• Travel

    Paradise Springs Scuba Diving

    On the last day of our scuba trip, we went to a place called Paradise Springs.  Since the surface area of the water was all of about 450 square feet, there wasn’t much room for snorkelers on this trip.  This sinkhole was literally in someone’s backyard and the instructional video was shown in their garage. Here it is. Fun with lensbaby.  I don’t think this ring will save you as your sink 150 feet into the earth. Scuba Mike takes the first group of divers, including my family. Underwater photos by Nicki.  This photo is super bright, but check out the divers’ silhouette below on the dive platform. 15 feet…

  • Travel

    Manatee Encounter and Crystal River Snorkeling – Pittsburgh Photographer

    On day two of our Florida vacation, we set out with the lovely folks at Birds Underwater Manatee Tours.  The weather was very cold, especially for Florida standards and for my standards when I am going to go swimming.  It was only 30F at sunrise and most sane tourists would have been scared away.  But that would not stop the Dembski/Voss Clan.  So there we went. Boarding the boat at sunrise with all of our gear….. All of the smoke on the water is actually steam from the 72F water.  This area of the gulf (Kings Bay area) is fed by warm water springs. The manatee all hang our near…

  • Travel

    Photographer Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh Scuba goes to Devil’s Den

    This week, Ryan and I are traveling with my family around the great state of Florida.   You may remember my parents training for their Scuba certification in July of this year.  Well, they got their certification (along with my sister, Nicki) and can’t stay out of the water.  This week, we went on three dives (I am a snorkeler myself).  Our first was at Devil’s Den. Here is an engineering drawing of the sinkhole that makes up Devil’s Den. Looking down to the dive platform from the top of the sinkhole.   Cool, huh? The average air temperature in Florida at this time of year is 74F.  On this day, it…

  • Randi

    Pittsburgh Scuba Center – Rich and Denise go diving!

    Hi!  For those of you who don’t know, my parents (Rich and Denise), are wonderful and crazy people.  For their upcoming trip to Hawaii, they are both getting their Scuba Diving Certification.  They are working with Mike from the Pittsburgh Scuba Center and have been having a really great time during their classes. Due to recent pool problems and class cancelations, my parents’ dream of being certified by the time they head to Hawaii was in jeopardy!  Thankfully, Dad’s cousin Jim was nice enough to allow my parents and Mike to his beautiful SALTWATER pool for a class.  When I heard of this news, I hopped in the car and…