Ocean Explorers Society
July 2007 

Our next meeting will be held Thursday July 5th @ 6:30 at Chevy's Fresh Mex Restaurant, located in the Mission Valley West mall, 1202 Camino Del Rio North, SD 92108 (619) 297-5667. 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

If you haven't been to the beach lately, get out there! The weather has been beautiful, and the water is much warmer; at least at the surface. Below the surface, conditions have been variable. We've done a couple of shore dives out of La Jolla Shores that have been fun, relatively easy, and entertaining. 

For those who haven't been to The Shores since they were in open water class, you're missing some good stuff. The classes stay in the dull, baren, sandy part. The sea life can be found on the canyon wall to the west. The water down there is much clearer, but also colder. How cold varies by depth and time of year. 

I had the nicest Fathers day going snorkeling with my kids. We did the three cove tour of La Jolla; in at Children's Pool, out at Shell Beach, then spend some time in La Jolla Cove. The seals are mostly gone, and there was only a solitary seal activist doing the silent Zen thing. They have posted signs at the beach entrance that make it look like the beach is closed. but the beach is open. We didn't have any hassles going out there. The seals were in the water, and at least somewhat curious about us. Several came close to look, and one zoomed right under Liz.

Alas, the beaches are fairly crowded on the weekends. Parking can be anywhere from reallylicky, to nightmarish. They're still pretty decent on the weekdays, but that will probably abate somewhat now that school's out.

There hasn't been a lot to report on the Children's Pool front. Oral arguments in the City's appeal will be heard on July 11th. I also found out that the city has an ordinince prohibiting unattended signs on City of San Diego property. If you see an unattended sign at Children's Pool, please call the city enforcement office at ???. We saw some Saturday, and I'm calling that office. There's a proposal before the Council committe to put a rope across the beach at night. Not sure about its final disposition, but I do know the vote was not unanimous. 

Our Three R's session was a resounding success. There were nearly thirty people attending. The lifeguard did an excellent job of  introducing North Bird Rock and showing people how to cope with the surf. We had a fairly challenging swim in the southwest swell. This is primarily a winter site. It faces south, which provides excellent protection from northwesterly swell, It's also very shallow and rocky. The lobster boats can't get into the area, so it tends to get more popular during lobster season. Many thanks to Robin for taking topside duties and Mickey Scott for being our second safety swimmer.

Robin, Rachael and I journeyed to the SCUBA show and were favorably impressed. It now occupies a larger space within the convention center and it makes for a much more pleasant experience. There was a smattering of new companies. We pretty much ignored the equipment vendors, and spent about half a day at the show. I have a ton of travel info. If you're interested in a trip, please let me know. I probably have something. 

I picked up one interesting tidbit from the show; air travel to Baja is getting easier. after losing reasonable flights to La Paz, Alaska Airlinee and Aeromexico now have direct flights from LAX. Alaska Airlines has direct flights to Loretto from the US. Don't know anything about their prices yet. Mexico can be a reasonably priced destination, and it seems like a good time for another cheap dive trip. Previous flights all went through either Mexico City or Guadelajara and took at least 8 hours end to end.

We tried something a bit different this year. After the show, we visited the Petersen Auto Museum, They were exhibiting Ed "Big Daddy" Roth's hot rods. He was one of my favorite designers when I was a kid. The danger of going back to look at this stuff is the "ohmygod did I really like that?" phenomenon. I'm happy to report that Roth's cars are still very cool. Even Rachael thinks so. There are a boatload of other museums up there, and it makes for a fun, if longish, day. We'll definitely consider something like this next year. 

Every time I go to the beach here, I reflect on my extraordinary luck at not moving to Wisconsin. So, get out there! It's really nice; both topside and below. 

 — Dave Ambrose

Flotsam

Beach Cleanup at Children's Pool

July 9th will see another beach cleanup at Children's Pool, and South Casa Cove. If you want to help out, just show up at 8:30 and sign a waiver. Surfrider will also be sponsoring "day after" cleanups on July 5th. If you've ever been to the beach after a major holiday, you know it looks like the day after the apocolypse. If you love the beach, it's a great time to help keep it clean. Also, if you're going to the beach on the 4th, bring a trash bag and pack out your left-overs. the trash cans always overflow well before mid-day.

Giant Sea Bass Speared and Killed off Windansea Beach 
Lifeguards found the endangered fish floating about 75 yards offshore about 2:30 p.m. on June 10th, impaled with a spear off the coast of Windansea Beach.  It died shortly afterward, and the fish and spear were taken for evidence. Authorities are looking for a spear fisherman who may have killed the 150 pound fish. Officials estimated that the sea bass, which is a protected species, was about 15 to 20 years old. It is illegal to take the fish, punishable by a $2,000 fine.

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, grow up to 7 feet long and weigh as much as 550 lbs. These gentle giants are very approachable and inquisitive, making them easy targets.

In 2005, authorities charged three men with illegally fishing in La Jolla's underwater preserve after one shot a 171-pound sea bass.

If you have any information that might help in identifying the person responsible, please contact the San Diego Lifeguard Service, or the Cal. Dept. of Fish & Game.  If you want to pass on the information anonymously, call CalTip (1-888-DFS-CALTIP / 1-888/334/2258).  (SDUnionTribune.com June 11, 2007)


Howard Hall's short film "Ocean Requiem" now available as a high definition podcast!  It is now live as DiveFilm High Definition Podcast Video Episode 6, available for free at iTunes.  You can get to the DiveFilm High Definition Podcast page at iTunes by clicking on the following link, which will automatically launch iTunes on your computer and take to you to the DiveFilm HD Podcast page where you can download the podcast by clicking on the "Get Episode" button to the right of the podcast episode name:

http://tinyurl.com/2z98jq

Or you can go to DiveFilm.com for more information on how to access the podcasts at iTunes, including a new tutorial video.  This new high definition podcast episode is not compatible with iPods, but you can watch it on your computer or on an HDTV using AppleTV.  (Mary Lynn @ Divebums)

Innovative Scuba Concepts Recalls Dive Regulator Swivel Due to Drowning Hazard 

Innovative Scuba Concepts is recalling about 170 scuba regulator swivels. The swivel, which is attached to a diving  regulator, could separate while diving. This will result in a complete and sudden loss of the diver’s air supply, causing the diver to engage in emergency ascent procedures.

This poses a risk of decompression sickness due to rapid ascent, and air embolism or drowning if the diver panics or the emergency ascent procedure fails. The firm has received one report where the swivel separated during a dive and caused the diver to ascend using the buddy breathing technique. No injury was reported.

The recall involves the HO110 Swivels sold as an aftermarket regulator component. There are no markings such as a date or production code embossed on the unit. Contact Innovative Scuba Concepts for information on where the recalled units were sold. The units were sold at specialty retail dive stores nationwide from January 2006 through March 2007 for about $40. They also could have been installed by a dive shop regulator technician.

Consumers should stop using regulators with the swivel attached and contact the dive store where purchased for a refund. Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Innovative Scuba Concepts Inc. at (800) 472-2740 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.innovativescuba.com.

The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).  (Underwater Times.com)

2007 Annual San Diego Turtle & Tortoise Fundraiser -
As some of you may be aware, I am the proud owner of two California Desert Tortoises, one of which I have owned for over 30 years, having received it as a gift when I was a child.

I am involved in the San Diego Chapter of the Turtle & Tortoise Society, which is a not for profit organization dedicated to the preservation, conservation and study of all chelonians.

Bring your family to beautiful Balboa Park and stop by the SDTTS Annual Bake & Plant Sale, being held at Casa Del Prado, Room 101.

July 21st, Saturday 10 am to 5 pm
July 22nd, Sunday 10 am to 4 pm
The SDTTS is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, and all proceeds from the fundraiser go to benefit turtles and tortoises.

Rocks, Rips & Reefs Program (3Rs)- 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.

Who can attend?

The 3Rs is free and open to the public. Snorkelers welcome! SCUBA Certification is not required, but swimming experience is recommended.

Participants must sign a liability waiver as part of registration. Participants aged 17 or less must have the waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian.

Bring a mask, fins, and snorkel. A full wetsuit and gloves are strongly recommended for warmth and protection from scrapes. Spring suits are OK. Weights are discouraged unless you are a strong swimmer or your wetsuit is extremely buoyant. Scuba gear (regulator, BC, tank, etc) is not used during the 3Rs. If you have not been diving or snorkely recently, please check your gear before you arrive.

When are the 3Rs?
For all dates below, registration will be at 8:00am. Mandatory briefing starts at 8:15am, enter the water 8:30 am.

Marine Street

Saturday July 14, 2007
Meet at - 300 Marine Street
Session Host: Bottom Bunch

Shell Beach
Saturday July 28, 2007
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
Session Host: San Diego Freedivers

Hospital Point
Saturday August 11th, 2007
Meet at - 400 Coast Blvd (south of Cuvier)
Session Host: Sea Dogs

Casa Cove
Saturday August 25th, 2007
Meet at Life Guard Tower 850 Coast Boulevard
Session Host: San Diego Dive Club

(San Diego Council of Divers,  sddivers.com)


Birch Aquarium Green Flash Concert Series Returns For A Second Successful Season 

Concerts are held in the aquarium's breathtaking oceanfront tide pool plaza. All aquarium exhibits will be open for viewing. Drinks and refreshments provided by Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery are available for additional charge.

Proceeds will help support Birch Aquarium programs and it’s newest exhibit, Feeling the Heat: The Climate Challenge.

PRICES:
Aquarium Members:    $15 per concert ($65 season rate)
Public:                         $20 per concert ($90 season rate)
Walk-in :                     $25 per concert

Wednesday, July 18
EVE SELIS
Americana music, blending country, gospel and rock 'n' roll

Wednesday, August 15
LEN RAINEY & THE MIDNIGHT PLAYERS
High energy blues, jazz and rock 'n' roll

Wednesday, September 19
THE BIGFELLAS
Fun, funky, friendly original rock

Concerts are open to ages 21+.

RSVP to 858/534-4109. Walk-in admission $25.  RSVP now for a lower rate.


San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition - Submit your films to the San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition and Make a Difference! This is a call for entries for the 8th Annual San Diego Under Sea Film Exhibition, scheduled for Friday and Saturday evenings, October 12th & 13th, 2007 at the Qualcomm Hall located at 5775 Morehouse Dr, San Diego, CA 92121.

Here is your chance to see your work projected in Standard or High Definition formats in a state of the art venue on a giant screen. There is no entry fee!
Each evening will feature a different program consisting of 14 to 16 short underwater films from locations all over the world. 

Entry Guidelines:

 Send your submissions to:

San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition
c/o Bob Gladden
10339 Thanksgiving Ln.
San Diego, CA 92126.

Filmmakers whose films are selected are encouraged to come to the show and introduce their film(s) in person on the night of the exhibition.
The San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition reserves the right to use the films for the promotion of this event.  All rights will remain with the owners of the films.
If you have questions please contact Bob Gladden (858) 695-0264, ovisions@san.rr.com; or Steve Douglas(619) 464-4505,  steve-sharksdelight@cox.net. 

SDOF Volunteer, Jerry Poehlman FIRST to report Sewage Spill

Monday June 25 at 8:50 am Jerry Poehlman, a volunteer for the SAN DIEGO OCEANS FOUNDATION’s Canyon Watch Program, detected gray water coming from the ground between manholes #178 and #88 in Tecolote Canyon.

He estimated that contaminated sewage water was flowing at a rate of 10 gallons per minute, reaching a stream nearby. Jerry called the Sewer Emergency Hotline (619.515.3525) and alerted the San Diego Metropolitan Wastewater Department of the spill, including the exact GPS location of the source of the flowing sewage.

The sewer spill originated near Mt Ashmond Drive and was actually flowing at an estimated rate of 100 gallons per minute according to the City. The Wastewater Department immediately deployed a portable dam to attempt to contain the spill. City crews are on sight trying to remove the blockage and repair the line.

There are more than 300 miles of City sewer lines located in San Diego canyons where a sewer spill may go undetected for days. Sewer lines in urban canyons can leak, eventually contaminating oceans and bays. Canyon Watch volunteers hike canyons looking for sewage spills while inspecting manholes and line systems.

In 2001, the San Diego Oceans Foundation formed a volunteer canyon patrol program called CANYON WATCH. The program calls for volunteers to regularly patrol urban canyons in the City that are most susceptible to sewer spills. Through the outreach program, both canyon patrol volunteers and casual canyon hikers learn how to recognize signs of a potential sewer spill. This includes what a sewer spill may look like and how to report it’s location, awareness of canyon manholes and their condition; and the signs of erosion that could undermine a sewer line. Canyon manholes should always be locked and never emit odors. Any foamy discharge should be reported immediately to the Sewer Emergency Hotline with the number of the nearest manhole and a description of it’s location.

There are currently 13 canyons in San Diego that are being monitored by San Diego Oceans Foundation Volunteers, including Tecolote canyon, San Clemente Canyon, East Clairemont Canyon, Van Nuys Canyon, Rose Canyon and Los Penasquitos Canyon.

Prevent Pollution at it’s source by becoming a Canyon Watch volunteer! Citizens interested in walking a portion of any of these canyons can visit the Pollution Prevention section at www.sdoceans.org to view a list of canyons, download Canyon Watch Guides, instructions and telephone contacts for the program.  (Divebums)

Travel  

Nothing to report this month.

San Diego Council of Diver - Minutes of June 12th General Meeting

Meeting held at La Jolla Brew House – called to order at 7:00 pm by John Leek, Secretary, in the absence of the President and vice-President.

1.  .  Guest Speaker
Kent Trego showed pictures of invertebrates studied by a deep sea rover camera at 4000 meters. He said you have to be 200 miles off shore to find that depth.   Trawling has brought these up in the past, but dead, and these pictures shed light on how they move around and feed.   Kent rattled off Latin names and described what was known now about these scavengers on the mud plains.  Future rover photo expeditions will be going down to 10,000 meters.   Applause was enthusiastic.

2.  Update on Children’s Pool by Steve Haynes
Steve is the resident focal point for Children’s Pool issues in the Council and gave a presentation on the state of things.
The pivotal issue is the appeal of a judgment against the City that was handed down in August 2005 which required the City to live up to the terms of the trust by which it accepted ownership of Children's Pool in 1931. That trust was "in perpetuity" as a public bathing pool for the San Diego public,
particularly the children, hence its name.

The City appealed.  Written argument was submitted to the appellate court a couple of months ago.  Oral argument will be July 11th.    Each side has 15 minutes to present its case and to answer any questions the 3 justices might have.  A decision on the appeal is expected no later than Labor Day, and probably much sooner.  Should the City lose the appeal, it will have to follow its own "joint use policy" and the terms of the trust by restoring Children's Pool to its 1941 condition, with sand removed to allow a pool again and sluice gates reopened to allow sand to not accumulate again.

In February, the City Attorney in concert with animal rights groups offered a proposed ordinance that would make it a misdemeanor to do anything that has the "potential" to disturb a seal.  The dive community opposes the ordinance because, among other things, it does not even require that an actual seal in fact be disturbed.  A beach user could be sentenced to up to a year in jail for violating the ordinance, even the seal napped through the entire incident, as long as the City could argue that the conduct might have disturbed a hypothetical awake seal.  This ordinance was approved by the Natural Resources & Culture committee.  There are legal problems and serious enforcement issues that will need to be resolved before the proposed ordinance is presented to the whole City Council.

4.  Nighttime Rope

On Wednesday, June 20 sometime after 2pm, the NRC committee will entertain a "report" from the City Attorney regarding a permanent night-time rope across  Children's Pool year round. The pretext for the rope is concerns by animal rights activists that hoodlums and evildoers will otherwise sneak over to
Children's Pool at night and harm seals. The rope would make a practical difference only if one believed that someone willing to violate federal law Marine Mammal Protection Act) in an area subject to 24-hour video surveillance by NMFS would be stopped by a waist-high rope. Some suspect that the actual reason for the rope is to provide the animal activists with a City-approved deterrent to use of the beach. The activists have found the rope to be a useful prop in their campaign of disinformation. Representatives of the dive and swim communities know in advance and will be at the meeting to speak against the rope. This is an open meeting at 202 C St. but only 5 people from each side get to speak for 3 minutes each on a topic.

5. Freedivers Permit

The Freedivers report that the City has been hesitant to grant a permit for  use of Wipeout Beach for a spearfishing event, based on that beach's  proximity to Children's Pool and the seals. The City has no known authority for denying a permit on this basis if the request otherwise meets City standards. The Freedivers were encouraged to submit their permit request  early so that action could be taken if a permit is improperly denied

6. Next General Meeting
Next meeting will be July 10th, 2007 at the usual watering hole, the La Jolla Brewhouse. News and views, sea stories, old friends and new friends.   Agenda not yet firmed up.

7.  3rs Schedule
The 2007 schedule has been posted on our web site.
http://www.sddivers.com/3rs   Next Session will be Goldfish Point (La Jolla Caves)
Saturday June 23, 2007.   Meet at 1325 Coast Blvd. (Old Shell Shop).
    Session Host: Dive Animals.  This is the best attended 3rs site, and there will be many participants.  Everybody likes swimming through a cave.

8. Future dives activities
John Leek announced there are still a few spots available on the 6/29 expedition to La Bufadora.
http://www.diveanimals.com/current.html#Bufadora

 Micky Scott said he and others from the Bottom Bunch would be diving Children’s Pool in the early afternoon Saturday, and welcomed others to join them.   It went well.  Participants received the deserved t-shirts.  For information on free t-shirts, see    http://tinyurl.com/345le3


Submitted 6/15/06          John Leek, Secretary



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