Greetings from the President, September 2023
Jim Driggers | Published on 9/23/2023
Hello Aqua Tutus,
Thanks to Dennis Hocker for leading the last general meeting in my absence, and thanks to Marc Shargel for giving what I've heard several Tooters say was one of the best presentations they've seen in a long time for the club. Marc, if you're reading this, I'm sorry I missed your presentation, and I hope you'll agree to continue as one of our repeat guest presenters. We'd love to have you back!
For the October general meeting, we hope to have Liz Taylor, President of Deep Ocean Exploration and Research since it began in 1997. Liz has participated in more than 60 scientific diving and ocean exploration projects and is a member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame. DOER is a marine consulting firm whose capabilities include designing and building robotic systems, manned vehicles, and other innovative underwater solutions. DOER is located in the San Francisco Bay Area, and they have a store to provide equipment for recreational and technical divers. For more information, see Deep Ocean Explorer Store.
One of the greatest benefits of being an Aqua Tutus Club member is joining other club members and going diving in Monterey. Since Oliver Edwards, club vice-president, was unexpectedly unable to serve as point of contact for the September monthly club dive, I volunteered to take his place. He'd selected Carmel River Beach as the dive site, and since I'd never dove there, he provided a full verbal dive briefing to me and even included excellent written reference material. With that support, I was able to relay the information to the three club members who had registered for the dive and give an in-person dive briefing at the site. For a report on the dive, see 2023-09-09 Club Dive Report-Carmel River Beach. Because of Oliver's help and the club's support in joining with other folks who actually dive off central California's challenging coast, I was able to enjoy a good day of diving with those who enjoy being in the water as much as me, and perhaps more importantly, do so safely. That's why I've been an Aqua Tutus Club member since 2005.
Since its founding in 1957, the club has provided monthly meetings and diving opportunities for club members and been faithful to its name: Aqua Tutus (Latin for "water safety"). It's been able to do that because there have been volunteers to fill the officer positions needed to keep the club going. At next month's meeting, I'll invite members to run for any of the club's elected board of director positions: club president, vice-president, membership coordinator, secretary, and treasurer. I'll do the same in November and at that meeting, club members will elect next year's board of directors. For a description of each position's duties, see the Board of Directors, Elected Member & Volunteer Coordinator duties file on our website's Constitution page. Some of our officers have been in their positions for several years and would love to step down. While none of the positions are difficult, they do require a commitment to attend the monthly general meeting and Board of Directors meeting. Please take a couple minutes to review the duties and consider being a club officer. It can be a great way to learn some new skills and deepen relationships with other club members.
Warmly,
Jim Driggers
Club president