SOS plans a Brockville clean sweep
The St. Lawrence River has become a major dive destination for Ontario, Quebec and New York divers. There are two major reasons that scuba enthusiast are heading for Canada's most important river systemÐthere are wrecks galore to explore and over the past five years visibility in the St. Lawrence has improved dramatically. Brockville, Ontario has an historic waterfront district and it is from here that many dive clubs and charters begin their St. Lawrence adventures. Late this summer divers are being asked to pitch in and help cleanup the city's dock area. Save Ontario Shipwreck Society's 1000 Islands Chapter is organizing an underwater cleanup of the waterfront on September 7. According to SOS chapter president Bob Lighthart, ""there will be a raffle with prizes for participants!" All certified divers are welcome to join the SOS on this one day river bottom blitz. For further information contact the SOS 1000 Islands chapter at (613) 924-2285 or fax (613) 924-9638.

Show gets change of plans
Sport Diver TV, one of the world's most watched dive travel programmes has stopped making new episodes. Shown in Canada on TSN, in the US on the Travel Network and on close to 60 networks globally, the Canadian made show visited the world's best dive destinations.
"The shows that airing now were completed late last year, and we have no plans to continue filming this type of TV show," explained Danny Mauro, the owner and originator of the highly successful show. "We have stopped making new shows, however, that doesn't mean that Sport Diver TV has ended."
The British Columbia based TV producer told Diver Magazine that over the past four years Sport Diver TV has completed 52 half hour segments. With such a large inventory Mr. Mauro has put the show into syndication and Sport Diver TV, through the magic of reruns will reach even more viewers than the show broadcast to when new! Danny Mauro and his Toronto based co-producers, Jim and Lorna Kozmik, have moved on to other projects. The trio have begun work on a one hour long, eight show series based on focused dive travel adventures. By press deadline their series pilot, a documentary on sharks, will be completed. Mauro expects to announce soon the networks that will be carry his new dive series.

Treasures of the Titanic
Former mentalist, turned Titanic authority Steve (The Great) Santini is bringing his collection of memorabilia rescued from the Titanic to the Bruce County Museum and Archives this summer. Treasures of the Titanic will be on display at the Southampton, Ontario museum this June and July. Santini was a well known Nova Scotia based performer who apparently specialized in magic and hypnotism. In the early 90s he gave up the stage to establish a Titanic museum in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He recently resettled the collection in Winnipeg where he is working on a book about the famous shipwreck. Even though he no longer performs, Steve Santini has not lost his flair for theatrics. When his collection is on display he will often dress in a 1912 ship's captain's uniform and answer questions about the Titanic as though he had been at her helm when she sank off the coast of Newfoundland.
All of the items in his collection are artifacts rescued from the surface. Visitors to the museum will see an actual deck chair from the lost liner. In addition to Santini's collection, the Bruce County Museum has brought in a Titanic exhibit on loan from the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. The museum is hosting a number of Titanic lectures including a July 20th address and slide show with Natural Resources Canada's Steve Blasco. Blasco was a science officer on a joint Canadian/Russian expedition to study the Titanic and has made one submarine dive to her decks. The town of Southampton is at the base of the Bruce Peninsula is a 25 minute drive west of Owen Sound and one hour south from Tobermory. The museum caters to divers and has established the Bruce Coast Marine Gallery which displays original objects from many of the wrecks that are to be found in Lake Huron and Georgian Bay.

Dive Shorts:
¥ Mississauga divers who like to hum "I wish I was in Dixie" now have something to whistle about. Sportech Scuba Inc. officially opened its doors for business in late spring. The full service dive shop is located on Davand Drive, just off Dixie Road in the city of Mississauga, Ontario. The new shop is described as a "truly advanced Sport and Technical diving facility". Sportech is now offering a full range of PADI courses and IANTD mixed gas certification classes. For further information contact the new store at (905) 670-4916.
¥ When a student team from Montreal's Ecol Technological Superieur, decided to enter the prestigious 1995 Human-Powered Submarine Races they brought computer technology to the forefront. The Montreal high school team built a sleek sub that was powered by two feet driven propellers. When an on-board computer (displaying speed, time and depth) was added to the underwater vehicle, the students earned first place honours in a special innovation category. Their sub, dubbed Omer, also place third in a speed race against 13 other boats! Teams entering the biannual Maryland races must design and build a submarine from scratchÑteams are limited to spending a maximum of $5,000 to build the people powered craft!
¥ The Toronto International Centre recently hosted the 10th annual Leisure and Travel Show. In years gone by the large travel exposition has appealed to, for the most part, senior travellers. That all changed in 1996, the show planners brought in a number of eco-tourism and dive travel outfits offering trips to destinations that are really off the beaten track. What new dive destinations with Toronto connections were offered? Dubai, Malta and Tobago. Dubai is one of the seven emirates which constitute the United Arab Emirates. Closed to most tourists until only five years ago, the country's North America office is asking divers to consider Dubai as the perfect place to launch a Red Sea underwater adventure. The water off Dubai offer considerable attractionsÑthere is minimal tidal flow, 365 days of warm water temperatures and a lush lush reefs. There are some top notch wreck dives that can only be reached from shore! Malta has long been a favourite destination for European divers and that Mediterranean island is now, through its North American tourism offices, offering Canadians dive packages. Meanwhile Tobago used the show to announce that Manta Madness has hit the Caribbean Island. From March through to the middle of the summer local diver operators have seen (on an annual basis) a dramatic increase in the number of Manta Ray sightings!