Ocean Explorers Society
December 2007 

Our next meeting will be held Thursday December 6th @ 6:30 at Chevy's Fresh Mex Restaurant, located in the Mission Valley West Mall, 1202 Camino Del Rio North, SD.

We'll be doing trip planning, so please join us if you're interested in the Florida trip.

Please RSVP to Dave Ambrose so we can have enough seats. If you can't RSVP, come anyway, and we'll have room.  

From the President

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. It's the time of year when we move mountains, brave traffic jams, and those bravest of all, travel by air,  It's challenging enough for normal business travel, these days. It grows to a Beowulf saga when you throw in some bad weather and hordes of occasional travelers who haven't been indoctrinated in all the proper airport rituals. Hopefully, everyone will keep a smile going, and your trip will be safe and uneventful.

I'm happy to report that Dawn Tosta-Wong gave birth to a boy named Braden Edward Wong, on November 11th. Everyone's a little sleep-deprived, but in good health. 

It's already time to start thinking about 2008 travel. We have a frugal trip to Florida in the works. It's a two week trip; one week dedicated to diving, and another to sightseeing with a little diving. This one is still in the planning stages, but we have set the dates -- May 2 through 17th. You'll find preliminary information in the travel section. Please let me know ASAP if you're interested. 

I keep hoping that I can stop writing about this, but I doubt we'll settle the Children's Pool issue very soon. The City Attorney filed an appeal on the very last day possible. I don't know where this stands with respect to the City Council because, as I understand it, he's not supposed to appeal anything without their approval. The California Supreme Court has until mid-December to decide whether to hear the appeal. I skimmed over the appeal, and it seems to be be a rehash of their appeals court arguments; this time with four-part harmony, and some tenuous constitutional questions. At it's core, it wants the suit thrown out because they didn't serve a required notice on the California Attorney General by the deadline, and the City thinks it should have the authority to reinterpret the trust document governing Children's Pool. The appeals court unanimously rejected those arguments. The only legal opinion I've heard so far equates their arguments with a well-known bovine byproduct. 

"Smart Money" (not the magazine) says the court will decline to hear their appeal, and dredging will commence sometime next summer. Personally, I think there will be some sort of proposal before the California Coastal Commision to make Children's Pool a "wildlife preserve". This case still bears watching because the fallout could be disastrous for conservation efforts everywhere in California. 

The appeals court decision reinstated the lower court's order to restore Children's Pool to swimmable condition. To that end, San Diego held a hearing to scope out special issues that need to be included in an Environmental Impact Report for the dredging. The usual people showed up, but didn't seem to make any coherent requests. From the reports, I'm not sure if there was an actual goal for this hearing, or if it's just to show the court that San Diego is trying to comply with its order to restore the water quality in Children's Pool. 

While not directly related to Children's Pool, it has been reported that the California State Bar Association has opened an investigation pertaining to Mike Aguirre. No word on exactly what they're investigating, but they have been talking to current and former staff attorneys.

In other conservaton news, the Coastal Commission approved a desalination plant at the site of the power plant in Carlsbad. The CCC's approval came despite numerous problems with their filings before the commission. The core concern is that the plant will discharge water with extra salt as a byproduct. This might not be too much of a problem if it's adequately diluted with raw seawater, but high salinity will kill fish, and more importantly, trigger spawning among sea urchins. This could be a disaster for our north county kelp beds. I'm most disturbed by the commission's apparent disregard for the law. If you're going to file an EIR, it needs to be comprehensive, especially for a project of this magnitude. This is another project we'll keep our eyes on. 

I'm on-call this week which makes diving impractical. However, we did go tide-pooling on Saturday. The tide was extremely low, and vis looked really good in the shallows. We were able to see a school of leopard sharks in the wave faces. We'd never seen that before, and it made a special Thanksgiving treat. Extreme tides happen around the full moon, and the new moon. 

If you have any interest in marine sciences, I recommend you sign up now. It was filling quickly. Dr' Kobayashi is an excellent speaker. Signing up for the entire series will get you the book for free. There are also a couple of extra-cost field trips.

This will be our last newsletter of 2007. I hope everyone has a very happy holiday season, and a prosperous 2008.

 — Dave Ambrose

Local Dives

Nothing scheduled this month. If we get some unusually good conditions, I'll put out a notice. 

As usual, please RSVP to my cell phone at 858-248-6203.  — Dave Ambrose

Flotsam

Diving Fatality - On Friday November 2, out at Santa Barbara Island, Frank Riddle, a local diver, died shortly after surfacing from a dive. Mr. Riddle was on a 3 day charter on the Horizon. The charter happened to include several medical personnel who attempted to revive him, however they were unsuccessful. Initial indications from those on the boat indicate possible embolism after a rapid ascent. At this time, that is all the information available. (Divebums)

Scuba Radio - While surfing the radio air waves, I came across a scuba talkshow. I've only had the chance to listen to it once, but it was quite entertaining. You may want to check it out - its KCEO AM 1000, and it plays every Saturday afternoon from 12:00 - 2:00 and that session is replayed Sunday from 9:00 - 11:00. It also airs live on Sirrus channel #122 every Saturday 12:00-2:00.

One Day Photo Seminar with Marty Snyderman - Saturday December 1st,  10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Topics covered:
For more information go to: www.oceanenterprises.com/underwater-photoseminar.html  or contact Ocean Enterprises 858-565-6054.

An Introduction to the Wonderful World of the Oceans - Sponsored by Ocean Enterprises
Dr. Kobayashi, a former Marine Biology professor at UCSD, delivers incredibly informative and entertaining seminars that will give you an amazing knowledge about the ocean environemtn we know so little about. You can take the entire series or any part of it that you choose, all seminars are independent of eac hother. There is also potential for students to gain extra credit for school. Field trips will also be added to the curriculum.

 Seminars are held one Thursday per month from 6:00 to 7:30 PM at Ocean Enterprises during the following dates:
Note - These dates have been revised by OE
Session 1 - Jan 24, 2008 :  Introduction, scope, references
 Session 2 - Feb 28, 2008 :  Systematics/Taxonomy, Plant Adaptations/Productivity
Session 3 - Mar 27, 2008 :  Introduction/Survey of Marine Animals
Session 4 - Apr 24, 2008 :  Continuing Survey of Marine Animals
Session 5 - May 22, 2008 :  Relationship of Animals to their Environment
Session 6 - June 19, 2008 :  The Deep Oceans
Session 7 - July 24, 2008 : Coral Reefs

The cost is $10 per session ($5 for students - please provide student ID) and $10 for comprehensive book which covers all the seminars.
 To sign up call Ocean Enterprises at 858-565-6054 or come into OE to pay and register. Go to www.oceanenterprises.com for more info.
Whale Watching Season Begins December 26 - Grey Whales inhabit the shallow coastal waters of the eastern North Pacific. In October, the whales begin to leave their feeding grounds in their annual migration, traveling the 10,000-14,000 mile roundtrip in small groups. It takes the whales about 2-3 months to reach their destination - the lagoons off Baja California, where they congregate to mate and calve. 

The Grey Whale reaches a length of about 52', a weight of 36 tons, and an age of 50-60 years. Grey Whales were once called 'devil fish' because of their fighting behavior when hunted. This magnificent creature is one of the oldest species of mammals, having been on Earth for about 30 million years.  Two Pacific Ocean populations of Grey Whales exist, one of not more than 300 individuals whose migratory route is unknow, but presumed to be between the Sea of Okhotsk and southern Korea, and a larger contingency in the Eastern Pacific travelling between the waters from the Bering Straits and Baja California.

The breeding behavior is complex and often involves three or more animals. The gestation period is about one year, and females have calves every other year. The calf is born tail first and measures about 12' in length. It is believed the shallow waters in the lagoons protect the newborns from sharks. The whales remain in the lagoons for 2-3 months, allowing for the calves to buildup a thick layer of blubber for the long trip north. The return trip takes another 2-3 months to head back to their feeding grounds.

The only predators of the adult Grey Whales are humans and Orcas. After their breeding grounds were discovered in 1857, they were hunted to near extinction. After harvesting became inefficient because of dwindling numbers, the population recovered slowly, but with the advent of factory ships in the 20th century, the numbers declined again. Grey Whales have been granted protection from commercial hunting by the Internal Whaling Commission since 1949 and are no longer hunted on a large scale. (www.wikipedia.org, American Cetacean Society www.acsonline.org)

Their are various ways to view these magnificent creatures as they head past our coastal waters. There are various whale watching excursions available, such as the one offered by Birch Aquarium at Scripps partnered with the San Diego Harbor Excursion. More onwhale watching options next issue...

The Birch Aquarium at Scripps is offering the public a chance to 'Adopt A Fish' - A new program at the Aquarium offers an educational opportunity to adopt a favorite species of fish for a year. Fish adoptions are an excellent way for enthusiasts of all ages to learn more about a favorite marine creature and its habitat by becoming closely associated with its care and maintenance through sponsorship.  Adoptions are valid for a year in prices ranging from $100 - $1,000 (tax deductible) depending on the species' care and feeding needs. To learn more about the fish species up for adoption and how you can help support marine life at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps, please visit the Adopt a Fish section of the Aquarium's website: www.acquarium.ucsd.edu or email Hei-ock Kim at heiock@ucsd.edu.  (Birch Aquarium at Scripps newsletter)

Winter is the ideal season for Tide Pooling -  as minus tides reveal wider beaches and tide pools teeming with life. Just check your tide calendar and head West to our beaches. There are many locations that offer excellent tide pool viewing, my favorite locations are the ever popular La Jolla Cove, where I once spotted an octopus while tide pooling, and the coastal reefs along my hometown Solana Beach.  Which ever tide pool you choose to visit, please respect the marine life, the reefs, and their surrounding areas. These tide pool communities are fragile, so please take only pictures and do not disturb the inhabitants.  (Birch Aquarium at Scripps newsletter)

Travel

Florida Trip

We have a two week trip to southern Florida under construction. It will be from May 2nd to May 17th.  One week will be primarily diving with sightseeing, and the second trip will be sightseeing with some diving thrown in. We should be able to accomodate people who only want to do one of the weeks. 

Our week of diving will be centered around Tavenier in the Keys. We've settled on Conch Republic divers as our primary dive charter. Florida has been actively sinking surplus ships. The wreck diving is excellent wth the Dwayne, Bibb, and Spiegel Grove within striking distance. Reef diving is also good, with the Pennekamp underwater reserve close by. 

During the second week, we plan to explore the Everglades, visit Cape Canaveral, dive some springs, and go to Disney World. We'll probably fit in a dinner at Catch of the Day too.  So far, we have a pretty good list of possibilities

We're leaning toward Conch Republic Divers in Tavenier. This would give us a good mix of wrecks and reefs. 

Airfares look very good. American is offering a sub $300 round trip from Orange County airport to Ft. Lauderdale via DFW. Jet Blue also flies to Ft Lauderdale from Orange County. Their fares are typically very good, and they have the best in-flight entertainment.  

We're looking into condos in the Keys for the diving part of the trip. The sightseeing part will probably be hotel based as it will be hard to visit everything on our list from a single location. 

We need to gauge the level of interest soon so we can lock in favorable pricing. Airfares are currently under $300, so this could be an inexpensive trip. If you're interested in this trip, please send me an email now. I need to know which week, and which activities pique your interest. 


OES Membership - Renewal rates are $20 single; $30 for a family. 

OES Info