Ken Kurtis
Contributor
Diving Indonesia, local conditions, and more
(please scroll down for details)
I'm starting to remember what it's like to have a little time to myself . . .
THANKS TO DANNY & ANGELIQUE FROM MUREX IN INDONESIA - We had a nicely-attended and informative Zoom Seekers session last Tuesday where Danny & Angelique, who own the Murex properties in Manado, Indonesia, brought us up to speed as to some of the improvements they've been making while they been shut down due to the pandemic as well as gave info on the general diving in the area and their "Passport to Paradise" program, which combines stays (and dives) at Murex Manado, Murex Bangka, and the Lembeh Resort into one 9-day package. If you missed their talk (we had some technical issues at the beginning but then got going), we've got it up on our website at this link: DIVING INDONESIA WITH MUREX. Our speaker next month (June 15 - note this is a Wednesday, not a Tuesday) will be Marty Snyderman with some great photo tips and suggestions for you.
LOCAL CONDITIONS - They didn't sound too promising this past week. I heard reports of milky water and low vis. The good news is that everything changes, sometimes for the good, sometimes not, but the point is that this, too, shall pass.
AVALON HD CAM - If you want to try to get a read on conditions in Avalon, or just want to see who's diving the Underwater Park, you'll like this link. There's an HD cam mounted up at the old Wrigley Mansion that gives a lovely view of the harbor. Once you open it, use your cursor to draw a box around the Casino and the flagpole in the Park. The cam will then re-position and zoom in and you get a fairly good view of what's what. Nice way to check on water conditions. (And you can do the zoom trick for any area you can see on the camera.) This is the link: AVALON HD CAM.
GOLIATH GROUPERS IN FLORIDA MAY BE IN DANGER - Goliath Groupers (formerly known as Jewfish) have been protected in Florida waters since 1990. That protection may be in danger of being revoked. The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, by a 6-1 vote last week, gave initial approval to lifting the ban, despite the objections of many divers, scientists, and conservationists. In fact, they received 3,000 public comments, 98% of which were in favor of keeping the protection in place. Although it's got a ways to go until a harvesting plan would be enacted, it's not looking good. (What's next? Kill a Manatee Month???) For a whole host of reasons, this seems ill-thought out. You can read a more detailed explanation here: GOLIATH GROUPER PROTECTION MAY END.
OSCAR CONTENDER FOR NEXT YEAR? - Well, maybe not. (Razzie, perhaps.) From the people who brought you that classic "Sharknado" now comes "Aquarium of the Dead." It will hopefully have that same campy, tongue-in-cheek feel that "Sharknado" did but the main reason I will be watching it is that the Aquarium in which it all takes places is none other than our beloved Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. One good thing to come out of the pandemic and the Aquarium being shut down is that it allowed filmmakers to utilize the place as a film location pretty much 24/7. Just from what I've seen in the trailer, I'd say I recognize about 90% of it as being inside the Aquarium. This is a straight-to-on-demand film, but so far the only place we've been able to find it is on Apple+. Not sure if that'll be the only platform or if there will be others. You can see the poster below. Release/premiere date is May 21 (Friday). Here's the trailer: AQUARIUM OF THE DEAD.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week, get your vaccine if you haven't already, and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
(please scroll down for details)
I'm starting to remember what it's like to have a little time to myself . . .
THANKS TO DANNY & ANGELIQUE FROM MUREX IN INDONESIA - We had a nicely-attended and informative Zoom Seekers session last Tuesday where Danny & Angelique, who own the Murex properties in Manado, Indonesia, brought us up to speed as to some of the improvements they've been making while they been shut down due to the pandemic as well as gave info on the general diving in the area and their "Passport to Paradise" program, which combines stays (and dives) at Murex Manado, Murex Bangka, and the Lembeh Resort into one 9-day package. If you missed their talk (we had some technical issues at the beginning but then got going), we've got it up on our website at this link: DIVING INDONESIA WITH MUREX. Our speaker next month (June 15 - note this is a Wednesday, not a Tuesday) will be Marty Snyderman with some great photo tips and suggestions for you.
LOCAL CONDITIONS - They didn't sound too promising this past week. I heard reports of milky water and low vis. The good news is that everything changes, sometimes for the good, sometimes not, but the point is that this, too, shall pass.
AVALON HD CAM - If you want to try to get a read on conditions in Avalon, or just want to see who's diving the Underwater Park, you'll like this link. There's an HD cam mounted up at the old Wrigley Mansion that gives a lovely view of the harbor. Once you open it, use your cursor to draw a box around the Casino and the flagpole in the Park. The cam will then re-position and zoom in and you get a fairly good view of what's what. Nice way to check on water conditions. (And you can do the zoom trick for any area you can see on the camera.) This is the link: AVALON HD CAM.
GOLIATH GROUPERS IN FLORIDA MAY BE IN DANGER - Goliath Groupers (formerly known as Jewfish) have been protected in Florida waters since 1990. That protection may be in danger of being revoked. The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, by a 6-1 vote last week, gave initial approval to lifting the ban, despite the objections of many divers, scientists, and conservationists. In fact, they received 3,000 public comments, 98% of which were in favor of keeping the protection in place. Although it's got a ways to go until a harvesting plan would be enacted, it's not looking good. (What's next? Kill a Manatee Month???) For a whole host of reasons, this seems ill-thought out. You can read a more detailed explanation here: GOLIATH GROUPER PROTECTION MAY END.
OSCAR CONTENDER FOR NEXT YEAR? - Well, maybe not. (Razzie, perhaps.) From the people who brought you that classic "Sharknado" now comes "Aquarium of the Dead." It will hopefully have that same campy, tongue-in-cheek feel that "Sharknado" did but the main reason I will be watching it is that the Aquarium in which it all takes places is none other than our beloved Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. One good thing to come out of the pandemic and the Aquarium being shut down is that it allowed filmmakers to utilize the place as a film location pretty much 24/7. Just from what I've seen in the trailer, I'd say I recognize about 90% of it as being inside the Aquarium. This is a straight-to-on-demand film, but so far the only place we've been able to find it is on Apple+. Not sure if that'll be the only platform or if there will be others. You can see the poster below. Release/premiere date is May 21 (Friday). Here's the trailer: AQUARIUM OF THE DEAD.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week, get your vaccine if you haven't already, and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
