Four Lakes SCUBA Club

Four Lakes Scuba Club is dissolving. We have not recovered from the COVID lockdown
and the closing of our long-time venue, Babes. Also, like many clubs and volunteer
groups, we have struggled to attract new members.
Four Lakes Scuba Club was founded in 1980 to promote sport diving in the Madison
area. If you have been coming to meetings for the speakers, consider the Wisconsin
Underwater Archeology Association’s meetings and Clean Lakes Alliance’s 101 series.
If you are looking for information about local dive sites get the book Our Four Lakes:
Their Legends, Sites, and Secrets, 2016. If you are looking for dive buddies and dive
opportunities, the local dive shops run guided dives in the summer. For information on
local water conditions check out the websites for UW Lake Rescue and Clean Lakes
Alliance. Our website will be up for about a year. Check the links page for additional
valuable information. Our Facebook page will continue in some fashion. We are still
working this out. This may be a place to look for buddies and other information.

Join us Wednesday, April 9th, 2025 at Capital Brewery, 7734 Terrace Ave, Middleton for the last Four Lakes Scuba Club meeting. The meeting starts at 7:00pm but show up early if you want to start socializing. Pizza will be provided. Bring your stories, memories, photos, and maybe a treat to share.

Thank you to all the volunteers, board members, past speakers, special event hosts, and divers who made this club so much fun.

Four Lakes Scuba Club is dissolving. We have not recovered from the COVID lockdown
and the closing of our long-time venue, Babes. Also, like many clubs and volunteer
groups, we have struggled to attract new members.
Four Lakes Scuba Club was founded in 1980 to promote sport diving in the Madison
area. If you have been coming to meetings for the speakers, consider the Wisconsin
Underwater Archeology Association’s meetings and Clean Lakes Alliance’s 101 series.
If you are looking for information about local dive sites get the book Our Four Lakes:
Their Legends, Sites, and Secrets, 2016. If you are looking for dive buddies and dive
opportunities, the local dive shops run guided dives in the summer. For information on
local water conditions check out the websites for UW Lake Rescue and Clean Lakes
Alliance. Our website will be up for about a year. Check the links page for additional
valuable information. Our Facebook page will continue in some fashion. We are still
working this out. This may be a place to look for buddies and other information.

Join us Wednesday, March 12th, 2025 at Capital Brewery, 7734 Terrace Ave, Middleton. The meeting starts at 7pm, but feel free to come by starting at 6:30 to socialize. Capital Brewery doesn’t serve food, but you are free to bring outside food in.

This month our very own Greg McCune will presenting on Lighthouses.

Greg is a Lighthouse “enthusiasts”, and by no means an “expert”. He has been visiting lighthouses for over 40 years, mostly in the US, but a few in other countries. Since he retired in 2012 he has been on a bit of a quest to visit as many lighthouses as time and his budget allow. 

He will be presenting a travel log, with a little lighthouse history thrown in, of most of the lighthouses he has visited over the years (approximately 300) from Washington to Key West and San Diego to Erie. 

We just got word that the Capital Brewery is closing tonight because of the snowstorm. Unfortunately, our monthly meeting is canceled for this evening. Please spread the word. We’ll see you all in March.

Join us Wednesday, February 12th, 2025 at Capital Brewery, 7734 Terrace Ave, Middleton. The meeting starts at 7pm, but feel free to come by starting at 6:30 to socialize. Capital Brewery doesn’t serve food, but you are free to bring outside food in.

This month’s speaker is Caitlin Zant. Caitlin is the Research and Communications Specialist of NOAA’s Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Prior to this, Caitlin worked as a Maritime Archaeologist for the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Maritime Preservation and Archaeology Program for over 8 years, after attending graduate school for Maritime Studies at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. Caitlin has been involved numerous Great Lakes archaeological projects, public presentations, workshops, and outreach events, and has assisted in nominating over twenty-five Wisconsin shipwrecks to the National and State Register of Historic Places. Prior to becoming a maritime archaeologist, Caitlin studied History, Geography, and GIS at Carthage College, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Talk Description:

Designated in 2021, Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary (WSCNMS) provides stewardship for our nation’s maritime heritage in Lake Michigan. Co-managed by NOAA and the State of Wisconsin, the sanctuary expands on the state’s 30-year management of these historic sites, bringing new opportunities for research, resource protection, and education. This presentation will explore how WSCNMS has been working to expand research, monitoring, and protection of the sanctuary’s 38+ known shipwrecks over the past three years, look back on recent projects, and look forward to future projects documenting and preserving Wisconsin’s maritime heritage and submerged resources.

Join us Wednesday, January 8th, 2025 at Capital Brewery, 7734 Terrace Ave, Middleton. The meeting starts at 7pm, but feel free to come by starting at 6:30 to socialize. Capital Brewery doesn’t serve food, but you are free to bring outside food in.

This month’s speakers are John Fafinski and Ellen Evans. They will be giving a presentation on their fall trip to Indonesia.

John received his open water certification in 1982 from the YMCA. He is a PADI certified master diver and has many specialty certifications. John started taking pictures in 1991 with a borrowed Nikonos camera. He currently is using a Sony a6300 in a Fantasea housing. Ellen received her open water certification in 1989 from NAUI. She is also a certified master diver with several specialty courses. Ellen no longer shoots video, but you can find her looking in the crevices with her magnifying glass. Ellen and John met in Red Granite quarry at night. Since then, they have dove the world together from the Yahara chain of lakes, Great Lake ship wrecks, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

They hope you enjoy their presentation.

Thanks to everyone who attended our holiday party. It was a fun night. Congratulations to Lisa for winning the most dives award.

Join us Wednesday, November 13th, 2024 at Capital Brewery, 7734 Terrace Ave, Middleton. The meeting starts at 7pm, but feel free to come by starting at 6:30 to socialize. Capital Brewery doesn’t serve food, but you are free to bring outside food in.

Our speaker this month is Dr. Amy Rosebrough, who is the Wisconsin State Archaeologist, in the State Historic Preservation Office of the Wisconsin Historical Society. A native of the Missouri Ozarks, she has long had an interest in burial monuments and archaeology. She is an alumni of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and she received her doctorate in 2010 for region-wide re-analysis of Wisconsin’s effigy mounds and mound builders. She has worked as an archaeologist in the academic, private, and public sectors. In her current position at the Wisconsin Historical Society, she manages archaeological and burial sites data, assists Wisconsin’s citizens with archaeological questions, and serves as a subject matter expert.

Abstract:

In 2021 and 2022 divers raised two dugout canoes from Lake Mendota in coordination with Wisconsin’s Native Nations. These events made international news and drew attention to the archaeological heritage to be found in Madison’s lakes. But there was more to the story, and now it can be told. Come hear behind-the-scenes details of the Lake Mendota canoes and what they tell us about the history of De Jope and our neighboring lake bottoms.

The September 11th meeting is canceled. Benvenutos closed unexpectedly so don’t have a place for this months meeting. Watch you email and website for updates to the upcoming meetings.

Join us this Wednesday, September 11th, 2024 at Benvenuto’s in Fitchburg. The meeting starts at 7pm, but feel free to come by starting at 6:30 to get your order in and socialize.

This month we welcome David Faber and Natalia Plagge

David Faber

“As a 28-year-old father and fiancé, I’m an avid outdoorsman with a huge passion for freediving, particularly under the ice. Known as @depthchaser on social media, I create captivating underwater content showcasing the Midwest and beyond with my dive partner Natalia. With experience assisting in freediving classes and serving as a safety diver for the 2023 Tampa Bay UNU Freediving Competition, (2023 USA national pool championships) I’m a proud Wisconsin-based certified Master Freediver and aspiring instructor. My journey with freediving began with spearfishing in 2019. Right here in Wisconsin.  After two years I became a certified advanced freediver in 2021. Following my masters in 2022. I stress the importance of safety with this growing sport. Looking forward to competing in the 2024 national fresh water spearfishing championships later this month

Natalia Plagge

My underwater journey began in 2011 when I learned the scuba diving. Freediving was always on the back on my mind, however not many people knew about its existence and there were just a few Freediving courses offered in upper Midwest. When I became a certified Freediver in 2020, I’ve decided for myself that this problem has to change. I wanted to form a Freediving community and assist others with their passion for Freediving. Right now I am a Wave 3 Molchanovs Freediver, Master Freediver and a Freediving Instructor for PADI. I am also a PADI IDC Staff Instructor. 

I work with Midwest School of Diving as a staff member. I’ve been training in Caribbean and Europe with world known champions and record holders not for certifications but for personal growth as an athlete, at least ones a year. I love sharing my experience with students and those who interested to learn about Freediving.