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Date: 3/2/2025
Subject: The Aqua Tooter (March 2025). Aqua Tutus Diving Club's Newsletter
From: Oliver Edwards



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The Aqua Tooter

March 2025


 
Announcements and Club News
 
 
 
Greetings from the President
 
 
Jim Driggers monthly newsletter is here.

Kelp Restoration and Urchin Culling
March 6 General Meeting 
 
Joining us live in Castro Valley at the General Meeting on March 6 are Josh Russo, President of the Watermen's Alliance, and Pete Guinosso, co-founder of Blue Harmony. They will talk about the impact of their joint kelp restoration efforts with culling urchins at Caspar Cove in Mendocino County. Details here.

Board of Directors Meeting 
March 20
Interested in how the club is run? Want to contribute to club activities? Come attend the Board of Directors meeting via zoom. All current members are welcome to attend. See the event for details. 

February general meeting talk on
Reef Check Citizens Science projects
 
Februarys talk was given by True Barnes. He works for the Citizen Science Informing Management part of the Reef Check Foundation. His talk covered the objectives of his area and then he specifically spoke about the Coral Reef Program, the Kelp Forest Program, and the Tankers Reef Project. His talk was very interesting and lasted almost an hour including question and answers.
 

 
Upcoming Dives
 
 
Ad-Hoc Dives or How to Dive
with Club Members
 
Planning to go diving outside the club dive? Want to find more dives with club members? Look on the "Ad-Hoc dive" forum on our website. Sharing dives on our website benefits everyone. Read the news article for details. 
 

Snorkel McAbee to San Carlos
Saturday, March 15
 
The "somewhat annual" snorkel between McAbee Beach and San Carlos Beach is our club dive this month. Some do a second dive on scuba at San Carlos.  Register at the aqua tutus event and see the dive forum for more information. 

 
Dive Reports
 
 

Lovers 3 dive a success
 
After several cancelations due to bad winter weather, the club Lover's Point 3 dive went off February 1 under showery skys but good underwater conditions. Eight tooters participated on a tour of the outer reefs off of Lovers 3 and a circumnavigation of Lovers Point. See the Event Photo Album for some great topside and underwater photographs. 
 

 
Diving Related News
 
 
 
 
 

Comic Relief
 
 
always communicate clearly!
 
  
 
 

Protest mass marine sanctuary staff firings
 
Hundreds of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) staff, including many in marine sanctuaries, were just fired. This website, from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, provides an easy way to communicate your views to our local congressional representatives. Takes less than 5 minutes.  
 

Underwater Photographer of the year images
 
And here are images from the "wreaks" category of the 2024 competition (this link contains descriptions from the photographers).
 

Undercurrent magazine issue

 
Undercurrent Magazine reports on many issues of concern to divers. This issue contains short pieces on Dive Boat Propellers and liveaboard sinkings as well as general interest items such as the Dive photo guide imaging competition. 
 

NOAA designates new sanctuary in Hawaii
 
This article from Shark Stewards:: Approved in the final days of the Biden Administration, NOAA is currently designating the marine portions of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the Hawaiian Islands as America’s 18th National Marine Sanctuary.

Cencal dive council newsletter
 
Cencal puts out a good diving oriented newsletter with lots of interesting information.
 
 
 

Diver engulfed by pufferfish!
 
A diver filmed an intimate view from inside a ball of baby pufferfish. BBC article here
 
 
 

 
Club Minutes
 
 
The General Meeting minutes are located at at February.
 
The Board of Directors Meeting minutes are located at February.
 
 Aqua Tutus' minutes are stored as news articles (under the categories "General Minutes", "BOE minutes" or for older minutes, under "Officer Reports") on our website, aquatutus.org.