It all happens on Saturday night, Oct. 24, 2020 at 8:00 pm for HHUC Recognition Night Online with Zoom.
Be prepared for scuba-related door prizes
Discover this year’s Award Winners and their contributions during the past year
Join the fun interactive trivia contest
Express your preferences for next summer’s dive schedule
We welcome new members and can provide club information, how to join, plans for upcoming scuba, skindiving and snorkelling opportunities.
University students are most welcome! Come and find out about our scuba diving courses with an excellent, safety-conscious group of interesting divers and instructors.
New members and University students are welcome to join us and find out about scuba diving with Hart House.
Thirty-one adventurers (mostly divers, some avid snorkellers and a few sun-seekers) set off for Bonaire on March 8, 2020 with our magnificent trip leader, Rebecca Metcalfe. We arrived at Captain Don’s Habitat, just outside the main town of Kralendijk, to beautiful sunny weather that lasted the entire week. Cooling sea breezes moderated the temperature of a consistent 31 degrees C. Water temperature was a comfortable 27 degrees C.
Bonaire is an island municipality of the Netherlands, as is Saba from our 2014 trip. Bonaire is just north of the Venezuelan coast in the southern Caribbean. Its reef-lined coast is protected by the Bonaire National Marine Park. Beyond the rich marine life, Bonaire has lizards, iguanas, donkeys, flamingos — and a variety of birds, most of whom were in attendance at the railing during breakfast time!
We had two scuba dives each morning with our guides, Ludson and Marco, and unlimited shore diving. The coral reefs were teeming with life — maybe not the dramatic pelagic creatures of some of our other locations — but seeing the healthy reefs with throngs of schooling fish, variety of colour and multitude of sea life was thrilling. Our favourite afternoon activities were snorkelling at various places around the island and off Captain Don’s dock, sightseeing and hanging out at the pool for happy hour.
Some of our sightseeing around the island included the towns of Kralendijk and Rincon, the cactus distillery, Washington Slagbaai National Park, Gotomeer, Thousand Steps, flamingo sanctuary, salt flats, kite surfing and wind surfing hot spots, and a snorkeling trip to the nearby island of Klein Bonaire with a gorgeous white sand beach and surrounding coral reefs. Another activity is HHUC’s burgeoning art scene. There are some talented and creative people on these trips!
As the week went on, we continued to hear news of the increasing danger of COVID-19. We felt very fortunate and grateful for our timing — a fantastic Caribbean vacation in a beautiful, virus-free location, returning to Canada just as the warnings came out from the Canadian government recalling all international travellers. We can’t party together right now, but we video conference to keep the memories alive and support each other through the 14 day self-isolation. (Update: We all emerged virus-free.)
Bonaire was beautiful, the diving superb and the company was the best!
Hart House Underwater Club Online Party & Geography Trivia Contest!
Friday, July 24 @ 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
We still can’t crowd onto a dive boat or practice buddy breathing,but we can carry on the HHUC tradition of another great party — once again on Zoom. We’d love to see the topographical features of your smile, as we play Geography Trivia this month.
Theme: Geography Trivia!
Attire: Dress up with something from your favourite country in the world! Or turn yourself into a geographic feature – ocean, mountain, iceberg, river, volcano — The sky’s the limit.
Date: Friday, July 24, 2020
Time: 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm
BYOB: Snack and drinks representative of your favourite country or geographic feature (be creative!)
The Game Platform: Kahoot — Please note that the trivia quiz will be done on Kahoot. If you are able to have two devices (e.g., a phone and a computer), it will make the game easier to play! One device will be your remote to punch in your answers, and the other will be able to display the questions via zoom. If you only have one device, that’s ok! You can just have the Kahoot link open in another tab. The Kahoot quiz link will be sent out after the social starts, so just bring your devices and your competitive spirit, and you will be all set!
We may not be able to crowd on to a dive boat this month, but we can carry on the HHUC tradition of a great party — this time on Zoom. We’d love to see your smiling faces, and play some party games online. Please join us on Zoom on Friday June 12 at 5:00 pm for Happy Hour.
Theme: Beach Party! Attire: Dress up for the Beach — especially in a crazy hat 👒 Date: Friday, June 12, 2020 Time: Happy Hour 5:00 pm 🍸 BYOB: Beach cocktails (maybe with cocktail umbrellas!), Snacks, Beach attire Login: https://bioconnect.zoom.us/j/94536021033?pwd=NXhuZnpOUWp5V1g5dUw2YWtpNHp3QT09 – If you need a password, use: HHUC
The Game Platform: Kahoot — Please note that the trivia quiz will be done on Kahoot. If you are able to have two devices (e.g., a phone and a computer), it will make the game easier to play! One device will be your remote to punch in your answers, and the other will be able to display the questions via zoom. If you only have one device, that’s ok! You can just have the Kahoot link open in another tab. The Kahoot quiz link will be sent out after the social starts, so just bring your devices and your competitive spirit, and you will be all set!
Very few places in the world offer perfect diving conditions like Bonaire. It’s a paradise, with suitability for divers at all levels, and the snorkelling is fantastic! Located just 50 miles north of Venezuela, Bonaire is home to warm, beautiful crystal-clear water, with temperatures in the mid-80s year-round, and its marine life is among the most spectacular in the world, including coral reefs that are protected by the first marine park in the Caribbean. Hence the island has earned its consistent award-winning status as a top Caribbean dive destination year after year, attracting divers from all over the world.
There are more than 60 easily accessible dive sites around the island, and on the island of Klein Bonaire, just a short boat ride away from the mainland. When you’re not in the water, there’s plenty to do exploring the island, or you can just kick back and relax.
The trip package includes roundtrip flights Toronto direct to Bonaire, boat diving, shore diving, free Nitrox, accommodation at a top-notch dive resort, daily breakfast, and more.
If you would like to participate in this adventure, or discuss any aspect of it, contact our trip leader Rebecca Metcalfe, HHUC Instructor (NAUI #32766)
This trip is sure to be popular, so book early to avoid disappointment. We hope you will be able to join us!
Details will be provided here in the near future regarding a summer dive trip to Cuba for check-outs and recreational diving. It makes a great family vacation!
