Ken Kurtis
Contributor
Heat, Wasting Disease news, Dodgers, & more
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How's that summertime heat treating you . . . ???
THE HEAT IS HERE - Not as bad as it could be but sure makes going out on the ocean feel quite refreshing. Going to be upper 70s (at least) for a while. Obviously hotter in the valleys and inland. Beaches are somewhat crowded, especially weekends, so if you're thinking of someplace like Vets Park at Redondo, it's best to get there somewhat early. That doesn't need to mean O-Dark-30 but the parking lots are fairly full after 9 or 10AM.
BIG NEWS ABOUT SEA STARS - When I started diving SoCal in 1981, sea stars were plentiful. This was especially true at Santa Barbara Island where you could routinely see dozens of large Sunflower Stars moving about, terrorizing Brittle Stars - you could literally watch them flee as the Sunflower approached - and urchins. But in 2013 something started happening that was literally causing not only Sunflower stars but almost all sea stars to disappear. It was called Sea Star Wasting Disease and essentially the infected sea star would dissolve into a pile of goo. It made Sunflower Stars almost extinct, wiping out an estimated 90% of the population. The absence of that Sunflower predator allowed urchins, especially purple ones, to thrive. That let to kelp destruction and urchin barrens, which led to loss of habitat for other sea creatures. (This is the textbook example of what we mean when we talk about "Balance of Nature.") However . . .
MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH - It was incredibly exciting, at least to those of who consider ourselves ocean geeks, to hear the news last Monday that the pathogen that was causing the Wasting Disease has been identified. It's a relatively common and well-known form of bacteria. But what it now means is that, since we know the cause, a cure or preventative measures might be right around the corner. (To emphasize the importance of this, it is somewhat akin to saying, "I found the gene that causes cancer and now we can cure it.") What's also exciting is that some of the folks at the Aquarium of the Pacific, who have been working on sea star restoration programs, contributed research that help fuel the discovery. While we're not out of the woods yet, it's a very hopeful sign that the recovery of a number of sea star species is possible. You can read more about all of this in this article: SEA STAR WASTING DISEASE DISCOVERY.
ONLY ONE SPOT LEFT ON OUR PHILIPPINES 2026 2-WEEK ADVENTURE - This is the one where we're going to start with a week on land at Atlantis Resort Dumaguete and then do a week of their Infiniti liveaboard. We've got 12 spots total but now are down to our final spot (female share - unless her husband wants to go). This is a trip that will give you a taste of macro and muck-style diving but will also expose you to some wonderful reefs, lots of turtles, and maybe even some Thresher Sharks (which I personally have never seen). Trip dates (with travel) are September 10-27, 2026. You'll need to add in airfare from your home city to Manila, but the Manila-Dumaguete air is included in the package price of $6,499. That covers both weeks, double-occupancy room, all meals at both the resort and on the boat, up to five dives/day, a generous crew tip, and all the fun you can handle. There are some marine park fees that are extra as well as nitrox, should you choose to dive that. But it's shaping up to be a great trip. I spent a few days at the Dumaguete resort last year and if you haven't read that trip report, here it is, along with a link to pictures: DUMAGUETE 2024 REPORT.
LEGAL DILEMMA - I was encouraged a few days ago to read that a federal judge in Hawaii has ruled that a remote area of the Pacific that has protected status cannot be reopened to commercial fishing by executive fiat from the Trump administration. (Read the ruling here: PACIFIC FISHING.) By the same token, there's an article in Saturday's L.A. Times about how the Trumpsters are routinely ignoring adverse court rulings or claiming there are work-arounds to rulings that go against them. The dilemma is that, in a government with three co-equal branches (and we'll avoid the discussion of whether that currently holds true), it's the Executive branch that sees that the laws passed by Congress are implemented and that rulings on a federal level are also adhered to. The issue becomes problematic when it's that same Executive branch whose actions are being deemed illegal and the general response is, "We don't care." That is further exaccerbated by a compliant Congress (at least half of them) and a public who feels increasingly powerless to stem the tide. Granted this is one relatively small legal battle and it happens to involve the ocean that we love, but it augers the larger issues facing this country and a seemingly steady march towards some sort of a confrontation that will not end well for us as citizens nor as a country.
SHOOTING PHOTOS WITH AN iPHONE? - It seems more and more people these days are taking their phones underwater and shooting with them in specialized underwater phone housings. While it's easy to do and the results are generally good, one big issue is that there don't seem to be a practical way to use a strobe to light up the pix. Enter AquaColorFix. (We've talked about this before: www.aquacolorfix.co.) It's a downloadable program available through the Google Play store and other places for apps, and it's specifically designed to help correct. underwater phone shots. Glenn Suhd, one of our regulars, has been shooting with his phone and using AquaColorFix to make the images look more pleasing. He showed me some of what he shot the other day and I was very impressed so thought I'd share it with you, since this is something we can attest is a real-world example, not something the vendor tricked up. But here's just one example from Glenn's recent Indonesia trip of a Mantis Shrimp out for a stroll on the sand. Straight-out-of-the-phone is on the left, the AquaColorFix version is on the right:
