Ocean
Explorers
Society
June 2005
Contents
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Next Meeting Thursday, June 2nd, 5:30PM at Panda Country Restaurant at 4455 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, near the corner of Clairemont Mesa and Genesee.
I'd like to welcome Eileen Parkhurst as our newsletter editor.
Eileen is a long-time club member, and I really appreciate her help.
The men who illegally speared the black seabass in the La Jolla
preserve have been charged with poaching and 2 counts of misdemeanor
conspiracy. They could get as much as 3 years in prison, and $22,000 in
fines. I'm personally pleased that the city attorney has chosen to
take a hard line with these people. They knew better. One of them even
has a previous conviction for poaching lobsters in the
reserve.
It's hard for even sport fishermen to understand how important it is
to leave these fish alone. They grow slowly, and take a long time to
mature. This means that an already depleted population will return very
slowly. As harsh as it might seem, we really do need to toss these
people in jail. Otherwise we'll never get the black seabass population
back to where it should be.
I don't know how much they move around, but it may be a long time before we see any more at La Jolla Shores. It's sad too, these are spectacular fish. I've been fortunate to dive with them in the Channel Islands. Let's hope the population continues to recover.
Marty Snyderman is giving a talk to the club for our July meeting.
The July meeting will be a
week later than normal, on the 14th. Please mark your calendars, and
bring your friends. Marty is a
superlative speaker, and we'e very fortunate to have him visiting.
The 3R's (Rocks, Rips, and Reefs) sessions are the surest sign of
diving season. These are in the water tours of popular shore diving
locations. If you're new to either diving, or San Diego, I highly
recommend you attend as many of these sessions as you can. They're
easy, fun, and informative.The San Diego lifeguard service, and the San
Diego Council of Divers sponsor the programs, and local dive clubs act
as host, taking the waivers, and handing out refreshments afterwards.
We'll be hosting the 3R's session at Shell Beach on June 25th. We could
still use a couple of volunteers, so if you can spare a few hours to
get people registered, please call me at 858.679.7817, or send me an
email. at stargazer1@cox.net.
If you're cleaning out your dive locker, and find you have more gear than you need, we do accept ads for dive gear.
Happy
Bubbles,
Dave Ambrose
The water is warming. We're now into the 60's. We're planning some trips this summer to the Yukon, NOSC Tower, and the kelp beds. More details later.
While not quite local, the San Diego Underwater Photographic Society
(SDUPS) has 16 spaces available on their September trip to the Northern
Channel Islands. September is the best time in the islands weatherwise
and offers the best chance to dive rarely visited sites of Wilson Rock,
Skyscraper Pinnacle and many more. Sightings of whales, dolphins etc
are also very common.
Details: What: Two day boat trip on the Conception based in Santa
Barbara.When: Fri/Sat Sept 23-24, boarding evening of Sept 22. Boat
departs 0400 on 9/23, returns to Santa Barbara 5PM on 9/24.
Where: Departs Sea Landing in Santa Barbara, detination North Channel
Islands, hopefully San Miguel, Island.
Cost: $295.00 includes berth, all meals, air fills, multiple dives and
more.
Details: Refer to the SDUPS website: www.SDUPS.com
for copy of flyer and general club boat trip information.
Sign-ups: $100 deposit due at sign up, full payment preferred. Balance
due by July 15th. Bunk assignment will be offered only after full
payment is received.
Contact: Gary Stewart, SDUPS Boat Coordinator pe2nya@pacbell.net
The SoCal SCUBA Show -- A contingent of OES members attended the Scuba Show on May 21st. We look forward to hearing an update from them.
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 randomnly 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.
Giant Black Sea bass Speared in the La Jolla Reserve -- On April 24, city lifeguards saw three men lifting a giant sea bass into their boat, which was anchored within the ecological reserve. When approached, the men told authorities they weren't aware they were within a protected reserve, and felt threatened when the giant sea bass approached, prompting them to shoot and kill the mature female with a spear gun.
The two scuba divers and the boat operator have been charged with various misdemeanor criminal charges, which carry a maximum penalties of three years in prison and $22,000 in fines.
The diver who speared the bass has a criminal history that includes
six felony convictions from 1992-2000 for receiving stolen property,
burglary, auto theft and filing false insurance claims. His diving
buddy has a prior record for illegally taking short lobsters, and
poaching sheephead off La Jolla Cove. The boat operator is charged with
possession of a protected species.
The incident has sparked an outcry from local anglers and diving enthusiasts. Giant sea bass have been protected since 1982, and are recovering after having been scarce for decades due to overfishing. They can live to be up to 100 years old and can grow up to 7 feet long and weigh as much as 550 lbs. The giant sea bass killed last month was estimated to be between 12-15 years old, and probably had 50 years of reproductive life left.
The Ecological Reserve is a 535 acre area offshore between La Jolla
Cove and La Jolla Shores. Nothing can be taken from the Reserve, except
squid with a hand net. Everything else is off-limits.
Help Wanted -- DUI is
seeking an enthusiastic individual to join it's Customer Service Team
in San Diego. Responsibilities include assisting dealers with
questions and placing orders as well as answering product questions for
divers. In addition to working with all areas throughout the company to
assist our customers, other duties could include assisting with
coordinating logistics for DUI's DOG Rally & Demo Days program and
evaluating Key Persons for their qualifications to participate in the
program. Opportunities will include working with DUI at consumer
shows, DEMA and DUI DOG Rally & Demo Days events. Necessary skills
will include excellent written and communication skills, knowledge of
diving and dive equipment as well as the ability to multitask. A
minimum of two years previous customer service experience is required.
Please forward your resume and salary requirements to Human
Resources.
For more information, visit the DUI website.
Help Wanted -- Merkel &
Associates, Inc is looking for divers to search for Caulerpa
taxifolia in Southern California lagoons. Job is for full time work,
M-F. $15/hr, based in Carlsbad. Travel expenses to other sites covered.
covered. Must provide own gear (except tanks). Fax resumes to
Merkel & Associates at (858) 560-7779.
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; snorkelling gear only, wear no more than half your normal diving weight. The cost is $5 per person 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 hotline the morning of the session at 619-221-8824 to make sure the session hasn't been cancelled due to rough weather.
| Sat, Jun 4, 2005 3Rs- La Jolla Cove 8:00am - 10:30am Meet at 1150 Coast Blvd. (steps at the top of the Cove) in La Jolla |
Sat, Jun 25, 2005 3Rs- Shell Beach 8:00am - 10:30am Meet at 1000 Coast Blvd. (nearest cross street - Ocean St.) at the top of the stairs about half way between La Jolla Cove and Children's Pool Hosted by the Ocean Explorers Society |
Sat,
Jul 9, 2005 3Rs- South Casa Cove 8:00am - 10:30am Meet at Coast Blvd. at Jenner Street, in front of the lifeguard station. |
| Sat, Jul 30, 2005 3Rs- Goldfish Point (La Jolla Caves) 8:00am - 10:30am Meet at 1325 Coast Blvd. (Old Shell Shop) |
Sat, Aug 13, 2005 3Rs- Marine Street 8:00am - 10:30am Meet at 300 Marine Street. |
Sat, Aug 27, 2005 3Rs- Hospital Point 8:00am - 10:30am Meet at 400 Coast Blvd (south of Cuvier) |
Estimated cost for the trip
will be $1000 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
interisland flight to Kona. Staying a few days on Oahu is relatively
cheap.
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.
MembershipRenewal 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.