December 6, Round Table, 7:00 PM
The Sea Turtle Restoration Project fights to protect endangered sea turtles in ways that make cultural and economic sense to the communities that share the beaches and waters with these gentle creatures.
With offices in California and Costa Rica, STRP has been leading the international fight to protect sea turtle populations worldwide.
The goals of STRP are to: Protect and restore populations of endangered sea turtles to healthy conditions.
Please bring a potluck item to share. The club will provide Turkey, Ham, and soft drinks.
Gift exchange: if you wish to participate, bring a $10 or so gift. Mark it for adult or child.
Due to hard work on the part of a painfully small group of members, and the massive good will of the dive industry, our Christmas Raffle is looking Great
The club wants to offer our special thanks (and encouragement to reward good deeds with your shopping dollars!) to our friends at...(if you know of someone missing, PLEASE let me know!)
There are links to the websites of these fine contributors on the club website at www.redwoodempiredivers.com.
Our sincere thanks to all of these people for their donations! My apologies for anyone I missed. I will print an updated list in the next newsletter, and on our web site.
Other things will be available, you've got to come to see what's being raffled. If you have something you would like to donate as a raffle prize, please bring it to the Christmas Party. One man's Dive Trash is another mans Dive Treasure!.
See you at the Christmas Party!!
Meet at Stillwater Saturday 12/8 at 8:00 A.M. and we will all have a splendid time.
After months of slacking off, I finally got the chance to put my story in print. I went out on the Spectre the opening weekend of Lobster season during the end of September for a two day trip.
The boat was originally slated to go to San Nicholas Island, but the events of 9-11 caused the closure of all military areas. So the trip started out at Anacapa Island with the first dive at midnight when season opened.
I could not believe how warm the water was compared to up here. Since it had been many years since I had done a night dive (usually too tired after 6 day dives on a boat) I was looking forward to a night dive. I put my compass on my BC hose with every intention of transferring it to my wrist when I needed it. Once I hit the bottom I could not find it and figured I had lost it (it floated up to the top of the hose) but I figured what the hell, after 25 years of diving I didn't need a stinking compass. I swam toward the island and after a while of looking at sand I knew something was wrong. I surfaced and realized I had been swimming the wrong way! Tried again and still more sand. Surfaced again and realized twice now I had gone the wrong way. Also there was a pretty strong current which must have contributed to my confusion. About this time I had used over ½ my air so I decided to bag the dive and regroup.
When I hauled myself up the swim step I took one look at the crew member and realized I was on the Peace (wrong boat!). Good thing I had plenty of air to make it back upcurrent to reach the boat.
Several others were not as fortunate and they got a skiff ride from the Peace back to the Spectre. Along the way, someone's tank broke the fuel line in the skiff and repairs were performed. After all this, plus a move to another spot, it was 3 in the morning to start the second night dive. At least I got some bugs that time. Nothing like sitting in the hot tub drinking beer at 4:30 am.
Due to heavy swells from the hurricane to the south and a storm far to the north, we spent the rest of the time at Santa Cruz Island. The days were sunny and windy and the next night very clear. You could turn off your light in 30 feet of water and look up to see the full moon, very cool!
There was a fair amount of bugs around and one 9 pounder came up. The second morning I was a bit bleary so I decided to finally join the polar bear club. This involves swimming a lap around the boat naked. Since the divemaster was a very cute young lady in a skimpy bikini, I had no qualms about the task. Unfortunately, I must have strained my back during the vigorous swim because about an hour later I bent over to put away a flashlight and my back went out.
I spent the whole last day drinking vodka and coke and swilling beers while watching every one else dive. So needless to say I didn't get my limit. Once back on shore there was big bug party at a buddy of mine in Santa Barbara where everyone donates lobsters and we barbecue, boil and thermidor them. What a feast!
REDWOOD EMPIRE DIVERS EVENT CALENDAR FOR 2002
| Month | Regular Meeting | Dive! | Business Meeting! | Alternate Dive | Member Sponsered Dive | Parties or special events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2001 | 12/6 7:00 pm Round Table | 12/8 - Stillwater | 12/20 - at the Powerhouse | 12/15 Christmas Party! | ||
| January 2002 | 1/3 7:00 pm Round Table | 1/5 Pt. Lobos/Monterey | 1/18 Location TBD | |||
| February | 2/7 7:00 pm Round Table | 2/9 - Fort Ross | 2/21 - Location TBD | |||
| March | 3/7 7:00 pm Round Table | 3/9 Stillwater | 3/21 Location TBD | Sat 3/16 St Paddy's Day Blast! | ||
| April - Abalone! | 4/4 7:00 pm Round Table | 4/6 Salt Point/Kruse Ranch | 4/18 Location TBD | Timber Cove with Jon and Bon | ||
| May | 5/2 7:00 pm Round Table | 5/4 - Pt Arena/Arena Rock | 5/16 - Location TBD | Memorial Day Weekend - Charles' Big Weekend at Ocean Cove | ||
| June | 6/6 7:00 pm Round Table | 6/7-9 Campout Somewhere (we did not get Russia n Gulch or Van Damme, Damn.) | 6/20 - Location TBD | |||
| July | NOTE DATE! 7/11 7:00 pm Pot Luck at Findley Pa rk! | 7/12-7/14 - Monterey! | 7/18 - Location TBD | 7/20 or 7/27 - Jock! Split Rock/Tomales | ||
| August | 8/1 7:00 pm Round Table | 8/2-4 Doran Beach | 8/15 - Location TBD | Mike Mendoza in Catalina for a week. Looking for Sea Bass and Yellow Tail! Bob Simpton on a houseboat water skiing | ||
| September | 9/5 7:00 pm Round Table | 9/6-8 - Van Damme or Russian Gulch | 9/19 - Location TBD | Jock, Halibut! | ||
| October | 10/3 7:00 pm Round Table | 10/5 Tomales, Halibut! | 10/17 - Subject to change Location TBD | 10/13-15 or so...Gary: Peace lobster dive | ||
| November | 11/7 7:00 pm Round Table | 11/9 - Anchor Bay | 11/21 - Location TBD | |||
| December | 12/5 7:00 pm Round Table | 12/7 - Stillwater | 12/19 - Location TBD | 12/14 Christmas Party! |
The Marietas Islands are located 21 miles north west of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and are the furthest dive site within Banderas Bay.
I found the cave diving here most spectacular and dark. Strong Currents, lots of marine life. A good day in paradise.
Depending upon sea conditions this takes just over an hour in a good boat. The Marietas offer lots of tropical fish as well as coral. Special attractions of this site are underwater caves and tunnels as well as Giant Mantas. The Marietas dive sites are considered the best in the Bay.
Las Iglesias is located 25 miles southwest of Puerto Vallarta and offers good visibility and plenty of marine life. There are a number of dive sites here depending upon the sea conditions and the experience of the group.
Las Iglesias compares with El Morro and El Sequial as a fantastic dive location.
I warned you all that if I did not receive enough submissions that I would just fill the newsletter with news about my kids. Well, this happens to be dive related. Molly did her certification classes and dives in November. This is what she had to write about her first post-certification dive. She and I went out along the Breakwater in Monterey.
by Molly Gibson
As I descended I was astounded by the beauty and complexity of the under water world. It is a new world just waiting to be discovered.
Cold leaks into my wet suit as I kick forward towards a rock covered in tube anemones. A crab hurtles past on the sand as I approach. I scream into my regulator and start to hyperventilate. After a few seconds of that I put more air into my BC so I don't sink onto the sand, where small halibut looking fish lie camouflaged on the sand.
A large fish swims lazily by looking at me with an expresion as if to say why are you down here? I look up, 40 feet above me sun light dances on top of the water throwing bright shadows down on to me. Yellow sea slug like critters show off their bright colors as I pass.
I start to float up, I let all the air out of the BC and slide down a sand bank where a inch long octopus floats through the water. My dad reaches out and touches it, it squirts a small puddle of black ink at him. I swim on trying to herd the small fish that lie on the sand.
My dad falls back to look into a small dark hole, putting his whole head into it he shines his flash light. He backs up and motions me to do the same. I go and put my head near the hole, I don't see anything. That's what makes me nervous. I back up and motion him to tell me what is in their (I don't want it to be something that will scare me). He writes it on the writing tablet "big fish." I nod and go and put my head in the hole. There is nothing in there.
I swim on we are getting shallower now and there is less and less to see. In the sand are snails that spread through out the sand spreading their wing like flesh like wings. Small villages of sand dollars live throughout the sand. My weights fall out of my BC without my noticing and I float to the top, five feet above. My dad brings up my weights and I put them back into where they belong. I slowly sink again and I continue for another few feet where my weights fall out again. This time I grab hold of them and continue to kick.
Soon I float into the beach. The second I hit the sand and am starting to crawl out I run out of air. I spit the regulator out and take a deep breath, as I struggle to remove my fins. Breathing hard I walk up to the tarp and drop off my weights and fins then rest on a rock as I try to pull together the energy to remove my scuba unit.
--Molly
Beach Blanket Babylon with Gary
Production: Beach Blanket Babylon in SF. It usually sells out 2-3 months in advance, but I just talked to the box office and we can get 20 side box seats on Sun., Jan 27th.
This is for their 3:00 matinee at which no liquor is served. Without counting any club members I think we already have 14 takers. I'm sure your whole family would enjoy this madcap comedy review. The cost is $50/ticket which includes the $2.00 service charge. For further information their web site address is beachblanketbabylon.com . Anyone who is interested should notify me as soon as possible while the seats are still available. We need to pay in advance and they have a no refund policy.
December 6th - General Meeting at Round Table, Ron Gaul of the Sea Turtle Restoration Project will speak.
Jan 3rd General Meeting at Round Table
Jan 5th Dive Monterey
Jan 18th Business Meeting at the Powerhouse Brewing Company
...and so on and so on and so on...
Stony Point Roundtable Pizza
2065 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa
Jed Douglas RED WEB: http://www.webperception.com/jdouglas
Rocky's Home Page: http://www.sonic.net/~rocky
(with great tips on Abalone!)
CA Dept of Fish & Game: http://www.dfg.ca.gov
California Coastal Buoy Map: http://www.oceanweather.com/~oceanwx/data/cal.html
Marine Radio - Michael Mendoza
O2 Kit - Jed Douglas
Fish & Ab Log - Jed Douglas
Picnic Supplies - Dave Batt
Contact these members for use of
the equipment.
Michael Mendoza - Vice President
Jed Douglas - Secretary
Bob Simpton - Treasurer
Rich Gibson - Newsletter Editor
GENERAL MEETINGS
Start at 7:00 pm at:DIVES!
Single day dives meet at 8:00 am (except when they don't). Alternate dives take place at the same time and location as the first dive, but only if the scheduled dive is canceled.WEB SITES
RED Site: http://www.redwoodempiredivers.comClub Equipment
Videos - Tom StolzheiseClub Officers
Jock Doss - President