Ken Kurtis
Contributor
Upcoming local dives (call 310/652-4990 for more info and to register):
Saturday, September 19 - Avalon Underwater Park
Wednesday, September 23 - Vets Park night dive
Want to travel??? Upcoming 2015 vacation trips:
October 21-26 - Great White Sharks at Guadalupe Island trip #2 aboard the Nautilus Explorer (ONE spot left on this trip)
December 1-13 - Red Sea Aggressor (southern route - includes snorkeling with dolphins) plus 2 days in Cairo [SOLD OUT]
Working on 2016 dates and destinations
GET MORE INFO ON ALL OF OUR VACATION TRIPS HERE: www.reefseekers.com/foreign_trips.html
Hope you're having a lovely Labor Day Weekend . . .
MIXED REPORTS ON DIVE CONDITIONS - Surf's up in some places (Malibu), glass calm in others (Redondo), and it just goes to show that conditions can vary greatly from place to place. I remember one Fourth of July weekend years ago, a bunch of us drove down to Laguna to dive Scotchman's Cove. The surf was running 5-7' but since we'd driven such a long way, we decided we'd at least stay for a few hours to see if it calmed down. It didn't. So we decided just to pack it in. As we were driving back up the coast, we checked some other spots with the same results and just as we were about to give up, I suggested we take a look at Malaga Cove in Palos Verdes. Flat calm and clear water. And the reason was the way the swell was running (from the SW) and the way Scotchman's faced (SW), versus the way Malaga faced (NW). It meant that Malaga was totally protected from the swell. So, for those of you who do shore dives, it really pays to know which way your beaches face because when conditions are awful at one spot, they may still be delightful at another. (As long as you know where to look.)
WHERE'S THE WHALE? - Rod Francis was the first to call me to alert me to the plight of a Blue Whale who seems to have gotten his tail entangled in some fishing line or nets which may include a crab pot or trap of some sort. Channel 7 was doing live coverage during their 6PM newscast Friday night. Apparently, the whale - thought to be about 70-80 feet long - is trailing some 400-feet of line. They managed to attach a red buoy to the end of the line to hopefully make it easier to track him but they've lost sight of him since Friday evening. The last known position sounds like it was a few miles off of Palos Verdes. My impression is that the whale was heading north but that's only an assumption from the footage I saw. What's most amazing to me is that an animal this big - who we know comes to the surface regularly AND is towing a marker buoy - can be "lost". Where did he go? There are a couple of rescue teams on call but no luck yet. If you should spot the whale, you can call the Coast Guard on channel 16 (if you have a marine radio) or call 877/SOS-WHALE. That's the NOAA Whale Disentanglement Hotline. It actually goes to a live answering service but give them the info and they'll relay the call. My favorite part of the general info being given out is "Keep at least 1,000 feet away from the whale, and don't try to touch the line but if possible, stay near the animal until rescuers arrive." It's like they have no clue as to how far 1,000 feet really is. But in all seriousness, if you DO spot the whale, DON'T try to take action on your own. As well as being cited for violations to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, if you get smacked by the tail, it can kill you. Play it safe.
AVALON ON SEPTEMBER 19 - You may have noticed that we've got an Avalon trip scheduled for Saturday, September 19 and we've already got five people signed up for it with a sixth on the cusp. It seems like everyone who wants to go wants to do some form of refresher training either because they haven't been diving in a while or they've got a new wetsuit or whatever. The point is that if you need something like this, this will be a good day to do it. We'll likely leave on an 8AM ferry and arrive back in L.A. around 7PM. The plan will be for three dives and we usually can arrange for tanks at the Park so you don't need to lug those with you. (But you will need to bring weights.) If you're interested in joining us, give me a call at 310/652-4990.
SHARK BITE SAGA CONTINUES - This time it was a kayaker and this time is was a hammerhead (not a Great White). And that got me to wondering if it was the same Hammerhead that was spotted down in San Diego last week and who also was hanging around kayakers. The incident occurred Sunday afternoon around 2:30PM just north of the L.A./Ventura County line. The guy who got bitten was fishing from his kayak (that could have attracted the shark in) and apparently had his foot dangling in the water. The shark bit him on the foot once and then moved on. So while I'm sure the headlines will read "Hammerhead Attack", there's a lot more to the story and it sounds like the shark was just doing what sharks are supposed to do.
ERIKA SMACKS DOMINICA - It sounds like Tropical Storm Erika hit Dominica pretty hard last week. I got an e-mail update from the Dominica tourism folks who reports that water and electricity have been restored to most of the island but the main airport remains closed. 40 of the 100 hotels on the island remain closed at least for the time being. Dive operators seem to be functional. I got a note from Augusto Montbrun at Buddy Dive in Bonaire and he says their brand-new Dominica operation suffered no major damage other than one of their boats being run aground. Castle Comfort (where we stayed in 2012) has posted this on their Facebook page: "We have been spared from TS Erika however a few of our staff members have lost their homes and everything in it. The management of Castle Comfort and Dive Dominica are currently committed to aiding everyone who has been affected and are working with the Red Cross and Ross University in transporting people as well as relief supplies. If you are able to donate, please assist. We thank you for your support and hope to get back on track along with our people."
DID YOU WATCH "BIG BLUE LIVE"? - I thought the idea was terrific but was less than impressed with the execution. I watched all three nights but wasn't too thrilled with the hosts and, much as I appreciate the difficulty of doing an entirely live broadcast, I thought they relied too much on pre-taped segments. But it certainly exposed the uniqueness of the Monterey Peninsula to millions of people and hopefully helped raised ocean awareness as well. So from that standpoint, well done.
WRECK FINALLY DISCOVERED - In the same way I wonder how you "lose" a Blue Whale, I also wonder how you don't find a 520-foot long wreck. But for almost 60 years, researchers have been looking for (and obviously not every minute of every day) the wreck of the USNS San Miguel which sank in 1957 after hitting a reef about halfway between the main Hawaiian Island chain and Midway Island. The entire crew was rescued but the location of the sinking was never recorded. Ooops. But it was found recently by a University of Hawaii marine biology student and, amazingly, it was in only 80 feet of water. Granted the area's really remote and you have to be specifically going there but it's interesting that the wreck could remain undiscovered for so long. And that brings up the other thing I love about diving: I've always said it's the world's great scavenger hunt, and stories like this make you wonder . . . What else is out there, waiting for us to discover it?
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
Saturday, September 19 - Avalon Underwater Park
Wednesday, September 23 - Vets Park night dive
Want to travel??? Upcoming 2015 vacation trips:
October 21-26 - Great White Sharks at Guadalupe Island trip #2 aboard the Nautilus Explorer (ONE spot left on this trip)
December 1-13 - Red Sea Aggressor (southern route - includes snorkeling with dolphins) plus 2 days in Cairo [SOLD OUT]
Working on 2016 dates and destinations
GET MORE INFO ON ALL OF OUR VACATION TRIPS HERE: www.reefseekers.com/foreign_trips.html
Hope you're having a lovely Labor Day Weekend . . .
MIXED REPORTS ON DIVE CONDITIONS - Surf's up in some places (Malibu), glass calm in others (Redondo), and it just goes to show that conditions can vary greatly from place to place. I remember one Fourth of July weekend years ago, a bunch of us drove down to Laguna to dive Scotchman's Cove. The surf was running 5-7' but since we'd driven such a long way, we decided we'd at least stay for a few hours to see if it calmed down. It didn't. So we decided just to pack it in. As we were driving back up the coast, we checked some other spots with the same results and just as we were about to give up, I suggested we take a look at Malaga Cove in Palos Verdes. Flat calm and clear water. And the reason was the way the swell was running (from the SW) and the way Scotchman's faced (SW), versus the way Malaga faced (NW). It meant that Malaga was totally protected from the swell. So, for those of you who do shore dives, it really pays to know which way your beaches face because when conditions are awful at one spot, they may still be delightful at another. (As long as you know where to look.)
WHERE'S THE WHALE? - Rod Francis was the first to call me to alert me to the plight of a Blue Whale who seems to have gotten his tail entangled in some fishing line or nets which may include a crab pot or trap of some sort. Channel 7 was doing live coverage during their 6PM newscast Friday night. Apparently, the whale - thought to be about 70-80 feet long - is trailing some 400-feet of line. They managed to attach a red buoy to the end of the line to hopefully make it easier to track him but they've lost sight of him since Friday evening. The last known position sounds like it was a few miles off of Palos Verdes. My impression is that the whale was heading north but that's only an assumption from the footage I saw. What's most amazing to me is that an animal this big - who we know comes to the surface regularly AND is towing a marker buoy - can be "lost". Where did he go? There are a couple of rescue teams on call but no luck yet. If you should spot the whale, you can call the Coast Guard on channel 16 (if you have a marine radio) or call 877/SOS-WHALE. That's the NOAA Whale Disentanglement Hotline. It actually goes to a live answering service but give them the info and they'll relay the call. My favorite part of the general info being given out is "Keep at least 1,000 feet away from the whale, and don't try to touch the line but if possible, stay near the animal until rescuers arrive." It's like they have no clue as to how far 1,000 feet really is. But in all seriousness, if you DO spot the whale, DON'T try to take action on your own. As well as being cited for violations to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, if you get smacked by the tail, it can kill you. Play it safe.
AVALON ON SEPTEMBER 19 - You may have noticed that we've got an Avalon trip scheduled for Saturday, September 19 and we've already got five people signed up for it with a sixth on the cusp. It seems like everyone who wants to go wants to do some form of refresher training either because they haven't been diving in a while or they've got a new wetsuit or whatever. The point is that if you need something like this, this will be a good day to do it. We'll likely leave on an 8AM ferry and arrive back in L.A. around 7PM. The plan will be for three dives and we usually can arrange for tanks at the Park so you don't need to lug those with you. (But you will need to bring weights.) If you're interested in joining us, give me a call at 310/652-4990.
SHARK BITE SAGA CONTINUES - This time it was a kayaker and this time is was a hammerhead (not a Great White). And that got me to wondering if it was the same Hammerhead that was spotted down in San Diego last week and who also was hanging around kayakers. The incident occurred Sunday afternoon around 2:30PM just north of the L.A./Ventura County line. The guy who got bitten was fishing from his kayak (that could have attracted the shark in) and apparently had his foot dangling in the water. The shark bit him on the foot once and then moved on. So while I'm sure the headlines will read "Hammerhead Attack", there's a lot more to the story and it sounds like the shark was just doing what sharks are supposed to do.
ERIKA SMACKS DOMINICA - It sounds like Tropical Storm Erika hit Dominica pretty hard last week. I got an e-mail update from the Dominica tourism folks who reports that water and electricity have been restored to most of the island but the main airport remains closed. 40 of the 100 hotels on the island remain closed at least for the time being. Dive operators seem to be functional. I got a note from Augusto Montbrun at Buddy Dive in Bonaire and he says their brand-new Dominica operation suffered no major damage other than one of their boats being run aground. Castle Comfort (where we stayed in 2012) has posted this on their Facebook page: "We have been spared from TS Erika however a few of our staff members have lost their homes and everything in it. The management of Castle Comfort and Dive Dominica are currently committed to aiding everyone who has been affected and are working with the Red Cross and Ross University in transporting people as well as relief supplies. If you are able to donate, please assist. We thank you for your support and hope to get back on track along with our people."
DID YOU WATCH "BIG BLUE LIVE"? - I thought the idea was terrific but was less than impressed with the execution. I watched all three nights but wasn't too thrilled with the hosts and, much as I appreciate the difficulty of doing an entirely live broadcast, I thought they relied too much on pre-taped segments. But it certainly exposed the uniqueness of the Monterey Peninsula to millions of people and hopefully helped raised ocean awareness as well. So from that standpoint, well done.
WRECK FINALLY DISCOVERED - In the same way I wonder how you "lose" a Blue Whale, I also wonder how you don't find a 520-foot long wreck. But for almost 60 years, researchers have been looking for (and obviously not every minute of every day) the wreck of the USNS San Miguel which sank in 1957 after hitting a reef about halfway between the main Hawaiian Island chain and Midway Island. The entire crew was rescued but the location of the sinking was never recorded. Ooops. But it was found recently by a University of Hawaii marine biology student and, amazingly, it was in only 80 feet of water. Granted the area's really remote and you have to be specifically going there but it's interesting that the wreck could remain undiscovered for so long. And that brings up the other thing I love about diving: I've always said it's the world's great scavenger hunt, and stories like this make you wonder . . . What else is out there, waiting for us to discover it?
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
