Ken Kurtis
Contributor
Zoom Seekers, Shark news, Dubai pool, and more
(please scroll down for details)
Hope you had a good 4th . . .
ZOOM SEEKERS THIS TUESDAY @ 7:30PM - It's that time again and we've got an interesting speaker for you this month. (Well, IMHO, they're ALL interesting but I think you'll get a kick out of this because Bill doesn't do chats like this too often.) Bill Macdonald is an independent filmmaker who has been diving for over 60 years and was active in early SCUBA diving instruction. From 1975 to 1980, he was a member of the Cousteau dive and film team. His passion for caring for the ocean resulted in creating the film “Synthetic Sea” which focused on making individuals aware of the enormous amounts of debris that are accumulating in the ocean. In 1996, while working with his wife Susan, they produced the “Secrets of California Waters,” revealing many ocean secrets during rare encounters with aquatic life such as elephant seal harems and basking sharks. Bill's talk Tuesday will cover how undersea film-making has evolved over the years, from 16mm film in bulky housing to things as small nowadays as a GoPro. He’ll also cover various video formats, from MP4 all the way to 360º virtual reality creations. Here's the Zoom link: Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting
AVALON REPORT - We had a really nice day of diving the Underwater Park on Friday. It was a gorgeous (and hot) day and the Park was more crowded than we've seen it post-COVID. The good news is that most of the Sargassum seems to be gone and the kelp is back with a vengeance, easily twice as thick as when we went a month ago, to the point that sometimes when you swam under the canopy it got dark. Water temp was around 60º, viz was 35-40 feet, and there was a LOT of particulate in the water. But we had Giant Sea Bass on every dive and for our third dive, found a pair that hung with us (or vice-versa) for a good 30 minutes. Very special. I've assembled a short video or our first dive which has a little bit of everything and some music which you will find familiar (and appropriate): A TYPICAL DIVE IN AVALON.
COUSTEAU PLAQUE - Part of the goal on this trip was to give some TLC to the new/replacement Cousteau Plaque, which has now been down for eight months. Unfortunately, we've come to realize that the plaque was given some sort of a clear coat over it and that's not only coming off due to salt water, but it appears to also be pulling some of the black of the plaque background off with it. So I got rid of all of the clear coat and got rid of some algae on the plaque itself and while it doesn't look like it did when new, it's certainly in better shape than the original one was. Here's a visual timeline of the plaque over the last eight months plus a closer view of new vs. now:
SAVE THE WAVES APP - I don't recall how I came across this and I know nothing of the group but it seems like a good idea and a noble cause (saving our beaches). Take a look: SAVE THE WAVES.
COMMONALITY BETWEEN THE GALAPAGOS & COCOS - We've known for a long time that there's a current that circulates between the above-the-Equator parts of the Galapagos and Cocos Island (and hits Malpelo too). So it would make sense that some migratory animals might use this to go from one place to another. And now it's been documented. A female Tiger Shark who was tagged in the Galapagos in 2014 has now shown up at Cocos, some 400+ miles away. Because the shark moved from one Marine Protected Area to another, it may also tell us about how much of the ocean we need to protect to help various species survive and thrive. You can read more about it here: TIGER SHARK ON THE MOVE.
OF COURSE IT'S IN DUBAI - A city known for flaunting its excessive wealth has done it again. The record for the World's Deepest Pool, previously held by Deepspot in Poland (146 feet), is now held by Deep Dive Dubai, which plunges to a staggering 196 feet. (Don't worry, they've also got a chamber on site in case anyone gets bent.) It's open by invitation only right now, but will open to the public later this year. Check it out: DEEP DIVE DUBAI.
And that'll do it for now. Hope you have a great week, and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
(please scroll down for details)
Hope you had a good 4th . . .
ZOOM SEEKERS THIS TUESDAY @ 7:30PM - It's that time again and we've got an interesting speaker for you this month. (Well, IMHO, they're ALL interesting but I think you'll get a kick out of this because Bill doesn't do chats like this too often.) Bill Macdonald is an independent filmmaker who has been diving for over 60 years and was active in early SCUBA diving instruction. From 1975 to 1980, he was a member of the Cousteau dive and film team. His passion for caring for the ocean resulted in creating the film “Synthetic Sea” which focused on making individuals aware of the enormous amounts of debris that are accumulating in the ocean. In 1996, while working with his wife Susan, they produced the “Secrets of California Waters,” revealing many ocean secrets during rare encounters with aquatic life such as elephant seal harems and basking sharks. Bill's talk Tuesday will cover how undersea film-making has evolved over the years, from 16mm film in bulky housing to things as small nowadays as a GoPro. He’ll also cover various video formats, from MP4 all the way to 360º virtual reality creations. Here's the Zoom link: Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting
AVALON REPORT - We had a really nice day of diving the Underwater Park on Friday. It was a gorgeous (and hot) day and the Park was more crowded than we've seen it post-COVID. The good news is that most of the Sargassum seems to be gone and the kelp is back with a vengeance, easily twice as thick as when we went a month ago, to the point that sometimes when you swam under the canopy it got dark. Water temp was around 60º, viz was 35-40 feet, and there was a LOT of particulate in the water. But we had Giant Sea Bass on every dive and for our third dive, found a pair that hung with us (or vice-versa) for a good 30 minutes. Very special. I've assembled a short video or our first dive which has a little bit of everything and some music which you will find familiar (and appropriate): A TYPICAL DIVE IN AVALON.
COUSTEAU PLAQUE - Part of the goal on this trip was to give some TLC to the new/replacement Cousteau Plaque, which has now been down for eight months. Unfortunately, we've come to realize that the plaque was given some sort of a clear coat over it and that's not only coming off due to salt water, but it appears to also be pulling some of the black of the plaque background off with it. So I got rid of all of the clear coat and got rid of some algae on the plaque itself and while it doesn't look like it did when new, it's certainly in better shape than the original one was. Here's a visual timeline of the plaque over the last eight months plus a closer view of new vs. now:
SAVE THE WAVES APP - I don't recall how I came across this and I know nothing of the group but it seems like a good idea and a noble cause (saving our beaches). Take a look: SAVE THE WAVES.
COMMONALITY BETWEEN THE GALAPAGOS & COCOS - We've known for a long time that there's a current that circulates between the above-the-Equator parts of the Galapagos and Cocos Island (and hits Malpelo too). So it would make sense that some migratory animals might use this to go from one place to another. And now it's been documented. A female Tiger Shark who was tagged in the Galapagos in 2014 has now shown up at Cocos, some 400+ miles away. Because the shark moved from one Marine Protected Area to another, it may also tell us about how much of the ocean we need to protect to help various species survive and thrive. You can read more about it here: TIGER SHARK ON THE MOVE.
OF COURSE IT'S IN DUBAI - A city known for flaunting its excessive wealth has done it again. The record for the World's Deepest Pool, previously held by Deepspot in Poland (146 feet), is now held by Deep Dive Dubai, which plunges to a staggering 196 feet. (Don't worry, they've also got a chamber on site in case anyone gets bent.) It's open by invitation only right now, but will open to the public later this year. Check it out: DEEP DIVE DUBAI.
And that'll do it for now. Hope you have a great week, and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
