The Ontario Underwater Council knows that to Err is Human, but, when the Err is Air, well, that is a different matter alto gether. The council is calling on divers in the province to help them with the maintenance of their very successful Air Purity Inspection Program.
The Council recently received permission from the government to establish a Trust Fund to support their inspection program. People can now donate money to the council to help with the running of the Inspection Program and receive a tax donation receipt.
"We are now giving out receipts for any donation over $15.00," explained Nancy Parton, executive director of the Underwater Council. "We have never been able to give receipts before and I think that has deterred people from helping out. Now, divers can give back to the program and see a little relief in their taxes come April."
For over two decades the Council has been checking the quality of air that is pumped into scuba tanks at participating dive shops and fire halls across the province. The OUC sends a technician to check compressors at most participating shops and fire halls. For those locations that are a long distance from Toronto, air samples are sent to the council for analyses.
"Our goal is to make sure that divers are getting pure fills," continued Mrs. Parton. "We work with the dive shops and we analyse their air on an annual basis. The program works really, really well."
The Ontario Underwater Council is a non-profit sports association that looks after the needs of divers, clubs, associations and industry in the province of Ontario. The Council is located at 1185 Eglinton Avenue E, Toronto, their phone number 416-426-7033 and their e-mail address is ouc@idirect.com.
Big Wreck Show Coming to Toronto
Ontario continues to be the wreck centre of Canada! If all goes as planned a private company will be bringing artifacts to Toronto from the Titanic for a six month exhibition. Titanic, The Titanic Exhibition is on from September 24th to February 2000, in the Better Living Centre on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition in downtown Toronto.
The Better Living Building is not often used for travelling exhibitions, however organizers of the event have leased a building that gives them ample space to showcase their displays and handle large audiences. Ticket holders will see over 200 authentic artifacts removed from the Titanic wreck site, re-creations of her famous rooms and personal stories of her passengers and crew.
The items on display in Toronto were recovered by salvagers over the past five years. The recovery of artifacts for commercial purposes has raised criticism that a grave site has been plundered, however, when a similar show was recently staged in Atlanta, Georgia there was little criticism voiced by the dive community.
In other wreck news: the Hamilton Spectator reported that a wreath of red and white flowers was placed on the water of Lake Ontario during the summer to commemorate the sinking of the Hamilton and Scourge warships during the War of 1812.
The Hamilton and Scourge, two wooden merchant ships converted to US naval use in the war, sank in a squall 10 kilometres off Port Dalhousie, Ontario 186 years ago. The wrecks, owned by the City of Ontario are considered the most important War of 1812 artifacts. It is reported that the city of Hamilton is hoping to build a Hamilton and Scourge Museum.
Web News: On the World Wide Web the best place to look for medical information is on DIVER Magazine's own webpage at www.divermag.com, The second best place? The Ten foot Stop, Diving Medicine Online Newsletter (http://www.gulftel.com/~scubadoc/scoop.html).
This free website is based in the United States and Dr. Ern Campbell is the web master. Scubadoc draws information from a wide range of medical practitioners and as a result the website is filled with an eclectic selection of articles, papers, jokes and comments. In late October Dr. Campbell posted a list of doctors in Shanghai, China who specialize in hyperbaric medicine, ten tips on diving with a backache and an update and rewritten article about eye problems and diving.
A new website dedicated to all things wet and underwater in Alberta has now come on line. The page has articles, dive sites and Canadian dive links. It can be accessed at: http://www.members.home.com/calgary1/
Wrecks at next year's Underwater Canada.
Shipwreck appreciation is just one of the many components that go into the make-up of Underwater Canada, the largest annual dive show in the country. Plans are well underway for the millennium show which will be held at the Toronto Congress Centre in Toronto, March 3-5, 2000.
News of next year's show dates comes as volunteer organizers of Underwater Canada released positive news about the exhi bition that was held in late February of this year. Underwater Canada '99 had an increase in attendance, better revenues and happier exhibitors compared to previous exhibitions. The encouraging results come following a massive retooling of the annual three-day event. Underwater Canada '99 not only changed it's date and location but also its price structure.
Underwater Canada 2000 will soon be releasing its list of seminars, speakers and free programs. For information about the show, contact the show office at (416) 426-7033.