Skip to main content
Date: 1/31/2024
Subject: The Aqua Tooter (February 2024)
From: Oliver Edwards


ATDC_header

The Aqua Tooter

February 2024
 
Announcements and Club News
 
 
 
Greetings from the President
 
 
Jim Driggers has written to us here.
Basic Underwater Photography at the
February 1 General Meeting 
 
Our own Arnie Warshawsky will be presenting a seminar on "Basic Underwater Photography" at the February 1 General Meeting. Attend in-person at Round Table Pizza Castro Valley to socialize, meet fellow club divers, and get the best viewing experience on our HD projector.
Basic Videography at the
March 7 General Meeting 
 
Aqua Tutus president Jim Driggers will be presenting an informative show on "Basic Videography" at the March 7 General Meeting. Attend in-person at Round Table Pizza Castro Valley to socialize, meet fellow club divers, and get the best viewing experience on our HD projector.

Aqua Tutus Members asked and answered questions

in January's general meeting
 

"Diver Questions" was the topic of January's entertainment. Newer, less experienced, or just curious Aqua Tutus members asked diving related questions that were answered by our instructors and experienced divers (or anyone with an opinion!). From all reports it was appreciated and will be repeated in the future.
 
Upcoming Dives
 
 
Ad-Hoc dives or How to dive with club members
 
Planning to go diving outside the sponsored club dive? Want to schedule your own dive? Create an "Ad-Hoc" dive on our website. Sharing your dive on our website benefits everyone. Read the news article for details. 
 
Club dive at South Monastery Beach
Sunday February 18
 
South Monastery Beach offers a variety of excellent diving with dives commonly available for intermediate through advanced experience levels. As in many Carmel Bay locations, visibility tends to be better than Monterey Bay (particularly Breakwater) and the underwater life is more prolific. See the event for details and Please make sure to register.
 
 
Dive Reports
 
 
Rescheduled January club snorkel saw
calm seas and good visibility
 

Stormy January weather prompted rescheduling January's club dive one week to the 27'th. Seems second time was a charm as the conditions were very good for snorkeling and diving. See a full story (when it's written) here.

 
December club dive experienced good conditions after relocation to North Monastery
 

While Carmel River, the planned location, was much too rough to dive, North Monastery (just around the corner) was fine. A good size group enjoyed decent conditions and visibility, with several attendees exploring new areas on the rock slope around the "wash rock".

 
New DPV diver at Point Lobos
 

Friday December 22 Derek Suring (a new DPV diver) and Oliver Edwards dove their Diver Propulsion Vehicles at Point Lobos. Conditions were calm with decent visibility. Both divers had a great time. Derek became comfortable piloting the DPV and Oliver had fun acting as a dolphin around Derek (practicing underwater aerobatics). Point Lobos is high on our list for future DPV dives. 

 
 
Diving Related News
 
 
Pacific kelp forests are much older than we thought
 
New research indicates that the kelp forest is 32 million years old and and survived the extinction of inhabiting animal species. Seems it should eventually recover from its recent challenges, Although it may be on too long of a timescale to matter to us...
 
 
  
 
 
Good News! Sunflower Star at Van Damme!!
 
Reef Check spotted a critically endangered sunflower star at Van Damme. This is great news because their local near extinction contributed to the population explosion of purple urchins which ate all the Macrocystis and Bull kelp thereby starving the abalone (whew). 
 
More information here including a video of the spotting.
 
  
 
 
First footage of a newborn great white shark
 
An ABC news article contains a video of the filmmaker describing capturing the footage.
The video itself is here on youtube.
  
 
Deep sea jelly with 10 meter arms filmed
 
Nice video of the jelly swimming is here. 
  
 
Check out the winners of the nature photography contest
 
There's also a link to the contest - perhaps some of our members should enter?
 
 
 
 
 
Meet the worlds most widely travelled diver
 
Her total is 1500 dives in 193 different countries (wonder how many frequent flyer miles that gives?).
 
Article at Divernet is linked here.
 
 
 
 
Giant Kelp Restoration Project Report shows successful restoration of kelp
 
For the past two years the Giant Giant Kelp Restoration Project (G2KR) has been culling sea urchins at a demonstration site in Monterey in an effort to restore the area’s once lush kelp forests. The effort seems to be working.
 
Reef check's article is here.
 
 
 
 
Shark Stewards newsletter
 
Shark Stewards December newsletter is located here. 
 
 
 
 
Scuba gear available from Ex Aqua Tooter
 
Vince Hoffman has changed hobbies and is offering his scuba gear. He's asking money for some of it, other items are available for free.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Club Minutes
 
 
The January General Meeting minutes are here.
 
January's Board of Directors Meeting minutes are here
 
 Aqua Tutus' minutes are stored as news articles (under the category "officer reports") on our website, aquatutus.org.
Return to Previous Page