Ken Kurtis
Contributor
Zoom Seekers, Chamber Day, and more
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Nice ring ceremony Friday for the Dodgers although the rings are a bit over-the-top . . .
ZOOM SEEKERS THIS TUESDAY - Please make plans to join us this Tuesday evening at 7:30PM for the April edition of our monthly Zoom Seekers chats. This one's going to be really timely. Our speaker is Dr. Doug Ebersole who's basically a COVID expert and especially on how it relates to diving. Doug's also a COVID survivor so speaks from clinical knowledge as well as personal experience. And one of the things making the news in the last week about post-COVID issues include the effects of "long-COVID" which now may encompass some psychological issues as well. This chat will not only encourage you NOT to get COVID in the first place, but - if you do - will also provide a framework to safely return to diving. We'll be live on Zoom (limited to 100 people) and will also stream on FaceBook LIVE for any overflow. If you miss this, the entire chat will be recorded and will be available the next day. Here's the Zoom link. Hope to see you Tuesday: DOUG EBERSOLE: DIVING IN THE ERA OF COVID 19.
CHAMBER DAY IS APPROACHING - We're a little more than three weeks away from this very important fund-raiser for our Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber. We're actually doing very well with the Challenge but are lagging a bit in other areas. Usually, Reef Seekers divers make up a lot of the divers on the Flying Dutchman and well as contribute to the Chamber Challenge. If you haven't done those yet - we also have a table at Chamber Evening - please do so at your earliest convenience. Your Chamber needs your help. Go to www.chamberday.org to get signed up.
REEF RESTORATION IN PALOS VERDES - It's always nice to point you to an environmental success story, let alone one in our own backyard. It's been almost 20 years in the making and was largely supported and prodded into existence by the sportfishing community, but this all comes as a settlement from Montrose Chemical. The newly refurbished reef - which is comprised of 58,000 tons of rock - lies around Bunker Point, which is north of White's Point. The reef depths are from roughly 45-60 feet and are just outside (south) of the Palos Verdes MPAs. Although it's only been completed for a few months, already fish have moved in and the hope is that the rocks provide substrate for kelp growth. There's a nice video about it that you can view here: PALOS VERDES REEF.
ON THE OTHER HAND - The flip side of that, and in the same general area, is the story of DDT waste dumped offshore decades ago. This was first exposed in by the L.A. Times late last year. CBS did a story on it this morning (thanks to Skip Abelson for the heads-up): BARRELS OF DDT DUMPED INTO THE OCEAN.
REPAIR REMINDER - Rather than leave you on that gloomy note, I'll remind you that as COVID restrictions relax and you contemplate going back into the water, remember that not only you have been inactive for quite some time, but your gear has too. It may not need a full service, but it absolutely should have a quick bench check before you submerge with it. Our repair guru Robert Stark can easily get that set up for you. Give him a call at our dedicated repair line (310/947-8523) so you're ready to go when the time comes.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week, wear your mask, make a vaccine appointment if you haven't already, and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
(please scroll down for details)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nice ring ceremony Friday for the Dodgers although the rings are a bit over-the-top . . .
ZOOM SEEKERS THIS TUESDAY - Please make plans to join us this Tuesday evening at 7:30PM for the April edition of our monthly Zoom Seekers chats. This one's going to be really timely. Our speaker is Dr. Doug Ebersole who's basically a COVID expert and especially on how it relates to diving. Doug's also a COVID survivor so speaks from clinical knowledge as well as personal experience. And one of the things making the news in the last week about post-COVID issues include the effects of "long-COVID" which now may encompass some psychological issues as well. This chat will not only encourage you NOT to get COVID in the first place, but - if you do - will also provide a framework to safely return to diving. We'll be live on Zoom (limited to 100 people) and will also stream on FaceBook LIVE for any overflow. If you miss this, the entire chat will be recorded and will be available the next day. Here's the Zoom link. Hope to see you Tuesday: DOUG EBERSOLE: DIVING IN THE ERA OF COVID 19.
CHAMBER DAY IS APPROACHING - We're a little more than three weeks away from this very important fund-raiser for our Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber. We're actually doing very well with the Challenge but are lagging a bit in other areas. Usually, Reef Seekers divers make up a lot of the divers on the Flying Dutchman and well as contribute to the Chamber Challenge. If you haven't done those yet - we also have a table at Chamber Evening - please do so at your earliest convenience. Your Chamber needs your help. Go to www.chamberday.org to get signed up.
REEF RESTORATION IN PALOS VERDES - It's always nice to point you to an environmental success story, let alone one in our own backyard. It's been almost 20 years in the making and was largely supported and prodded into existence by the sportfishing community, but this all comes as a settlement from Montrose Chemical. The newly refurbished reef - which is comprised of 58,000 tons of rock - lies around Bunker Point, which is north of White's Point. The reef depths are from roughly 45-60 feet and are just outside (south) of the Palos Verdes MPAs. Although it's only been completed for a few months, already fish have moved in and the hope is that the rocks provide substrate for kelp growth. There's a nice video about it that you can view here: PALOS VERDES REEF.
ON THE OTHER HAND - The flip side of that, and in the same general area, is the story of DDT waste dumped offshore decades ago. This was first exposed in by the L.A. Times late last year. CBS did a story on it this morning (thanks to Skip Abelson for the heads-up): BARRELS OF DDT DUMPED INTO THE OCEAN.
REPAIR REMINDER - Rather than leave you on that gloomy note, I'll remind you that as COVID restrictions relax and you contemplate going back into the water, remember that not only you have been inactive for quite some time, but your gear has too. It may not need a full service, but it absolutely should have a quick bench check before you submerge with it. Our repair guru Robert Stark can easily get that set up for you. Give him a call at our dedicated repair line (310/947-8523) so you're ready to go when the time comes.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week, wear your mask, make a vaccine appointment if you haven't already, and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
