Ken Kurtis
Contributor
Helpful dolphins, Trips, Moon landing, & more
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If it's summertime, then it must be Hollywood Bowl time . . .
DON'T FORGET THAT POSTAGE RATES WENT UP LAST WEEK - Now $0.78 per ounce for a First Class letter and $0.29 for each additional ounce. (The billionaires pay the same rates but they declare theirs a tax deduction.)
FEEL-GOOD STORY - I've been diving since 1978 and even from the beginning, it's always amazed me how curious our underwater friends are about us. And I am frequenytly wondering, "What are they really thinking?" And that's what came to mind when I saw this story, about how dolphins in Western Australia guided back to deeper waters and safety a seemingly lost Humpback Whale. And this isn't one of those, "Guess what I saw" stories. This one's got video to back up the claim. Take a peek: DOLPHINS HELP A WHALE.
HOW ABOUT A MEMORABLE VACATION IN 2026? - I spent part of the weekend updating our rosters for our 2026 Reef Seekers foreign/vacation trips. We've got what I think is a good selection for next year, and there's room for you if you're interested. We're going back to Yap in March and will be cavorting with Manta Rays only a few feet above us, watching sharks hit a frozen bait as we gaze in amazement, and we'll spend an evening peering through coral heads as we see Mandarinfish go through their nightly mating rituals. In July, we'll head back to Manado, Indonesia, where we'll encounter pristine vertical walls of coral, will encounter more turtles than you've ever seen before (on one dive last year we had 36), and will spend the days deciding if we want to drift through soft coral gardens or would rather search for elusive creatures in the muck. In September, we'll do two weeks in the Philippines, first on land for seven days where we'll alternate between the marvels of the muck and coral reefs, and then on a liveaboard for another seven days where we hope to encounter Thresher Sharks (and maybe even a Whale Shark) while exploring new reefs. (That's why they call us Reef SEEKERS.) Wanna go???
HERE'S HOW YOU JOIN US - You don't need to be a member of a club, or buy something special, or know the secret handshake, or anything like that. You don't even have to live in Los Angeles as we can arrange to rendezvous with you along the way or at the destination. All you need is a sense of adventure and a desire to go see some spectacular underwater sights. Although most of our divers are from the general SoCal area, we've got plenty of people from other parts of California and around the U.S. as well. And about 85% of the people on a given trip have travelled with us before, so we must be doing something right that they keep coming back. If you want to sign up for a trip or just need more info, either e-mail us at this address or give us a call at 310/652-4990. We'd love to have you join us and show you just how good diving can be.
SHARK WEEK ON THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL - I'm sorry to say I'm just not a fan. When it first started in 1987, it seemed like the underlying theme was "Sharks are dangerous and here's why." Over the early years, they gradually morphed into a more eco-friendly message that was sort of "Sharks are misunderstood and here's why." But it seems in the past few years, and certainly this year, they've slipped back into sensational mode. This year seems to be no exception with titles like "Great White Assassins," "How to Survive a Shark Attack," "Surviving Jaws," and "Attack of the Devil Shark," to name a few of the titles. When you realize how much we as humans have decimated shark populations around the world, with estimates that we killed off as much as 90% of the world's sharks, and when you realize the key role sharks play in terms of balance-of-nature in the ocean, the last thing you need to do is put on television shows that demonize them. I know mine is sometimes a lonely voice in this wilderness but if you don't watch they may start shifting their programming themes. And if you send them a letter explaining why you don't watch, even better.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY - Don't forget that today (July 20) was the day in 1969 when man first landed on and then walked on the moon. On top of that, Buzz Aldrin is a diver and actually did a day trip to Catalina with us a number of years ago. (But he wasn't a fan of cold water.)
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
