Ken Kurtis
Contributor
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Want to travel??? Upcoming 2017 vacation trips:
• July 7-19 - Yap Immersion #1 (special 13-day trip featuring all that Yap has to offer) [ LIMITED TO 12 DIVERS - 6 SPOTS LEFT ]
• July 21-August 2 - Yap Immersion #2 (week #2 - same sked as above) [ LIMITED TO 12 DIVERS - 6 SPOTS LEFT ]
• September 1-6 - Great White Sharks of Guadalupe on the Nautilus Belle Amie [ ONLY 1 SPOT LEFT ]
• November 2-12 - Fiji (SW area near Suva) on the Fiji Aggressor [ SOLD OUT!!! ]
GET MORE INFO ON ALL OF OUR VACATION TRIPS HERE: www.reefseekers.com/foreign_trips.html
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Upcoming local dives & classes:
• DIVE - Tues., 5/23 (NOTE DATE CHANGE) - Night dive at Redondo (6PM - FREE!!)
• DIVE - Sat., 6/3 - Avalon UW Park ($150)
To sign up for any of these dives, either call us at 310/652-4990 or e-mail us at kenkurtis@aol.com
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I just flew in from Paris and boy, are my arms tired (as am I) . . .
PARIS REPORT (NON-DIVING) – As some (many?) of you know, I spent the last week in Paris. No diving (went for a friend’s “destination” wedding) but I did go to the Aquarium de Paris, which is right by the Eiffel Tower. Overall, Paris was interesting and had a lot going for it. We immediately got Metro passes which enabled us to ride any bus, subway, or train to get around (saves a ton of money in taxi or Uber fares) and we also got a weeklong museum pass, which not only grants you access to most of the museums (major and minor) but also lets you get in through a special line so you avoid long waits. One of the trip highlights was spending a full day journeying out to Normandy, site of the D-Day landings in World War II, and touring those sights. Very interesting and moving to say the least. I think one of the favorite things we did was visit the Arc de Triumphe at the end of the day Thursday because we heard there was a ceremony daily where they change out all the flowers on the Tomb of the Unknown and recharge the Flame of Remembrance. (The Tomb and the Flame are both situated under the Arc.) Not quite as dramatic as the changing of the guard at the U.S. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, but still interesting and moving nonetheless. Best of all, when the ceremony was over, the line to climb to the top of the Arc had gone, plus our museum pass got us in for free and we were treated to a spectacular 360-degree view of Paris. The counterpoint to this was the next day which was a visit the Versailles Palace which simply wasn't my cup of tea. I've never been a fan of ostentatious opulence and this was that in spades. The massive gardens looked very nice, but we didn't explore those due to a threat of intermittent rain. But I could have done without the palace tour, although we did end with a tour of the stables, which featured an interesting display or royal coaches & carriages and showed how they developed over the years. But all in all a very nice trip and I've even writing this from 34,000 feet as we wing our wing back to L.A. from Miami, which was our first stop from Paris. For those of you who were not following this on Facebook throughout the week, I took a lot of pictures and have posted them on my SmugMug site along with some title slides so you'll know what you're viewing. Here’s the link if you'd like to take a peek: PARIS - MAY, 2017 - kenkurtis.
NIGHT DIVE THIS TUESDAY – I mentioned this last week but I've yet again changed the night dive this week due to my schedule and we're now set for Tuesday night at Vets Park in Redondo. This is all weather-dependent and I haven't been watching the swell closely while I was away so will start doing so. As usual, this is a freebie and a single-tank dive. We'll meet in the parking lot around 7PM, do a short briefing and then gear up and go. We're generally in the water, even on a slow night, by 8PM, and we're out by 9PM, which usually gets us out of the parking lot before 10PM. Couple of things to remember about this dive. I certainly don't mind if you're not an experienced night diver but it’s not a night diving class. At some point if you're having difficulties, I'll have to say, “This isn't your night” and you get out of the water. Make sure you bring quarters for the parking meters. (Usually eight should be enough.) You also need to provide your own gear, including tanks and weights. I doubt we'll see any squid eggs but you never know. Even so, a dive into the Redondo Canyon always is interesting because you never know what you might find, and we've been seeing juvenile Black Sea Bass in the shallows on the kick back in. Remember that if you want to do this dive, even if you've already told me you might be interested, you need to either call me (310/652-4990) or shoot me an e-mail to confirm your participation.
AVALON CLEANUP VIDEO – If you were one of the 400+ divers who joined us for the annual Avalon Underwater Cleanup this year, there’s a video of the event complied by Brett Kothheimer that you've got to see. You can view it here: http://vimeo.com/bkotheimer/avalonharborunderwatercleanup. And if you didn't do the event, you ought to take a peek and look at all the fun you missed so that you can get inspired to do it next year on February 24. Not only does the event serve a good purpose in helping clean up the Avalon Harbor, but it’s also a fund-raiser for both the Catalina Conservation Divers based out of the Wrigley Institute of Environmental Studies and the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber.
AVALON UNDERWATER PARK TRIP IN TWO WEEKS – Just a reminder that we've got a day trip planned for the Avalon Underwater Park on Saturday, June 3. We'll take the 8AM boat out of San Pedro and come back on the 5:30PM which gives us time for three dives and a break for lunch. There have been numerous sightings of very large adult Black Sea Bass in the Park lately, including a couple of whom seem very comfortable around divers. So this could be a great chance for you to get one of those rare mega-fauna encounters. $150 covers you for the ferry RT, taxis to and fro, tank rental (so you don't have to schlep), and airfills. Not included are parking in San Pedro and food. As with the night dive, if you're interested in going, give us a call (310/652-4990) or drop us an e-mail (this addy).
MOVIE RECOMMENDATIONS – One nice thing about long flights is a chance to catch up on some movies that I've missed. On the way over I watched “Hacksaw Ridge” which was excellent. Andrew Garfield was superb. (Plus it was based on a real guy, of which I wasn't aware.) On the way back I managed to get in “The Accountant,” which I liked a lot but which some people may find a bit too gory (although there are a few great plot twists at the end) and “The Comedian” with Robert DeNiro, who was very good in the role. Catch ‘em if you can.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let’s go diving soon . . . maybe Tuesday (or even in two weeks)!!!
- Ken
Want to travel??? Upcoming 2017 vacation trips:
• July 7-19 - Yap Immersion #1 (special 13-day trip featuring all that Yap has to offer) [ LIMITED TO 12 DIVERS - 6 SPOTS LEFT ]
• July 21-August 2 - Yap Immersion #2 (week #2 - same sked as above) [ LIMITED TO 12 DIVERS - 6 SPOTS LEFT ]
• September 1-6 - Great White Sharks of Guadalupe on the Nautilus Belle Amie [ ONLY 1 SPOT LEFT ]
• November 2-12 - Fiji (SW area near Suva) on the Fiji Aggressor [ SOLD OUT!!! ]
GET MORE INFO ON ALL OF OUR VACATION TRIPS HERE: www.reefseekers.com/foreign_trips.html
————————————————————————————————————————————
Upcoming local dives & classes:
• DIVE - Tues., 5/23 (NOTE DATE CHANGE) - Night dive at Redondo (6PM - FREE!!)
• DIVE - Sat., 6/3 - Avalon UW Park ($150)
To sign up for any of these dives, either call us at 310/652-4990 or e-mail us at kenkurtis@aol.com
————————————————————————————————————————————
I just flew in from Paris and boy, are my arms tired (as am I) . . .
PARIS REPORT (NON-DIVING) – As some (many?) of you know, I spent the last week in Paris. No diving (went for a friend’s “destination” wedding) but I did go to the Aquarium de Paris, which is right by the Eiffel Tower. Overall, Paris was interesting and had a lot going for it. We immediately got Metro passes which enabled us to ride any bus, subway, or train to get around (saves a ton of money in taxi or Uber fares) and we also got a weeklong museum pass, which not only grants you access to most of the museums (major and minor) but also lets you get in through a special line so you avoid long waits. One of the trip highlights was spending a full day journeying out to Normandy, site of the D-Day landings in World War II, and touring those sights. Very interesting and moving to say the least. I think one of the favorite things we did was visit the Arc de Triumphe at the end of the day Thursday because we heard there was a ceremony daily where they change out all the flowers on the Tomb of the Unknown and recharge the Flame of Remembrance. (The Tomb and the Flame are both situated under the Arc.) Not quite as dramatic as the changing of the guard at the U.S. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, but still interesting and moving nonetheless. Best of all, when the ceremony was over, the line to climb to the top of the Arc had gone, plus our museum pass got us in for free and we were treated to a spectacular 360-degree view of Paris. The counterpoint to this was the next day which was a visit the Versailles Palace which simply wasn't my cup of tea. I've never been a fan of ostentatious opulence and this was that in spades. The massive gardens looked very nice, but we didn't explore those due to a threat of intermittent rain. But I could have done without the palace tour, although we did end with a tour of the stables, which featured an interesting display or royal coaches & carriages and showed how they developed over the years. But all in all a very nice trip and I've even writing this from 34,000 feet as we wing our wing back to L.A. from Miami, which was our first stop from Paris. For those of you who were not following this on Facebook throughout the week, I took a lot of pictures and have posted them on my SmugMug site along with some title slides so you'll know what you're viewing. Here’s the link if you'd like to take a peek: PARIS - MAY, 2017 - kenkurtis.
NIGHT DIVE THIS TUESDAY – I mentioned this last week but I've yet again changed the night dive this week due to my schedule and we're now set for Tuesday night at Vets Park in Redondo. This is all weather-dependent and I haven't been watching the swell closely while I was away so will start doing so. As usual, this is a freebie and a single-tank dive. We'll meet in the parking lot around 7PM, do a short briefing and then gear up and go. We're generally in the water, even on a slow night, by 8PM, and we're out by 9PM, which usually gets us out of the parking lot before 10PM. Couple of things to remember about this dive. I certainly don't mind if you're not an experienced night diver but it’s not a night diving class. At some point if you're having difficulties, I'll have to say, “This isn't your night” and you get out of the water. Make sure you bring quarters for the parking meters. (Usually eight should be enough.) You also need to provide your own gear, including tanks and weights. I doubt we'll see any squid eggs but you never know. Even so, a dive into the Redondo Canyon always is interesting because you never know what you might find, and we've been seeing juvenile Black Sea Bass in the shallows on the kick back in. Remember that if you want to do this dive, even if you've already told me you might be interested, you need to either call me (310/652-4990) or shoot me an e-mail to confirm your participation.
AVALON CLEANUP VIDEO – If you were one of the 400+ divers who joined us for the annual Avalon Underwater Cleanup this year, there’s a video of the event complied by Brett Kothheimer that you've got to see. You can view it here: http://vimeo.com/bkotheimer/avalonharborunderwatercleanup. And if you didn't do the event, you ought to take a peek and look at all the fun you missed so that you can get inspired to do it next year on February 24. Not only does the event serve a good purpose in helping clean up the Avalon Harbor, but it’s also a fund-raiser for both the Catalina Conservation Divers based out of the Wrigley Institute of Environmental Studies and the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber.
AVALON UNDERWATER PARK TRIP IN TWO WEEKS – Just a reminder that we've got a day trip planned for the Avalon Underwater Park on Saturday, June 3. We'll take the 8AM boat out of San Pedro and come back on the 5:30PM which gives us time for three dives and a break for lunch. There have been numerous sightings of very large adult Black Sea Bass in the Park lately, including a couple of whom seem very comfortable around divers. So this could be a great chance for you to get one of those rare mega-fauna encounters. $150 covers you for the ferry RT, taxis to and fro, tank rental (so you don't have to schlep), and airfills. Not included are parking in San Pedro and food. As with the night dive, if you're interested in going, give us a call (310/652-4990) or drop us an e-mail (this addy).
MOVIE RECOMMENDATIONS – One nice thing about long flights is a chance to catch up on some movies that I've missed. On the way over I watched “Hacksaw Ridge” which was excellent. Andrew Garfield was superb. (Plus it was based on a real guy, of which I wasn't aware.) On the way back I managed to get in “The Accountant,” which I liked a lot but which some people may find a bit too gory (although there are a few great plot twists at the end) and “The Comedian” with Robert DeNiro, who was very good in the role. Catch ‘em if you can.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let’s go diving soon . . . maybe Tuesday (or even in two weeks)!!!
- Ken
