TWARS (This Week at Reef Seekers) - November 15-22

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Ken Kurtis

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SpaceX, Zoom, Great Barrier Reef, and more
(please scroll down for details)

Another week of excitement and intrigue . . .

I'M GEEKING OUT - I freely admit to being a space nut. In the early 60s, I remember setting up my little B&W TV at the foot of my bed, setting the alarm for 3AM, and then watching the images sent back by Ranger probes before they smacked into the moon. I remember being at Rehoboth Beach, DE, on July 20, 1969, standing on someone's porch and staring through their window (they eventually invited me in) as Neil & Buzz touched down on the lunar surface. In 1973, I was working my first radio job in Florida and was able to get press passes to go up to Cape Kennedy to witness a Skylab crew launch from the press site. So today, to be able to sit at home and not only watch the SpaceX Dragon crew go up, but to have all kinds of cameras and live shots throughout is a space geek's dream come true. Very exciting. (Somewhat diving-related as you'l see below, and seemed like a good way to lead off.)

NOT STELLAR WEEKEND CONDITIONS - From what I'm hearing, this wasn't the greatest weekend to go over to Catalina. Some big currents in the Park and it sounds like the water temp has dropped a few degrees. I heard it was also murky up at the west end of the island. That all being said, late fall frequently offers us some spectacular conditions so expect all of this to clear up shortly.

GREAT ZOOM EXPERIMENT LAST WEEK - We had a dozen and change on our impromptu Zoom call last week and we'll do it again. In fact, one of the Zoomers, Bob Sanders (who also happens to be the medical director for the NASA Neutral Buoyancy Lab in Houston), offered to give a Zoom talk about what he does. He and I are working on a date, most likely in December, and we'll let you know when we get it settled.

YAP TOO - I also spoke this week with Bill Acker at Manta Ray Bay in Yap. They are still fully closed down - no flights in or out of Yap but also no cases of COVID - and Bill and I also talked about the idea of doing a Zoom gathering for those of you who have been to Yap before just as a way to say hello, and for those of you who haven't been to Yap, to show you what to expect. We're working on a date for that too.

PHOTO WORKSHOP DATE CHANGE - We have the Photo Workshop (via Zoom) on the books for this Wednesday but I have a conflict so it'll be Tuesday, starting at 7PM. If you're interested, be sure to let me know so I can get you signed up.

GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS FOR THE GREAT BARRIER REEF - Let's start with the bad news. A recent study has determined that the GBR has lost half of its coral since 1995, with the most dramatic changes coming after bleaching incidents in 2016 and 2017. It may not be beyond hope, but it's certainly something that needs some critical attention: GREAT BARRIER REEF CORAL STUDY.

AND NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS - A new massive coral pinnacle/reef has been discovered, also in the GBR. It's detached from the main part of the reef and is the 8th such reef discovered, but the first to be discovered in 120 years. The other piece of good news is that the top is at a depth of 130 feet, so not exactly diver-friendly which also means maybe it gets some protection from being loved too much. But the reef is massive, over 1500 feet tall and spread out, and was discovered quite by accident. You can read more about it here: NEW CORAL PINNACLE.

And on that happy and hopeful note, we'll wrap it up. Have a great week, wear your mask, and let's go diving soon.

- Ken
 
Yep, water temps that I take at the same depth (not tide adjusted) each dive day show a significant drop in temperature. Also 5-6° F lower than the same time/same depth last year.
 
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