Hello Aqua Tutus,
Thanks to those who attended Natasha Benjamin's inspiring and informative talk about her upcoming documentary Sequoias of the Sea. I'm looking forward to seeing the whole film explore how the diverse stakeholder community comes together to try to solve a devastating set of problems.
While there won't be a general meeting in December, there are these three scheduled club events this coming month:
* Dennis is having an informal class on regulator inspection and repair on Saturday, December 7.
* The December club dive will be on Saturday, December 14. Derek and David Sheh are co-points of contact for this dive at Stillwater Cove in Pebble Beach. For more information, see the event in the club calendar and the Club Dive communication forum.
* Finally, also on Saturday, December 14, the club will host our annual holiday party at La Cabana Mexican restaurant in Newark on December 14. There are currently 24 attendees registered, which means we have room for up to 26 more. For those who tend to procrastinate, be aware the last day to register for the party is Saturday, December 7th--we need to tell La Cabana how much to prepare and how big a cake we need to order. I have it on good authority that Santa will appear at the party, so if there are any elves out there who'd like Santa to give a gift to someone at the party, bring the item to the party. I also hear the door prize might be a $100 gift certificate at La Cabana. I hope to see as many club members as possible.
Thanks to the existing club officers who've all committed to serving another year. It was heartening to see that in the last club survey half the respondents answering the question "What would make the meetings more attractive", said "They're great now!". Consider that the club and its events are working as well as they are because of the work of the club officers, members at large, the points of contact for the monthly dives, and Dave Chervin's contributions running the logistically challenging hybrid Zoom meetings. I'm thankful for all these volunteers' efforts. Be sure to thank them, too.
Finally, be safe everyone, and I hope you're enjoying whatever holidays you celebrate as 2024 ends. If I don't see you at the club's rapidly approaching holiday party, I hope to see you next year--in person, if possible!
Warmly,
Jim Driggers
Club president