Ken Kurtis
Contributor
Squid, Whales, Drones, and more
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(please scroll down for details)
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas . . .
LESS THAN TWO WEEKS TO GO - I don't know why but this year feels "different" for me than the last year did. Maybeit's a post-COVID thing as it seems people overall are more into holiday things this year. Or maybe my perspective has shifted. At any rate Happy Holidays for whatever you celebrate/observe.
HUMPBACK WHALES TOO - It's not related to the squid, but we've been getting a "run" of Humpback Whales as well, mainly down around Newport Beach. It seems the Humpbacks are feasting on anchovy schools that have settled into the area. If you're looking for something to do for the holidays, give some thought to a holiday whale-watching trip.
HUMPBACK ON THE MOVE - A journey of over 8,000 miles begins with the first fin splash. A male humpback has been recorded as making a remarkable journey, starting in South America and crossing the Atlantic Ocean to Africa and then continuing around the Cape of Good Hope and into the Indian Ocean. This is the longest migration ever recorded for a single whale. Even more interesting is that the whale isn't tagged but was ID'd through a series of photographs uploaded to a platform called Happy Whale. You can read more about all of this here: WHALE MAKES HISTORIC JOURNEY.
SOCORRO PARK FEES GOING UP JANUARY 1 - This is the Bah Humbug story of the week as the Mexican government has announced an increase in the Socorro (Revillagigedo Islands) national park fees. The old fee was roughly $90/day but the new fee has doubled to roughly (it may fluctuate a little bit based on the exchange rate) $180/day. So a trip to Socorro, which is usually five dive days within the park, will now see a park fee of $900 on top of whatever your trip cost is. Yikes!!! In the past, some operators have eaten the increase in park fees but they were usually much smaller. So if you've got a trip down there planned for 2025, check with your tour operator to see how the park fee is being handled. But be prepared to pay through the proverbial nose.
SPECTACULAR DRONE SHOW - Drone shows seem to be taking over from fireworks shows these days and they seem to be getting more and more complex. This one takes the cake as 5,000 drones were used for this holiday-themed one which qualifies as the largest drone show to date. Here's a 2-minutes video: SPECTACULAR DRONE SHOW.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving together somewhere soon!!!
- Ken