob
Southwest Florida Marine Institute
1190 S. Main St.
Ft. Myers, Fl.