KIRKLAND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 25, 1998--Noble House Hotels, Resorts & Hideaways has purchased Ocean Key House Suite Resort & Marina, located in Key West, Fla.

The all-suite property, which includes the world famous Sunset Pier, was purchased for $26.5 million and will be incorporated into the Noble House Resorts collection.

Located on the island of Key West, Ocean Key House features 97 guestrooms and one- and two-bedroom suites. Each suite includes a Jacuzzi, fully equipped kitchen, living room with dining area and private balcony. Other features include two restaurants and a heated Gulfside pool. An on-site marina offers parasailing, waverunners as well as charters for deep sea fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, glassbottom boat tours and sunset cruises.

Noble House will spend approximately $9 million on a two-year renovation of the property that will include an extensive guest suite renovation program. The addition of waterscapes and a spiral staircase in the exterior courtyard will lead up to a new second floor lobby, restaurant and bar featuring views of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The project will also include a new front entrance and front desk.

Pat Colee, owner of Noble House Hotels, Resorts & Hideaways, said, "We are thrilled to be adding a fifth Noble House property in Florida. The renovations to Ocean Key House will create a completely new feel to this intimate and luxurious property from the moment guests walk through the doors."
Following a five month search, Jeff Webb was named general manager. With 11 years of experience in the hotel industry, Webb is extensively involved in the Key West community. He currently serves as the president of the Key West Hotel & Motel Association, the Monroe County Tourist Development Council and the Keys Federal Credit Union and is also the secretary of the Key West Chamber of Commerce.

Noble House Hotels, Resorts & Hideaways owns and operates Hotel Adolphus in Dallas; Daytona Beach Hilton in Daytona Beach Shores, Fla.; Hotel Edgewater in Seattle; Grove Isle Club & Resort in Coconut Grove (Miami); La Playa Beach Resort in Naples, Fla.; Hotel Loretto in Santa Fe, N.M.; Portofino Hotel & Yacht Club in Redondo Beach, Calif.; San Diego Paradise Point Resort in San Diego; SunBurst Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz.; and, most recently, Ocean Key House Suite Resort & Marina in Key West, Fla.

Fisheries gear researchers have employed scuba diver-operated sleds to evaluate towed fishing systems since the early 1950's. One of the earliest sled designs was a converted Stokes litter in which two divers sat tandem with the forward diver operating the diving controls (Sand, 1956). The litter was relatively easy to maneuver and provided a comfortable platform for observing operational fishing gear. However, the use of underwater photographic equipment to document gear performance was difficult due to the limited mobility of the observer-cameraman.
A new two-place diver's sled, designed specifically for underwater cinematography, was introduced in the late 1950's (Hold, 1960). This sled allowed the divers to lie side-by-side which greatly reduced water resistance. The sled pilot occupied the port position, and the observer-cameraman, facing either forward or aft, occupied the starboard position. This design offered two advantages over the converted Stokes litter: 1) It was more maneuverable due to the location of its towing point and 2) it facilitated the use of underwater photographic equipment. Disadvantages of this steel sled were that it was heavy, subject to corrosion, and accessory flotation tanks were necessary for positive buoyancy.
The weight and corrosion problems were solved in the late 1960's by replacing the steel frame and wooden control surfaces with aluminum (1). The lighter weight and reduced accessory flotation requirements made the aluminum two-place diver's sled more maneuverable than the steel sled. Because of its excellent handling and performance characteristics, it has become a standard piece of equipment for use in towed fishing gear evaluations by the Harvesting Systems Branch, National Marine Fisheries Service, Mississippi Laboratories, Pascagoula Facility.

In addition to fishing gear research, a number of other applications for diver operated sleds have evolved, including: Evaluation of towed instruments; biological, archeological, and geological surveys; and search and recovery operations. This report provides the information necessary to construct and operate a two-place diver's sled. It is not, however, intended to replace instruction or field training in sled operations.

Construction

Constructed entirely of aluminum, the two-place diver's sled has an overall length of 2.3 m (92 1/4 inches) and a width of 2.2 m (87 3/4 inches) (Fig. 1). Fully rigged, the sled's out-of-water weight is about 41 kg (90 pounds). Watertight welds and two attached side floats provide positive buoyancy.

Materials Required

1) 87 feet 6 inches of 1-inch internal diameter (ID) schedule 10 aluminum pipe

2) 1 foot 10 inches of 1 3/8-inch ID schedule 10 aluminum pipe

3) Four 26 1/2- by 15 1/2-inch sheets of 3/16-inch aluminum

4) Two 46- by 14-inch panels of #36 nylon webbing

5) One spool of #42 (or #60) nylon twine

6) One 3/4-inch shackle

7) One 5/8-inch swivel

8) Two 14- by 6-inch plastic (or styrofoam) floats

9) 12 inches of 3.8-inch aluminum rod

10) Two 2-link sections of 3/16-inch chain

11) Two 3/16-inch lap links

12) Two 3/16-inch shackles

13) Two #3 snap hooks

14) Diver depth gauge

15) Bicycle flag and staff

Sled Frame--Top Section

The top section of the sled frame is constructed from 1-inch ID aluminum pipe (Fig. 2). The two outside frame members measure 84 inches long and are connected at the after end by a 50-inch pipe section. Forward, they are connected by two 19-inch pipe sections and a central "Y" section. The "Y" section is made with two 23 1/2-inch pipes which join with a central pipe measuring 64 inches long. The other end of the central pipe is attached to the middle of the 50-inch pipe. A 3-inch pipe is attached between the two "Y" members to later serve as an attachment point for a towing swivel.

Sled Frame--Bottom Runners

The bottom runners are made from two 110 1/2-inch lengths of 1-inch ID aluminum pipe (Fig. 3). The leading end of each pipe is bent into a half circle with an inside diameter of 14 1/2 inches. The runners are attached 9 1/2 inches inward on the two 19-inch forward pipe sections of the top frame.

Sled Frame--Diagonal

and Cross Members

There are 12 diagonal members (Fig. 4). Six outside diagonals attach between the runners and the outside top frame, and six inside diagonals are attached between the runners and the middle pipe of the top frame. The outside diagonals are 17 inches long, and the inside diagonals are 21 inches long. They are attached at three points along the sled frame. The first set of four (two outside and two inside diagonals) is attached to the after end of the sled. The next set is attached 17 inches inward, and the last set is attached 62 1/4 inches inward from the aft end of the sled. Four 45 1/4-inch cross members are attached between the forward and middle sets of diagonals. The outside cross members are attached 6 1/2 inches down from the outside top section, and the inside cross members are attached 8 1/4 inches down from the middle pipe of the top section.

DAVID BURNOR: Like their computer counterparts, scuba diving publications tend to carry a heavy advertising load: scuba is an equipment-oriented sport, most of it expensive, and manufacturers abound. Resort owners all claim that their patch of sea-bottom has the clearest water; each dive shop has the best prices. What you don't get from the ads, or the editors in most cases, is a no-holds-barred, critical review of the diving marketplace. Undercurrent fills the gap. With no paid ads, the're not beholden to anyone. Like restaurant reviewers, their critics visit diving resorts anonymously -- getting the same treatment that you will -- and present a full report, warts and all. Unbiased equipment evaluations, practical consumer advice, and sound safety tips round out each issue.
Design of wet suits has also changed. The results of our '76 survey indicated strongly that an attached hood was warmer. Today you have to look long and hard to find someone who orders his suit with the hood attached. There are also fewer Skin-in and Skin-out suits reported. There is also a marked decrease in ankle, waist, wrist and side zippers used in suits; we suspect that a statistual correlation could be found -- the fewer the zippers the warmer the suit.

When the San Francisco 49'ers take to the gridiron in sub-freezing weather the equipment manager makes sure they're wearing the appropriate scuba gear ... they've discovered that neoprene wet suit gloves can keep their hands warm while giving them enough flexibility to hold a football.

The AMF-Voit mouthpiece leaves something to be desired. The thickness of the bite-block is 10mm, by far one of the worst. It is placed too far forward, causing the jaw to come forward and placing added strain on the muscles. At nine mm the bite-block's width is fine, but we cannot explain why holes have been placed in the bite-blocks themselves.... The best mouthpiece to date is produced by Dacor. Made of silicone rubber, it can be easily formed to any mouth size. The bite-block thickness is an ideal four mm. The mouthpiece flange is thin and soft enough not to impinge on the gum tissues.... The Dacor model has proven to be the most confortable mouthpiece we have tried. We congratulate them, they must know a good dentist.

t's not as daft, nor as far-fetched, as it sounds. Nor as expensive. And come next summer you'll have your diving certificate - the coveted bit of paper that says you can swim underwater with heavy metal accessories on your back. More importantly, it tells a dive operator that he can legally rent you equipment and take you down into the reefs. Think of the coral, the darting shoals of iridescent fish, the diving instructors, the hunks, the babes. . .
Seriously though, learning to scuba dive is a good indoor activity to take you through the winter. You can do it through evening classes with a local club - almost every public swimming pool in Britain has a resident sub-aqua Club (BSAC, Tel: 0500 947202 will tell you the nearest centre to your area). However, it is much more fun to make a holiday of it. Several places in the UK now offer short but intensive residential dive courses, usually lasting five days, or spread over several weekends. These will get you through either the BSAC Novice Diver standard, or the Professional Association of Diving Instructor's (PADI) Open Water certificate. The PADI qualification is generally regarded as less demanding, while the more intense BSAC course is a better grounding for those who want to go for the more advanced qualifications. But either certificate will let you take a diving holiday abroad with a licensed operator. Of the various UK dive schools offering residential courses, my first choice would be The Diver Training College, situated (ironically) far from the coast in the village of Appleton Roebuck just south of York. Staying B&B nearby, you attend daily or weekend pool-based classes, then have a lot of time off to explore the city of York, the Moors, the Dales, and the rest of that beautiful county. If you would prefer to be by the sea, Divers Down, which operates from the pier in the pretty Dorset seaside town of Swanage, offers similar pool-based courses (sea-based ones in the summer) with, again, a lot of time off for clifftop walks and other trips through the surrounding county. Again, you can take an intensive course or break it up over several weekends. Both schools offer the basic BSAC and PADI courses. But they can also take you to higher levels - if you find that, having attained your initial certificate the winter months are still looming long and cold, you could start climbing the next few rungs of the diving ladder: Novice Diver II, Sport Diver and Dive Leader. There is a specific course for each qualification, covering dive theory, the basic physics of air pressure and the human body and the functioning of equipment - from aqua lungs and air-compressors to the different types of wet and dry suits. The more advanced stages offer training in use of sea-charts, and understanding currents and tides. However, before taking the plunge (pun intended), you should be aware that sub-aqua diving has certain physiological requirements. Before you can register for a course you will have to pass a medical examination. As a rule, people with epilepsy, diabetes, acute asthma or other respiratory problems may not dive. However, these rules are not hard-and-fast, it depends on the nature of your ailment, If you are unsure, ring the dive school and talk it over with them. Come next year, when you're diving in the Red Sea, the Great Barrier Reef or even the wrecks off Scotland, you'll pat yourself on the back for having spent the winter doing something so useful. Unless you decide to take off before then, of course. There are many great winter dive spots: Egypt, Kenya, the Indian Ocean, the Caribbean. . . All you need is that piece of paper. diving fact box Addresses The Diver Training College, Ashley House, Malt Kiln Lane, Appleton Roebuck, York, N.Yorks, tel (01904) 744424 Portland Dive Centre, Portland, Dorset, tel: (01305) 820870 Season Both schools open all year. Accommodation Neither school actually provides on-site accommodation, but both will book you in somewhere locally, mindful of your budgetary constraints. Food Not provided - you take your meals elsewhere. Children Minimum age 14, anyone under 18 needs consent of parent or guardian. Disabled Facilities None. Insurance BSAC/PADI cover included in course tariff. Safety All instructors trained in first aid and sub-aqua rescue. Affiliations British Sub Aqua Club; Professional Association of Diving Instructors. Tariffs Prices include all tuition and equipment hire. BSAC Novice Diver I & II four-day course costs pounds 280. BSAC Sports Diver five-day course costs between pounds 300 and pounds 400. Advanced courses by arrangement; contact centre for price details. Booking Booking normally made in advance, but late bookings accepted if space available. Payment by cash, cheque or credit card. Access Diver Training College: if arriving by car, Appleton Roebuck lies about three miles southeast of the main A64 between Tadcaster and York. Those arriving by train or bus should go to York, from where they can arrange for a lift with the centre. A small fee to cover petrol will be charged. Portland Dive Centre: Portland is located on the island south of Dorchester. There is a railway station at Weymouth, about a 20-minute drive away.

Family physicians are often asked to advise patients who are preparing to travel. The Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 has enabled more passengers with medical disabilities to choose air travel. All domestic U.S. airlines are required to carry basic (but often limited) medical equipment, although several physiologic stresses associated with flight may predispose travelers with underlying medical conditions to require emergency care. Recommendations for passengers with respiratory, cardiac or postsurgical conditions must be individualized and should be based on objective testing measures. Specific advice for patients with diabetes, postsurgical or otolaryngologic conditions may make air travel less hazardous for these persons. Air travel should be delayed after scuba diving to minimize the chance of developing decompression sickness. Although no quick cure for jet lag exists, several simple suggestions may make travel across time zones more comfortable. (Am Fam Physician 1999;60:801-10.)

Family physicians are frequently asked to make recommendations to patients before they travel aboard commercial aircraft, and the need for such advice is also increasing. The need to understand basic aerospace physiology has been accelerated by the growing number of passengers who use commercial air travel and, in particular, the increasing number of elderly, disabled or chronically ill passengers. Although commercial air transportation is very safe compared with other forms of transportation, both environmental and health concerns must be considered when counseling patients who are about to travel by air.

The Air Carrier Access Act of 1986(1) required the U.S. Department of Transportation to develop regulations to ensure that persons with disabilities are treated without discrimination in any way, consistent with the safe carriage of all passengers. Because of Air Carrier Access rules, people with medical conditions who might not have selected airline travel in the past are now regularly attempting to use this mode of transportation. However, if legitimate medical acceptance issues arise, a medical certificate from the treating physician stating that the passenger is medically stable for air travel and will not require extraordinary medical assistance during the flight may be required. This request for a medical certificate is based on information provided by the passenger regarding a specific health condition or may be required when an arriving passenger is visibly ill. The Aerospace Medical Association (telephone: 703-739-2240) monograph "Medical Guidelines for Airline Travel"(2) is a useful guide for physicians providing these determinations.

In-Flight Resources

Federal Air Regulations (FARs) require all U.S.-based airlines to carry a basic emergency medical kit with specified contents (Table 1), as well as a first-aid kit for emergencies that may occur during flight. However, the contents of the kits are limited and are intended for basic emergency treatment only, not to sustain or treat critically ill passengers on extended flights. The medical kit may be opened during flight only when authorized by a physician, either on board or from the airline's medical department connected to the aircraft via air-to-ground communications. In addition, a number of airlines have installed automatic external defibrillators on board aircraft and have trained flight attendants in their use. The Aviation Medical Assistance Act of 1998(3) requires the Federal Aviation Administration to study the additional medical equipment and training that should be required based on analyses of the frequency of medical incidences encountered and to issue a future Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to modify the current FAR. Some airlines have begun installing enhanced medical kits containing a wide variety of acute cardiac life support drugs and equipment to aid in medical emergencies.

OXYGEN

Supplemental oxygen is available on an emergency basis during flights but often is limited to flow rates of 2 and 4 L per minute, and the supply is strictly limited. Passengers with stable medical conditions requiring low-flow oxygen cannot bring their own oxygen on board, according to FARs concerning hazardous cargo (empty oxygen containers are allowed to be transported as baggage). Most air carriers will provide oxygen, either with adjustable (2 to 8 L per minute) or nonadjustable (low flow at 2 L per minute or high flow at 4 L per minute) flow meters. There is a fee for this service, either charged per unit of oxygen used or per ticket coupon (one coupon per boarding), and a minimum notice of 24 to 48 hours or longer is required, along with a medical certificate from the passenger's physician certifying that the person is medically cleared to fly at a relative cabin altitude of 8,000 feet and specifying the flow rate, whether intermittent or continuous, and type of delivery mask (face mask or nasal cannula) to be used.

Oxygen is supplied as either large-cylinder (3,228 L) or small-cylinder (300 L) compressed gas.(4) Passengers must arrange for oxygen to be available during airport layovers by contacting a local supplier in the layover city or through their home oxygen service, with advance notice of at least 24 hours to ensure delivery. Other types of medical respiratory equipment, such as nebulizers or pediatric mechanical ventilators, may sometimes be allowed to be used on board, but their usage must be pre-approved to prevent interference with sensitive aviation electronic equipment and must conform to applicable FARs specifications.

A friend arranged to pay me pounds 2,500 via PayPal for scuba diving equipment that I sold him. I was charged pounds 85.20 by PayPal. Its fees policy states that receiving funds is free for a personal account, or charged up to 3.4 per cent for a Premier/ Business account. But my account is for personal use only. I feel duped. KS, Berkshire.

PayPal is an online payments system, operated by the internet auction company eBay. It is free to open a PayPal personal account, and the PayPal website states it is free to receive a funds transfer from another person, providing that transfer is not funded by a credit card. But PayPal also charges fund recipients a fee if the transfer is funded by debit card; PayPal tells us this is specified in its detailed terms and conditions. As this is not very obvious, an individual charged for a debit card transfer may be able to challenge this and we have told PayPal we believe it should make its terms more transparent. In the case of your transaction, it is not clear what method of payment your friend used. He told you that it was conducted by bank transfer; PayPal tells us it was financed by credit card, and your friend declined to answer the question when we asked him. Your friend's reticence may tell you what you need to know.

My fixed-rate mortgage deal soon expires. Should I roll up my mortgage and credit card debts into a One Account with Royal Bank of Scotland? I understand its interest rate is 5.85 per cent and I would have to repay about pounds 100 more than I currently pay each month. PO, Edinburgh.

Ray Bolger of Charcol brokers says: "The interest rate on One Account's current account mortgage depends on the LTV [loan to value]. The lowest rate of 5.85 per cent is available for LTVs up to 50 per cent. There are seven interest rate tiers, with the highest, 6.7 per cent, available up to 99 per cent LTV. All rates are higher than on One Account's fully flexible mortgage, which offers better value. Offset mortgages work on the same principle as current account mortgages and are available at Newcastle BS, Coventry BS, Bristol & West and Scottish Widows at rates lower than the current account mortgage.

To justify using the One Account current account mortgage, you would have to have large savings compared with the size of the mortgage, or a volatile income, or both. But the benefits can be achieved more cheaply with the right offset mortgage, or with a fully flexible mortgage. Your credit card borrowing could be included in most types of remortgage. Your first decision is whether you want a fixed or variable rate. Both are available with an offset mortgage, but the rates are typically 0.5 per cent higher than on ordinary mortgages."

I asked Norwich Union to convert my three Section 32 pensions into a single annuity, based on a quote it provided. Three months later, I still await my first payment. Norwich Union has wrongly calculated the protected rights value, widow's portion and guarantee. To make matters worse Norwich Union reduced annuity rates in August, so I will get less per annum - and the long-term fixed interest rates have fallen, so the tax-free cash will earn less. My IFA and I have been unable to get Norwich to resolve this. AE, by email.

NU apologises for the poor customer service it has provided. It has agreed to revert to the original quote, backdated it, paid interest on the tax-free cash from August, and maintained all the guarantees and widow's portion as originally offered.

DBS Assurance sold me a Legal & General endowment policy in 1993 to cover a loan of pounds 32,500, which is now projected to fall short by pounds 9,500. I cannot afford this loss. What can I do? JD, Leicester.

DBS Assurance has become part of the Sesame network of IFAs. We arranged for Sesame to consider your formal complaint of mis-selling on the grounds that you say you were not advised that the endowment was a share-based product, with a risk of not meeting its projected return; and that you were not advised it contained life cover that was not relevant to your then needs as a single person.

It took several months for Sesame to consider your claim, which it has rejected, on the grounds that its paperwork does not confirm your version.

The DBS salesman recorded that he advised your then fiance that an endowment was an investment based on shares.

In the company's fact find, signed by your fiance, it was recorded that your joint attitude to risk was "balanced".

Sesame says that the client agreement form "clearly indicated" there was a risk of the endowment under-performing. It adds that it was a requirement of your mortgage lender to have life assurance.

The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) would consider other factors, including your understanding of financial products, your income and whether you previously had savings. We suggest you lodge a complaint with the FOS.

I face a shortfall of pounds 5,000 on two endowment policies that mature in 2009. I am claiming compensation for mis-selling on both, but am anxious the potential deficit should not get larger. Should I start putting money away into an Isa to cover the shortfall, or can I convert my recently arranged interest-only mortgage into a repayment mortgage? If I do this, will I have to pay much in extra charges? DO, Derry.

WATER DOESN'T just keep people cool, water beats gravity. Supported by water, actions that require great effort on land become easier. This is the basis for therapeutic aquatics, in which people get into a pool to stretch and strengthen parts of the body that are underused or stressed because of disabilities. But it also means--with ordinary equipment and a little training--the underwater wilderness is extraordinarily accessible. The woman in the picture at right is quadriplegic. She has no voluntary control over anything below the neck, yet with the help of a dive buddy trained by the Handicapped Scuba Association International, she swims freely.

Jeanne Megel of Colorado Springs not only dives on her own, she swims with the sharks. "The trick is stretching your limits, frequently but gently," she wrote to InsideMS.

"When I was diagnosed 15 years ago, what I heard most was, `You can't do that, you have MS.' For several years, I sat at home, rested, and took care of myself. The better care I took, the more depressed I became.

"Then I took up scuba diving. After getting my open water certification, I asked my doctor to sign a release for me to take the advanced class.

"`You can't dive, you have MS,' was the reply. `But I've already certified!' I said. He signed the letter. One year later I had certified as a professional dive master.

"I didn't bother to ask my doctor about the course in shark feeding. I just went. I spent a week feeding sharks in the Caribbean as part of an environmental education program, and now I teach volunteer classes on sharks and reef ecology."

Jeanne Megel's mission is to help people understand how essential sharks are to healthy oceans--and to see them as beautiful creatures. Being a shark feeder will interest a rare minority. Her invitation to consider underwater adventure has wider appeal. So does her conclusion: "You don't live your life any less because of MS, you only have to live it differently."