Looks like we're heading for another heat alert in the coming days . . .
HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE - It's the same advice we give when we're diving in the tropics and it applies even in Los Angeles on a hot day. You simply don't always realize how much liquid you're losing when you're sweating even just a little bit so make sure you drink plenty of water to keep yourself properly hydrated. Don't let it get to the point of heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
LAST-DITCH BC REPAIR - I really like my (fairly old) Seaquest Pro QD+ BC. So I was dismayed when a few weeks ago in Indonesia, I realized I had a leak coming out of the aux right shoulder dump. Turns out a piece of the mounting plastic had broken. We were able to do a temp fix with some DAP sealant they had lying around and I was able to get through the trip losing only a bit of air through the BC during the dive. Seaquest doesn't make this model anymore so, before I switch to another one, I thought I'd make a last-ditch effort to save this. So I got some Super Glue and some Flex Seal and have used the Super Glue - yes, I got it all over my fingers - to hopefully glue the cracked plastic back together, and then I'll try a bead of the Flex Seal - got that all over my fingers too - around the edge of the connection to see if both of those together will provide a decent-enough seal. I'll let you know.
MY COTTON CANDY WAS ALWAYS PINK - A big fuss was made over a rare "Cotton Candy" lobster that was caught off of the coast of New Hampshire recently. These are supposedly 1 in 100,000,000. However, the pictures that accompany the article make it appear that the crustacean is blue. It's certainly not pink. So I don't exactly understand where the "cotton candy" designation comes from. But if you'd like to see it and read more, you can click here:
COTTON CANDY LOBSTER.
TRAVELLING IN 2025 - Many thanks to those of you who replied about travel thoughts in 2025. I've done a little bit of narrowing down. I first talked to my friend Josie on Easter Isalnd and that may be doable in March or even February. Those trips leave on a Friday afternoon, arrive on Easter Island Saturday afternoon, leave the following Saturday afternoon, and arrive home early Sunday morning. There are also seems to be some interest in the Bahamas and perhaps that would be sometime in May (after Ch-Day is finished). Usually those are Saturday-Saturday trips (sometimes leaving Friday night). I'm thinking Grand Bahama perhaps and wondering if there's a way to sneak in a day out at Tiger Beach, which is about 20 miles to the west. Roatan may go back on the schedule but for July. And then we've already got the sold-out back-to-back Maldives trips for September/October. We may give Indo a rest for next year and would likely do that again in 2026. Still all a work-in-progress and happy to still take requests.
36 HOURS OF TOGETHERNESS - A couple of divers, a married couple no less, were rescued just south of Galveston, Texas, after they got separated from their dive boat in what sounds like horrible diving conditions. (Why they were out there in the first place was not addressed.) They were reported missing once the storm cleared and the boat couldn't find them. They finally were able to catch the attention of a USCG rescue plane by shining their dive lights at the aircraft as it flew near them. This is a good example of why it ALWAYS pays to have a good light with you (as well as a surface marker buoy - not sure if they had one or not) and why it's also OK to pass on a dive when conditions deteriorate. One of the other passengers on the dive boat said that it was raining so hard you couldn't see much beyond the boat and that the wind and waves were "atrocious." The missing-then-found couple was taken to a hospital where they're in stable condition, dealing with dehydration, sunburn, and some jellyfish stings. All's well that tends well.
JIM COOPER MEMORIAL SERVICE THIS SATURDAY - I mentioned a while back that stalwart Reef Seekers diver Jim Cooper passed away after a long illness. His memorial service will be this coming Saturday (August 10) in Las Vegas, where he and wife Diana had lived for many years now. The service, which starts at 1PM PDT, will be live-streamed from their church. (I'm giving one of the eulogies.) If you can't attend in-person, Diana and the family asked me to give you the live-stream link and here it is:
https://live.ferventlv.org/
Also, if any of you have a remembrance of Jim that you'd like to share, you can either send me an e-mail here or even text me at 310/652-4990 and I'll include your story in my remarks.
