YOU CAN STILL CONTRIBUTE - We know some of you simply may not have gotten around to signing up so we traditionally leave both the Flying Dutchman and the Chamber Challenge open for stagglers. You've got until end-of-day on Monday, May 15, to join in our record-setting year. The direct link to donate is:
https://usc.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dnemil47PUc8aGy
ZOOM SEEKERS IS THIS TUESDAY - We enter our artsy-fartsy phase as we explore the world of underwater-inspired art. This Tuesday, our guest speaker will be Stephen Holman, a local artist who specializes in underwater images. As a child, he drew detailed pictures of fish, copying them from text books borrowed from the library. A few years ago, when painting had become his major artistic outlet, he realized that he needed to try to capture what it felt like to be under the ocean experiencing this beautiful, fragile, hostile environment - especially in California waters. He feels like he's only just begun this phase of his art career, and is excited to share his journey with you. Hopefully you can join us Tuesday evening for this wonderful dive into the world of art:
YAP TRIP SCHEDULE CHANGES - A downside for many island-nations who depend on tourism is that they are the mercy of the airlines. The number of visitors will be directly tied into the number of flights the island get. Specifically, with Yap, they are serviced ONLY by United Airlines out of Guam. A number of years ago, United flew Guam-Yap four times a week. Then they cut that back to twice a week. During the pandemic, it become once a month. They recently re-instated service at twice a week. But just last week, they cut that back to once a week. And that not only affects Yap (and Manta Ray Bay Resort) in the long run, but our trip specifically. Since the only flights in and out are now on Wednesdays (they cancelled the Sunday flight) it means our thought of a 10-day Yap trip is no longer an option. It's either 1-week, 2-weeks, or 3-weeks. The people already signed up have adjusted their flights accordingly. But if you were thinking of joining us or even just going at some point on your own, realize that this is the new reality, at least for now.
WANNA BUY YOUR OWN ISLAND? - Fairly cheap too. It's being offered at $190,000. There are - of course - some caveats. First of all, it's off the southern coast of Scotland, so I'm not sure if there's any diving and if there is, it certainly won't be warm. Secondly, because no one's ever asked before, its unknown whether or not you could build anything on the island. And finally, it's rather remote. But maybe if you make an offer, they'll throw in a nice beach chair and you can and you can enjoy serenely sitting on your own island while gazing over the water. (My birthday's alter this month if you're stumped about a gift to get me.) Here's more info:
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/uninhabited-scottish-island-sale-intl-scli-gbr/index.html
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
