DODGERS IN THE WORLD SERIES - Tough call for me given that they're my two favorite teams but I'm pulling for the Dodgers, despite the anguish they put us through to get there. It was worse than being in an airport on standby for the last flight to your dive destination and watching the plane board while you wait for clearance. The real nutsy part is how much the tickets for Game 1 are going for on StubHub. Cheapest ticket I see is Reserve section 45 for $1,133. Where I normally sit (Reserve 1), tickets are running around $1,700/seat (no, I don't have a pair to sell). Wanna sit on the Field level? $3,000-5,000 per seat. Prefer the Dugout Club? $15,000-25,000 per seat. To be clear, those prices will buy a LOT of dive trips. Anyhow, going to be an exciting series and the reality is that the best view is usually on TV anyhow, which is still (at the moment) free. FYI, the World Series games will all be on the Fox network.
BE WARY OF OF WAVES - Although this happened in Hawaii, it's a good lesson for us in SoCal as well. It seems that there's been some big surf - 14-18 feet - on the North Shore due to a storm passing through. Three people were standing on a beach or jetty (unclear) when a large wave broke and washed up towards and then around them. As the water receded, all three were dragged out and into the subsequent incoming waves. Two of the people died despite rescue attempts. While obviously you'd never try to do a beach dive in surf that high, this incident serves as a stark reminder of the power of water. A lot of people think, "I could just hold my ground." But when you're submerged in water, you no longer weigh what you weigh on dry land since you're buoyant in the water. If you clock in at 200 pounds, floating in water means you might weigh 10-15 pounds. A cubic foot of seawater water weighs 64 pounds. So a wave that's 2 feet tall, 2 feet wide, and 2 feet front-to-back (8 cubic feet) has a weight of 512 pounds against your now-10-15 pounds of weight. Now remember that it's moving (which increases the force you feel from it) and it's easy to understand why these can knock you over, despite your best efforts.
GREAT WHITE SPOTTED OFF THE MANHATTAN PIER - A friend of mine posted a video about this on FaceBook. This is not unusual nor is it a cause for alarm. It's hard to tell from the video but it looks like this was a juvy Great White, maybe five feet long. They have long been sighted occasionally in SoCal waters as apparently the lower California coats is a pupping area for pregnant Great Whites. The juvies hang out here because our water's a tad warmer and the small fish they go after are plentiful. They're frequently spotted around Manhattan, Hermosa, and Redondo because all three of those communities have piers that sit high above the water, providing an excellent vantage point and angle to spot things swimming underneath. Put all of those together and that's why, especially it seems in the fall, we get reports of small Great Whites in the area.
EASTER ISLAND BECKONS - Our Easter Island trips in March of next year are starting to fill. I mentioned these last week as well. It's a really interesting place to go visit because you've got a unique underwater environment - 25% of the fish are endemic to Easter Island plus the water conditions are such that you can get up to 200 feet of visibility - and the carved moai statues all around the island are legendary. One thing to remember about this adventure is that we're extremely limited in the number of people we can take each week: no more than 7 divers and 4 non-divers. (The topside stuff makes it a great trip for a non-diving significant other.) Right now we have space on both weeks but that will change as people sign up so don't get left behind. Cost of the trip is $2,775 for divers ($1,945 for non-divers) plus airfare. The two trip dates (including travel) are March 8-16 or March 15-23. Give us a call at 310/652-4990 to get more info or to sign up.
AIR SUPPLY PROBLEM - Interesting problem posted by a friend of mine of FB. She was concerned (and shot a video of it) that her pressure gauge, which was reading 1,000psi underwater, would drop to 0psi as she took a breath, and then popped back up to 1,000. Many people, including me, explained that this is what happens when you don't have your tank valve fully opened (usually 3-4 turns) and you start to run low on air. You basically are sucking all the air out of the hoses faster than the partially-opened valve can replenish the supply. That why the pressure drops to 0psi, even if it's just momentary. She swears the tank valve was opened fully. So the other option was that there's something wrong inside the first stage of her regulator and she was advised to stop using it immediately and have it checked. Running out of breathing supply gas is a major problem and it's why we always want you to check your tank valve before you jump in the water to insure that it's fully open. One quick way to check, besides physically opening the valve, is to take a huge breath on the regulator while you watch the gauge. Even a digital gauge shouldn't budge. If you see the pressure dropping, even just a little bit, and then rising, either the valve's not open fully or there's something inside your reg blocking air flow. Correct the issue before you submerge.
AND ONE MORE THING - The scenario above also underscores why it's important to go over your out-of-air options BEFORE you submerge. If you're diving with a buddy, discuss octo breathing, buddy breathing, which reg will be donated, and other options before you go under. If you're diving alone, check your Spare Air or pony bottle, make sure you know how to do an exhaling ascent, and also talk with others who might be near you and to whom you might rush for some air if you run out. Just some thoughts to take with you on your next dive.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving together somewhere soon.
- Ken |
