TWARS (This Week at Reef Seekers) - February 20-27

[Ken Kurtis]

​ Cleanup, Fred Vanacore, Vincent, and more (please scroll down for details)​

​ Let the countdown begin . . . 40TH ANNUAL AVALON UNDERWATER CLEANUP IS THIS SATURDAY - Final preparations are underway to welcome you all back to Avalon Saturday for the 40th Annual Avalon Underwater Cleanup. I can tell you that as of now, it's going to be a record turnout as we have over 600 divers registered along with over 100 volunteers who help make things run smoothly. Unsurprisingly, the 6AM boat out of Long Beach going over is sold out. If you've not yet made reservations, there's a 7AM that will get you there on time. On the way back, the 3:55PM and the 7:45PM from Avalon are both sold out but there appears to be room on the 6:30PM. If that sells out, your only other option is 9:45PM. If you plan on renting tanks/weights from Catalina Divers Supply, either on the Green Pier or from their spiffy new location at the base of the Casino (the old Scuba Luv location is now closed), make an on-line reservation ASAP because they're running out of gear. Also be aware that there will be free baggage transport in the morning from the Mole to the dive locations BUT after that, you're on your own so will need to either walk or get a taxi (taxis have a flat diver rate for the day). Avalon Blue-Line Baggage will also deal with gear for a fee and you can call them for the specifics. But we're delighted to be able to do this in-person again and are looking forward to seeing many of you on Saturday. The weather looks like it will be good to boot. Here's the logo for this year, designed by Shellie Hernandez:​

​ FRED VANACORE HAS DIED - I've got sad news to relay this week and that's that Fred Vanacore, a longtime diver with us going back to the Sunland Sport Lodge days, died last week. To say Fred was a character is an understatement. His nickname was "Fast Fred" which stemmed from his days of motorcycle riding and holding some land-speed records. Fred was a presence on many of our local and foreign trips and was always a tinkerer. I remember one time in the Bahamas when he didn't think the air-conditioner in the hotel room was working properly. The front desk couldn't send anyone up to check it out. So Fred simply removed it from the wall, disassembled it, figured out the problem, and then put it all back together. On that same trip, he was going to get something for his mother and decided on a mu-mu. When I asked him why he said, "Mommies love mu-mus." That became a running joke with us for years. I last saw (and sat with) Fred in August at Rod Francis' memorial and we were able to catch up. Good memories from a good guy. Services will be private and his ashes will be scattered at sea. Here's a pix Tony Hanna took recently of Fred that I think is quite nice:​

​ AUSTRALIA FULLY RE-OPENS MONDAY TO INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS - There are conditions though. You must be fully vaxxed and, depending on which Aussie state you go to, there might be a quarantine period. You will still need a visa to travel there. But it's one more hopeful sign that we are starting to put COVID behind us, or at least learning how better to deal with it in whatever form it takes. KONA AGGRESSOR SHUTS DOWN EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY - This is the kind of surprise that you don't want to get: "CEO Wayne Brown announced today that after extensive topside remodeling on the Kona Aggressor II, the remaining work was to be done in a shipyard to complete any hull repairs before putting the yacht back into service. Last week the yacht traveled to a shipyard in Honolulu which is where it is now. The aluminum inspection revealed the repairs would require removing the entire superstructure to repair the pontoons at an estimated cost in excess of $500,000. Due to the excessive costs to repair the vessel to our safety standards, the Kona Aggressor II yacht owner has made the decision to cease operations in Kona, Hawaii effective [immediately]. We will miss having the Kona Aggressor II as part of our fleet after 33 years." FLORIDA FEEDING THEIR MANATEES - This has been a rough winter for Manatees in Florida. There were 1,101 manatee deaths recorded in 2021 which was double the annual average. So the state has stepped in and is trying to feed them lettuce in some areas. While it started slowly, the manatees are now getting accustomed to it and the program seems to be helping. But there's still a manatee crisis going on so if you're trying to do a manatee-viewing trip this year, be aware of that. You can read more about all of this this here: MANATEES FIGHTING STARVATION. IMMERSIVE VAN GOGH EXHIBIT - Not dive-related but Laurie & I went to the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit in Hollywood Sunday (Cahuenga & Sunset in the old Amoeba Records building) and it was quire interesting. I've always been a Van Gogh fan and have seen many of his works in person. So it certainly helps if you know a little of Van Gogh's works and story because this really is a multi-media experience where you're in the middle of a huge room - there are social-distancing circles on the floor - and the artwork is projected on the walls and even the floor all around you. What you'll see are not necessarily the finished works but close-up detail where they've been able to digitally separate individual aspects of the work and things meld together and move and fly to form portions of paintings or sometimes the entire work. And when you realize that Van Gogh created close to 900 oil paintings in a decade, there's a lot of material to work with. It's all very well done. The program runs about 35 minutes (you can stay as long as you like and watch it multiple times) and the time really flies. If you're interesting in Goghing (that's their inside joke), the exhibit runs through March 20. You can get info and buy tix here: IMMERSIVE VAN GOGH L.A. And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's Gogh diving soon!!! - Ken​