Ocean
Explorers
Society
April 2007
This is spring. We're supposed to be chipper, happy, and hopeful. However, that bliss will have to wait for next year. The Children's Pool controversy has turned ugly. Things are now very serious for San Diego divers, surfers, and anyone else who uses the beaches here.
Last month, a committee of the San Diego City Council slipped an ordinance into the agenda. Because of the last minute notice, only the supporters were there to present their case. The public safety agencies were blindsided too. If you recall, this same process was used to create the pension system imbroglio.
This bill prohibits any activity which might disturb a seal anywhere on San Diego beaches. It also makes disturbing any barrier placed to "protect" the seals a misdemeanor; no matter who puts the barrier in place. Nor does the ordinance require any seals to be present.
There's no exemption for rescue operations. If lifeguard disturbs a seal during a rescue, or you have to disturb a seal because you're in a distress or life threatening situation, too bad. The last thing I want is for a lifeguard to have to take a more circuitous route to a victim because they don't get paid enough to risk the fines.
If this ordinance passes, it's going to put all beach access in control of Animal Rights activists. Getting their way at Children's Pool is only the begining. At a meeting with the San Diego Council of Divers, they mentioned that they already had a plan in place to close La Jolla Cove. There's no telling what they have planned down the road.
We have a major problem at Children's Pool, but this legislation is not the answer. Quite frankly, we need the beach users, including some divers, who are acting like children to stop. We need the seal advocates to stop the confrontations and assaults. They can confine their activities to following NOAA guidelines and documenting any violations. We need for Hubbs-Sea World to stop releasing rehabilitated seals, who are accustomed to humans, at Children's Pool too.
NOAA has that cove under 24 hour video surveilance and they haven't issued any citations in 4 years. That tells me that the seal advocates are disturbing the seals with their confrontations more than the beach users. I'm not against the seals. They're cute and a blast to swim with. But, the current numbers have contaminated the water to the point where it isn't safe. That isn't good for the environment either.
If we're lucky, this sorrid conflict will be moot. The city is now under court order to dredge the Children's Pool and restore it to the state required in the original grant. Regardless of how you feel about the seals, the city is obligated to abide by them.
I hope you all will review the proposed ordinance yourselves [click here for the text], and let the City of San Diego know how you feel. You can write the Mayor, City Councilcritters, especially Donna Frye, and the City Attorney. It might also help to write the La Jolla town council. You can tell them you don't like their pay-for beach parking plan while you're at it. (more on that next month)
It used to be that being "as organized as surfers" implied that you were weak disorganized, and ineffectual. It isn't true any more. I went to my first Surfrider meeting last week. They have a lot going on, and seem to get a lot of traction from an involved membership. The diving community really needs to take a few pages out of their book and get its act together. We've let things go too long, and now we're looking at losing beach access. I hope we can wake up before it's too late.
Not quite so bubbly this month — Dave Ambrose
SCUBA Show - The annual exhibition in Long Beach will be held the weekend of June 2nd and 3rd. We'll make our annual trek on Saturday the 2nd. We'll certainly have discounted admission coupons. More details to come. [DA]
3R's - Every year, the Council of Divers, along with San Diego lifeguards sponsors Rocks, Rips, and Reefs. The 3R's is an in-the-water snorkel tour of popular dive sites from Bird Rock to Marine Room. These are great fun, and an easy way to get local knowlege from the experts. The Ocean Explorers will be hosting the session on May 26th at North Bird Rock. If you have that morning free, a couple more volunteers will make it easy on everyone.
The Grunion Are Running - Along the sandy beaches of Southern California and Northern Baja, a one of the most unique life cycles in the sea is completed when the California grunion come ashore to spawn. According to the California Department of Fish and Game, grunion make these excursions ashore only on particular nights. These happen with such regularity that the time of their arrival on the beach can be predicted a year in advance. Shortly after high tide on certain nights, sections of these select beaches are often covered with thousands of grunion depositing their eggs in the sand. The season is closed for grunion hunting during April and May, however this is an excellent time for observing the grunion come ashore and spawn. Upcoming dates for observing the grunion are Friday April 20, Saturday May 5, and Saturday May 19. Some of the best beaches known for grunion runs are Del Mar, La Jolla, Mission Beach and the Coronado Strand. Be prepared for cool, wet conditions and remember to take a flashlight. Plan on being shoreside somewhere between 11:00 pm to 1:00 am to watch this unusual mating ritual.
Despite local concentrations, grunion are not abundant. The most critical problem facing the grunion is the loss of spawning habitat caused by beach erosion, harbor construction and pollution. If you plan on grunion hunting during open season, which re-opens in June, a valid California fishing license is required. Grunion must be taken only by hand, no appliances of any kind may be used and no holes may be dug to entrap them. While there is no limit to the number you can take, take only what you will use. Additional grunion information, grunion run dates, and volunteer programs may be found at: www.grunion.org or at www.dfg.ca.gov (www.dfg.ca.gov)
Save Our Beaches - There is presently legislation before the San Diego City Council to
expand harbor seal protection beyond anything in the Marine Mammal
Protection Act (MMPA). This new City Ordinance will cover all beaches in
San Diego, not just the Children's Pool. It is worded such that
Children's Pool will be shut down year round as well as any beach where
a seal takes a fancy to haul out. Please follow this link to review the
proposed ordinance.
http://www.friendsofthechildre
Last year the Council of Divers invited the Seal Activists Groups to a board meeting to discuss how we could come to an agreement at Children's Pool. They were adamant about their stance, they would only accept working with us if we could ensure that no one would ever again dive, swim, or fish at the Children's Pool. This of course was unacceptable to the Dive Council. One odd thing mentioned during the meeting, was at that time they already had plans to close La Jolla Cove if the seals should come ashore. Harbor seals are known to haul out at La Jolla Cove, so that if this ordinance goes into effect, the fate of the Cove will be the same as the Children's Pool.
The City's Committee on Natural Resources and Culture,(NR&C) works closely with the Seal Activist Groups, and feels this ordinance is needed due to harassment of the seals. I would like to remind everyone that National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has two (2) web cams setup at Children's Pool and monitors the beach 24 hours a day, seven days a week. NOAA has not seen a complaint worthy of a citation in four (4) years. If the seals were being harassed as the activists claim, they would simply leave and not return to the area.
The NR&C committee has voted unanimously to approve this ordinance, without soliciting views from other state or federal agencies, such as California Coastal Commission or NOAA. Generally anything approved by the NR&C committee easily passes at the City Council Meeting, even though people have spoken in opposition using facts and findings from authoritative sources.
Unless the Dive Community and citizens in general come together to
counter this proposed ordinance, access to dive from beaches here
San Diego will change drastically. Please take a few minutes of
your time to review the attached proposed ordinance, pay
particular attention to the definition of harassment and who
will enforce it. You may also watch the NR&C
meeting online at: http://granicus.sandiego.gov
Select February 21 and fast forward to 25:30 on the timer. You will see that the City Attorney's Office floors two proposals. The first is an action to ban barbeques at Children's Pool, which is not a concern of the Council of Divers. Our concern is the second proposal about seals which will effect access to the beach for diving. The City has always claimed it supports shared use of the Children's Pool, but every action the City proposes, demonstrates just the opposite.
In closing, it's imperative that we stand united on this issue, because it jeopardizes future access to shore diving within city limits. Please keep in mind that time is a key factor, and the time is now to make our city officials aware of our position. The immediate objective is to compel the City Council to drop this proposal and allow NOAA to enforce the MMPA, or at least postpone hearing or voting on the ordinance, until after the Court decides on the City's appeal of Judge Pate's ruling to restore the Children's Pool for its intended use. (Scott Anderson, President, San Diego Council of Divers)
A quick reminder that you can find out who your City Council Member is by
going to the city council website: http://www.sandiego.gov
How Californians Can Help Sea Otters: State Tax Check-Off - In 1938, a lone
colony of California sea otters, once feared hunted to extinction, was
discovered off of Big Sur. Conservation efforts ensued, but by 1977 sea
otters were listed under the Endangered Species Act. They remain there to
this day, still threatened with extinction. This tax season, Californians can
help sea otters through a simple act of generosity: checking a box on their
tax returns that sets aside funds for otter research and recovery. The
Ocean Conservancy helped pass legislation to create this easy check-off,
but the box will disappear unless California taxpayers donate
$250,000. So, this April, please give to the CA Sea Otter Fund when filling
out your tax forms. Learn more about sea otter conservation in
California:
http://www.oceanconservancy
Burglaries at the Shores - As many of you may be aware, there is an epidemic of car burglaries in and around the La Jolla Shores area. Divers are particularly vulnerable, particularly since its pretty easy for a thief to sit back, watch and wait to make their move, knowing the diver won't be back for at least an hour. These thieves are brazen, often breaking into vehicles in the middle of the day with lots of people milling about. When parking in this area, we may be forced to embrace the Bonaire way of parking - leave nothing of value in the car, with the windows down and doors unlocked. Of course, this opens a whole new set of potential problems, particularly vehicle theft...
However, it's not just vehicles being hit anymore... The La Jolla Shores Lifeguard Tower was burglarized between Tuesday, March 21 at 7pm and Wednesday, March 22 at 8am. The loss included 5 surfboards and 2 wetsuits.
The current burglaries are out of control and there's no indication that the City is doing anything about it, despite the attempts of many in the dive community to let officals know that there's a serious problem. (www.divebums.com)
Three Divers Die on Florida Wreck Spiegel Grove: The Spiegel Grove, like San Diego's Yukon, was prepared and sunk as an artificial reef. It is substantially larger than the Yukon and is in deeper water (sand at 135 feet vs. 105 feet). Briefly, four divers from New Jersey with technical / wreck training planned a deep, penetration dive on the Spiegel Grove. They had dove it before. All four entered the wreck, became involved in a silt-out, and lost their way. The survivor managed to find his way out and make it to the surface. One of the victims made it part way out before running out of gas. He was discovered by other divers on the wreck (they weren't searching for him at the time) but was DOA at the local medical facility. The bodies of the other two divers were located and recovered from deep within the wreck on Saturday afternoon. (www.divebums.com)
Marked Lobsters Spring Trap on Poacher - A three-month undercover investigation on the open ocean ended before dawn today when state game wardens arrested two men found in possession of about 500 pounds of lobsters trapped illegally in Santa Monica Bay.
Tiny diamond-shaped holes that would not occur naturally had been punched in the lobsters' tails to mark them, said state Department of Fish and Game Lt. Dan Sforza, one of two divers who seeded the suspects' traps set 116 feet below the surface on the rocky ocean floor.
Michael Hulse, 59, of Terminal Island, and crewman Ramon Sambrano, of San Pedro, were booked at the Long Beach Police Department. Although Hulse and Sambrano are among the 246 people in the state licensed to take California spiny lobster, authorities allege that that the pair had been taking the crustaceans from a site off-limits since the 1930s.
For those who protect coastal wildlife resources, it was a
significant bust. Authorities say they know commercial poaching of lobsters
occurs, but they rarely catch anyone. Only a few commercial fishermen
have been arrested in recent years for poaching lobster in large numbers,
authorities said. In 2002, two men were caught off Dana Point with 110 baby
lobsters, all too small for legal harvesting.
The lobsters seized today
from Hulse's boat were taken to a San Pedro fish market, where they were
expected to be sold for about $10 a pound, authorities said. "We'll store
the marked lobsters in water and hold them as evidence," Sfoza
said. Proceeds from the sale will be deposited into a special escrow
account. "If the suspects prevail in court, they'll get the money back,"
said Department of Fish and Game Capt. Martin Maytorena. "If they're found
guilty, the money will go into a Department of Fish and Game preservation
fund."
Investigators believe boat owner Hulse had trapped the pricey
crustaceans several times at the same site since lobster season began on the
first Wednesday of October. The spot is about two to three miles off the Venice
Pier, where fishing for "bugs"--as lobsters are called--has been forbidden since
the 1930s. Authorities earlier had pinpointed the fishing site as two to three
miles west of the Santa Monica Pier.
"We estimate he's fished that area
once a week," Maytorena said, "and we caught him in the act." Hulse hit
dock about 3 a.m. in the marina sandwiched by massive harbor cranes and bobbing
oil pumping stations. He had been under surveillance for months, authorities
said.
Mike Norris, lead investigator and a game warden assigned to the
San Pedro and Long Beach areas, said the case began "in the first week of
January, when we stumbled upon him coming in from the open ocean at high speed
in the dead of night with his running lights off, stealthy as can
be." "We stopped him and found four to six [containers] full of
lobsters," Norris said, "and no good explanation for how he got
them."
The investigation's code words, Operation Panulirus, were taken
from the scientific name for the shellfish delicacy, Panulirus
interruptus. The wily and elusive species, which is highly regarded
for its meaty tails, is found in the caves and crevices of rocky reefs. The
season, which runs from late October to mid-March, is timed to coincide with the
period when the lobsters are not breeding and moving into deeper
waters. "We know there is commercial
lobster poaching going on," Barsky said. "But we have no way of estimating the
scale of the problem."
Operation Panulirus involved about 15 game
wardens, some of them from as far away as San Diego and Ventura, and assistance
from the Long Beach Police Department. They relied on radar, electronic
surveillance equipment, telescopes and binoculars to monitor the suspects'
activities, and bait their traps with the living evidence. Then they
waited.
"Lobster season ends Wednesday, and the weather was getting nasty
on the open ocean," said state game warden Lt. Kent Smirl, "so we knew he'd have
to go out and service his traps sometime soon." "He headed out Sunday
night," Smirl said. "After that, it was just a matter of waiting for him to come
back with the lobster." (Louis Sahagun, LA Times March 19, 2007)
San Diego Council of Divers: Minutes of March 13, 2007 General Meeting
Meeting held at La Jolla Brew House -
called to order at 7:00 pm by Scott Anderson, president.
Next General Meeting
Will be April 10th, at the La
Jolla Brew house, 7536 Fay Ave, La Jolla, Just off Pearl Street. Check our
calendar on http://www.sddivers.com/events/ and if you don't see an event that your club is
sponsoring listed, send information in to events@sddivers.com, or send a whole list of events to that email
address. If you would like to see a topic covered or certain speaker brought
in, let us know at info@sddivers.com
.
Guest Speaker
Our speaker for the meeting was Lee Peterson, local legend, world known photographer and owner of Marine Camera Distributors in Sorrento Valley. He had recently returned from the Photo Marketing Association International Convention in Las Vegas. He showed pictures of then next line of digital cameras with LCD screen filling the entire camera back which are controlled by touch screen. No way figured out yet how to control it in an underwater housing.
He also spoke of the lasted items, which are available in Asia now, and will migrate here, digital phones with 8 mega pix cameras, and of the inevitable demise of the still camera, as hi-def video cameras soon will be 8 mega pix. You will be able to just pull out the frame you like, and share it like a still picture.
He brought some old CD's of photowork in black and white that were snapped up, and one of the photo books he has published. Finally, he touched on his latest work “Faces” showing how the human brain will see faces in the oddest pictures, and went into how the mind recognizes patterns and interprets them.
It was asked if anyone owned a
plastic underwater housing, and the first hand up was given a “Leek Detector” to
put in his housing to warn of small amounts of water. http://marinecamera.com/leek
Theft at the Shores and Such Places
Lee had recently lost thousands of dollars in equipment from his car when he parked by Scripps to get a picture of the ocean. “Gone 10 minutes” he said, and the back window of his hatchback was smashed out and everything stolen. He said when he gave the report, the officer just said “Oh, yeah, we get couple of these a day. There has also been an increased amount of brake ins and car thefts at La Jolla shores.
Consensus for best action: Leave
nothing valuable in your car. Do not hide your key somewhere, somebody is
watching. Remove that magnetic Hide a key.
3rs Schedule
The 2007 schedule has been posted on our
web site: http://www.sddivers.com/3rs