Logo for Ocean Rovers Scuba Club of Frederick MD

The Ocean Rovers Scuba Club (ORSC) is the diving club in Frederick, Maryland, and welcomes divers of all certification levels and diving interests. Club meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. on the 3rd Wednesday of every month (except December). Meetings consist of club business, dive reports, and club members or guest speakers with photo, video or equipment presentations. Meetings are open to the public with free admission and are held at the Brass Anchor Scuba Center, 519 E. Church Street, Frederick, Maryland.  Call 301-663-9363 for information, or email info@brassanchor.com.

The club publishes a monthly e-newsletter containing dive trip reports, local diving news and events, and a schedule of upcoming trips and classes.  To view our latest edition, archives, or to sign up for our newsletter, navigate to our Newsletters.

ORSC Newsletter

The Ocean Rovers Scuba Club Newsletter is published monthly.  We are always looking for interesting material for the newsletter. Dive trip reports and/or photos, local diving event announcements, local or national diving news, and links to dive videos you have posted online are all welcome. The best way to submit items is to email  info@brassanchor.com, with a subject line of "For the ORSC Newsletter."

To see the current and archived newsletters, please click the link or logo below.

View the ORSC Newsletter

Subscribe to the ORSC Newsletter!

Club members are welcome to go on any store-sponsored trips. See the Brass Anchor’s Dive Travel page. If you need a buddy, coming to our monthly club meetings is a great way to meet other divers who share your skills and interests. If you have an idea for a club event or would like to give a presentation at a club meeting, please bring it up at any regular meeting, call the store at 301-663-9363, or email Andre Fedak at info@brassanchor.com.

Our regularly scheduled events include:

  • Annual Holiday Party at Brass Anchor for club members and staff
  • Annual Photo and Video Contest with prizes awarded at the holiday party
  • Ice Cream Social at the August club meeting

Club dues are $20 per year for a family membership which includes the monthly newsletter, discounts on new dive gear, an invitation to the December Holiday Party, and eligibility to enter the annual photo and video contest. Dues paid from October to December apply through the following year. Paid members receive a 10% discount off most cash or check purchases at BASC (5% for credit or debit card purchases). Club dues are used to buy refreshments for the meetings, food, and supplies for the holiday party, prizes for the photo/video contest and door prizes for the holiday party.

2017 OCEAN ROVERS SCUBA CLUB UNDERWATER PHOTO AND VIDEO CONTEST

Every year as the kids head back to school and the leaves begin to fall, that means it’s time for Ocean Rovers club members to start planning their entries for our photo and video contest.  This year is no exception.  Entries are due by November 3, 2017, for the 10th annual Ocean Rovers SCUBA Club Underwater Photo Contest and 6th annual Underwater Video Contest.

The requirements for the contest are similar to previous years: you must be an ORSC member (or you can join when you enter) with current dues paid, and your photos and video must have been taken underwater between November 1, 2016, and October 31, 2017.  Any member is eligible to submit two 8" x 10" or 8" x 12" prints (with no mats or frames) and/or one 3-minute video to Brass Anchor by close of business (8:00 PM) on Friday, November 3, 2017.

Because photos and videos are judged anonymously, we ask that video submitters please do not include photographer or editor credits in the version of their video that they submit for the contest.  We will work with the submitter to add those credits before the Holiday Party if desired.

To submit a video, please put your file on a flash drive or DVD and drop it by the shop.  We will not download videos from websites such as YouTube. Please try to submit your video in a format that can be played on a laptop computer using the classroom HDTV.  The contest organizers will preview all videos on the BASC equipment soon after the submission deadline so that we can work with the submitter to resolve any playback issues that may come up.

Still, photos and videos will be judged based on a combination of 3 basic attributes: 1) technical proficiency, 2) artistic merit, and 3) difficulty/uniqueness.  There will be a “people’s choice” vote (anonymous ballots, with photos and videos identified by number only) at the November club meeting on Wednesday, November 15th.  All scores and votes will be tallied to determine the top three winning photos and the top video. These will be announced and prizes awarded at the ORSC/BASC Holiday Party on Saturday, December 16th (please note the date on your schedule!).  All photos and videos submitted will be shown at the party.

And even if your photo is not chosen as one of the top three, you will still have a chance to see your work published in next year’s club calendar.  At least 13 of the best-rated photos will appear in the ORSC/BASC 2018 Calendar for you and your fellow club members to enjoy next year.  So please keep the photo contest in mind over the next few weeks, and give us your best shots!

President

(Vacant)

Vice President/Treasurer

(Vacant)

Newsletter Editor

(Vacant)

Election of officers is held during the January meeting.