Ken Kurtis
Contributor
Want to travel??? Upcoming 2019 vacation trips:
• Easter Island - January 5-13 (LEAVING NEXT SATURDAY)
• Yap Immersion - March 11-24 (3 CONFIRMED ALREADY - who wants to see some mantas???)
• Bonaire - Mid-May (exact dates TBA)
• Indonesia - July 6-19 (Murex in Manado - 5 going so far)
• Whale Shark congregation at Isla Mujeres - August
• Maldives - October 12-25 (CONFIRMED - ONLY 2 SPOTS LEFT)
• Sea of Cortez (Cabo Pulmo) - December 4-10 (SOLD OUT!!!)
GET MORE INFO ON ALL OF OUR VACATION TRIPS HERE: Foreign Trips
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Upcoming local dives & classes:
• Thu., Jan. 17 - Redondo - Squid Dive (FREE!!)
• Wed., Jan. 23 - CLASS - Photo Workshop ($25)
• Sat., Jan. 26 - Catalina Express - Avalon Underwater Park ($150 - three dives)
• Sat., Feb. 9 - Redondo - Beach Dive (single tank - $25)
• Thu., Feb. 14 - Redondo - Squid Dive (FREE!!)
• Sat., Feb. 23 - Catalina Express - Avalon Underwater Cleanup ($150)
• Wed., Feb. 27 - CLASS - NAUI Nitrox ($75)
To sign up for any of these dives, either call us at 310/652-4990 or e-mail us at kenkurtis@aol.com
————————————————————————
Counting down towards the end of 2018 . . .
WHAT TO MAKE OF THIS YEAR ALMOST PAST - I'm not yet sure what to make of 2018. I've seen a number of my friends post some version of "Glad when it's over." It was an interesting year for me personally and professionally, one thing being that because a few trips fell out of the mix, I had an almost five-month break from mid-June to end-September. It was a bit weird to not be getting ready to go anywhere. But overall, I think it was a decent year and I'm always one of these Pollyannas who believes things are what you make of them. You can choose to see the triumphs and the good or focus on the negatives and the bad. No question we've got some HUUUUUUUGE issues facing our country, but I'm optimistic that we'll persevere as a people, and find a path forward.
BONAIRE PARK FEES TO GO UP - I'll talk about this more in the January newsletter that you'll get in two days but be aware that STINAPA - the NGO that basically "runs" Bonaire's marine park - is raising fees for the dive tags from $25 to $45. Although it's an annual fee, since most divers only do a week there, it's the same as a weekly fee. The increase takes effect March 1, 2019.
AMERICAN AIRLINES ADDS PREMIUM ECONOMY - This is not to be confused with their "Main Cabin Extra." But it sounds like they're following the lead of United (Economy Plus) and others in offering seats that have up to 6 inches more legroom and, in the case of American, are wider too. Obviously, they charge more for it but many times it's worth it, especially on a long fight. And if you're already an American AAdvantage member and especially if you hold sort of status with them, you may be able to get this upgrade at no cost. It's a long link, but you can read more about it here: Everything You Need to Know About American Airlines Premium Economy Experience
DELTA CHANGES BOARDING PROCEDURES - On the other end of the spectrum, and I'll be curious to see how long this lasts, Delta just announced new boarding procedures that basically say you'll board in descending order based on the price you paid for your ticket. It's already got some people in the industry as well as those who "just" fly because we have to, grumbling. Here's a look at it from Forbes: Delta Air Lines Boarding Process Changes Are Coming In The New Year .
YOU NEED TO READ THIS IF YOU OWN A SUUNTO COMPUTER - There was a class action lawsuit against Suunto for when they were being distributed by AquaLung that has just settled. (Suunto is now a division of Huish, so any Suuntos sold through Huish seem not to be affected.) The short version is that the internal sensors may not be recording depth correctly, giving faulty no-decompression times and changing the numbers incorrectly as you go. Needless to say, if you have one of the affected computers, stop diving with it until it can be checked out. As this affects Suunto computers sold through AquaLung, and since Reef Seekers hasn't been an AquaLung dealer since the end of 2006 when we closed the retail store, you can't take any affected units to Robert Stark. Units affected were manufactured between January 1, 2006, and August 10, 2018. There's a toll-free number you can call (888/593-6254) but read through the settlement info first because it also contains instructions (bottom of page 3 and top of page 4) on how to determine by serial number if your unit is affected. Here's the link: http://www.suuntodivecomputersettle...82d0-7e811ff739d6&languageId=1033&inline=true
HONDURAN LOBSTER DIVERS GETTING BENT - Lest you think getting bent is no big deal, read this article from the Associated Press about Honduran lobster divers. Rather sobering: AP PHOTOS: Lobster divers risk injury, death in Honduras
LLOYD AUSTIN HAS DIED - Lloyd was a well-known dive industry pioneer as he was the diving guru for UC Berkeley for a long time and trained many, many people through that program. I met Lloyd through my then-ENT, Ron Roth (Ron was one of Lloyd's students), and we all spent a wonderful week together diving Socorro. Lloyd's teachings touched a lot of people and also influenced many who went on to become instructors themselves. Ironically, he was just profiled (Q3) in DAN's Alert Diver (Alert Diver | DAN Member Profile: Lloyd Austin). Lloyd left his mark and will be missed.
EASTER ISLAND BECKONS - We leave next Saturday for Easter Island to do some diving and see the marvelous Moai (big statues) as well. We should have Wi-Fi so will not only send TWARS next week from there, but hopefully will be able to post our Daily Top 10 to SmugMug and Facebook. So please plan to join us vicariously January 6-12.
ENDING ON A PRACTICALLY PERFECT FINAL NOTE - It's not really dive-related - although they do have a wonderful underwater sequence - but I saw "May Poppins Returns" over the weekend and was thoroughly enchanted. I liked the new music and thought Emily Blunt was outstanding. Plus, it didn't hurt that I saw it during a SAG screening in the main theater on the Disney lot in Burbank. Said hello to Walt & Mickey on the way out.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon in the new year!!!
- Ken
• Easter Island - January 5-13 (LEAVING NEXT SATURDAY)
• Yap Immersion - March 11-24 (3 CONFIRMED ALREADY - who wants to see some mantas???)
• Bonaire - Mid-May (exact dates TBA)
• Indonesia - July 6-19 (Murex in Manado - 5 going so far)
• Whale Shark congregation at Isla Mujeres - August
• Maldives - October 12-25 (CONFIRMED - ONLY 2 SPOTS LEFT)
• Sea of Cortez (Cabo Pulmo) - December 4-10 (SOLD OUT!!!)
GET MORE INFO ON ALL OF OUR VACATION TRIPS HERE: Foreign Trips
———————————————————————
Upcoming local dives & classes:
• Thu., Jan. 17 - Redondo - Squid Dive (FREE!!)
• Wed., Jan. 23 - CLASS - Photo Workshop ($25)
• Sat., Jan. 26 - Catalina Express - Avalon Underwater Park ($150 - three dives)
• Sat., Feb. 9 - Redondo - Beach Dive (single tank - $25)
• Thu., Feb. 14 - Redondo - Squid Dive (FREE!!)
• Sat., Feb. 23 - Catalina Express - Avalon Underwater Cleanup ($150)
• Wed., Feb. 27 - CLASS - NAUI Nitrox ($75)
To sign up for any of these dives, either call us at 310/652-4990 or e-mail us at kenkurtis@aol.com
————————————————————————
Counting down towards the end of 2018 . . .
WHAT TO MAKE OF THIS YEAR ALMOST PAST - I'm not yet sure what to make of 2018. I've seen a number of my friends post some version of "Glad when it's over." It was an interesting year for me personally and professionally, one thing being that because a few trips fell out of the mix, I had an almost five-month break from mid-June to end-September. It was a bit weird to not be getting ready to go anywhere. But overall, I think it was a decent year and I'm always one of these Pollyannas who believes things are what you make of them. You can choose to see the triumphs and the good or focus on the negatives and the bad. No question we've got some HUUUUUUUGE issues facing our country, but I'm optimistic that we'll persevere as a people, and find a path forward.
BONAIRE PARK FEES TO GO UP - I'll talk about this more in the January newsletter that you'll get in two days but be aware that STINAPA - the NGO that basically "runs" Bonaire's marine park - is raising fees for the dive tags from $25 to $45. Although it's an annual fee, since most divers only do a week there, it's the same as a weekly fee. The increase takes effect March 1, 2019.
AMERICAN AIRLINES ADDS PREMIUM ECONOMY - This is not to be confused with their "Main Cabin Extra." But it sounds like they're following the lead of United (Economy Plus) and others in offering seats that have up to 6 inches more legroom and, in the case of American, are wider too. Obviously, they charge more for it but many times it's worth it, especially on a long fight. And if you're already an American AAdvantage member and especially if you hold sort of status with them, you may be able to get this upgrade at no cost. It's a long link, but you can read more about it here: Everything You Need to Know About American Airlines Premium Economy Experience
DELTA CHANGES BOARDING PROCEDURES - On the other end of the spectrum, and I'll be curious to see how long this lasts, Delta just announced new boarding procedures that basically say you'll board in descending order based on the price you paid for your ticket. It's already got some people in the industry as well as those who "just" fly because we have to, grumbling. Here's a look at it from Forbes: Delta Air Lines Boarding Process Changes Are Coming In The New Year .
YOU NEED TO READ THIS IF YOU OWN A SUUNTO COMPUTER - There was a class action lawsuit against Suunto for when they were being distributed by AquaLung that has just settled. (Suunto is now a division of Huish, so any Suuntos sold through Huish seem not to be affected.) The short version is that the internal sensors may not be recording depth correctly, giving faulty no-decompression times and changing the numbers incorrectly as you go. Needless to say, if you have one of the affected computers, stop diving with it until it can be checked out. As this affects Suunto computers sold through AquaLung, and since Reef Seekers hasn't been an AquaLung dealer since the end of 2006 when we closed the retail store, you can't take any affected units to Robert Stark. Units affected were manufactured between January 1, 2006, and August 10, 2018. There's a toll-free number you can call (888/593-6254) but read through the settlement info first because it also contains instructions (bottom of page 3 and top of page 4) on how to determine by serial number if your unit is affected. Here's the link: http://www.suuntodivecomputersettle...82d0-7e811ff739d6&languageId=1033&inline=true
HONDURAN LOBSTER DIVERS GETTING BENT - Lest you think getting bent is no big deal, read this article from the Associated Press about Honduran lobster divers. Rather sobering: AP PHOTOS: Lobster divers risk injury, death in Honduras
LLOYD AUSTIN HAS DIED - Lloyd was a well-known dive industry pioneer as he was the diving guru for UC Berkeley for a long time and trained many, many people through that program. I met Lloyd through my then-ENT, Ron Roth (Ron was one of Lloyd's students), and we all spent a wonderful week together diving Socorro. Lloyd's teachings touched a lot of people and also influenced many who went on to become instructors themselves. Ironically, he was just profiled (Q3) in DAN's Alert Diver (Alert Diver | DAN Member Profile: Lloyd Austin). Lloyd left his mark and will be missed.
EASTER ISLAND BECKONS - We leave next Saturday for Easter Island to do some diving and see the marvelous Moai (big statues) as well. We should have Wi-Fi so will not only send TWARS next week from there, but hopefully will be able to post our Daily Top 10 to SmugMug and Facebook. So please plan to join us vicariously January 6-12.
ENDING ON A PRACTICALLY PERFECT FINAL NOTE - It's not really dive-related - although they do have a wonderful underwater sequence - but I saw "May Poppins Returns" over the weekend and was thoroughly enchanted. I liked the new music and thought Emily Blunt was outstanding. Plus, it didn't hurt that I saw it during a SAG screening in the main theater on the Disney lot in Burbank. Said hello to Walt & Mickey on the way out.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon in the new year!!!
- Ken
