This Monday we have Debra Haas, Debra R. Haas, District Administrative Assistant, Flotilla 114-06-02 and James Haas, District Directive Chief – Prevention, Flotilla 114-06-02 out for a special presentation on Dive & Casualty Investigation. Dive & Casualty Investigation Team Overview The United States Coast Guard is a multi-faceted branch of the Armed Forces involved in military response, law enforcement and safety on the seas. Among its responsibilities is the determination of facts in diving injuries and deaths aboard licensed commercial vessels in federal waters. At a disadvantage, active-duty investigation personnel are not always dive-qualified. In 2007, Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach initiated the Dive & Casualty Investigations Team with the goal to utilize existing dive experience and training of Coast Guard Auxiliarists in rendering technical expertise to Coast Guard Investigating Officers in those investigations. The DCI team is made up of divers who have served in the military and diving communities for many years. We are made up of Navy divers, professional instructors and dive masters with many years of experience. We are up to date with the most recent recreational diving equipment so as to provide that expertise to the investigations. DCI team members assist Coast Guard Investigative personnel in collecting evidence, interviewing parties and witnesses and analyzing data and equipment to provide a full understanding of the dive incident. The members then serve as the primary outreach conduit through which lessons learned from diving accidents are communicated to public stakeholders. DCI's overall goal is to enhance safe dive practices and promote increased awareness within the boating and diving communities. Thanks Kaz for the contact! Let's give them our usual loud, but polite and interested Sole Searchers welcome!

Trident at 6/8/15 meeting

Hay dive club meeting fans! Hope your summer is off to a great start, June gloom aside... Please join us this Monday for an unusual, but interesting chat with the Trident folks. Yep, that Trident... the ones that make almost every doo-dad we ever attach to ourselves when taking the plunge. We will have Missie from Trident Manufacturing and Matt from Dive 1st , so you can ask, suggest, quiz & harass them as much as you like! (she sounds fun, and I assured her we were) Annual trip review will be next month, so take a break from perfecting the photos and come on out! See you there-

We're back from Bonaire

Hey everyone, had a great week of diving on Bonaire. My first time diving on Bonaire, and all I did was dive, eat, sleep, dive. The reefs were in very good to excellent condition. Lots of marine life! The water was at times a cold 79 (at least on my computer) to 80. I’m glad I took my 5mil and a hood. If you’re the type that get’s cold and have a 3mil, I’d take extra layers like a hooded vest just to make sure. Vis 100+. To name just a few, some of my favorite dives on Bonaire side were Karpata, Tolo, Helma Hooker, Salt Pier, Little Wall, and of course the Buddy Reef night dives with tarpons swimming all around you. When you shine the lights on the small fishes, they would make a “Womp!” sound and swallow them. 4-7 tarpons would follow us right back to the steps at Buddies on almost every night dive. Oh, and Dive sites on Klein Bonaire are also very nice. At Buddy’s the facilities were totally geared toward divers. Buddy Dive threw in 9 one tank boat dives in our package, so we were diving from our own boat in the morning, then after lunch we would take off in our trucks and van for shore diving in the afternoon. The usual allotment was 2 Nitrox tanks per trip, but we were allowed to take up to 3 tanks per diver if needed, needless to say we had plenty of tanks to take along. The Nitrox filling stations were easy and accessible both on the dock, and at the drive-through fill station. Tanks were available 24 hours at the dock which made night diving on Buddy’s house reef a cinch. Just grab a filled tank, and drop in the water. We didn’t get to utilize the kitchen much in our units since breakfast was free, and 50% off deal at the Blennies restaurant (on premise) kept us going back for the convenience. The food at their restaurant was very very good, however we did make it out to a few restaurants in town recommended by Michelle, and they were excellent I must say. Can’t remember their names except one “Capriccio.” Some peeps went sight seeing, and took some great photos which I’m looking forward to seeing posted soon. I personally did 26 dives, but got left in the dust by Jorge and Christine who did a whopping 32 dives. 32 dives! Sheesh. Jorge, Christine, and Sheri stayed next door at Captain Don’s, so we couldn’t coordinate our dives together as well, but we did manage two shore dive with them. Oh yes, if you’re used to shore diving in Southern California, shore diving in Bonaire is a cake walk. ;-) Kaz Aizawa

Monday April 13, 2015 Meeting Speaker info

I'm happy to announce our speaker for this Monday is the one and only Captain Patrick Smith! He's going to be showing us Long Wharf - a mile long wharf built in the 1890s that most divers and people don't know about. An amazing local dive! Pat is a California native with a BA in History from UCLA & MA in Public History / Historic Preservation from Cal State, Dominguez Hills. He has been diving since 1961(!) and a NAUI scuba instructor since 1979. He is a US Coast Guard Licensed Captain - 100 ton vessels, worked sport and commercial fishing/diving vessels 10 years, worked NOAA & National Park Service projects & vessels 20 years. He's a commercial diver, scientific diver, Co-author of Shipwrecks of Southern California, published papers with the Society for Historical Archaeology and the Society for California Archaeology. He's written articles in such publications as California Diver, California Diving News, Skin Diver Magazine, Pacific Diver, Underwater USA, Los Angeles Times Magazine, Sub Aqua Journal. He's consultant to NOAA, US Army Corps of Engineers, National Park Service, and the State of California, he's one of very few non-military, non-government divers permitted to carry out UW research on the USS Arizona, he's done numerous presentations to students from elementary to university level, as well as historical societies, dive and other groups. He's the recipient of SSI 5000 Platinum Pro award for service to the diving community and over 7,000 dives, recipient of 2012 Lighthouse Award from Department of the Interior for 20 years of Submerged Cultural Research work with the National Park Service. Board of directors, Los Angeles Maritime Museum Research Society Board of directors, Coastal Maritime Archaeology Resources-CMAR Board of directors California Ships to Reefs Education Director, California Ships to Reefs Yikes, right? Plus... he's the guy that was married underwater last week at the Aquarium of the Pacific. May need some champagne, I'm thinking. Be there Monday April 13, 2015

Dive opportunities at the California Science Center

Please join us this Monday 3/9/15 for a presentation by Valerie Thompson and Sole Searchers alumni Darrell Montegue. They will be discussing volunteer dive opportunities at the California Science Center. The science center has a 188,000 gallon kelp tank and volunteers assist staff with the daily maintenance, feeding aquatic animals and participating in dive shows for guests. Darrell has been working in the dive industry for over 15 years. Prior to his current position as Dive Safety Officer for the California Science Center, he trained divers for the California Institute of Technology, and was Dive Safety Officer and expedition medic on remote dive operations for Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, National Geographic, and several film and television productions. He currently supervises a team of 75 divers comprised of paid staff and volunteers who work in the exhibits and on collection trips and conservation projects. Darrell will be talking about the California Science Center’s dive program and volunteer diving opportunities, answering any questions you may have. Valerie has been working at the Science Center as Volunteer Manager for several years. She currently manages 320 volunteers at the Science Center. What she loves best about her job is meeting new people and that she learns something new every day. Let's eat, drink, learn, & dive!

New for 2015

To ring in the new year we have revamped our website. A fresh new look with organized content and easier maintenance. We'd rather go diving. Hey we have priorities! Happy New Year and check back often for new content. Lars Dennert

January Raffle Winners!

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

$50 Sport Chalet gift card: Teresa Hokanson
Hollywood Diver T-shirt: Kaz
Hollywood Diver T-shirt: Christina
Underwater magnifier: Teresa Hokanson
Mesh bag: Jimmy Q.
Signal mirror: Bromley
Tank light: Christina
Pelican micro case: Michelle
Lobster gloves: Jorge
Mesh bag: David Hokanson

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/