Ken Kurtis
Contributor
Chamber Day, Easter Island, Whales, and more
(please scroll down for details)
(please scroll down for details)
I'm not sure if we had any diving Oscar winners tonight . . .
CHAMBER DAY IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS!!! - As you might know, it's the largest single-day scuba charity event in the United States as well as being a critical source of income for the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber. The event date is Wednesday, May 7, and we've started taking signups for all aspects. Reef Seekers is a boat sponsor (Cee Ray), a Chamber Eve sponsor, usually the largest recruiter for the Flying Dutchman, and we have a virtual Ch-Eve table as well. Sign up at www.chamberday.org.
EVERYONE NEEDS A LOGO - Here's a quick peek at the three main logos for Chamber Day, the Flying Dutchman, and Chamber Eve. If you sign up for the Day, you get a Day shirt. "Volunteer" for the Dutchman and get a Dutchman shirt. You can also buy Day and Eve shirts (but not Dutchman ones) through the website. Here are the logos:
REEF SEEKERS CHAMBER EVE TABLE - It's already half-full, which means we have five seats left. Chamber Evening is festive affair. A lot of you dress up, it’s great to gather with all of you each year, and it seems like everyone has a lot of fun. And we’re delighted to again be able to do all of this in the Great Hall at Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Inflation has caught up with us and this year will see a price increase to $175/seat. You’ll have a chance to wander around and explore the Aquarium from 7-8PM, you’ll enjoy a fabulous feast that will start a little after 8PM (the menu is still being decided but there will be a veggie/vegan option), we’ll go into our program of raffle prizes and recognitions a little after 9PM, and we’ll send you home around 10:15PM. And would anyone like to win a week of diving Indonesia with Murex Dive Resorts? Our Grand Prize this year is their 9-day “Passport to Paradise” and ONLY people who attend Chamber Evening (or sign up for the virtual version) will have their names in the hopper with a chance to score this wonderful dive experience. Get your seat at www.chamberday.org.
LEAVING FOR EASTER ISLAND SATURDAY - Our first group starts the long trek southward this Saturday. (11 hours southeast to Santiago, Chile, then 5 hours west out to Easter Island. But all on big planes, 787s.) We'll be doing a combination of touring and seeing the moai (statues) as well as diving. Both offer unique experiences. We'll hopefully be sharing those with you through pix on our FaceBook pages as well as I hope to send TWARS next week and also the following week from down there. It's a schlep to get there but it's a UNEXSO World Heritage site and well worth the effort. We've got two groups of 8 (one week each) and return to L.A. on March 23.
PHONE AND E-MAIL WHILE I'M AWAY - Both should work at Easter Island. We'll have a Wi-Fi connection at the hotel and AT&T says my International Day Pass works for our 310/652-4990 number. (You can also text or WhatsApp that same number.) If you need me for anything Reef Seekers or Chamber Day related, I'm reachable.
STILL ROOM FOR YOU ON THE ROATAN TRIP - The travel dates are June 28 - July 5 and we'll be staying at Anthony's Key. Right now, we're holding 7 rooms, 5 of which are filled. I have to hold or release the other rooms by the end of March (I can likely get them back if need be) so if you're thinking of this, signing up sooner is safer than later. We'll have six days of diving, generally three dives/day, plus two night dives. All the food is included (which was pretty good last year) as well as airport transfers and crew/staff tips. All of this for only $3,195 plus airfare. Either shoot me an e-mail or call 310/652-4990 if you're interested in joining.
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME BEGINS NEXT SUNDAY - Say what???? Yup. Plan on turning those clocks ahead one hour on Sunday, March 9. Ironically, Easter Island is currently on Daylight Savings Time because they're in the Southern Hemisphere, but they don't go off until April. So when we leave L.A. this Saturday at 3PM, there will be a 3-hour time difference but when we land on Easter Island Sunday at Noon, it'll only be two hours difference. Isn't DST fun????
MUGGED BY A WHALE - That's what they call it in Hawaii when a whale, in this case a Humpback, takes a keen interest in your boat and hangs close. Pretty incredible when an animal like this is as curious about you as you are about them. Here's the article with a video: HAWAIIAN WHALE ENCOUNTER.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving together in 2025!!! See you next week from Easter Island, aka Rapa Nui.
- Ken
