Ken Kurtis
Contributor
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Want to travel??? Upcoming 2018 vacation trips:
• April 14-21 (note new dates) - Bonaire (Buddy Dive)
• June 8-20 - Yap Immersion (same 10-day format we did this year)
• July 14-28 - Sulawesi, Indonesia with our friends at Murex (includes a day at Lembeh Straits)
• August 18-25 - Isla Mujeres (Whale Sharks, Cancun Underwater Museum, Cenotes)
• October 27 - November 3 - Roatan at Anthony's Key
GET MORE INFO ON ALL OF OUR VACATION TRIPS HERE: Foreign Trips
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Upcoming local dives & classes:
• Tue. Dec. 12 - (CLASS - new date) Fish ID - Reef Seekers West(wood) ($25)
• Thu., Dec. 28 - Night dive (Squid???) - Redondo, Veterans Park (FREE!!!)
• Thu, Jan. 11 - Night dive (Squid???) - Redondo, Veterans Park (FREE!!!)
• Sat., Jan. 20 - Catalina Express - Avalon Underwater Park, maybe more BSBs ($150)
• Thu., Jan. 25 - (CLASS) Fish ID - Reef Seekers West(wood) ($25)
To sign up for any of these dives, either call us at 310/652-4990 or e-mail us at kenkurtis@aol.com
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Busy week here in SoCal with all the fires raging. Hopefully you are safe and sound . . .
SPECTACULAR SUNSET - I'm not sure how much the fires had to do with this, but the sunset tonight was spectacular. The view from Westwood:
LAKE REDONDO - Buck was at Vets Park Sunday with a rescue class and he said it's the flattest he's ever seen it. From his FB page (picture is his too): "When I say 'no surf' at Redondo today, I don't mean ankle-slappers, I mean no surf. Flattest I've seen in years. Santa Ana's don't 'cha know. I don't mind a little wave action with a Rescue Class, but we take it as it comes . . . "
THE SQUID ARE RUNNING!!! THE SQUID ARE RUNNING!!! - It's the right time of the year (and also just past the full moon). But over the last couple of nights, divers have been INNUNDATED by mating squid. It's truly a magical experience. It sounds like most of the action has been straight out from Middle Stairs (the stairs north of the big parking lot halfway to the Pier) and out about 70-80 feet. Bring a light and you'll get mobbed. Remember that this will now likely come in monthly/regular waves for a while and it's hard to say how long this specific one will last nor when the next one will begin. Regardless, the egg clusters (which you can also see during the day if you don't want to do a night dive) will be around for about eight weeks because that's the gestation period. But no surf and mating squid is a pretty inviting combination. Here's a short video that Ross Overstreet shot the other night, but you might need to be on Facebook to view it: https://www facebook com/ross.overstreet/videos/10213376252773607/.
SANTA ANAS AFFECT THE UNDERWATER PARK TOO - Many of you saw Mark Guccione's video that I forwarded earlier in the week of the surf pounding the Park. There was some damage to the seawall near the stairs (of course, this is where I normally set up) but it seems to have been relatively minor. On the other hand, the constant wave action certainly cleaned off the pavement. Here's a pix that Mark posted of the aftermath:
BE AWARE OF NEW BAG CHARGES - The latest gimmick to give you an illusion of a low fare is what some airlines are calling "Basic Economy" or a similar name. It's a cheaper no-frills economy fare designed to compete with airlines like Frontier or Ryanair. But buyer be ware. On some of these fares, you can't get advanced seat assignments, you'll be the last to board the plane, and you're limited to one bag that fits under your seat (nothing in the overhead). Delta Airlines recently upped the ante by announcing increased baggage fees for their no-frills ticket. They'll now charge $60 for the first bag and $100 for the second bag after April 10 on many flights bound for Europe. If you're checking two bags, this is $100 more than if you had a standard economy ticket. To add insult to injury, the difference between those fares is usually around $100 so they basically make it all back in baggage fees but you still give up some amenities that you're would normally get. Bottom line is flier beware.
ABALONE FISHERY TO BE CLOSED - The Fish & Game Commission voted 4-0 a few days ago to close the red abalone fishery for 2018, due to mass starvation of the abs and other factors. The decision will be revisited at the end of 2018. The is more a Northern California thing since taking abs down here has been prohibited for years. It's sad because the fishery up there was thought to be sustainable, but it also underscores how fragile a lot of the fisheries are, and how it doesn't take much stress to make them collapse. You can read more about it here: California’s abalone fishery to be closed next year to protect crashing fishery.
THE PALAU PLEDGE - If you're going to Palau anytime soon, be prepared to promise not to cause any environmental damage. Visitors to Palau will now be required to watch a 4-minute film about treating the resources of Palau with care and respect. (I assume this will be shown on the plane just before landing in Palau.) And there's a new stamp they'll put in your passport that you'll have to sign. The pledge was written by the children of Palau and the thought is that you're agreeing to be ecologically friendly on their behalf. You can find out more about the pledge - and even sign an on-line copy as I did - through this website: Palau Pledge.
CHASING CORAL IS AN OSCAR CONTENDER - The film "Chasing Coral" (streaming through Netflix) has been named to the short list of 15 documentaries up for an Academy Award during the 2018 ceremony. The finalists will be chosen from this list. The film looks at coral reefs and the threats that are pummeling them all over the world. Catch it if you can.
FLORIDA CORALS UNDER ATTACK - In that same vein, there's an excellent article from Sunday's L.A. Times about bleaching and algae issues affecting the corals of South Florida. As if hurricanes weren't bad enough. You can read the article here: Mysterious disease wastes South Florida's corals, and scientists are racing to find a cure.
ANYBODY NEED A SHORTY 1MM FOR CHSITMAS? - We've got a Tilos 1mm Metalite shortie wetsuit (long arms, short legs), size Medium, that we got by mistake. It would make a lovely Christmas present for the right person and I'm sure you can talk me into a deal. I wear a Tilos 1mm Metalite hood (same material as this wetsuit) and I love it. If you're interested, e-mail me here or call us at 310/652-4990.
SHARKS ON SALE TOO - Don't forget our special offer on the Guadalupe trip for 2018. Up until 6PM on Christmas Eve, we're discounting the trip from the full regular price of $3,250. In fact, I'm going to sweeten the deal right now to drop it under $3K and make the price $2,995. But this offer absolutely expires at 6PM on 12/24 and if I don't have enough people, I'll just drop the date. So if you're interested, this is the time to act. Trip dates are October 15-20 on the fabulous Nautilus Belle Amie. Don't let this slip through your fingers . . .
And on that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
Want to travel??? Upcoming 2018 vacation trips:
• April 14-21 (note new dates) - Bonaire (Buddy Dive)
• June 8-20 - Yap Immersion (same 10-day format we did this year)
• July 14-28 - Sulawesi, Indonesia with our friends at Murex (includes a day at Lembeh Straits)
• August 18-25 - Isla Mujeres (Whale Sharks, Cancun Underwater Museum, Cenotes)
• October 27 - November 3 - Roatan at Anthony's Key
GET MORE INFO ON ALL OF OUR VACATION TRIPS HERE: Foreign Trips
————————————————————————————————————————————
Upcoming local dives & classes:
• Tue. Dec. 12 - (CLASS - new date) Fish ID - Reef Seekers West(wood) ($25)
• Thu., Dec. 28 - Night dive (Squid???) - Redondo, Veterans Park (FREE!!!)
• Thu, Jan. 11 - Night dive (Squid???) - Redondo, Veterans Park (FREE!!!)
• Sat., Jan. 20 - Catalina Express - Avalon Underwater Park, maybe more BSBs ($150)
• Thu., Jan. 25 - (CLASS) Fish ID - Reef Seekers West(wood) ($25)
To sign up for any of these dives, either call us at 310/652-4990 or e-mail us at kenkurtis@aol.com
———————————————————————————————————————————
Busy week here in SoCal with all the fires raging. Hopefully you are safe and sound . . .
SPECTACULAR SUNSET - I'm not sure how much the fires had to do with this, but the sunset tonight was spectacular. The view from Westwood:
LAKE REDONDO - Buck was at Vets Park Sunday with a rescue class and he said it's the flattest he's ever seen it. From his FB page (picture is his too): "When I say 'no surf' at Redondo today, I don't mean ankle-slappers, I mean no surf. Flattest I've seen in years. Santa Ana's don't 'cha know. I don't mind a little wave action with a Rescue Class, but we take it as it comes . . . "
THE SQUID ARE RUNNING!!! THE SQUID ARE RUNNING!!! - It's the right time of the year (and also just past the full moon). But over the last couple of nights, divers have been INNUNDATED by mating squid. It's truly a magical experience. It sounds like most of the action has been straight out from Middle Stairs (the stairs north of the big parking lot halfway to the Pier) and out about 70-80 feet. Bring a light and you'll get mobbed. Remember that this will now likely come in monthly/regular waves for a while and it's hard to say how long this specific one will last nor when the next one will begin. Regardless, the egg clusters (which you can also see during the day if you don't want to do a night dive) will be around for about eight weeks because that's the gestation period. But no surf and mating squid is a pretty inviting combination. Here's a short video that Ross Overstreet shot the other night, but you might need to be on Facebook to view it: https://www facebook com/ross.overstreet/videos/10213376252773607/.
SANTA ANAS AFFECT THE UNDERWATER PARK TOO - Many of you saw Mark Guccione's video that I forwarded earlier in the week of the surf pounding the Park. There was some damage to the seawall near the stairs (of course, this is where I normally set up) but it seems to have been relatively minor. On the other hand, the constant wave action certainly cleaned off the pavement. Here's a pix that Mark posted of the aftermath:
BE AWARE OF NEW BAG CHARGES - The latest gimmick to give you an illusion of a low fare is what some airlines are calling "Basic Economy" or a similar name. It's a cheaper no-frills economy fare designed to compete with airlines like Frontier or Ryanair. But buyer be ware. On some of these fares, you can't get advanced seat assignments, you'll be the last to board the plane, and you're limited to one bag that fits under your seat (nothing in the overhead). Delta Airlines recently upped the ante by announcing increased baggage fees for their no-frills ticket. They'll now charge $60 for the first bag and $100 for the second bag after April 10 on many flights bound for Europe. If you're checking two bags, this is $100 more than if you had a standard economy ticket. To add insult to injury, the difference between those fares is usually around $100 so they basically make it all back in baggage fees but you still give up some amenities that you're would normally get. Bottom line is flier beware.
ABALONE FISHERY TO BE CLOSED - The Fish & Game Commission voted 4-0 a few days ago to close the red abalone fishery for 2018, due to mass starvation of the abs and other factors. The decision will be revisited at the end of 2018. The is more a Northern California thing since taking abs down here has been prohibited for years. It's sad because the fishery up there was thought to be sustainable, but it also underscores how fragile a lot of the fisheries are, and how it doesn't take much stress to make them collapse. You can read more about it here: California’s abalone fishery to be closed next year to protect crashing fishery.
THE PALAU PLEDGE - If you're going to Palau anytime soon, be prepared to promise not to cause any environmental damage. Visitors to Palau will now be required to watch a 4-minute film about treating the resources of Palau with care and respect. (I assume this will be shown on the plane just before landing in Palau.) And there's a new stamp they'll put in your passport that you'll have to sign. The pledge was written by the children of Palau and the thought is that you're agreeing to be ecologically friendly on their behalf. You can find out more about the pledge - and even sign an on-line copy as I did - through this website: Palau Pledge.
CHASING CORAL IS AN OSCAR CONTENDER - The film "Chasing Coral" (streaming through Netflix) has been named to the short list of 15 documentaries up for an Academy Award during the 2018 ceremony. The finalists will be chosen from this list. The film looks at coral reefs and the threats that are pummeling them all over the world. Catch it if you can.
FLORIDA CORALS UNDER ATTACK - In that same vein, there's an excellent article from Sunday's L.A. Times about bleaching and algae issues affecting the corals of South Florida. As if hurricanes weren't bad enough. You can read the article here: Mysterious disease wastes South Florida's corals, and scientists are racing to find a cure.
ANYBODY NEED A SHORTY 1MM FOR CHSITMAS? - We've got a Tilos 1mm Metalite shortie wetsuit (long arms, short legs), size Medium, that we got by mistake. It would make a lovely Christmas present for the right person and I'm sure you can talk me into a deal. I wear a Tilos 1mm Metalite hood (same material as this wetsuit) and I love it. If you're interested, e-mail me here or call us at 310/652-4990.
SHARKS ON SALE TOO - Don't forget our special offer on the Guadalupe trip for 2018. Up until 6PM on Christmas Eve, we're discounting the trip from the full regular price of $3,250. In fact, I'm going to sweeten the deal right now to drop it under $3K and make the price $2,995. But this offer absolutely expires at 6PM on 12/24 and if I don't have enough people, I'll just drop the date. So if you're interested, this is the time to act. Trip dates are October 15-20 on the fabulous Nautilus Belle Amie. Don't let this slip through your fingers . . .
And on that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
