I'm pretty sure I can get this done in less than 15 ballots . . .
HAPPY NEW YEAR - Hopefully 2023 is starting off strong for you.
STRONG STORMS - The weather has certainly been strong. The most recent storm produced a 15-foot swell in the San Pedro Channel and 10-20' waves/surf up and down the coast. Good for surfing, not so good for anyone wanting to do a beach dive. Next storm comes in Monday night through Tuesday and then yet another one is poised to hit us next Saturday-Tuesday. Yikes!!! This might be shaping up as the proverbial wet winter.
AVALON TRIP JANUARY 18 - That all being said, we still have an Avalon day trip on the schedule for Wednesday, January 18. We'll have to see how the January 14-17 weather may affect that as it could either produce large swells in the channel, or simply lousy conditions in the Park. We might look to postpone it a week. If you're interested ($175 covers you for boat, taxi, tanks/air) give us call at 310/652-4990 and we'll put you on the list.
DOUBTFUL BEACH DIVING CLASS JANUARY 14 - We've also got a Beach Diving class on the sked for Saturday, January 14, but the predicted weather is making that look like it's probably a no-go.
WEATHER SKIRTED THE ROSE PARADE - Whew!!! The game got a little rain but the parade got off without a drop. I was able to go to my usual end-of-the-route location and had my trusty Nikon with me as well. Usually, there are a couple of floats with aquatic themes but not this year. The only marine-related thing I saw was a cute Great White Shark mini-float that was tagging along behind the Trader Joe's sailing ship. If you'd like to see the pix I got - if you've not looked before, at this location we're only a few feet from the bands and floats and at ground level - here's the link:
ROSE PARADE PIX 2023.
ZOOM SEEKERS ON TUESDAY - We're starting off Zoom Seekers 2023 (our third season) with what should be a really interesting and unusual talk from Brett Eldridge. His passion is looking for undiscovered wrecks in our SoCal waters and he's got some special equipment that allows him to produce photo-like maps on the wrecks on the bottom. (He even found a whale fall as well.) He's going to explain what he does and how he does it, show you some examples of his work, and will also let you know about some wrecks you didn't know existed. As usual, we'll start at 7:30PM, there's no charge, everyone and anyone is welcome to join, and there will be a Q&A following the conclusion of Brett's talk. Here's the link if you'd like to join us:
BIRTH OF A WHALE - Nothing like being in the right place at the right time (as well as having a drone in the air to document the occasion). Last week, Capt. Dave's out of Dana Point was out on one of their regular whale-watching trips and they were among the lucky folks to see a pregnant gray whale give birth right in front of them and then to see the mother help the calf take its first breaths. They don't have footage of the actual birth but it's still pretty amazing:
GRAY WHALE AND JUST-BORN CALF.
YOU CAN SEE WHALES TOO - And you can even hug them. That's what awaits you if you want to grab our final spots on our San Ignacio Lagoon trip that leaves in four weeks (February 6-10). San Ignacio is the place where the gray whales generally give birth (Dana Point now apparently being the exception) and the whales are so comfortable with humans that they actually come up to the pangas, stick their heads out of the water, and "ask" the be petted or stroked from the gawking humans. If you'd like to gawk at a whale up close and personal, give us a call right away. $3,195 (plus LAX-SJD airfare) puts you in our camp and includes small plane transport to San Ignacio, four days of panga whale-watching (this is NOT a diving trip), "glamping" - aka glamorous camping - accommodations, meals, crew tip, and lifetime memories. Note this is literally a Monday-Friday trip and yes, you'll be back in time for the Super Bowl.
OR YOU COULD GO SQUIRREL-WATCHING - If whales aren't your thing, perhaps a squirrel or two will do? Turns out two squirrels were just outside the plexiglas at a marine park and the five captive dolphins in the exhibit were fascinated by the squirrels. It's a pretty cute 40-second video:
DOLPHINS WATCHING SQUIRRELS.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
