Ocean Explorers Society
March 2004
Sponsored by Ocean Enterprises
Contents
Monthly
Meeting
Thursday, March 4th
at 7PM - Upstairs classroom at Ocean Enterprises. This will be
a business meeting to work on club bylaws. We'll meet for dinner
at 5:30 in Appleby's across the street from Ocean Enterprises
all are welcome to join us. either at Appleby's or at the meeting
itself.
From
the President
For our April meeting, we'll be touring
the UCSD recompression chamber. We'll start the tour sometime
around 5:15, and have dinner afterwards. We'll have more details
in the April newsletter. Many thanks to Robin for arranging this
tour.
Have you ever done a big project? In the beginning, everthing is hope and wonder. Do the project, and life will be good. Then reality sets in, the to-do list looks 2 miles long, everything on the list is either hard or impossible, and you probably won't last that long anyway. You start tackling things, and pretty soon, stuff is falling off the list faster than you're adding them, and the project is finished.
2 months back, we had a whole posse of folks volunteer to cover every club function imaginable. Everthing looked great and they still are, but we're getting to that point where the list is lookin' a might long. We have some infrastructure to build. It isn't glamorous, but once we get this out of the way, we can get on to the fun stuff.
We now have a committee to work on the bylaws. Liza, Kent, Bobby and I will get these bylaws whipped into shape before we vote on them. In the meantime, our governing council will continue in its present form.
We're going to do some local diving this summer. The informal, email the list diving hasn't been terribly successful. This year, we'll try to be a little more organized. We'll definitely have a jump-on trip to the Yukon, and another to kelp beds. Don't be surprised if we do another dive and BBQ; perhaps at La Jolla Cove instead of the Shores. Lobster season is still here, and anyone who wants to go bother the crustaceans after work should have a fishing license and email the list.
This year, we'll be doing more in the community to raise our profile a bit, and attract new members. We'll be sponsoring one of the 3R's. The SD Council of divers' community BBQ and dive will not only be a fun event, but give us the opportunity to get out in front of potential new members. Details of the event are still in flux, but the target date looks to be September, probably after labar day.
We're still trying to get some trips together. We need your input. We want to find destinations that combine good diving with fun topside activities. Jon Parkhurst is coordinating the trips. I'm also in the conceptual planning stage for a trip to Florida in October or November.
The state budget problems are having huge impact on our marine environment. The Marine Protect Area process is in suspension and probably never to get revived. The squid fishery looks like it's going the way of the abalone. If history is any teacher, those who profit from the fishery will insist on definitive proof. The only definitive proof under their standards is the disappearance of the fishery. By that time it's too late. Maybe if I'm lucky, my grandchildren will be able to fish for abalone in SoCal waters. All because we waited 3 years for that definitive proof. Some days I think that our marine environment would be best served by a liberal application of limpet mines.
But this is America and we're supposed to prefer political action over sabotage. I know of no organization that really serves the needs of the diving community, or indeed the sport fishermen. The mouthpieces for the sport fishing industry are more concerned with the profits of the party boats, and suppliers, than they are the health of the ocean. I don't know what we do, but we have to come up with something. Our children are going to lose the most.
Club
Diving
Nothing formal planned. It looks
like we just had a squid run, and there's good diving between
the storms. The water's cold, but there are some shallow sites
that shouldnt't be too bad for the wetsuit divers. Send an email to the list if you want to dive after work or on the weekend.
Flotsam
The squid egg sacs harvested by the
Birch Aquarium at Scripps started hatching a couple days ago (they're
on display in the small tanks just past the big kelp tank). Leslee
Matsushige (Birch Aquarium), Mary Lynn Price (u/w film maker and
editor extraordinaire, see http://www.divefilm.com/ ), and John
Moore got together to video some of these 0-2 day old squid. That
young, they're pretty transparent -- so you can see all the internal
parts (gills, heart, ink sac, etc.), plus the external parts (eyes,
tentacles, cromatophores, etc.). Many of these parts are labelled
in the video clip, although the ink sac is not. It's the constant
black spot towards the top of the mantle, next to the heart.
The video clip is large -- just under 16 MB -- so it's for broadband users only (unless you're really motivated!!). Watch it at http://divebums.com/Video/baby_squid.mov
Upcoming Perspectives on Ocean Science Lectures
Wednesday, March 10, 7:30-9 a.m. at the Birch Aquarium. Scientists
are now able to determine complete genome sequences of organisms,
cellular "blueprints" that contain the exact instructions
required to create a particular organism with its own unique traits.
Join Dr. Brian Palenik as he describes how he and other marine
scientists are using this information to understand how phytoplankton,
the "plants" of the sea, have adapted to life in the
ocean.
E.W. Scripps Associates (EWSA) and Scripps Oceanographic Society (SOS) Members: Free; Guests: $8. Includes continental breakfast, courtesy parking and Aquarium admission. RSVP: (858) 534-5771.
SIO COLLECTIONS OPEN HOUSE FOR DIVERS
Tuesday, March 30, 2004, at 7:00 pm There is no charge. Light refreshments will be served.
Vaughn Hall at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (adjacent to and just north of Sumner Auditorium) 8600 block of La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla
Scripps Institution of Oceanography will hold an open house held to acquaint divers with the collections it currently holds. The event is intended to let divers see the collections, to learn how the specimens are used by the scientific community, and to understand how important this collection is to divers.
There are five major natural history collections at Scripps: three biological and two geological. Each is unique, reflecting to a large degree the research interests of the Scripps scientists and staff who worked to build them. They also represent the tangible results of the expeditionary voyages of the Scripps fleet over the years. Together the Scripps Collections comprise the largest, most complete natural history repository devoted to the study of the world's oceans.
The Marine Vertebrate collection alone contains over 2 million specimens representing more than 5,300 species. This is a rare opportunity to view some of the specimens, as well as to see how they are cared for and stored in the buildings that house the collections. Representative samples of the various parts of the collection will be on display, and tours of part of the building will be available.
Videos Wanted for SCUBA Show 2004 - The largest dive
expo in the Western U.S., is looking for video films to complete
its film festival. Do you have something you would like to submit
for our consideration? Do you know of any talented underwater
video filmmakers that have material to submit? HURRY! DEADLINE
IS MARCH 2.
Below are our guidelines:
1) Length of the video film submission should be 5 to 30 minutes with 10 to 25 minutes being ideal.
2) DVD, broadcast quality 3/4 inch video and super 1/2 inch VHS will be available at the film festival itself for the screening of the films but for review purposes please submit your work on DVD or regular 1/2 inch VHS tape.
3) Videos should not be business promotional in nature.
4) If chosen, you will be required to sign a guarantee that the contents of your film does not infringe on any rights including music, footage, voice, personal and other rights.
5) Please submit only material that has NOT been previously screened at film festivals or on television.
6) On acceptance, SCUBA Show 2004 requests that no portion of the film be shown in film festivals or on television in the period of time leading up to SCUBA Show 2004. All rights revert to the owner after the screening of the video film.
7) Content of the submission should be a minimum of 1/3 underwater with 1/2 or more preferred.More general guidelines:
a) Narration is not necessary and unless well written and spoken, often just gets in the way. Suitable background music is often appropriate but be sure you have the proper legal rights to use the music.
b) Material should be clear, sharp, and bright. Accepted films will be screened using state-of-the-art video onto a very large viewing area.
c) We look for the unusual. Footage from unusual underwater locale or activities is favored. In the past we have shown everything from coral to kelp; man to manatees; Lake Tahoe to Truk Lagoon.
Please make your submissions no later than March 2, 2004. Submit as many pieces as you wish and there is no entry fee. Submit only good quality duplicate DVDs or tapes (standard 1/2" VHS tape format). Do not send original recordings. Choices will be made no later than March 5, 2004. To have duplicate tapes returned, included proper sized self address stamped envelope with proper postage. SCUBA Show 2004 is not responsible for lost or damaged tapes.
This is not a contest. Films chosen for screening are done so at the sole discretion of SCUBA Show 2004 management.
For accepted films of 5 to 15 minutes in length, an honorarium
of $50 will be paid for the first showing. Accepted films 16 minutes
or longer will receive $75 for the first showing. An additional
$25 will be paid for each additional showing thereafter regardless
of film length (typically, films are shown at least twice, sometimes
up to 4 times). A brief description of the film, and biography
of the filmmaker, will be published in an advanced edition of
California Diving News and in the show program. If the filmmaker
is attempting to market the accepted film in question, a 1/6 page
ad in the show program (value $350) can be provided to market
the film in lieu of the honorarium.
Please send your submissions toDale Sheckler, P.O. Box 11231, Torrance, CA 90510. dale@saintbrendan.com http://www.saintbrendan.com (310) 792-2333 fax (310) 792-2336
Surfrider has been testing the local waters for contamination. The sad news is that it's pretty icky after a rainstorm. The following measurements were taken a day after a big rainstorm. Surfrider is looking for volunteers to take water samples, so if you live near a beach that isn't on the following list, give them a call or go visit their website. We can't force changes unless we get data.
How to read the results:
0 – 79 is Acceptable
80 – 104 is Questionable
Over 104 is Unacceptable
La Jolla, Shores- 213
La Jolla Cove- 460
La Jolla, Windansea- 0
Pacific Beach, Tourmaline- 325
Pacific Beach, Law Street- 1280
Mission Beach Belmont Park- 0
Ocean Beach, Dog Beach- 0
Ocean Beach Pier- 10
Imperial Beach Pier- 4160
Imperial Beach Seacoast (TJ Sloughs)- 9600
It is advised that beach users avoid contact with ocean and bay waters for a period of 3 days, or 72 hours, after any rainfall. If you have been sick lately and think that it may be caused by ocean water contact, please fill out the Ocean Illness Survey, located online at http://www.surfrider.org/oceanillness.htm
Enterococci - a subgroup of the more general group of fecal streptococci bacteria. Enterococci is a preferred indicator organism for freshwaters and marine waters used for recreation. It has been found to be superior to fecal streptococci as a predictor of swimming-associated gastroenteritis. Numbers of enterococci in fresh or marine surface waters can be translated to a rate of swimming-associated gastroenteritis.
Caulerpa Toxifolia Update
Sometimes we get some good news. The North County Times ran an
article
on the current state of the Caulerpa Toxifolia infestation. It
looks like the were able to eradicate the weed in the lagoon,
and more importantly, in Huntington Harbor. Still, we'll need
to be on the lookout for this stuff. People are stupid and the
sometimes dump their unwanted aquaria in the ocean and a lagoon.
We dodged a bullet. This weed has virtually killed the Medeteranean Sea. It propagates from the tiniest piece or root. It overgrows and kills everything around it, and there are very few critters that eat the stuff. We could have been looking at blankets of green stuff instead of kelp forests.
San Diego
Council of Divers
The next Council meeting will be March 18th at 6:30 in
Sumner Auditorium. There will be a speaker from California Wreck
Divers, and a Raffle. More info may be found at the Council's
website.
Dive Travel
We're looking for 2004 destinations.
I've heard discussions of Papua New Guinea, Truk, Yap, and Hawai'i.
I'm hearing great reports on Bahia de los Angeles and am getting
interested in Florida. What piques your interest? Please let us
know.
Cat Ppalu liveaboard offering tax-deductible dive trip, helping researchers re-introduce spiny sea urchins to Bahamas reefs, 24-30 Apr. Participants help collect/count urchins; can do a deeper rec dive each day, and also visit the Exumas. Reduced rate $995 for singles, $795pp for couples (regularly $1,395pp). I searched the scubadiving.com forum for Cat Ppalu comments - it's a 65' cat with 4 crew and room for 12 divers, food sounds excellent, sounds very unregimented .... couple of folks mentioned cozy sleeping quarters (didn't sound too sardiney but just something to keep in mind) and also that they could have done more dives. More at www.blackbeard-cruises.com/catppalu.html.
Dive Discovery offerings (www.divediscovery.com, www.africa-discovery.com for diving safaris): liveaboard trips to Mexico (starting $1295pp) and Socorros ($2395pp) starting Sep 25 aboard Nautilus Explorer ... Farallon Island trips, Sep to mid-Nov, to see Great Whites on 54' boat that holds 8 divers ($775pp) and 4 non-divers ($375pp) who can use topside viewers ... Anthony's Key offering 7-night all-inclusive land-only starting $599ppdo (Jan, Sep-Nov) and $825ppdo (Feb-Aug, Dec) ... new San Jorge eco-lodge/botanical reserve near Quito, Ecuador (could add-on to Galapagos trip) offers rainforest hiking, horseriding, white water rafting.
Membership
Renewal rates are $20 single; $30
for a family. If you can't make it to a meeting, send your renewal
to Mark Clausen; 1862 Willow Way; Vista, CA 92083.