Congrats to the Chiefs and the 49ers . . .
THE ORCAS ARE STILL AROUND - We're still hearing plenty of reports of that pod of Orcas hanging around the SoCal area, although they seem to be more down by Newport than up around PV or Santa Monica Bay. But it sounds like it's still a good time to go sign up for a whale watching boat and try your luck to see if you can spot the pod.
MORE ON CUBA - Last week, we published some comments from Susy Horowitz on her recent trip to Cuba, comparing it to a previous trip she took. Mark Gibello, one of the owners of XS Scuba, sent some comments along as well offering a slightly different take. And with his permission, here they are: "I spent a week in there back in February and I came to the same conclusion as her first trip, not her more recent one. Tom Phillipp, our product manager, and I took the trip together and we were both amazed at how incredible the reefs were there. The amount of animal life and the density of the species was incredible. Your reader did concur that the density of animals was still impressive. We saw virtually no broken coral or sea fans and zero evidence of coral bleaching. We both thought it was some of the best diving of the Caribbean we have ever done. The level of sharks, both silky and gray reef, were over the top. They were everywhere. Also, they take you into a mangrove forest between the dives, to look for this salt water crocodile. We finally found it on day 4 and got to get in the water with it. Another fantastic experience and one that took me a while to work up the courage to participate in. Anyhow, I just wanted you to know that I have recommended diving in Cuba to friends ever since. There is really only one area to dive (Gardens of the Queen) and few operators. Perhaps we just dove different sites and had different impressions?"
EMERGENCY NUMBERS CONFIRMED - We hope you'll never need them but we also hope you're aware that we have the various emergency numbers posted on
www.reefseekers.com should you ever need to contact our Chamber, the Coast Guard, D.A.N., or others to deal with a dive emergency. We re-confirm the numbers every year to make sure that nothing's changed and this is just to let you know that the confirmation of those numbers has been completed.
WHIP-LASH SQUID SPOTTED - Giant Squid aren't the only elusive deep-water squid apparently. There's another squid called the Whip-Lash that was recently spotted by an unmanned submersible at a depth of 3,600 feet. You can get a glimpse of it here:
WHIP-LASH SQUID CAUGHT ON CAMERA.
UPCOMING TRIPS - I'll talk more about these in the February newsletter but we've got a full and fun slate of trips planned for 2024. I'll give you more info on Yap (September 9-22) and Palau (November 1-11). We've got plenty of room for Yap and there are still 5 spots available on the boat (Palau Aggressor II) for Palau. Both are great destinations. We can also still add some of you last-minute to our March 18-22 San Ignacio Lagoon whale-hugging trip &/or the May 18-25 Roatan trip. You can always call us at 310/652-4990 for more info and to get signed up.
NAUI NITROX CLASS REMINDER - It's this Wednesday evening starting around 7PM through Zoom . . . BUT . . . I've come down with a case of laryngitis so I may push it back a few days. (Ken Kurtis unable to speak: What are the odds????) Those already signed up will get an e-mail from me about that either confirming this Wednesday or moving the date. If anyone else reading this wants to join, let me know (310/652-4990) and we'll get you included as well. The raspy voice answering the phone will be me.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
