FEBRUARY PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

I can’t say that the weather has been conducive to diving lately. It’s been windy and it’s been cold. It’s not a good sign when the mid winter water temperature is significantly warmer than the air temperature. As always, better days are coming. Before we know it we will be back into spring weather.

Our January wacky gift exchange was lots of fun as it always is. I think most people were happy with the gifts they received. I know that I was. Thanks to John and Donna for officiating.

Even though we haven’t been doing too much diving, there are lots of fun activities on the calendar. It’s normal for the diving to decrease at this time of year so your Eboard has come up with some great events, some old favorites and some new stuff. Check out the calendar.

Please, if you haven’t already paid your dues please do so either at the meeting or through the mail or email and PayPal. We need proof of dive insurance and the renewal forms filled out also. Unlike everything else, our dues have not gone up in price. This club membership is still a bargain.

Hoping to see many of you at the meeting or at some of the other club events. Our meeting venue is changing with the February meeting. We will now meet at the Broward County Firefighters Benevolent Association. It is located at 309 SW 26th Street, Fort Lauderdale. It is right around the corner from the VFW, our former meeting place. They have a bar but no food but you are allowed to bring food in. Hopefully, this location is more convenient than the Elks Club.

Live long and lobster,
Jeff Raffa

JANUARY PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Happy New Year to all of you. 

I missed seeing you all at the holiday party. As you may know the annual holiday party has been postponed to February 15, the day after Valentine’s Day. Some of you are under the impression that this will be a Valentine’s Day party thus requiring a date. Not true! It is simply a redo of our holiday party and stags of all genders are welcome. As always feel free to bring guests. The more the merrier. The food is always terrific and plentiful and the music will be outstanding!  It will be held at the IT Parker civic center. 

As you know our elections were held at the December meeting and I’m happy to say we have some new blood on the Eboard. Please be aware that you do not have to be on the Eboard to organize an event. All you need do is approach an Eboard member and tell them you would like to get an event on the calendar. We would love the membership to sponsor dives but any other events are welcome. Don’t be intimidated, we are very happy to help you if it’s needed. 

Hoping to see a lot of you at the wacky gift exchange. It is by far the most fun meeting of the year. 

Once again, I wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year!

Jeff Raffa

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DECEMBER PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Wow! 2024 is nearly gone! Every year seems to go by more quickly than the previous one. 

As usual we held the nominations for the E-board at the November meeting. The nominations are still open. We will take additional nominations at the December meeting. All positions are open! At this time we do not have a nominee for VP of Calendar. This is a very important position and I’m hoping that someone will step forward and accept a nomination. No experience is necessary and I’m sure John will help the new candidate. 

As I think most of you know, our holiday party has been postponed until February 15 due to the unavailability of our venue. Instead we will celebrate Valentines Day on the fifteenth of February. It will be the same menu and open bar that we enjoy at the holiday party. Please mark the date on your calendar. 

Even though there will not be a holiday party there will still be a Christmas tree dive on Dec 14. The tree will be sunk onto the deck of the Merci Jesus and then decorated with fish food. It makes for a great photo opportunity of the feeding frenzy. Check the calendar for more details. 

Our annual holiday lights cruise will be Sunday December 15. Once again we will hold the event on the Sea Experience, docked at Bahia Mar. Please bring your beverage of choice and some finger food to share. Once again, feel free to bring guests. The boat will leave the dock promptly at 6pm. The cost for this event will be $37, the same as last year. That includes tax and gratuity. We plan to be back at the dock before 9pm. Please send a check to the club PO Box or pay by PayPal. 

As the year is coming to a close, please remember to renew your membership. Don’t forget that you must fill out a renewal form and sign the waivers. You must also provide proof of insurance that will cover a dive injury. Please remember to update your information if you have moved or changed phone numbers or email addresses. You can download the renewal form from the club website. 

I would like to wish everyone a very happy holiday season and a happy and healthy new year. 

Jeff

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NOVEMBER PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

We have some important business to take care of at our next two meetings. November will be the nominations of our executive board and December will be our elections. All positions are open and I encourage everyone to consider running for an office. You can nominate yourself or ask someone to nominate you. New blood is always welcome.

Our biggest social event of the year will be here before we know it. December is right around the corner and I am looking forward to having a great time at the Holiday Party which will be held on December 7th this year. Please feel free to bring as many guests as you like. The more the merrier! We are back at the I T Parker community center in Dania Beach so we will also be back to having an open bar. If you prefer to drink your favorite wine feel free to bring it.

The water will be cooling down a bit soon but it is still quite nice. Think about joining us for some diving. For a great time plan on joining us for the sinking of the Christmas tree on December 14. It’s always a lot of fun and of course the more the merrier. What we do is sink the Christmas tree from the holiday party on one of our wrecks. Once it is settled on the wreck, we descend in our holiday garb, and decorate the tree with things that fish like to eat, typically other fish. Once the decorating is done we back off and the feeding frenzy begins. It is always a great photo opportunity.

We had such a good time last year on the holiday lights cruise that we will be doing it again. We pretty much get the Sea Experience to ourselves and cruise the Intracoastal Waterway and admire the water front homes decorated for the holidays. We bring our own beverages and snacks and appetizers to share. This year it will be on December 15. Please consider joining us. It’s always a fun time.

Jeff

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