Has your last buddy turned out to be a bummer? Are you ready to meet other divers? Just want to get wet and hang out in between Caribbean Vacations? Let us introduce you to the new and improved version of our local diving site, Dutch Springs.

Our favorite local training site has become quite a diving/water park oasis. Sure there aren't any palm trees or white sandy beaches, but the lake does have a lot to offer new divers and seasoned divers alike.

About 2 years ago, some ecological changes occurred in the lake, namely the appearance of Zebra Mussels. The little critters eat everything in the water so the usual plankton bloom is off the lake and the visibility typically exceeds 50 feet. In fact, if you are one of the first (or last) divers in the water you can expect visibility closer to 75 feet. Clearer water always means warmer water and a themocline that begins at a greater depth.

The Zebra Mussels don't seem to affect the resident fish population, unless you count that now you can see them. There are currently over 6 species of fish in the lake including the newest addition, the Yellow Perch. Due to the clearer warmer waters, the Blue Gills, aka Sunnies, have been seen schooling by the cabin cruiser on the student side.

If you like wall diving, you'll love looking up at the north wall. Far enough away from the popular fire truck and Diamond Reef Platform, the wall offers experienced divers the opportunity for some great photos, cool fish encounters, and bouyancy practice

Surface intervals are better than ever, too. Of course MASC is still the "home of the big grill" and lunch is an important occasion, but Dutch Springs has added some interesting diversions as well. The lastest additions to the 47 acre park are the jungle gym for kids and my personal favorite, "The Aqua Park" for kids at heart. The "Aqua Park" consists of serveral huge inflatable attractions including a 30+ foot floating Trapoline and an "Iceberg" climbing wall where the only way down is to slide straight down into the water.

Join us for a day of diving, climbing, and of course eating!

• July 24 and 25
• August 14 and 15
• August 28 and 29
• September 11 and 12
• October 9 and 10
• October 23 and 24

Some people are surprised to learn that it is customary to tip the dive or snorkel boat crew. Many divers adopt this custom after seeing tip jars on the boat or seeing other customers smoothly (or not so smoothly) pass the divemaster a roll of cash. Still other travelers are completely unaware of this custom and are left short on cash and embarassed. Below are a few suggestions on tipping dive crews.

Gratuities at Land Based Resorts: Generally, crew tips are based on 10% of the daily dive rate or package price. Some crews pool their tips and divide it evenly, while others handle tips individually. It is acceptable to ask the Dive Center or Boat Captain if they have a preferred way to handle gratuities. If you are traveling as part of a group and will be diving with the same crew for the duration of your stay, you may choose to gather the group's tips together and enclose the tip with a thank you note for the crew.

Gratuities on Live-Aboards: On a Live-Aboard the boat crew not only serves as Dive Master and Captain, they are also the cooks, engineers, and deck hands that keep you fed, the toilets running, and the boat clean. A gratuity of 10% of the charter price is customary. On a $1500 live-aboard vacation, a $150 gratuity at the end of the week can seem like a significant amount of money to dole out at once. Consider though how much you would be tipping for three meals per day for an entire week at 15-20% per meal plus a separate tip for the dive crew and probably a little something for the housekeeper. When you look at it that way a 10% tip to the crew doesn't seem like such a stretch. While some operators accept credit cards, others prefer cash. As a rule of thumb you should check with the operator before leaving home.

A note about M.A.S.C. Group Trips: Our procedure is to gather tips from guests and enclose the funds with an appropriate thank you card, either to the individual or the entire crew.

General Dive Tipping: As in any other situation, tipping is a gesture of appreciation for a job well done. Don't hesitate to adjust your tip based on the level of service you received from the boat crew and dive center staff. If you feel that service was either particularly good or poor, please let them know.

Did you know that we can book your Live-Aboard vacation for you? We'll help you select the perfect live-aboard vacation, make the arrangements, provide you with luggage tags, baggage markers, discounted airport parking passes, laminated checklists and more. Sound like a great idea? We've just made it even easier!

The travel section of our website now includes a Live-Aboard Booking Page with many of the world's top Live-Aboard operators and destinations as well as a booking request form. Give us your dates and favorite destination and we'll take care of the rest!

Not sure what Live-Aboard is right for you? Ask our Live-Aboard experts! The travel team at MASC will help you select the Live-Aboard with just the right amount of diving and the perfect accommodations.

Night Diving is more than just the same reef or wreck only darker. There are a number of reef creatures that only come out at night; Octopus come out of hiding, parrot fish spin protective cocoons, and the corals come to life as the tiny polyps feed. There is even bioluminescent plankton that lights up like fire-flies as you and other divers move through the water.

While Night Diving is one of the most exciting underwater activities, it does require special equipment and special procedures.

In addition to standard SCUBA equipment each diver will also need some special equipment to safely night dive:

• Primary Dive Light- Medium to large light usually carried by the diver and connect by a lanyard to the BCD or wrist
• Back-up Dive Light- Usually smaller than the primary light, this light is carried in the BCD pocket.
• Personal Marker Light- A small light that is connected to the back of the diver's tank. This light helps other divers to find and identify you.
• Whistle- Used a surface signaling device if you surface a distance from the boat
• Back-Lit Computer or Glow-in-the-Dark Gauges- Makes checking your dive time, air pressure, and depth easier in the dark.

Night Diving also requires some special training and procedures:

• If a diver's primary light goes out, the diver should switch to the back-up light and the buddy team should return to the boat.
• Once a dive light is turned on it should not be turned off until the divers are safely aboard the boat or back to shore.
• Be careful not to shine your light directly at or into the eyes of other divers or marine life. Both can be temporarily blinded by the intensity of a dive light.

Discover Night Diving with a Night Adventure Dive at Dutch Springs! Please call or e-mail for details.

Congratulations to our newly certified Open Water Divers: Valerie Magee, Justin Lopchuck, Larry Murphy, Josh Levinson, Jim Foster, Jared Foster, Tim Goodell, Andrea Goodell, Jeff Kavanagh, Danielle Sawick, Diane Cloud, John Craven, Jim Robinson, Tom McIlwain, Yuriy Shrayer, Anton Lvov, Sergey Kukuyev, Dmitriy Shrayer, Katie Kressler, Erin Kressler, Courtney Kressler, Joe Revak, Andrew Gilmore, Drew Gilmore, Dionte Tyler, Pete Myers, Wojciech Wojcik, Maria Mormando, Matt Mormando, and Daniel Poli.

Bravo to our newest Advanced Open Water Divers: Karen Kavanagh, Boyd Goodell, Tom McIlwain, Jim Foster, Jared Foster, Danielle Sawick, Valerie Magee, Justin Lopchuck, Larry Murphy, Diane Cloud, Jim Robinson, Tim Fullerton, Lisa Glock, Valerie Magee, Justin Lopchuck, and Dionte Tyler.

We would like to congratulate our latest specialty divers: Enriched Air Nitrox-Pattie Taylor, John Parent, Kate Lutts, John McKinney, Max Peysakhov, Eugene Grach Peak Performance Bouyancy-Diane Cloud Deep Diver-Kevin Marshall and Bill Quinn Drysuit Diver-Leon Burke, Max Peysakhov Equipment Specialist-Mohamed Ghanem

Congratulations to our new Rescue Divers: Tom McIlwain, Lori Schnitzer, Brian Schnitzer, and Zoris Pylayev. These individuals have decided to take the next step and learn how to assist their fellow divers.

Special Congratulations go out to Alicia Rosen who just achieved the Junior Master Scuba Diver rating at age 13 and to Instructor Annette Garbarina who just became a Master Scuba Diver Trainer.

Mid-Atlantic Scuba Center is currently one of only 4 Dive Centers in Pennsylvania to be selected as a PADI National Geographic Dive Center. We will shortly be offering both Entry Level and Portal National Geographic Courses.