Hope you've having an enjoyable Fourth weekend and doing so safely and sanely . . .
ONE TIME WE WANT SURF - We have a new class for us scheduled for next week: Mastering Surf Entries & Exits. It's scheduled for this coming Saturday (July 9) starting at 9AM at Vets Park in Redondo ($30/person). The premise of the class is that it's likely many of you never really got much training in how to go through the surf and that's one reason many people are uncomfortable doing beach dives. There are certainly ways to make it easier and ways to make it harder. The idea here is to show you many of those (both the good and the bad) and give you a better "feel" for dealing with surf. To that end, it's one of the few days when we show up for a beach dive hoping for higher surf rather than Lake Pacific. (This weekend would have been perfect. We shall see what next Saturday brings.) I'm looking forward to teaching this and hopefully some of you brave souls will subject yourselves to taking it. And to be clear, no tanks or weights involved. This is skin-dive only (mask/snorkel/fins/booties/gloves) which give us a lot more flexibility in terms of how we teach and also won't wear you out. To sign up, reply to this e-mail addy to call us at 310/652-4990.
ALSO AT VETS PARK - We have a night dive planned for this Thursday evening. Ironically, the surf we hope will be present Saturday might be a deterrent for Thursday but you never know unless you look. If you're interested in joining (escorted single-tank dive - $30/person), let us know.
GUADALUPE MINI-UPDATE - As mentioned in the newsletter, it looks like Isla Guadalupe will not be opening on July 1 as usual, forcing the tour operators there to abandon any trips scheduled for the immediate future. (Check with your travel provider if you're scheduled.) My understanding is that some operators are going to Mexican courts to fight this in hopes of getting the season opened quickly. If/when I hear anything new, I'll update you through TWARS.
CLEANING UP NEWPORT HARBOR - This won't happen right away, but the California Coastal Commission has given approval for an innovative plan to scoop trash out of the waters in Newport Bay. It's essentially a water wheel that gobbles up trash and removes it from the water. There's already a similar one operating in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Stagnant trash seems to be a common problem in harbors around the world so it will be interesting to see if this proposal, which is solar-powered, comes to fruition. You can read more about it here:
CLEANING UP NEWPORT.
NEW YORK HARBOR GETTING BETTER - Speaking of harbors, there's evidence that New York Harbor, never exactly winning awards for cleanliness, may be getting better. The evidence is from Bottlenose Dolphins who haven been making regular appearances now for the past few years in the harbor area. A recent study by Columbia University has confirmed this and says it indicates perhaps improved water quality along with evidence that the dolphins are able to successfully forage for food. You can read more about all off this here:
DOLPHINS BACK IN NY HARBOR.
NOT DIVE-RELATED BUT FASCINATING NONETHELESS - I was at the Dodger game on Saturday and went to look at the displays they have in the "Blue Heaven on Earth" area behind and beneath the outfield pavilion areas. In addition to the usual - Gold Glove Awards, Dodger memorabilia, 2020 World Series stuff, Tommy Lasorda's lockers - there is a fabulous exhibit detailing Black players in the Negro League and their contributions to Major League Baseball. (The exhibit is apparently on loan from the Negro League Hall of Fame.) I'm sure most baseball fans know that Jackie Robinson was the first Black player in baseball playing for the Dodgers starting in April of 1947. And hopefully many of you know that Larry Doby broke the color barrier in the American League in July of that same year (11 weeks after Jackie). But there were also many other standout Negro League players, some of who made it to the majors and many who didn't, and a lot of their stories are told in this exhibit. It's packed full of pictures and text. They also talk about the reluctance of baseball owners to integrate the game, some out of pure racism, and some for monetary concerns as MLB owners were making money off of Negro League teams. This exhibit will be at Dodger Stadium through the All-Star Game (July 19) so if you're going to a Dodger game while it's there, plan to allow some extra time and go see this. Absolutely worthwhile.
HELPING MANATEES IN FLORIDA - Although we haven't been a while, we used to run regular trips to Crystal River, Florida, to dive with the Manatees. So they're near and dear to our hearts. There have been a whole host of issues facing the Manatees in recent years, including increased boating activity, colder weather that's increased their mortality, and an absence of the sea grass they eat, due to increased building activities which have led to runoff, pollution, and poor water quality. But there's been an innovative program that's attempting to replant the sea grass the Manatees need to eat and CBS This Morning did a nice little piece on that work:
HELPING FEED THE MANATEES.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
