Batten down the hatches (again) . . .
LOOKS LIKE MORE RAIN - If the forecast holds, we're gonna get drenched just before Christmas. The prediction calls for some rain starting Wednesday, significant rain on Thursday, scattered showers on Friday, and then some more on Saturday. Looks like we'll have to change Bing's classic tune to "Wet Christmas." (Can reindeer swim? And what's the buoyancy of Santa's sleigh???)
ZOOM SEEKERS LAST WEEK - In case you missed it, we had Manta Santa in last week (it's really me in my Manta Santa shirt) to talk about all the places in the world where you can find these winged giants. And, despite some PowerPoint and Zoom share screen glitches, hopefully it gave everyone some new perspective on these guys. If you missed the talk, you can catch it on our YouTube page:
IN SEARCH OF MANTAS.
ZOOM SEEKERS IN JANUARY - As I've mentioned previously, we will continue Zoom Seekers - always the second Tuesday of the month from 7:30-9:00PM - and our January speaker will be Dan Orr, former president of D.A.N. (Divers Alert Network) and he'll be talking about safety consideration in diving as we get older. No matter your current age, everyone (hopefully) will get older. And as you age, whether it's going from 20 to 30 or from 70 to 80, there are changes that are happening, in both your body and your brain, that can play a role in the safety of the dive. Dan will highlight some of these, give you things to watch out for, and just generally lay out a path as to how to cope so that you can continue to enjoy this sport that we all love so much.
AVALON CLEANUP IN FEBRUARY - Just a reminder that the 40th Annual Avalon Underwater Cleanup is about two months away. The actual date is Saturday, February 26. As things stand now - and obviously the continuing COVID situation can alter these plans - we will be able to do this as an in-person event again this year. Yahoo!!! Reef Seekers will once against host divers at the Green Pier so if you'd like to be part of our group, you can give us a call at 310/652-4990. Our package includes event registration, the boat over and back, and taxi transport from the Mole to the Green Pier. The last few years we've been a "compact" group so if you'd like to join in on the fun, you can call us or you can register on-line on your own, and just indicate you're part of the Reef Seekers group. You can also register as a non-diver and either just hang out and help, or stay home and we'll get your t-shirt for you:
40TH ANNUAL AVALON CLEANUP REGISTRATION.
COVID'S EFFECT ON TOURISM - I realize you already know that tourism in general, let alone dive tourism, has been greatly impacted by COVID. And the spreading of the Omicron variant, just as it felt like there was maybe a light at the end of the tunnel, is not helping matters. But here's something that will really put this in perspective. Bali in Indonesia is a huge tourist destination, for diving and other things. In 2019, pre-pandemic, they had 6.2 million international arrivals. In all of 2021, they have had 45. Not 45 thousand. Just 45. Yikes!!!
NO SQUID YET AT VETS - We've got people looking but none spotted yet.
IF YOU'VE GOT NETFLIX - I highly recommend "Puff: Wonders of the Reef." It's only an hour long but the micro-macro photography is really well-done. It's the story of a little Sharpnose Puffer and the various trials and tribulations that he faces in growing up and finding a place on the Great Barrier Reef to live. It's obviously a bit of a contrived story (narrated by Rose Byrne) but its really well-done, highlights some of the ecological issues facing the GBR, and will occasionally leave you wondering, "How'd they get THAT shot?" Suitable for kids too.
UNUSUAL FISH - We go from "Wonders of the Reef" to "Wonders of the Deep." More specifically a Barreleye fish. These fish have a somewhat transparent head and weird looking green eyeballs that are inside the head. They are rarely spotted but a team from the Monterey Bay Aquarium got lucky and shared their video with the world:
BEHOLD THE BARRELEYE FISH.
MERRY ALMOST-CHRISTMAS - Keep an eye on your e-mail later this week as their may very well be a greeting or two from us. Hope you have a great holiday (if that's what you celebrate).
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
