CHUM - Houston's SCUBA Club is the sponsor of the 
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Updates:
#1: For those interested in a class, Caleb would prefer that you just call and register direct. The website shows Nov 9 and 16 available. To register for the DAC, please contact the Spring Lake Diving Coordinator (Caleb) at divecoordinator@txstate.edu or at 512.245.7541.
Then, please post back in this thread and I will update the list so that others can coordinate and we can form a group one or two weekends.
#2 (by watermonkee on behalf of ReefHound
): brad618 informs us that the Nov 9th class is full, but if you want to participate on that date, you can stay in touch via the phone#/email above to check for opened-up spots. Class status through Nov 16 is posted at https://www.meadowscenter.txstate.edu/Service/Diving/AquaCorps/DiveAuthorizationCourse.html.
For all those already certified at Spring Lake, reserve your volunteer spot so we can get our November DAM dive in while the class is in progress! When everyone's done, we'll hit a San Marcos watering hole!
Finally, post in the thread if you've found a good sleeping spot for Friday night in San Marcos. Beer-drinking as a group has been known to happen on the Friday night before a class, of course.
Spring Lake, as the waters of Aquarena are officially known, is owned by a branch of Texas State University called The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment. It is the headwaters for the San Marcos River and home to 8 threatened and endangered species. Being spring-fed, the waters are crystal clear and a constant 72 degrees year-round, which makes it ideal for diving in any season, and especially attractive for knocking out those cold-weather DAM dives.
Because of the fragile nature of the habitat and the plants and animals there, the only way to dive there is to take a Dive Authorization Course (DAC). CHUM members have been getting certified and diving here for many years. We've arranged for CHUM members who have not yet completed this course to take the DAC onJune 22 TBD. When you sign up for the class, we will provide the Aquarena staff with your name and email address so they can send you some materials to study and quizzes to complete before that weekend.
The course itself will typically begin at 9:00 am on Saturday and will be a one-day course where the assessment quizzes will be reviewed, diving skills will be assessed, a tour of the springs will be given and common volunteer tasks will be demonstrated. This course is PASS/FAIL. Students must score at least 70% on each of the assessment quizzes and demonstrate that they are competent divers in order to pass. Students must show proof of a minimum of 20 logged dives beyond their OW training dives and need to provide all of their own equipment, including tanks and weights. Additional info and resources are on the DAC website.
Once you've passed the class, you can come back the next day or any time in the future to dive at Aquarena by volunteering for various tasks underwater. None are very difficult and it's a fun way to log dives while helping out a beautiful part of Texas at the same time. It's also a blast to wave to the tourists in the glass-bottom boats as they go overhead.
If you have already passed the DAC in the past, we would like to see you join the group to do volunteer dives that weekend. We'll start a separate thread for that once the class is formed. This thread is only for those who have never taken the DAC before to sign up.
Hotel and travel arrangements are up to each individual, but we'll post some suggestions for places to stay as the date gets closer.
Cost of the DAC class itself is $230. You will pay Spring Lake on Saturday morning. Discounts are available for veterans, instructors, and Texas State students and staff.
JPipes - Nov 9
Deepgeek - Nov 9
Lakediver- Nov 9
Brad618 - Nov 9
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#1: For those interested in a class, Caleb would prefer that you just call and register direct. The website shows Nov 9 and 16 available. To register for the DAC, please contact the Spring Lake Diving Coordinator (Caleb) at divecoordinator@txstate.edu or at 512.245.7541.
Then, please post back in this thread and I will update the list so that others can coordinate and we can form a group one or two weekends.
#2 (by watermonkee on behalf of ReefHound
): brad618 informs us that the Nov 9th class is full, but if you want to participate on that date, you can stay in touch via the phone#/email above to check for opened-up spots. Class status through Nov 16 is posted at https://www.meadowscenter.txstate.edu/Service/Diving/AquaCorps/DiveAuthorizationCourse.html.For all those already certified at Spring Lake, reserve your volunteer spot so we can get our November DAM dive in while the class is in progress! When everyone's done, we'll hit a San Marcos watering hole!
Finally, post in the thread if you've found a good sleeping spot for Friday night in San Marcos. Beer-drinking as a group has been known to happen on the Friday night before a class, of course.
Spring Lake, as the waters of Aquarena are officially known, is owned by a branch of Texas State University called The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment. It is the headwaters for the San Marcos River and home to 8 threatened and endangered species. Being spring-fed, the waters are crystal clear and a constant 72 degrees year-round, which makes it ideal for diving in any season, and especially attractive for knocking out those cold-weather DAM dives.
Because of the fragile nature of the habitat and the plants and animals there, the only way to dive there is to take a Dive Authorization Course (DAC). CHUM members have been getting certified and diving here for many years. We've arranged for CHUM members who have not yet completed this course to take the DAC on
The course itself will typically begin at 9:00 am on Saturday and will be a one-day course where the assessment quizzes will be reviewed, diving skills will be assessed, a tour of the springs will be given and common volunteer tasks will be demonstrated. This course is PASS/FAIL. Students must score at least 70% on each of the assessment quizzes and demonstrate that they are competent divers in order to pass. Students must show proof of a minimum of 20 logged dives beyond their OW training dives and need to provide all of their own equipment, including tanks and weights. Additional info and resources are on the DAC website.
Once you've passed the class, you can come back the next day or any time in the future to dive at Aquarena by volunteering for various tasks underwater. None are very difficult and it's a fun way to log dives while helping out a beautiful part of Texas at the same time. It's also a blast to wave to the tourists in the glass-bottom boats as they go overhead.
If you have already passed the DAC in the past, we would like to see you join the group to do volunteer dives that weekend. We'll start a separate thread for that once the class is formed. This thread is only for those who have never taken the DAC before to sign up.
Hotel and travel arrangements are up to each individual, but we'll post some suggestions for places to stay as the date gets closer.
Cost of the DAC class itself is $230. You will pay Spring Lake on Saturday morning. Discounts are available for veterans, instructors, and Texas State students and staff.
JPipes - Nov 9
Deepgeek - Nov 9
Lakediver- Nov 9
Brad618 - Nov 9
_________________________________________________________________
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