Ken Kurtis
Contributor
Happy Easter (or belated Easter deepening on when you read this) . . .
CANDY STASH - I don't know if my sister thought Sammy Davis' "Candy Man" was one of my favorite songs, or if she's trying to give me a fatal sugar rush, or simply thinks I'd enjoy diabetes, but she certainly got me loaded up on candy this year. All the more dangerous when you're home all day. Anyone wanna stop by for a snack? (I can toss it down to you.)
ZOOM DIVE CLUB MEETINGS - There are a number of us on the dive club speaker "circuit" and one of the issues the "Safer at Home" order presents is how clubs will have meetings let alone how speakers can give presentations. Zoom to the rescue!!! A number of clubs have started holding virtual meetings via Zoom (or similar apps) and it seems to be working out really well. I gave a talk last Wednesday (an update about what we know and don't know about the Conception fire as well as a Chamber Day pitch) to the South Orange County Dive Club and we all though it worked really well on numerous levels. For one thing, we had some 67 people on the call. Most clubs get around 25-30 people attending so that was tremendous. I was able to do a screen share so everyone could see my PowerPoint presentation and they were able to ask questions either via the chat function or by unmuting their mics. Plus club prez Konrad Fry was able to record the entire thing through Zoom (it's built into their program) and will put the talk up on his YouTube channel. I'm giving a similar chat Monday to the Antelope Valley Desert Divers and on Tuesday to Shark Bait. If anyone wants to listen in, shoot me an e-mail and I'll send you the URL. But this was a great way for the clubs to meet, for information to be conveyed, and it really opens up a wealth of opportunities for both clubs and speakers, as well as saves some of us long commutes (not that we don't endure . . . I mean, enjoy . . . those long solo drives immensely). But in all seriousness, if you're in a dive club and you haven't availed yourself of this technology, give it some thought.
SPEAKING OF CHAMBER DAY 2020 - We want to encourage you to sign up for virtual Chamber Eve (now also known as the “Table Challenge.”) We’re a Chamber Eve table sponsor and we were looking forward to spending a fun evening with you and 400+ of our fellow divers at the Aquarium of the Pacific on May 6. The COVID-19 pandemic has upended those plans. Chamber Eve has been turned into a virtual event with virtual tables. We’re still sponsoring our table. We hope you’ll still plan to join us by buying a “seat” at the virtual table. It's still $120/person. Since we can’t feed you a virtual dinner, instead you’ll get a Chamber Eve short-sleeve t-shirt along with five raffle tickets and a shot at the Grand Prize, a week of diving in Yap with Manta Ray Bay Resort. There will also be on-line Blind Bid items. And there’s even a plan afoot to live-stream all of this on the evening of May 6. Also, there’s a bit of a contest to see which store/club/group can get the most people to sign up for Chamber Eve and it sure would be nice, especially since there’s now an unlimited number of “seats” at each table, if we ended up as #1. Here's how it all works:
1. Click on this link: https://dornsife.usc.edu/chamberday/signup-link/
2. Fill out the first page and then page through to the Evening Table Challenge.
3. Select the number of seats you want.
4. Select a short-sleeve t-shirt size (one per seat purchased).
5. Use the "Table Sponsor" drop-down menu and choose Reef Seekers.
6. Page through to confirm shipping address and $$$ amount.
7. Then complete the payment form and you're done!!
TRYING TO SETTLE ON BONAIRE DATES - Still trying to figure out the re-sked for Bonaire. It's now looking like late August or even perhaps early September. I mention this because we can add people to the group. So if you might be interested, but our May date wouldn't have worked for you previously (let alone now) give me a shout if you want more info. I'm pretty sure I'll be around all day and will have time to chat.
NATURE STARTS MOVING BACK IN - We forget sometimes how much human expansion and construction displaces nature and ruins animal habitats. One of the unintended consequences of "Safer at Home" all over the world, is that, with streets and other areas devoid of humans, nature starts moving back in. There are goats in Wales, monkeys in Asia, deer in people's backyards, and stuff like that. There's even two pandas at a zoo in Hong Kong whose keepers have been trying unsuccessfully to get them to mate for 10 years. But once the zoo shut down and humans left them alone, romance blossomed. Maybe one of the best stories, certainly from a marine environment standpoint, comes from India, where 70,000 Olive Ridley sea turtles did a mass nesting in broad daylight on a deserted beach. Also makes you wonder, "How did they know?" Here's a link to the story with some pictures: TURTLES INVADE DESERTED BEACH.
And that'll do it for now. Take a deep breath, wash your hands, stay safe, and let's go diving one of these days soon!!!
- Ken
