Ken Kurtis
Contributor
Want to travel??? Upcoming 2017 vacation trips:
• July 7-19 - Yap Immersion #1 (special 13-day trip featuring all that Yap has to offer) [ LIMITED TO 12 DIVERS - 6 SPOTS LEFT ]
• July 21-August 2 - Yap Immersion #2 (week #2 - same sked as above) [ LIMITED TO 12 DIVERS - 6 SPOTS LEFT ]
• September 1-6 - Great White Sharks of Guadalupe on the Nautilus Belle Amie [ WE'VE ONLY GOT 6 SPOTS - ONLY 1 OFFICIAL SPOT LEFT ]
• November 2-12 - Fiji (SW area near Suva) on the Fiji Aggressor [ SOLD OUT!!! ]
GET MORE INFO ON ALL OF OUR VACATION TRIPS HERE: www.reefseekers.com/foreign_trips.html
——————————————————————————————————————————
Upcoming local dives & classes:
• CLASS - Wed., 4/26 - Fish ID (7PM in Westwood - $25)
• CHARITY EVENT - Wed., 5/3 - Chamber Day & Eve 2017 2017 (7AM-11PM at Catalina and in Long Beach)
• DIVE - Thu., 5/24 - Night dive at Redondo (6PM - FREE!!)
• DIVE - Sat., 6/3 - Avalon UW Park ($150)
To sign up for any of these dives, either call us at 310/652-4990 or e-mail us at kenkurtis@aol.com
———————————————————————————————————————————
Only 10 more days of me whining about Chamber Day . . .
CASUALTY OF THE EVENT - I'm going to postpone the planned Saturday Avalon trip due to some Chamber day things that I HAVE to get completed on Saturday. I'll try to pick a weekend in June that might work but I'm not sure what my schedule is yet so can't name that date right now. But speaking of Chamber Day . . .
QUICK CHAMBER DAY UPDATE - We've still got three seats available at the Reef Seekers table for Chamber Evening, the Cee Ray (our official boat) is sold out, but we've got room for you on the Flying Dutchman and there's always room for whatever loose change you have for the Chamber Challenge. You can make donations and sign up for aspects of the event through this direct link:
Sign Up/Donate On-Line > Chamber Day > USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
BOSE QUIET COMFORT 35 NOISE-CANCELLING HEADPHONES - I'm actually back east for the weekend and was delighted to test out my new Bose QC35 headphones. If you travel at all, and especially if you do long trips (like to Yap on one of our two July trips), these are an essential item. For years, I've had the QC15 version which I loved. I actually got introduced to these through Bruce Graham who on a previous Yap trip (truly - this isn't just a sneaky pitch for Yap) got the originals when they first came out and it was impressive at how well they reduced the rumble of jet engines on a long flight. The QC15s were even better, plus they're quality headphones to boot so were great if you also wanted to listen to music or watch a movie en route. But they weren't cheap, coming in at $300. Enter the QC35. They've adjusted the algorithm, they're wireless (Bluetooth), and they're rechargeable (20-40 hours on a charge) but they're also a bit more expensive, at $350. I even asked a guy in a Bose store if there was much difference in the noise-cancelling between the 15 and the 35 and he said not really. He was wrong. On our recent trip to Bonaire, I tried Lou Weisberg's pair of QC35s on to compare to my QC15 and was stunned at how much better the QC35s were in eliminating noise. The jet engine noise went from a quiet rumble to . . . nothing (or pretty close to it). I was so impressed, I went out and got a pair of the 35s. And now having flown with them LAX-PHL (5+ hours), I've got to say it's the most enjoyable flight I've had because the engine rumble is simply gone. The technology is really amazing. If you're in the market for a set of noise-cancelling headphones, I'd really strongly suggest you consider the Bose QC35. Absolutely my new favorite dive trip travel essential item. That being said . . .
BOSE IS GETTING SUED OVER THEIR HEADPHONES - No sooner had I completed my flight than I saw this little tidbit: Bose is getting sued for violations of customer privacy because, if you download their app, apparently they capture personal data that is sent and sold willy-nilly to third party vendors. The disclaimer is all of this is that, whether or not the allegations are true, the suit is being filed by a guy who "specializes in suing technology companies over alleged privacy violations." You can read all about it here: Bose headphones spy on listeners, a new lawsuit alleges. (I still love the headphones. I just won't download the app.)
TO SNORKEL OR NOT - Larry Schnabel posted an interesting question to me about conducting a survey on whether you still carry/use a snorkel or not and why. I think I'll work something up for the May newsletter so keep an eye out for that. There's no question in my mind that snorkels aren't as frequently used as "regular" dive equipment as they used to be. There are likely arguments both ways and perhaps our little survey can produce some insights we can all share.
FISH ID IS ON FOR THIS WEDNESDAY EVENING - Despite the Chamber Day shenanigans, the Fish ID class is still a "go" for this Wednesday evening. (If nothing else, it gives me a break from Chamber day stuff.) The class is a whopping $25, is taught at my place in Westwood, and if you're planning on coming, please make sure to e-mail or call (310/652-4990) to let me know. These classes are fun (for both of us) and informal and I am happy to do them even if only one or two people sign up. Plus, it's a great way to start to learn how to know what all the critters are that you're seeing underwater.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
• July 7-19 - Yap Immersion #1 (special 13-day trip featuring all that Yap has to offer) [ LIMITED TO 12 DIVERS - 6 SPOTS LEFT ]
• July 21-August 2 - Yap Immersion #2 (week #2 - same sked as above) [ LIMITED TO 12 DIVERS - 6 SPOTS LEFT ]
• September 1-6 - Great White Sharks of Guadalupe on the Nautilus Belle Amie [ WE'VE ONLY GOT 6 SPOTS - ONLY 1 OFFICIAL SPOT LEFT ]
• November 2-12 - Fiji (SW area near Suva) on the Fiji Aggressor [ SOLD OUT!!! ]
GET MORE INFO ON ALL OF OUR VACATION TRIPS HERE: www.reefseekers.com/foreign_trips.html
——————————————————————————————————————————
Upcoming local dives & classes:
• CLASS - Wed., 4/26 - Fish ID (7PM in Westwood - $25)
• CHARITY EVENT - Wed., 5/3 - Chamber Day & Eve 2017 2017 (7AM-11PM at Catalina and in Long Beach)
• DIVE - Thu., 5/24 - Night dive at Redondo (6PM - FREE!!)
• DIVE - Sat., 6/3 - Avalon UW Park ($150)
To sign up for any of these dives, either call us at 310/652-4990 or e-mail us at kenkurtis@aol.com
———————————————————————————————————————————
Only 10 more days of me whining about Chamber Day . . .
CASUALTY OF THE EVENT - I'm going to postpone the planned Saturday Avalon trip due to some Chamber day things that I HAVE to get completed on Saturday. I'll try to pick a weekend in June that might work but I'm not sure what my schedule is yet so can't name that date right now. But speaking of Chamber Day . . .
QUICK CHAMBER DAY UPDATE - We've still got three seats available at the Reef Seekers table for Chamber Evening, the Cee Ray (our official boat) is sold out, but we've got room for you on the Flying Dutchman and there's always room for whatever loose change you have for the Chamber Challenge. You can make donations and sign up for aspects of the event through this direct link:
Sign Up/Donate On-Line > Chamber Day > USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
BOSE QUIET COMFORT 35 NOISE-CANCELLING HEADPHONES - I'm actually back east for the weekend and was delighted to test out my new Bose QC35 headphones. If you travel at all, and especially if you do long trips (like to Yap on one of our two July trips), these are an essential item. For years, I've had the QC15 version which I loved. I actually got introduced to these through Bruce Graham who on a previous Yap trip (truly - this isn't just a sneaky pitch for Yap) got the originals when they first came out and it was impressive at how well they reduced the rumble of jet engines on a long flight. The QC15s were even better, plus they're quality headphones to boot so were great if you also wanted to listen to music or watch a movie en route. But they weren't cheap, coming in at $300. Enter the QC35. They've adjusted the algorithm, they're wireless (Bluetooth), and they're rechargeable (20-40 hours on a charge) but they're also a bit more expensive, at $350. I even asked a guy in a Bose store if there was much difference in the noise-cancelling between the 15 and the 35 and he said not really. He was wrong. On our recent trip to Bonaire, I tried Lou Weisberg's pair of QC35s on to compare to my QC15 and was stunned at how much better the QC35s were in eliminating noise. The jet engine noise went from a quiet rumble to . . . nothing (or pretty close to it). I was so impressed, I went out and got a pair of the 35s. And now having flown with them LAX-PHL (5+ hours), I've got to say it's the most enjoyable flight I've had because the engine rumble is simply gone. The technology is really amazing. If you're in the market for a set of noise-cancelling headphones, I'd really strongly suggest you consider the Bose QC35. Absolutely my new favorite dive trip travel essential item. That being said . . .
BOSE IS GETTING SUED OVER THEIR HEADPHONES - No sooner had I completed my flight than I saw this little tidbit: Bose is getting sued for violations of customer privacy because, if you download their app, apparently they capture personal data that is sent and sold willy-nilly to third party vendors. The disclaimer is all of this is that, whether or not the allegations are true, the suit is being filed by a guy who "specializes in suing technology companies over alleged privacy violations." You can read all about it here: Bose headphones spy on listeners, a new lawsuit alleges. (I still love the headphones. I just won't download the app.)
TO SNORKEL OR NOT - Larry Schnabel posted an interesting question to me about conducting a survey on whether you still carry/use a snorkel or not and why. I think I'll work something up for the May newsletter so keep an eye out for that. There's no question in my mind that snorkels aren't as frequently used as "regular" dive equipment as they used to be. There are likely arguments both ways and perhaps our little survey can produce some insights we can all share.
FISH ID IS ON FOR THIS WEDNESDAY EVENING - Despite the Chamber Day shenanigans, the Fish ID class is still a "go" for this Wednesday evening. (If nothing else, it gives me a break from Chamber day stuff.) The class is a whopping $25, is taught at my place in Westwood, and if you're planning on coming, please make sure to e-mail or call (310/652-4990) to let me know. These classes are fun (for both of us) and informal and I am happy to do them even if only one or two people sign up. Plus, it's a great way to start to learn how to know what all the critters are that you're seeing underwater.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
