Memorial plaque at Anacapa (underwater island)

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alaity47

Contributor
Scuba Instructor
Messages
310
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1
Location
Glendale, CA
# of dives
200 - 499
Hi guys,

We dove Underwater Island today, and I noticed something I hadn't seen before - a memorial plaque to a "T. Meloche", 1953-2002, that says "Dive Forever". Anyone know the story behind this?

Here's a picture
 
Hmmm, Anastasia... not familiar with that one, but there's one in the Casino Point Dive Park dedicated to a Nejat Ezal or something like that (I don't have access to my U/W pix from this computer) with a birth year and death year if I remember correctly.

Dr. Bill
 
I've come across the plaque twice in the past year while diving Anacapa on the Spectre. On both trips I asked others if they saw the plaque or knew anything about it. Surprisingly few had even seen it, and no one seemed to know anything about it.
 
My god, we had to be on the same boat. I was on the Spectre yesterday and saw the same plaque.

I came to post about it.

Which person where you? I was in spot 37 at the bow.

Xanthro
 
We were on the boat last Friday, not yesterday. :) Hope conditions were as nice for you guys as they were for us!

So still no one that knows what that plaque is... strange. I wasn't able to google any info on it either. Next time I'm on the Spectre, I'll see if the captain knows anything about it.

Oh, and sorry my link to the picture isn't working right now - my server bit the big one earlier this week. Both hard drives died, and one actually started SMOKING. Bah.

Xanthro:
My god, we had to be on the same boat. I was on the Spectre yesterday and saw the same plaque.

I came to post about it.

Which person where you? I was in spot 37 at the bow.

Xanthro
 
I guess being able to tell dates on posts is beyond me. LOL.

Nobody on board knew what it was either. Nobody else admitted to seeing it.

If it's been down there for awhile, someone is obviously cleaning it. Plus, it seems to be placed in that particular spot.

It was my first dive after certification, and I was leading my instructor when I saw it from above and dove down. I wished I'd brought my slate so I could write down the names.

So far, that's been my best dive. Visibilty was great, plenty to see, even had a harbor seal come and play with us. Only drawback was the current was pretty strong, and seemed to change course 180 on us.

We started off going into the current, came back, still into the current. I thought I'd gotten turned around, as it was my first time navigating, but my instructor felt the same way. We decided the swell came up enough to make it seem the current had switched. I got us right back to the anchor, but of course, it's kind of hard to not get back at underwater island.

I swear, we didn't know that was the dive spot when we decided early which dive I would due navigation on. LOL.

Xanthro
 
Dr Bill, Nejat Ezal was a grad student at UCSB who passed away while diving Catalina, I don't remember the exact consequences of his death but there is a fellowship at UCSB in his name now. He passed away April 23, 1994.
 
TMelocheMemorial.jpg


It's still there a year and a half later. Someones still cleaning it. Anyone here know any info about it, I am curious? "Dive Forever" , I like that.

I had a nice day at Anacapa on the Spectre Saturday when I filmed it. More pics here.

- MikeT
 
Pulled a couple of Urchins off of it back on January's Mo2vation dive from the Peace,with Headhunter, on January 28th, 2006. Been around that rock a dozen times, floored me when we saw it. Sad to see the brittle stars take over the other side.
 
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