Ken Kurtis
Contributor
Want to travel??? Upcoming 2018 vacation trips:
• April 14-21 - Bonaire (Buddy Dive - easy, reliable diving)
• June 8-20 - Yap Immersion (8 confirmed - room for 4 more)
• 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:
• Thu., Mar. 1 - CLASS - Photo Workshop ($25)
• Sat., Mar. 10 - Aquarium of the Pacific - Diver's Day (FREE!!!)
• Sat., Mar. 17 - Catalina Express - Underwater Park ($150)
• Thu., Mar. 22 - Redondo - Squid Dive (FREE!!!)
• Sat., Apr. 7 - Redondo - Navigation class (single dive - $25)
• Tue., Apr. 10 - Redondo - Squid Dive (FREE!!!)
• Sat., Apr. 28 - Catalina Express - Underwater Park ($150)
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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I'm not a fan of getting up at 3AM but will do it for a good cause . . .
37th ANNUAL AVALON UNDERWATER CLEANUP A SUCCESS - The 6AM Catalina Express boat out of Long Beach was packed with divers and gear for the Cleanup this past Saturday. And while Friday had been cold and saw a huge (10-foot) swell in the Channel, Saturday was sunny and not-too-cold, skies were clear, water was calm, and the viz was actually pretty good (20-30'). 401 divers (plus around 30 non-divers) descended upon Avalon and dove from three locations: Green Pier (which is where we were), Step Beach, and the Underwater Park (diving the harbor side of it). All told, it's estimated that some 2.5 TONS of trash was removed from the Avalon waters. And there were definitely cool things that came up. In addition to the requisite golf balls, traffic cones, and random boat pieces that are always found, there was also a very-encrusted scuba tank with reg and gauges still attached discovered. Maybe the most interesting thing was a bottle embossed with "Tip a Tilton" which is (research shows) close to 100 years old and was from a San Pedro bottling company. It's apparently a sought-after antique bottle amongst collectors. As usual, it was not only a day that benefits the Avalon community but also one where divers have a good time and do good deeds. Congrats to event chair Jill Boivin and her team for another job well done. If you'd like to see some of the pix from the day, go to my SmugMug page: https://kenkurtis.smugmug.com/…/Avalon-Underwater-Cleanup-…/ .
HONORING DR. BILL - The "big" award given out at the Cleanup each year is the Golden Flipper Award, presented annually to someone who's made a long-term contribution to the Cleanup. This year the recipient was Avalon's resident marine biologist, the beloved Dr. Bill.
REMEMBERING TOM WETZEL - The other major award bestowed annually is the Jon Hardy Award, given to someone who has promoted diving at Catalina. This year, that award was presented posthumously to Tom Wetzel, recognizing his lifelong passion for diving and bringing people to Catalina to ignite their passion for our sport. Accepting the award of behalf of Tom's family was his sister Patti.
NOW ONWARD TO CHAMBER DAY - We will go "live" with Chamber Day sign-ups starting this Thursday, March 1. We always wait until after the Cleanup is over as we use the Cleanup for our Chamber Day preview and they use Chamber Day for their check presentation. The two events work nicely together. And we've got some interesting (we think) changes and tweaks this year for both the daytime event and the evening event at the Aquarium of the Pacific. But we'll give you all the details on Thursday, both in the monthly Reef Seekers newsletter as well as on the Chamber Day website at www.chamberday.org . (Hopefully, the suspense won't be too much for you to bear.) but I'll give you a sneak peek at the daytime logo. It's our 30th annual Chamber Day and we've incorporated "30th" into the logo. Can you find it?
DIVER'S DAY IS NOW LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AWAY - Make sure your calendar's marked for Saturday, March 10, as that's the date for the annual Diver's Day at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Just show your c-card and you get in for free!!! On addition to the regular attractions the Aquarium has to offer, there will also be tables from various dive-related organizations there, along with special in-water demonstrations and presentations. The events run from 9AM until 5PM (the Aquarium closes at 6PM), and we hope you'll be able to make it down to Long Beach. And if you do, make sure you take a peek at the Redondo Canyon exhibit and the yearling Black Sea Bass that's in there. He's the ONLY one ever to have been born and raised in captivity and it's amazing not only how big he's gotten in the 16 months since his birth, but how much he looks like a miniaturized version of the adult.
TAKE BETTER PIX - If you're new to underwater photography or you don't like the results you've been getting, give some though to our Photo Workshop this coming Thursday even at Reef Seekers West(wood). It's an informal hands-on class where we'll impart some nifty little photo tricks that you can put to use right away, as well as we can look at digital copies of things that you've already shot and see what's working and what's not. if you want to sign up, either reply by e-mail or call us at 310/652-4990.
AVALON ON MARCH 17 - Our next planned local dive is Saturday, March 17, and we're going back over to Avalon to dive the Underwater Park. (We promise we won't make you pick up trash.) The general plan is a 9AM departure from San Pedro (SO much more civilized than a 6AM departure) and three dives at the Park in Avalon. It's doubtful the Black Sea Bass will be back yet but this past Saturday, some of our people who went to the park reported seeing Black Sea Hares which are also pretty cool to observe. Give us c all or drop us an e-mail if you want to go. (Yes, Henry & Dave, I've still got you on the list.)
NO INDONESIA IN JULY - The simply fact is that these dates didn't generate enough interest and the resort (Murex) is starting to fill up, so I've turned the rooms held for us back in. I'm going to look at a possibility of September in case that works better for people. We LOVE going to Murex and diving the Sulawesi area (which includes a day in the Lembeh Straits) and hope we can find something that works for everyone.
COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK - Susan Tritt (through husband Lionel Galway) found and forward this video to us of how pistol shrimp stun their prey. They're able to generate such force with their claws that they actually send out a bubble stream that knocks the prey out so they can then grab them. pretty amazing to see, especially with the ultra-slow-mo cameras used. here's the link: .
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
• April 14-21 - Bonaire (Buddy Dive - easy, reliable diving)
• June 8-20 - Yap Immersion (8 confirmed - room for 4 more)
• 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:
• Thu., Mar. 1 - CLASS - Photo Workshop ($25)
• Sat., Mar. 10 - Aquarium of the Pacific - Diver's Day (FREE!!!)
• Sat., Mar. 17 - Catalina Express - Underwater Park ($150)
• Thu., Mar. 22 - Redondo - Squid Dive (FREE!!!)
• Sat., Apr. 7 - Redondo - Navigation class (single dive - $25)
• Tue., Apr. 10 - Redondo - Squid Dive (FREE!!!)
• Sat., Apr. 28 - Catalina Express - Underwater Park ($150)
To sign up for any of these dives, either call us at 310/652-4990 or e-mail us at kenkurtis@aol.com
—————————————————————————
I'm not a fan of getting up at 3AM but will do it for a good cause . . .
37th ANNUAL AVALON UNDERWATER CLEANUP A SUCCESS - The 6AM Catalina Express boat out of Long Beach was packed with divers and gear for the Cleanup this past Saturday. And while Friday had been cold and saw a huge (10-foot) swell in the Channel, Saturday was sunny and not-too-cold, skies were clear, water was calm, and the viz was actually pretty good (20-30'). 401 divers (plus around 30 non-divers) descended upon Avalon and dove from three locations: Green Pier (which is where we were), Step Beach, and the Underwater Park (diving the harbor side of it). All told, it's estimated that some 2.5 TONS of trash was removed from the Avalon waters. And there were definitely cool things that came up. In addition to the requisite golf balls, traffic cones, and random boat pieces that are always found, there was also a very-encrusted scuba tank with reg and gauges still attached discovered. Maybe the most interesting thing was a bottle embossed with "Tip a Tilton" which is (research shows) close to 100 years old and was from a San Pedro bottling company. It's apparently a sought-after antique bottle amongst collectors. As usual, it was not only a day that benefits the Avalon community but also one where divers have a good time and do good deeds. Congrats to event chair Jill Boivin and her team for another job well done. If you'd like to see some of the pix from the day, go to my SmugMug page: https://kenkurtis.smugmug.com/…/Avalon-Underwater-Cleanup-…/ .
HONORING DR. BILL - The "big" award given out at the Cleanup each year is the Golden Flipper Award, presented annually to someone who's made a long-term contribution to the Cleanup. This year the recipient was Avalon's resident marine biologist, the beloved Dr. Bill.
REMEMBERING TOM WETZEL - The other major award bestowed annually is the Jon Hardy Award, given to someone who has promoted diving at Catalina. This year, that award was presented posthumously to Tom Wetzel, recognizing his lifelong passion for diving and bringing people to Catalina to ignite their passion for our sport. Accepting the award of behalf of Tom's family was his sister Patti.
NOW ONWARD TO CHAMBER DAY - We will go "live" with Chamber Day sign-ups starting this Thursday, March 1. We always wait until after the Cleanup is over as we use the Cleanup for our Chamber Day preview and they use Chamber Day for their check presentation. The two events work nicely together. And we've got some interesting (we think) changes and tweaks this year for both the daytime event and the evening event at the Aquarium of the Pacific. But we'll give you all the details on Thursday, both in the monthly Reef Seekers newsletter as well as on the Chamber Day website at www.chamberday.org . (Hopefully, the suspense won't be too much for you to bear.) but I'll give you a sneak peek at the daytime logo. It's our 30th annual Chamber Day and we've incorporated "30th" into the logo. Can you find it?
DIVER'S DAY IS NOW LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AWAY - Make sure your calendar's marked for Saturday, March 10, as that's the date for the annual Diver's Day at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Just show your c-card and you get in for free!!! On addition to the regular attractions the Aquarium has to offer, there will also be tables from various dive-related organizations there, along with special in-water demonstrations and presentations. The events run from 9AM until 5PM (the Aquarium closes at 6PM), and we hope you'll be able to make it down to Long Beach. And if you do, make sure you take a peek at the Redondo Canyon exhibit and the yearling Black Sea Bass that's in there. He's the ONLY one ever to have been born and raised in captivity and it's amazing not only how big he's gotten in the 16 months since his birth, but how much he looks like a miniaturized version of the adult.
TAKE BETTER PIX - If you're new to underwater photography or you don't like the results you've been getting, give some though to our Photo Workshop this coming Thursday even at Reef Seekers West(wood). It's an informal hands-on class where we'll impart some nifty little photo tricks that you can put to use right away, as well as we can look at digital copies of things that you've already shot and see what's working and what's not. if you want to sign up, either reply by e-mail or call us at 310/652-4990.
AVALON ON MARCH 17 - Our next planned local dive is Saturday, March 17, and we're going back over to Avalon to dive the Underwater Park. (We promise we won't make you pick up trash.) The general plan is a 9AM departure from San Pedro (SO much more civilized than a 6AM departure) and three dives at the Park in Avalon. It's doubtful the Black Sea Bass will be back yet but this past Saturday, some of our people who went to the park reported seeing Black Sea Hares which are also pretty cool to observe. Give us c all or drop us an e-mail if you want to go. (Yes, Henry & Dave, I've still got you on the list.)
NO INDONESIA IN JULY - The simply fact is that these dates didn't generate enough interest and the resort (Murex) is starting to fill up, so I've turned the rooms held for us back in. I'm going to look at a possibility of September in case that works better for people. We LOVE going to Murex and diving the Sulawesi area (which includes a day in the Lembeh Straits) and hope we can find something that works for everyone.
COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK - Susan Tritt (through husband Lionel Galway) found and forward this video to us of how pistol shrimp stun their prey. They're able to generate such force with their claws that they actually send out a bubble stream that knocks the prey out so they can then grab them. pretty amazing to see, especially with the ultra-slow-mo cameras used. here's the link: .
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
