AVALON UNDERWATER PARK THIS WEDNESDAY - We're definitely going and can probably squeeze a couple of late-comers if you're interested. (If you wanna go, try to let me know before 3PM Monday afternoon.) We're on the 7:30AM boat out of San Pedro, which generally means we'll be set up at the Park a little after 9AM. Plenty of time to easily get in three dives, maybe even four if you want to hustle. We'll do at least one dive (usually the first one) where the primary target will be Giant Sea Bass and we'll see how things go from there. We'll also want to do at least one dive off to the right into the Pinnacles area, where we were spotting Abalone, Lobster, Moray Eels, and more last month. (Plus I get to use my new high-tech OrcaTorch underwater laser light again. GREAT for pointing stuff out.) $175 gets you the Express round-trip, taxi to and from the Park, tank rental and airfills (steel tanks &/or nitrox both available for a slight extra charge). We generally take a lunch break after dive #2 so bring something to eat. Although our plan is to return on the 6:00PM boat, there's also a 3:35PM return if anyone needs to get back a bit earlier (you'd need to be out of the water by about 2:30PM to have time to pack up and make that boat). Send me an e-mail or call 310/652-4990 if you're interested.
ZOOM SEEKERS LAST WEEK - Selena McMillan gave a nice talk and overview about Reef Check California and not only outlined what they do, but also discussed how you can become involved if you're interested. Her entire talk is up on our YouTube channel through this link:
ZOOM SEEKERS - SELENA McMILLAN OF REEF CHECK.
COMING UP ON THE THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF THE CONCEPTION FIRE - Hard to believe it's been three years because I know for many people, it still seems like it was yesterday. But I mention this because our September 13 Zoom Seekers speaker will be Adam Tucker who was the lead investigator for the NTSB. Adam will talk about how they went about figuring out what was what, he'll probably dispel some myths about what we know and don't know, and bring us up to speed on what changes the NTSB investigation produced both in the small passenger vessel industry in general, as well as regulatory changes that came about as a result. I anticipate this will be a well-attended Zoom presentation and will remind you that we're limited to 100 people in our Zoom room (although the overflow can watch on FaceBook live). But while I think this may be difficult at times, it will also be very instructive and perhaps even healing. I think you'll walk away with a better understanding of what the overall impact of this was beyond the obvious tragedy of the loss of 34 lives.
PALOS VERDES REEF RESTORATION - It's not often you find the recreational fishing community and the recreational dive community both on the same side, but this is one of those times. I got one of the regular e-mails from Tom Raftican and the Sportfishing Conservancy touting the success of the artificial reef created off of Palos Verdes as part of what's know as the Montrose Settlement (DDT and PCB dumping). They completed the actual work on this in late 2020 and have just released an "18 months later" video that shows how things have progressed:
MONTROSE SETTLEMENT PALOS VERDES REEF RESTORATION. What was nice about the e-mail from Tom is that he and I have been (cordially) on opposite sides of the MPA discussion over the years and, even though this area is still open to fishing, it's nice to see the sportfishing community endorsing the concept that when we make an effort to have a positive impact on the ocean environment - through reef-building as well as reducing size/take limits, protecting marine areas, etc. - good things can happen. If you'd like to read more about the project itself, you can use this link:
PALOS VERDES PULSE.
SUNKEN PLANE - If you're diving the Red Sea around the Gulf of Aqaba, you might think a plane has missed the runaway. There's an old Lockheed-Martin L1011 Tristar sitting on the sloping bottom at recreational diving depths. Best of all . . . You don't need to clear TSA to "board" the plane. You can read more about it here (thanks to Laurie Kasper for the tip):
DIVE THE SUNKEN PLANE.
GOOD NEWS ABOUT LOGGERHEAD TURTLES - We love passing along the bright spots rather than just relaying doom & gloom and this is definitely a bright one. Loggerhead turtle nests are at record numbers in Georgia with the count reaching 3,960 as of last Wednesday. The low point seems to have been 2004, when only 358 nest were tallied. More nest mean a healtier turtle population as well as are signs of a recovering ocean. You can read more about it here:
LOGGERHEAD NEST RECORD.
HUMANOID DIVING ROBOT - I suppose it was only a matter of time. Researchers at Stanford have created what is essentially an ROV (remotely operated vehicle) but have done so in the form of a human diver, complete with head, hands, and feet. It can go to a depth of around 3300 feet (1KM). This is their second version. The first one, "OceanOne," was limited to a depth of around 200 feet. This one is called "OceanOneK" - because it can go to one kilometer of depth - and opens up more area for them to explore. You can read more about it here (there's a video on the site as well):
STANFORD'S HUMANOID DIVING ROBOT.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
