Ocean
Explorers
Society
September 2005
Contents
I love Labor day. Not only does it celebrate the trade workers who built this country, it means that the tourists mostly go away, and we get our beaches back. We'll have fine weather and relatively warm water for the next couple of months, so now is the time to go diving. I'd like to think that this is our little secret, but Sunset magazine keeps telling people to come visit in the fall.
I have a new favorite tool for deciding what to pack when I go to the beach. It's a surf forecasting web site called wetsand.com. It takes data from various SIO and NOAA sources and puts it together in a surf forecast. Now I can plan my diving in advance, knowing when the waves will be here, or not. You can't beat the free price either.
We're going to celebrate by having a BBQ and fun dive at La Jolla Shores on September 17th. The club will supply burgers and dogs, the rest is a reckless potluck. Someone will be there early to save a spot and a BBQ. We'll light the fire around 11:30. Dive before or after, or just have some fun in the water.
It looks like much of the club will be in Hawaii right around the first of October, so we may move that meeting too.
On an operational note, our club mailing list has been getting deluged with spam. I intercept and delete the messages pretty much every day. If I inadvertently delete one of your messages to the list, please accept my apologies, and sent it again, or you can send it to me directly.
As divers, we make critical decisions every time we gear up
for a dive. Can we handle the conditions? Do I have the right gear?
What did I forget? It's difficult to know
what expect if you haven't been to the site before. We're lucky to be
diving San Diego. We have a wealth of information at our fingertips.
There are several web sites about dive sites covering San Diego from
almost any available perspective. My favorites are the Ocean Explorers'
site, and Dive Bums. Divebums has lots of "line ups" for popular spots
off La Jolla Shores. The OES site has more logistical details.
As for gearing up, one set of accessories will see you through almost anything.
I also add a signal mirror and a strobe. With these items on my BC, I can handle many situations, once I get to the surface. If you don't want to get a real signal mirror, you can use one of those noisome AOL CDs.
Happy
Bubbles,
Dave Ambrose
We're having start of fall BBQ, potluck, and dive at La Jolla Shores. The club will provide hamburgers, hot dogs, and buns. The rest is left to the participants' imagination. Please bring a side dish and something to drink. The Shore has good diving, surfing, swimming, and snorkeling. There's also a playground for the little ones.
We'll have someone there early to reserve a spot, and will light the BBQ sometime around 9:30. We'll hang out until we get tired of the sun, fresh air, and each others company.. This is also a good opportunity to get in a tune-up dive before all the dive trips.
Please RSVP to Dave Ambrose so I know how much of Costco's finest to bring along.
The Internet is now very much part of everyday life, especially in San Diego. I see a lot of people getting onto what's loosely called broadband; high speed connections that are available without dialing in. While these connections are amazingly convenient, they also present some problems.
The always on nature of the connection means your computer is
accessible from the outside for long periods. Unscrupulous people and
organizations scan the net to find computers they can take over and use
for a variety of harmful activities. When they find a computer, they
use any available vulnerability to install
their software on your computer. All this happens without your
knowledge
or consent. These
programs will send out SPAM emails, scan for other vulnerable computer,
or most insidiously, steal your personal data and track your
activities.
They'll either steal information
for identity theft, or outright theft from your bank accounts. Check
out this identity
theft ring that used a popular web tool
Microsoft Windows, the software that controls most PCs, was never designed to protect its computer from hostile attack. Indeed many of the features were predicated on a benign environment. The net result is a computer that, without hundreds of megabytes worth of patches, will be compromised in less than 12 minutes by hostile organizations. This isn't even enough time to download the patches.
To it's credit, Microsoft has gone to a lot of trouble to make
Windows more secure, but no organization can defeat a decade
of
inappropriate design and coding in just a couple of years. The next
version of windows is supposed to be better, but it's not even promised
until 2007, and we all know how Microsoft dates like to slip.
So what's a poor computer user to do? There are a couple of tactics regular people can employ keep their computers and their data more secure.
Absolutely every broadband user should have a firewall. This is a small box that goes between the broadband connection, and the computer. These typically include router software, which simplifies the computers connection to the Internet. Firewalls block off all unsolicited incoming traffic. This seals off one of the hackers primary routes into your computer. Since the box has its own self-contained, special purpose software, it's very much less vulnerable to getting breached. There have been a few vulnerabilities found in the last few years, but for the most part, a properly configured firewall is your best protection. As a bonus, you can have multiple computers sharing a single Internet connection. This is handy if you have more than one computer.
You can also get firewall/routers with wireless access. I have one of these, and I love the ability to go in the backyard and do email, work on the web site, or surf the net without some silly wire for either power or network. You do have to be careful with wireless as the routers don't come with secure settings by default. Fortunately, securing them is relatively easy.
There's also software you can install to mimic the hardware firewall. It's not as secure as the hardware firewall, and prone to getting disabled by malware. I haven't looked at relative costs, but with hardware firewalls going for $50, there's no reason not to use the more secure alternative.
The other method to secure your computer is to quit using Windows. While this isn't an option for most people, it's one of the more effective strategies. We've been gradually replacing our windows computers with Apple i Macs and have found them to be everything that personal computers are supposed to be. The Mac operating system is built on Unix, which has been hardened by decades of use in university environments where the only effective security strategy is to harden the individual computers.
Macs do cost more, but they work without constant fuss and
maintenance. There's no tweaking a gazillion internal system settings,
using obscure utilities, or watching your files disappear as a disk
drive goes bad without any indication from the operating system.
The Mac OS X user interface is light years ahead of anything
from
Microsoft, and you get a whole bunch of spiffy programs to edit
video,edit audio, manage music and photos, or just do the normal word
processing stuff. By the time you factor in the free software, the Mac
isn't that much more expensive than a PC, and sometimes less.
When we went to get Liz a new computer for college, we found
that
after we added the extra hardware and software she needed for video
capture and editing, the i Mac was cheaper than a comparable PC by
several hundred dollars. When it came time to plug in her video camera,
the hardest part was figuring out where to plug the cable into the
camera. This computer survived a year on the UC Santa Cruz network with
no problems; something that could not be said for her roommates' PCs.
It went on to give 4 years of trouble-free performance. I had to do
pretty much the same thing for Rachael after her Windows computer died.
Linux is the other non-windows alternative. At this point, it's not quite ready for non-technical users, but it's been improving at a rapid clip. I'm going to stick my neck out and say that by the time Longhorn (aka Microsoft Vista) ships to customers, Linux will be a viable alternative to Windows. Linux is already proving itself in server rooms worldwide. After some installation and usability issues get solved, it will make a very robust desktop system.
It's been estimated that 35% of Comcast Cable's customers have had their computers breached and taken over. Malware (a generic term for hostile and unwanted software) is a huge problem, for the Internet as a whole, and individual computer users. I'm going to cover other aspects of this in coming months. We all need to take this problem seriously, both for ourselves, and for this virtual community called the Internet. -- Dave Ambrose
Update on Gian Sea Bass killings -- On August 18, 2005, Omid Adhami and Nima Hoaji pleaded guilty to criminal charges stemming from the spearing of an endangered fish in the San Diego-La Jolla Ecological Reserve in April. Adhami, who speared the giant sea bass, pleaded guilty to the illegal taking of a protected giant sea bass. He was sentenced to three years probation, 30 days of community service and ordered to pay $1,100 in fines. His accomplice, Hodaji, pleaded guilty to entering a marine conservation area for the purpose of taking marine resources, and was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to pay $1,100 in fines. Both were ordered to give up their fishing licenses, fishing gear, including the spear gun, tanks, and wet suits. They will be eligible to reapply for fishing licenses after their probation is over. Last month, the boat operator who took them into the reserve pleaded no contest to a charge he ignored posted signs in the area, a minor infraction. Commissioner Sandra Berry warned Adhami that if he broke any terms of his probation, she would send him to jail. As Commissioner Berry is on record for stating that she believed he deserved jail time, it is unclear why he was not punished accordingly.
Dive
Insurance --
The moral of the story is, know your limits, as well as your insurance policy limits. DAN's standard insurance plan has a coverage limitation for dives to a "Planned Maximum Depth" of 130 feet. The Master plan and the Preferred plan do not have this limit.
Blue Whales Spooted off of Southern California Coast -- Six to eight blue whales were spotted Thursday August 18 about eight miles off the Long Beach coast. This is an exciting sight, as these whales usually feed off the Santa Barbara channel during the summer months. A blue whale can eat up to 8,000 pounds of krill during its peak consumption period, ingest about 17,000 gallons of water when they eat krill, then expel the water with their four ton mouths, according to the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC). (NBCSandiego.com)Often Eating Society -- Our club's primary purpose of diving often takes a back seat to eating. With that said, I felt it only appropriate that our newsletter should acknowledge our secondary purpose.
This month, a local downtown eatery will be spotlighted. Rei de Gado Churrascaria, located on 939 4th & Broadway (619) 702-8464 is a considered a Mecca for meat lovers and Atkins followers alike; definitely not the restaurant of choice for vegetarians. The specialty at Rei de Gado's (Portuguese for 'King of Cow') is slow cooked barbecued meats, Brazilian style.
Upon being seated, your waiter, most likely a Brazilian or Argentinian, will explain the process. He will provide you with a red/green wooden cylindrical object. Place the green side up and waiters begin to bring various skewers of meats to your table. These meats range from various types of sausage, chicken, hams, bacon wrapped fillets, skirt steak, and numerous other cuts of meat. After you have had your fill, turn the wooden object red side up and the meats cease to arrive. Included in the meal is a large buffet of various salads, fresh fruits, vegetables, and side dishes indigenous to Brazil to round out your meal. Beverages and deserts are not included in the price and therefore are extra. The prices range from approximately $15.00 to $40.00, depending on day i.e, weekday/weekend/holiday and time of day i.e., lunch/dinner.
Bring your appetite and leave your fear of red meat at home and enjoy !
Boating Tip -- If you plan on doing any boat diving, or other boating activities, you will want to have a US drivers license, or some other form of Government identification. The U.S. Coast Guard is randomly boarding boats and verifying identifications and running back ground checks of all those on-board. No doubt they are checking for terrorists, however this inconvenience could possibly result in a ruined day of scuba diving or pleasure boating if anyone on board doesn't have appropriate identification (C-cards do not qualify as appropriate identification).Diving
at Children's Pool --
NOAA Enforcement is responsible for handling claims of
marine mammal harassment. If a complaint is received of a potential
Marine
Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) violation, it will be investigated based
on the
facts and circumstances of that particular case. The following
are common
sense guidelines from NOAA Enforcement in San Diego with regards to
diving at
Children's Pool.
Every year, the San Diego Council of Divers and the San Diego City Lifeguards sponsor a series of in-the-water seminars at local shore diving spots. The protocol is the same as previous years; snorkeling gear only, wear no more than half your normal diving weight. The tours are free and includes drinks and snacks afterwards. Registration and waivers start at 0800 and you should be suited up and ready by 8:15. This is a fun way to get familiar with our local waters.
Call the dive and surf hot line the morning of the session at 619-221-8824 to make sure the session hasn't been canceled due to rough weather.
| Sat,
Aug 27, 2005 3Rs- Hospital Point 8:00am - 10:30am Meet at 400 Coast Blvd (south of Cuvier) |
KONA
BY
LAND
- Dates will be October 1-8. This will be
on the tail end of the
Kona Aggressor trip for those who would like to experience the island
itself. It would really be nice to get another person or two for this
leg.
Estimated
cost for
the trip will be no more than
$900 per person, plus food and airfare. It will be
less if we
get more than 4 people. Flights to the Big Island (KOA) from San Diego
have
been running from $350 to $700 round trip. Right now, Aloha Airlines is
offering a $273 fare from San Diego to Honolulu, you can then catch an
inter island flight to Kona. Staying a few days on Oahu is relatively
cheap if you want to extend your vacation by a few days.
Lodging
will be at Dolphin
Bay
House at Kealakekua
Bay. Kealakekua Bay is only 20
minutes from the nightlife in Kona, but
still a bit off the beaten track. It's much more like old Hawai'i and
less
commercial. The bay itself is a state park, and a great place to
snorkel, dive,
kyack, or just hang out. There is an active heiau
(temple) at the bay,
and the Captain Cook memorial is just across the bay from the house.
This area
gets enough rain to have lots of greenery, but not so much that the
outside shower doesn't need a faucet.
The
house can accommodate
up to 8 people; 2 singles and 3 couples. The exact cost will depend on
how many
people go but the house is equivalent to a 2 bedroom condo with only 4
people.
The house has a full kitchen, so we can cook some meals in. We can also
split
the cost of renting a van.
Diving
will be with
Dive Makai, Aloha Diving Company, Jack's Diving Locker or some
combination.
Dive Makai offers blue water dives, Aloha offers trips to the more
remote sites
for those who didn't get to go on the Kona Aggressor. I really like
Dive Makai
because of their very thorough predive briefings. Close in dives run
$95. The
3-tank, all day, adventure dive is $165. Aloha charges $140 for the
remote
sites which are also full day trips.
There's
good shore
diving all up and down the Kona coast. Kealakekua Bay, and the nearby
City of
Refuge are particularly good. Let's
Go Shore Divin' has all the
information you'll ever need.
The
Big Island
offers plenty of non-diving activities. We found that diving in the
morning,
and sightseeing in the afternoon worked well. A trip to Mauna Loa, the
active
volcano, is a full day trip. City of Refuge and Kealakekua Bay are
great places
to shore dive and hang out.
World-class stargazing is available at the visitors center on Mauna Kea. If there's enough interest, I'll see about bringing a telescope of our own. The visitors center is at 9000 feet so a visit there will be a non-diving day.
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.