Happy Holidays from the Sole Searchers Dive Club

Annual Sole Searchers Dive Club Holiday Party!

Yet again it's been a fantastic year of diving and making new friends, so come celebrate the holidays at our annual Sole Searchers Dive Clubʼs holiday party! Last year we catered food from Raffi's Place in Glendale, which was a hit, so we're doing it again.

DECEMBER 21, 2013. 6:30 PM. At Finʼs house 

Cost $10. 

There will be Middle Eastern food (Kabobs, etc).  B.Y.O.B ;-) 

Please R.S.V.P. to Sheree at (626) 644-2099 or sheree.l.lahey@gmail.com 

This year someone lucky will win a certificate for a two-for-one CIDA day boat charter. That's some good savings for you and your buddy! In addition Ken has donated a certificate for one day of free Nitrox on a CIDA boat trip (When Nitrox is available onboard). Check out CIDA (Channel Island Dive Adventure) for list of boat dives to apply the certificates, and ask Ken if you have any questions. Great thanks goes out to Ken Kollowitz and CIDA.

November Raffle Winners!

Congrats to our November club meeting raffle winners!  Great thanks goes out to our generous supporters: Sport Chalet, and Hollywood Divers.

$50 Sport Chalet gift card: Jonathan Blake
Signal tube: Bob James
Mouse Pad: David
Beach dive book: Andrew Lim
Slap Strap: Mark Hirami
O-ring kit: Michael Baudanza
Zipper lubricant: Mark Hirami
Knife strap: Andrew Lim
Dry pouch: Jonathan Blake
T-shirt: Jonathan Blake
T-shirt: Laura H. Steckler

Mystery Divesite

Our monthly "Mystery Dive Site" quiz is for the "sole" purpose of challenging your diving related familiarity to; beach dive sites, boat dive sites, and other landmarks related to the sport of diving. Generally the dive sites are in the Southern California area, but every so often you may see an image from one of the Sole Searchers Dive Club resort dive trip (some are just plain humorous). There is no prize in getting the dive site correct, just that warm feeling you get when you know your dive sites...or like when you go in your wetsuit.

Answer to the Mystery Dive Site will be given at our monthly club meeting.

Seafood For The Future, Monday Nov 11

Please join us this Monday for a presentation by Kim Thompson of AOP's Seafood For The Future.

Their mission is "to connect people to the right types of seafood by promoting chefs, restauranteurs, distributors, and like-minded organizations"

Kim Thompson is the program manager of Seafood for the Future at the Aquarium of the Pacific. She works closely with various stakeholders in the seafood industry to promote healthy and responsible seafood choices.  Ms. Thompson has built strong relationships in the local fishing community and has made the promotion of local seafood and responsible aquaculture priorities for the program. She is also on the LA Food Policy Council’s Seafood Working Group and the program manager of the San Gabriel River green sea turtle citizen science monitoring project. Her past experience in ocean conservation includes:  marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation, government relations, and public relations.

 
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nmfs.noaa.gov%2Ffishwatch%2F&h=BAQHnOZ0f&s=1

https://www.facebook.com/SeafoodfortheFuture?sk=wall

The Marine Mammal Care Center at our Oct 14 meeting

 

      We welcome David Bard of The Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur this Monday. All are welcome!

 

     The Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur is a hospital for ill, injured and orphaned marine mammals. Their primary work is the treatment and release of rescued California sea lions, northern elephant seals, harbor seals and northern fur seals. The Care Center is involved in the education of students, school teachers and the general public in conjunction with the Center for Marine Studies. They also actively collaborate with other agencies, universities and museums to learn and aid the treatment of the patients in our care.

     The Marine Mammal Care Center was initially formed as the result of an agreement between Harcourt-Brace and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

The Care Center began operating in October 1992.

The Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur is a participating organization of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network.  In the case of an oil spill within the Los Angeles, Ventura County area, The Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur would respond to caring for any marine mammals exposed to petroleum products in their environment, working under the Office of Spill Prevention and Response.

http://marinemammalcare.org/

Mystery Dive Site

Our monthly "Mystery Dive Site" quiz is for the "sole" purpose of challenging your diving related familiarity to; beach dive sites, boat dive sites, and other landmarks related to the sport of diving. Generally the dive sites are in the Southern California area, but every so often you may see an image from one of the Sole Searchers Dive Club resort dive trip (some are just plain humorous). There is no prize in getting the dive site correct, just that warm feeling you get when you know your dive sites...or like when you go in your wetsuit.

Answer to the Mystery Dive Site will be given at our monthly club meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please join us this Monday as we welcome back Kurt Lieber to tell us what ODA
has been up to in the three years or so since we first met him.

Kurt is the founder, and is extremely dedicated to the ODA cause,
and you'll find it's a pretty easy and fun group to get involved with.

Founded in 2002, and based in Orange County, Ocean Defenders Alliance
works to clean and protect marine ecosystems
through documentation, education, and meaningful action.
Working with affected communities, we focus primarily on the
reduction and removal of man-made debris which poses serious threats to ocean wildlife and habitats.

http://www.oceandefenders.org

Picnic Beach Dive and B.B.Q.!

Come on! Join us for a day at the beach!

Saturday September 14. 9:00 AM. Picnic Beach offers something for everyone. Easy sandy beach entry, reefs to the East, reefs straight out, and the reefs over to the west at divers cove. This area is perfect for a family outing. The picnic area has many permanent picnic tables and B.B.Q. grill for us to use. There’s plenty of lawn area to lay down and relax, and several toilet facilities are available. Meet at the picnic area around 9 am. We will do a dive in the morning, followed by burgers and hotdogs, and then just relax. You can do a second dive if you and your dive buddy feel up to it, or you can drive a few blocks over to downtown Laguan Beach and check out the shopping. The club will provide the burgers, hot dogs, buns, and condiments. Please bring your own beverages and a side dish to share. 

Please e-mail me Kaz for the type of side dish you will be bringing, and I'll create a list so we can avoid everyone bringing the same side dish. 

Direction: I usually take I-5 South, then take the 133 South. Don’t take the 133 North, which comes up first. It’s also a toll road. 133 South is the one you want, and it will turn into Broadway eventually, and ends up on PCH. Take a right on PCH heading North, then take a left at Cliff Drive. (You'll see the Laguna Art Museum on your left, and Aster St. will be to your right). Dive few blocks until you get to the area where Myrtle and Cliff meet. Park in this area. If you're coming south on PCH, take a right on Myrtle Street & take your first left which will put you on Cliff Drive. You’ll see a sign for “Heisler Park.” Park anywhere near this area. Oh yes, bring quarters for the meters! 25 cents/ 15 minutes. 

Dive access and Entry: There is a paved path to the protected cove with sandy beach. 
Skill level: Beginner when calm; intermediate around the point with navigation skills. 
Depth: average 30 ft.
Visibility: Good, averaging 20-25 feet. 
Photography: Very good wide angle with good light, interesting rock features, gorgonians, Garibaldi, and more. Fair for macro with some small fish and invertebrates. Plenty of Christmas tree worms. Hunting: Too close to border of Vedder Ecological Reserve. 

Parking & Facilities: all metered parking, .25 cents/15minutes, so bring lot’s of quarters. 
This is a popular picnic site especially during the summer, so show up early to find good parking. I recommend dropping off your dive gear first at the picnic site, and then go park your car. There is a change machine nearby, a fresh water shower is located at the bottom of the paved path leading to the beach. 

Benches and picnic tables with B.B.Q. pits. No portable B.B.Q. grill is permitted. We've been told no canopy type shade is allowed, but on some days we've seen groups with canopies up, so I guess it depends on what the latest laws are in Laguna Beach.  We do know that individual beach umbrella with stand is ok in the picnic area.

Contact person: Kaz Aizawa

Google Maps Link.

2014 Sole Searchers Dive Club resort trip!!!

Come join us! this is what you've been waiting for! We have a special package arrangement with...

Atmosphere Resort & Spa. 

Dauin Philippines

May 1-10. 2014

You'll have to check out their website to get an idea of this fantastic resort. 

http://www.atmosphereresorts.com

7 night 5 days unlimited diver package, 

• 7 nights / 8 days  accommodation  double or twin share in a suite room or one bedroom apartment depending on availability

• Manila airport meet and greet, domestic terminal transfer ( excluding domestic flights )

• Dumaguete Airport to Atmosphere round trip transfer

• Full board ( breakfast, 2 course lunch, 3 course dinner)

• Complimentary unlimited filtered water

• One amazing beach BBQ night

• Complimentary tea and coffee in rooms 

• Free Wi-Fi  internet 

• all government taxes ( excluding airport taxes)

Diving

• One  free  check out shore dive on day of arrival  

• 4 days unlimited day diving ( incl tanks weights, marine park fees, unlimited day shore dives, 4 scheduled day boat dives

• 1 day diving trip to Apo Island

• complimentary Nitrox  fills for the entire stay

Suite rooms:

Total price for the above 7 night  5 days unlimited Diver package published is US $ 2,156 per person twin or double occupancy in a suite room,

Non-diver rate is 7 night NON-Diver package published is US $ 1,299 per person twin or double occupancy in a suite room

Not included: International and domestic airfare, add-on service such as massages, tours, alcoholic beverages, and gratuities. Night dives are not included in the package due to higher park fee, and since not everyone night dives ($10/night permit fee if you want to night dive). See below for airline suggestion to travel with the group.

$200 deposit to hold your spot.  Space is limited, so reserve your spot!

Contact person: Kaz Aizawa 

Airline: 

For those who would like to travel with the group, the following flights are recommended (see below).

Meanwhile, people wanting to use different airlines, you can make your own customized flight schedule, and we will meet you there at the resort.  

Please note when creating your own flight itinerary, there is a date change as we fly to the Philippines. We lose a day on the calendar, but regain it on the return leg of our trip.  I.e., May 1 in the U.S. is actually May 2 in the Philippines. 

The recommended Philippines Airline flights.

LAX-MNL PR0103

Thurs, May 1. 2014, 22:35

MNL-DGT PR0543

Sat May 3, 2014, 15:05

Return flight

DGT-MNL PR0544

Sat, May 10, 17:05

MNL-LAX PR0102

Sat, May 10, 20:05

Round trip priced currently at $1,422.50

Purchase online at philippineairlines.com

or call 24 hour reservation at 1-800-I-FLY-PAL or 1-800-4-359-725 (24 hours) 

The Philippine archipelago comprises of 7,107 islands situated between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea. The vast coral fringed islands offer a truly memorable underwater experience to snorkelers and divers. Atmosphere on Negros Island is close to the city of Dumaguete, a bustling University town with an airport, several hospitals, shopping malls and other conveniences at hand. Atmosphere is located thirty minutes south of Dumaguete by car, in the coastal town of Dauin. The resort is close to the islands Apo, Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor.

Apo Island!

The whale shark snorkeling tour, is an addition we can pay at the resort. 

Greetings fellow divers-

Please join us this Monday for Elaine Jobim's presentation on diving at the mysterious Clipperton Island, AKA Île de la Passion.
This crazy lonely atoll in the middle of nowhere has an interesting history, and looks like some good diving too. I've enjoyed Elaine's photography for several years (on diver.net), so I'm excited to have her out!

Clipperton Island on Wiki Travel

http://www.damninteresting.com/the-tyrant-clipperton-island

http://elainejobin.com/

http://diver.net/elaine2005.shtml

July Raffle Prize Winners!

Great thanks goes out to our supporters Sport Chalet, Hollywood Divers, and this month our guest speaker Steven Barsky for his Hammerhead Press books and DVD!

$50. Sport Chalet gift card: Bromley

Fin Grip: Melani

Zipper Lubricant: Melani

Dive Beacon: Jimmy

Mask Bag: Joan Gonzalez

Noise Maker: Jorge

Mini Yellow Light: Gary Faland

Ball cap: Jimmy

Mesh Bag: Melani

Mesh Bag: Zima

Dry Stuff Sack: David Hokanson

Dive Book: Kaz

Dive Book: Bromley

Dive Book: Andrew

Dive DVD: Bromley

Dive DVD: Kaz

Dive DVD: Lars

Also, a belated thank you goes out to Greg Tash of Aqua Adventures in Burbank.  Sorry many of us missed you since we were in Little Cayman, but Greg came to our May meeting and donated many dive prizes for our raffle. 

http://www.marinemkt.com

http://www.sportchalet.com/category/scuba+dive+center.do

http://www.hollywoodivers.com

http://aquaadventuresunlimited.com

Steven M Barsky at our next meeting, July 8

Good evening dive club speaker fans-

Since today is July 1st, and it's a Monday, our July meeting is fast approaching, so I wanted to get this out. This month I'm very excited to have Steve Barsky come down from Santa Barbara to do presentation on commercial diving.

He was scheduled for May, but was very kind to bump it so all could enjoy.

Steven M. Barsky started diving in 1965 in Los Angeles County, and became a NAUI instructor in 1970. His first employment in the industry was with a dive store in Los Angeles, and he went on to work for almost 10 years in the retail dive store environment.

Steve attended the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he earned a Masters Degree in 1976 in Human Factors Engineering. His master's thesis was one of the first to deal with the use of underwater video systems in commercial diving. His work was used by the U.S. Navy in developing applications for underwater video systems. Steve also graduated from the two year program in commercial diving at Santa Barbara City College.

His background includes being a commercial diver, working in the offshore oil industry in the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and South America. He worked as both an air diving supervisor and a mixed gas saturation diver, making working dives down to 580'.

In 1978, Barsky joined the staff of the Florida PADI College in Jacksonville, Florida. As Training Director, Barsky was responsible for open water training and screening applicants for admission. This program was the first private extended instructor training program in the world, after which all current programs of this type are modeled.

Barsky was marketing manager for Viking America, Inc., an international manufacturer of dry suits. He also served in a similar position at Diving Systems International (DSI), the world's leading manufacturer of commercial diving helmets. At DSI, Barsky worked very closely with Bev Morgan, a diving pioneer.

Steve is an accomplished underwater photographer. His photos have been used in numerous magazine articles, catalogs, advertising, training programs, and textbooks.

Pretty cool, no?

Please join us & give a rowdy, but polite Searchers welcome.

Oh, and he says he has raffle goodies...

http://www.marinemkt.com/

KEN KURTIS PRESENTS YAP AT OUR NEXT MEETING, APRIL 8

Avalon will not in fact be replacing the stairs at Casino Point,

but we do have Ken Kurtis coming out this Monday for a presentation on Yap.

It's been a few years since we had Ken out, so please join us for the fun.

 

Of course I encourage him (it doesn't take much) to also mention the

25th anniversary of Chamber Day.

More on Ken-

Ken Kurtis was kicked out of swim class twice by the time he was six. (He didn't like putting his face in the water.) Hardly an auspicious start to a diving career. But Ken always loved being around the water, loved looking at fish, and in 1978 while running a radio station in Richmond, VA, was offered a chance to get certified and took advantage of it. Ken then became a NAUI Instructor (Top Candidate at his 1980 ITC) and has taught thousands of people over the years. He still actively teaches everything from entry-level on up, and confesses his favorite class to teach is Fish Identification. Ken's logged over 5000 dives all over the world in such varied places as the Maldives, Indonesia, Yap, Tahiti, Bonaire, Cocos, Alaska, Easter Island and, of course, his beloved waters of Southern California. As the owner of Reef Seekers Dive Co., he speaks frequently to dive clubs about diving and especially safety issues.

Ken's been chairman of Chamber Day/Eve since the early 90s, is a member of the Statewide Interests Group for the MLPA (Marine Life Protection Act), and is a volunteer Dive Team Leader at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Ken's an accomplished photographer and his photos and stories can be found in the pages of the California Diving News, Sport Diver, Skin Diver, and other scuba publications, along with the monthly Reef Seekers newsletter. Since 2003, Ken has been a Forensic Consultant to the L.A. County Corner for scuba fatalities, doing equipment testing and accident analysis. With all that he still finds time to maintain an acting career and leads most of the local and foreign trips for Reef Seekers.

 

He's a very good cook, avid Scrabble & Boggle player, chases total solar eclipses, ran five L.A. Marathons, is kind to animals and small children, and now has a fantasy about making the U.S. Curling Team for the 2014 Olympics. Be sure to ask him his mantra about divers.

He also claims to hold the Reef Seekers deep diving record of 3500' . . .

but we have to add the caveat that he did it in the Alvin submersible for a PBS special so that might be cheating.

Also, he's a pretty serious miniature golfer on Avalon Harbor Cleanup day.

http://reefseekers.com/about_us_mngt.html

 

 

 

 

Mystery Dive Site

Our monthly "Mystery Dive Site" quiz is for the "sole" purpose of challenging your diving related familiarity to; beach dive sites, boat dive sites, and other landmarks related to the sport of diving. Generally the dive sites are in the Southern California area, but every so often you may see an image from one of the Sole Searchers Dive Club resort dive trip (some are just plain humorous). There is no prize in getting the dive site correct, just that warm feeling you get when you know your dive sites...or like when you go in your wetsuit.

Answer to the Mystery Dive Site will be given at our monthly club meeting.

Chamber Day/Eve 2013

On Wednesday night May 1, we're sponsoring a Sole Searchers Dive Club table at Chamber Eve 2013. So come join us for this very worthy fundraiser for our Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber. As an added bonus, you get to see what your diver friends actually look like with real clothes on.  Sign up on their secure web server, or call Ken directly at 310-652-4990.  Read below for more information.

CHAMBER DAY & EVE 2013

In 1989, our Chamber faced the very real prospect of losing L.A. County funding, vital to its operation. Roger Hess, then owner of Charisma Charters, came up with the idea that all the boats should band together for a day of diving and donate all the proceeds to our Chamber. And thus, Chamber Day was born.

The first event attracted about 200 divers and netted around $15,000 for our Chamber. Over the past quarter-century, the event has grown to have over 1,000 participants; added Chamber Eve, the Flying Dutchman, and the Chamber Challenge; and last year raised just over $136,000 for our Chamber. We are justifiably considered the largest single-day scuba charity event in the United States and perhaps even the world.

2013 marks our Silver Anniversary—Chamber Day 25. We hope it will be the most successful yet. But we can’t do it without you.

So once again, we as a diving community must band together for the benefit of our Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber. The date this year is Wednesday, May 1.

Our Catalina Chamber is the ONLY hyperbaric chamber in SoCal dedicated solely to the treatment of diving accidents, on a 24/7/365 basis. Although we all hope we’ll never need it, having our Chamber available provides divers with a vital safety net when something goes wrong. And while the Chamber has some other sources of income, Chamber Day provides a significant portion—over 50%—of the Chamber’s annual budget.

It’s important to know that all monies raised go to the Chamber. No administrative fees are deducted from the proceeds, the local SoCal boats donate their time and services, the manufacturers donate gear for raffle prizes, the Aquarium of the Pacific donates their facility for the evening event, hundreds of volunteers donate their time, and you (hopefully) donate your money.

Here’s what’s happening:

• The main event is Chamber Day, which includes a full day of diving (two dives) at Catalina, plus a walking tour of the Chamber at the Isthmus. Cost is $95 (plus $30 for food and airfills, which goes to the boat). This gets you the diving, the tour, a T-shirt, and 5 daytime raffle tickets.

• For those who can’t take the day off but would still like to participate, we have the lucky 13th edition of the Flying Dutchman—a mythical boat, yes, but a big part of Chamber Day and the perfect option for those who can’t attend in person. “Diving” the Dutchman will get you 5 daytime raffle tickets and a special limited-edition T-shirt available only to folks who sign up for the Dutchman.

• There’s also the Chamber Challenge, which “challenges” the diving community to raise extra funds for our Chamber through direct donations (mostly $100 pledges, but also $500 and $1,000, and even $5,000 and $10,000). You donate, and then—we hope—you challenge your friends to match your generosity.

• This year, every donation to the Challenge of $250 or more will receive a special limited-edition poster (suitable for framing) of ALL 25 Chamber Day logos from 1989 through 2013. This poster will NOT be available for sale by itself. Only a $250 or more Challenge donation will put this collector’s item in your hands.

• Raffle tickets, anyone? Whether you’re going on a boat or just looking for a chance to win some fabulous prizes, daytime raffle tickets are the way to go—because you don’t need to be present to win. Tickets are $1 each, with discounts when you buy more.

• Chamber Evening, co-sponsored by the Aquarium of the Pacific, wraps up the day. The event features full access to the Aquarium, a sit-down dinner in the Great Hall (under the life-sized model of a blue whale), a few speeches—we try to keep them short—a raffle, and finally, the presentation of the Chamber Day check to Karl Huggins, Director of the Chamber.

For more information about these can’t-miss events, visit our web site at www.chamberday.org. You can sign up on the site using our secure server, or you can give us a call at 310-652-4990.

No matter how you get involved, we really hope you’ll be a part of Chamber Day 25 and Chamber Evening this year.

Ken Kurtis (Chairman, Chamber Day/Eve 2013)

&

Karl Huggins (Director, USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber)

CA Wreck Divers 42nd Annual Banquet

Robert Marx, is a renowned diver, author and historian with more than 50 years of original research in every major archive and library around the world. He has amassed files comprising data on more than 28,500 shipwrecks around the globe dating from the Greek era to modern times, including all known shipwrecks whose cargoes contained at least $10 million worth of treasure. He has written more than 50 books, hundreds of articles and produced or shot over 50 documentary films giving expert advice on locating, surveying, excavating, identifying and preserving artifacts from sunken vessels. A historian by instinct and an adventurer at heart, Marx sailed from Spain to San Salvador in Nina II, a replica of one of Columbus’ tiny ships, discovered Mayan temples in the jungles of Central America and has discovered and excavated ancient shipwrecks in over 60 sites worldwide. Marx has lectured professionally for more than forty-five years throughout the United States and in forty-two countries. As this year’s featured speaker, he will once again present CWD with tales of shipwrecks, salvage and treasure.

http://www.cawreckdivers.org/banquet.htm

February Raffle Winners!

In addition to another great presentation by Ken Kollwitz of Channel Island Dive Adventure CIDA, here are some of the people who won the raffle.  Great thanks goes out to our supporters: Sport Chalet, Hollywood Divers, and CIDA.

CIDA 50% off single day dive charter: Mindy
$50 Sport Chalet Gift Card: Lanette
Snorkel: Lanette
Lanyard Kit: Lanette
Swim Cap: Lanette
Avalon 3D card: Wayne
Diver's Value Pack: Joan
Army Cap: Kaz
Adult Lycra Scoks: ?
Hollywood Divers Mesh Dive Bag: Mindy
Binder with Inserts: Cesar
Pelican Micro Case: Wayne
Pelican Mitylite: Bromley

Also, forgot to mention in the past posts that during our annual holiday party in December, the $100. gift card from Hollywood Divers was won by Kathleen!

Channel Island Dive Adventures at Monday's meeting

Please join us Monday for a vist from Ken Kollwitz & Channel Island Dive Adventures. 
We've joined Ken on several dives since he started CIDA,
so it's always great to see & hear what he's got planned.
The April San Miguel trip has filled up, but there's others to talk about.

Channel Islands Dive Adventures organizes, plans and charters boats for trips to some cool and exciting places-some of which you will not find on any open boat trip.

Check the schedule at 

http://channelislandsdiveadventures.com/cida-2011-boat-trip-schedule

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Channel-Islands-Dive-Adventures/113684445317300

https://www.facebook.com/groups/180364531122/?fref=ts

So come on down!

This Month's Mystery Dive Site

Our monthly "Mystery Dive Site" quiz is for the "sole" purpose of challenging your diving related familiarity to; beach dive sites, boat dive sites, and other landmarks related to the sport of diving. Generally the dive sites are in the Southern California area, but every so often you may see an image from one of the Sole Searchers Dive Club resort dive trip (some are just plain humorous). There is no prize in getting the dive site correct, just that warm feeling you get when you know your dive sites...or like when you go in your wetsuit.

Answer to the Mystery Dive Site will be given at our monthly club meeting.