Greetings from the President, March 2023
Jim Driggers | Published on 3/19/2023
Hello Aqua Tutus,
It's exciting to see attendance at our first Thursday of the month general meeting at Round Table in Castro Valley continuing to increase. Last month the 23 people in the room joined our Zoom attendees to see Dan Abbott, kelp forest program manager from Reef Check California and Keith Rootsaert, Executive Director of the California Kelp Restoration Corps, provide a very interesting--and educational--online presentation about the Giant Giant Kelp Restoration (G2KR) Project at Tanker’s Reef in Monterey. My thanks to both for giving us an update on the sea urchin problem plaguing the Pacific Ocean's east coast and efforts to restore our magnificent kelp forests.
I often tell people that of the 500 plus dives I've done on both sides of the Pacific, in Mexico, and in the Caribbean, that a dive during a good day in Monterey, where I can see more than 25 feet in all directions, is better than all the other places I dove. That's why I'm excited the club's next general meeting on Thursday, April 6th will feature our own Dennis Hocker, Aqua Tutus Director of Training, who will give a presentation on dive sites in Monterey. If you're interested in diving in and around Monterey Bay, be sure to attend this meeting. Dennis has over 50 years of diving experience to draw from when talking about these sites and their incredibly dense and diverse marine life.
Finally, if you're a club member who has taken some underwater photos or videos, consider sharing your work with the rest of the club at our upcoming May Members Night general meeting. Whether you're a beginner, expert, or somewhere in between, I'm encouraging all club members to gather your favorite images and videos and show them to the rest of the club.
Warmly,
Jim Driggers
Club president