Ken Kurtis
Contributor
Want to travel??? Upcoming 2015-2016 vacation trips:
• October 21-26 - Great White Sharks at Guadalupe Island trip #2 aboard the Nautilus Explorer [SOLD OUT -LEAVING THIS WEDNESDAY]
• December 1-13 - Red Sea Aggressor (southern route - includes snorkeling with dolphins) plus 2 days in Cairo [SOLD OUT]
• March 11-19 - Yap (can be combined with Palau)
• March 20-27 - Palau on the Palau Aggressor II (can be combined with Yap)
• Late May or early June - Bonaire
• July 2-14 - Indonesia
• August 1-6 - Guadalupe Island and Great White Sharks
• August 20-27 - Isla Mujeres and Whale Sharks
• November 3-16 - Maldives
GET MORE INFO ON ALL OF OUR VACATION TRIPS HERE: www.reefseekers.com/foreign_trips.html
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Oh the shark bites, with his teeth dear . . .
GUADALUPE HERE WE COME - Getting ready to leave Wednesday afternoon for Guadalupe trip #2, this time on the Nautilus Explorer. This time of the year, we should be seeing the larger pregnant females down there. (We had mostly 12-15 foot males in early August.) Don't know if we'll see that 20-footer being called "the largest shark ever filmed" but you never know. We'll be in transit on the high seas on Thursday and diving all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, returning to Ensenada (and then up to San Diego and home) late Monday evening. I may have an Internet signal on the boat and if I do, I'll try to post pix. Be sure to check our Facebook page.
DRIFT DIVING IN AVALON - Which part of "Start your dive INTO the current" did everyone forget on Saturday? We were at the Avalon Underwater Park for a couple of dives and it was interesting/distressing to see how much trouble people had with what I would term a mild current. My guesstimate would be that it was 1/2-knot or so. Certainly noticeable and certainly would move you if you just sat there, but nothing you couldn't kick against. Yet people were bailing on dives and we even watched two people simply sitting on the surface (not panicking at least) and literally drifting to the edge of the Park (by the Sujack) where I presume (our taxi arrived so I don't know for sure) they eventually drifted out and were picked up by the Harbor Patrol vessel that was nearby. But people seemed clueless on the "into the current" idea or the notion that at the end of the dive, surface UPcurrent so that the current carries you BACK to your exit point (the stairs) and not fight the current to get back. And of course, no one bothered to think that you DON'T have to make it back to the stairs: Simply swim straight in to the breakwall . . . and climb out. But sometimes I think people are SO focused on stair-in/stairs-out that they don't realize/think there are other options. That was the great thing about teaching the park in the early 80s pre-stairs. Everyone taught wash-off/wash-on from the rocks and there were multiple places to get in and out. Those rocks are still there, it's just that no one thinks or knows how to use them. BTW, water temp was running around 72-73º, very mild thermocline at about 60 feet, and visibility was probably about 60 feet. No glimpse of the Black Sea Bass we saw a few weeks ago but there was still a huge school of Mackerel and there were tens of thousand of juvy and intermediate Blacksmith milling about. Very pleasant day overall, even with the killer current.
GREAT WHITE SHARK AT ALCATRAZ - Last week we told you about the GWS attack on a sea lion at Alcatraz and that our of our former employees, Trevor Hendron, is the captain of the tourist boat whose security camera on the bow happened to video the entire event. Trevor sent a link to the unedited raw footage and here it is: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1nlLlGMWUbuYzNvcl9IZS05SlU/view?usp=sharing. KRON-4 in San Francisco used that footage and slowed down the strike so you can get a better look: New slow-motion video shows shark spotted at Alcatraz Island preying on sea lion | KRON4.com. But pretty amazing and also confirms the way most GWS attacks happen, from beneath and below (more stealthy) and many times with the shark lifting the prey out of the water on the attack.
SEA SNAKE INVASION - Well, maybe "invasion" is too strong a term since there's only been one sighting (but it does play into an American propensity to over-react to things). But a HIGHLY VENOMOUS Yellow-Bellied Sea Snake was spotted up in Ventura, prompting a warning to be on the alert for any more and not to touch them or try to pick them up. They've not been spotted in our area for 30 years and it's assumed that they have migrated northward with the warmer waters from the coming El Nino. Here's more info from KTLA as well as a picture (courtesy of Anna Iker): ‘Incredibly Venomous’ Yellow-Bellied Sea Snake Seen in California for 1st Time in 30 Years | KTLA.
AN ENCOUNTER WE'D ALL LIKE TO HAVE - This is much better than Yellow-Bellied Sea Snakes, though many feel they're just as deadly. Some snorkelers in New Zealand had a marvelous encounter with some Orcas in the wild. Really makes you appreciate the difference between this and Sea World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpvTi7Gps_c.
EASTER ISLAND MARINE PARK - The Chilean government has declared the waters around Easter Island to be a Marine Park which is very good news. About 25% of the species there are endemic and the Easter Island history is replete with stories of over-use of natural resources. From the press release: "The Chilean government has decided to create the world’s third-largest fully protected marine park -- 243,630 square miles surrounding Easter Island, famous for its huge stone head statues. Its waters are largely unexplored waters but it’s considered an oasis in the nutrient-poor Pacific – it’s home to 142 endemic species, has the only hydrothermal vents in Chilean waters, and it’s an important spawning ground for tuna, sharks, marlins and swordfish."
NEW FAA RULES ON RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES - The short version is that these are no longer allowed to be in your checked luggage and must be placed in your carry-on. There have been a number of fires in cargo holds due to these batteries igniting and the logic that was explained to me is that they'd rather have 150 noses in the passenger cabin to detect the smoke than no noses in the cargo bays. This is VERY IMPORTANT to those of you who bring cameras and laptops because the spare batteries you carry are rechargeable lithium-ions. If you put them in your checked bag, they may get taken out. Wetpixel has an excellent article about this which you should read: http://www.wetpixel.com/articles/faa-issues-rules-on-lithium-battery-carriage. Since this rule will be enforced by the TSA and airline personnel, and there's an excellent chance they won't know what they're talking about, I would strongly urge you to print a copy of the actual ruling and take it with you anytime you fly with camera gear. Here's a link to that: http://www.scribd.com/doc/285257808/Safo-15010. It's not that complicated but can be a PITA. from the ruling: "Each spare lithium battery must be individually protected so as to prevent short circuits (e.g., by placement in original retail packaging, by otherwise insulating terminals by taping over exposed terminals, or placing each battery in a separate plastic bag or protective pouch)."
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
• October 21-26 - Great White Sharks at Guadalupe Island trip #2 aboard the Nautilus Explorer [SOLD OUT -LEAVING THIS WEDNESDAY]
• December 1-13 - Red Sea Aggressor (southern route - includes snorkeling with dolphins) plus 2 days in Cairo [SOLD OUT]
• March 11-19 - Yap (can be combined with Palau)
• March 20-27 - Palau on the Palau Aggressor II (can be combined with Yap)
• Late May or early June - Bonaire
• July 2-14 - Indonesia
• August 1-6 - Guadalupe Island and Great White Sharks
• August 20-27 - Isla Mujeres and Whale Sharks
• November 3-16 - Maldives
GET MORE INFO ON ALL OF OUR VACATION TRIPS HERE: www.reefseekers.com/foreign_trips.html
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Oh the shark bites, with his teeth dear . . .
GUADALUPE HERE WE COME - Getting ready to leave Wednesday afternoon for Guadalupe trip #2, this time on the Nautilus Explorer. This time of the year, we should be seeing the larger pregnant females down there. (We had mostly 12-15 foot males in early August.) Don't know if we'll see that 20-footer being called "the largest shark ever filmed" but you never know. We'll be in transit on the high seas on Thursday and diving all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, returning to Ensenada (and then up to San Diego and home) late Monday evening. I may have an Internet signal on the boat and if I do, I'll try to post pix. Be sure to check our Facebook page.
DRIFT DIVING IN AVALON - Which part of "Start your dive INTO the current" did everyone forget on Saturday? We were at the Avalon Underwater Park for a couple of dives and it was interesting/distressing to see how much trouble people had with what I would term a mild current. My guesstimate would be that it was 1/2-knot or so. Certainly noticeable and certainly would move you if you just sat there, but nothing you couldn't kick against. Yet people were bailing on dives and we even watched two people simply sitting on the surface (not panicking at least) and literally drifting to the edge of the Park (by the Sujack) where I presume (our taxi arrived so I don't know for sure) they eventually drifted out and were picked up by the Harbor Patrol vessel that was nearby. But people seemed clueless on the "into the current" idea or the notion that at the end of the dive, surface UPcurrent so that the current carries you BACK to your exit point (the stairs) and not fight the current to get back. And of course, no one bothered to think that you DON'T have to make it back to the stairs: Simply swim straight in to the breakwall . . . and climb out. But sometimes I think people are SO focused on stair-in/stairs-out that they don't realize/think there are other options. That was the great thing about teaching the park in the early 80s pre-stairs. Everyone taught wash-off/wash-on from the rocks and there were multiple places to get in and out. Those rocks are still there, it's just that no one thinks or knows how to use them. BTW, water temp was running around 72-73º, very mild thermocline at about 60 feet, and visibility was probably about 60 feet. No glimpse of the Black Sea Bass we saw a few weeks ago but there was still a huge school of Mackerel and there were tens of thousand of juvy and intermediate Blacksmith milling about. Very pleasant day overall, even with the killer current.
GREAT WHITE SHARK AT ALCATRAZ - Last week we told you about the GWS attack on a sea lion at Alcatraz and that our of our former employees, Trevor Hendron, is the captain of the tourist boat whose security camera on the bow happened to video the entire event. Trevor sent a link to the unedited raw footage and here it is: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1nlLlGMWUbuYzNvcl9IZS05SlU/view?usp=sharing. KRON-4 in San Francisco used that footage and slowed down the strike so you can get a better look: New slow-motion video shows shark spotted at Alcatraz Island preying on sea lion | KRON4.com. But pretty amazing and also confirms the way most GWS attacks happen, from beneath and below (more stealthy) and many times with the shark lifting the prey out of the water on the attack.
SEA SNAKE INVASION - Well, maybe "invasion" is too strong a term since there's only been one sighting (but it does play into an American propensity to over-react to things). But a HIGHLY VENOMOUS Yellow-Bellied Sea Snake was spotted up in Ventura, prompting a warning to be on the alert for any more and not to touch them or try to pick them up. They've not been spotted in our area for 30 years and it's assumed that they have migrated northward with the warmer waters from the coming El Nino. Here's more info from KTLA as well as a picture (courtesy of Anna Iker): ‘Incredibly Venomous’ Yellow-Bellied Sea Snake Seen in California for 1st Time in 30 Years | KTLA.
AN ENCOUNTER WE'D ALL LIKE TO HAVE - This is much better than Yellow-Bellied Sea Snakes, though many feel they're just as deadly. Some snorkelers in New Zealand had a marvelous encounter with some Orcas in the wild. Really makes you appreciate the difference between this and Sea World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpvTi7Gps_c.
EASTER ISLAND MARINE PARK - The Chilean government has declared the waters around Easter Island to be a Marine Park which is very good news. About 25% of the species there are endemic and the Easter Island history is replete with stories of over-use of natural resources. From the press release: "The Chilean government has decided to create the world’s third-largest fully protected marine park -- 243,630 square miles surrounding Easter Island, famous for its huge stone head statues. Its waters are largely unexplored waters but it’s considered an oasis in the nutrient-poor Pacific – it’s home to 142 endemic species, has the only hydrothermal vents in Chilean waters, and it’s an important spawning ground for tuna, sharks, marlins and swordfish."
NEW FAA RULES ON RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES - The short version is that these are no longer allowed to be in your checked luggage and must be placed in your carry-on. There have been a number of fires in cargo holds due to these batteries igniting and the logic that was explained to me is that they'd rather have 150 noses in the passenger cabin to detect the smoke than no noses in the cargo bays. This is VERY IMPORTANT to those of you who bring cameras and laptops because the spare batteries you carry are rechargeable lithium-ions. If you put them in your checked bag, they may get taken out. Wetpixel has an excellent article about this which you should read: http://www.wetpixel.com/articles/faa-issues-rules-on-lithium-battery-carriage. Since this rule will be enforced by the TSA and airline personnel, and there's an excellent chance they won't know what they're talking about, I would strongly urge you to print a copy of the actual ruling and take it with you anytime you fly with camera gear. Here's a link to that: http://www.scribd.com/doc/285257808/Safo-15010. It's not that complicated but can be a PITA. from the ruling: "Each spare lithium battery must be individually protected so as to prevent short circuits (e.g., by placement in original retail packaging, by otherwise insulating terminals by taping over exposed terminals, or placing each battery in a separate plastic bag or protective pouch)."
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
