Here is the list of the August winners. Great thanks goes out to Hollywood Divers for the generous donations to the raffle prizes.
dive tool - Kaz “wait, are you calling me a tool?”
trauma shears - Gary Faland
storm whistle - Gary T. ball cap - Gary Faland
ball cap - Andrea Casanova
console retractor - Carolyn Chester
signal mirror - Jovy Belmonte
ear drops - Gary T.
silicone drops - Lew Turlingham
camera with flash - Robert newton
fin grips - Rosa Gaiarsa
mini flasher - John Crowe
first aid kit - Cecile and Glenn
tank protector - Heather Poole
Don’t forget. Our annual Picnic Beach Dive/BBQ is Saturday August 29th. Bring your whole family! We’ll do a dive in the morning, then fire up the grill for burgers and hot dogs. The club will provide the burgers, hot dogs, buns and the condiments, and you can bring your own beverages and a side dish to share. Please e-mail to Kaz what side dishes you’ll be bringing. This way we won’t end up with five bowls of potato salads.
E-mail kaizawa@earthlink.net for the type of side dish list.
Meet at Heisler Park (A.K.A. Picnic Beach) around 9 a.m. We will try to set up at the top of the grassy area above the ramp that leads to the sandy beach. If someone could volunteer to get there earlier to nab some tables at the top of the hill, that would be great! It’s first come-first-serve for the picnic tables, so people start arriving pretty early here. There are restroom facilities, and a fresh water shower at the bottom of the ramp to rise off the salt from your gear. Bring folding chairs if you have them. A beach umbrella is great to have since the tree that used to offer shade for the top area is now gone. Heisler park does not allow those big tent type shades. The residents have complained that it blocks their million dollar ocean views from their homes, and creates an eye sore. It is a beautiful area, so in a way, I can understand.
Picnic Beach offers something for every diver. Easy sandy beach entry, reefs to the East, reefs straight out, and the reefs over to the west at divers cove.
This area is perfect for a family outing. The picnic area has many permanent picnic tables and B.B.Q. grill for us to use. There’s plenty of lawn area to lay down and relax, and several toilet facilities are available.
Direction: I usually take I-5 South, then take the 133 South. Don’t take the 133 North, which comes up first. It’s a toll road. 133 South will turn into Broadway eventually, and ends on PCH. Take a right on PCH heading North, then take a left at Cliff Drive. (You’ll see the Laguna Art Museum on your left, and Aster St. will be to your right). Dive few blocks, and when you get to the area where Myrtle and Cliff meet, park in this area. If you’re coming south on PCH, take a right on Myrtle Street & take your first left which will put you on Cliff Drive. You’ll see a sign for “Heisler Park.” Park anywhere near this area. Oh yes, bring quarters for the meters! The rates have gone up to 25 cents/7 minutes (yikes!). If you park on PCH, the rates are still 25 cents / 15 minutes
Dive access and Entry: There is a paved path to the protected cove with sandy beach.
Skill level: Beginner when calm; intermediate around the point with navigation skills.
Depth: average 30 ft. Visibility: Good, averaging 20-25 feet.
Originally, we had planed to dive Diver’s Cove, but when I arrived there, I saw… gulp, one rather large surf (about 6 ft.) coming in.The rest of the group was already checking out the surf conditions and assured me that most of the other waves were much smaller.We studied the wave patterns for a bit longer and contemplated on whether to call the dive or not.I can’t remember who made the suggestion, but we went over to the next cove (Boat Canyon) to check out the surf there.Wouldn’t you know it…it was much calmer with almost no waves.Amazing.So, we suited up and entered the water from the Boat Canyon side.
As soon as we submerged, we were greeted with a dismal 5-6 ft. vis which was slowly worsening to boot.Hoping the vis would improve towards the outer side of the reef, we swam heading south.At times the vis dropped to almost 2 ft.It was one of those This-Really-Sucks-Should-We-Abort? kind of dive.As we passed the outer edge of the reef, the vis started to improve just a little.Going further and heading north, more fish started to appear, and even the gorgonians started to look healthier.Soon we were almost at the Diver’s Cove exit, so we turned around to head back.Using caution, we swam though some of the shallower area towards Boat Canyon.To my surprise, the surge was not bad at all. On a rough day, a diver can get tossed pretty badly in these shallow areas, but today it was really manageable.The vis also improved greatly to about 15 ft. or better.We enjoyed the shallows and we even dropped down into some of the cracks in the reef.Inside these cracks you can be either protected from the surge above, or the surge can whip you forward and back through these channels.Sheree was especially having fun playing Supergirl with the surge.We totally avoided the murky outer side of the reefs by taking a shortcut near the exposed rocks in the shallows back towards Boat Canyon.It’s amazing how diving conditions can be so different from one cove to another and from one side of the reef to another.
Max depth:39 ft.Total dive time: 54 min.Water temp:60.Later we relaxed at Heisler Park and enjoyed a picnic.Thanks to those joining in on the fun: Glenn, Cecile, Sheree, Kila (the rollover champ), Melani, and me, Kaz, and the family.
On Saturday, August 1, Heather Poole, John Marin and I assisted The Ocean Defenders Alliance with an assessment dive to the Olympic. The Olympic is a wreck just outside the Harbor that sank in the 1940’s. Not many people dive this site because it’s very close to active shipping lanes. But, it’s a site that ODA has worked on and was returning to determine if more work was necessary.
Their boat is docked in a slip about as far inland as you can get, in Wilmington. This means that you do not need to suit up before boarding! The ride to the end of the harbor is about 45 minutes and then another 45 minutes to this particular wreck. Kurt and his brother Jim were our crew and guides for the day, and were quite hospitable to our group. Keep in mind that this was a volunteer trip, so we were not provided with food or drinks, but they did allow us use of their refrigerator and they even had a microwave, which we did not use.
Enough with the scene-setting. On to the diving.
For the first dive of the day, we set out to check out the wreck and see what condition it was in. Conditions looked good from the get-go. Water was calm and warm. 72 at the surface and 56 at depth! Vis was probably 20-30 feet. The wreck is at about 90 feet and is absolutely stunning. I have never seen a reef this colorful in SoCal (granted, there’s a lot I haven’t yet seen.) It was covered in pink anemone and I even spotted soft coral. Beautiful! We covered about ¼ of the ship (it’s over 200 feet long) and even penetrated a portion where we missed a scorpion fish that Kurt was trying to show us. Kurt took video which we reviewed back on the boat, showing a section covered with net that we would attempt to retrieve.
In the hour between our dives Jim did a little snorkeling around the boat and we munched on the snacks that we brought. We planned the next dive, during which I would man the camcorder, Heather would hold the net, Kurt would cut and John would hang back as our Safety. We would also unhook the anchor from the wreck, as it had dropped right on it.
Normally we would always dive in buddy teams, but as this was our first ODA dive, we just did as we were told. Note to self (and the reader!): ALWAYS dive in buddy teams. Not only does this help prevent one person from being left behind, but it also should mean better familiarity with each other’s gear.
Also during that time, mother nature decided to kick it up a notch and bring on the wind and waves. In the matter of an hour the sea had gone from calm to choppy. After our surface interval, we suited up again.
Now for the interesting part, or “What Not To Do.”
Mistake #1 – No Defined Buddy teams.
As the four of us descended the anchor line, I discovered I was having a hard time equalizing my left ear. I rarely ever have a problem with my ears, so I knew if I gave it some time, it would be fine. I ended up stuck at 60 feet for a little while, doing the ear-clear bob. When the other three reached the bottom and I was nowhere to be found, John decided to head up and look for me. By this time vis was down to next to nothing, so as John ascended the anchor line and I hung out near it at 60 feet, we never saw each other. After I few minutes I reached the bottom. Kurt decided to head over to the anchor, so Heather and I followed.
Mistake #2 – Miscommunication or Lack of Communication
Once we reached the anchor, Kurt handed me the camera which I immediately tried to turn on so I could film. Kurt struggled with the anchor for a few minutes but finally got it loose and over on the other side of the wreck. By this time I was filming, but only then did I realize that the lights were not even on, so I was only supposed to be holding it. Oops!
Mistake #3 – Not being familiar each other’s gear and different computers’ safety stops
Heather and I followed Kurt as the anchor line was now practically dragging him across the ocean floor. We grouped up to ascend, Heather and I paired up to check out gauges, and we looked back and Kurt and the anchor line were both gone. The surge was so strong that the boat was moving away, anchor and all. So, Heather and I began to ascend where we were, which was the right thing to do, although we did not realize that our computers had different safety stops. Mine wanted me to stop at 60 and 30 and hers wanted a stop at 40. We managed to have enough air to make it to the surface, taking it slowly and doing our last stop at 15 feet, to the best of our abilities. Had we done pre-dive equipment buddy checks and become familiar with each other’s gear, this would not have been a surprise.
Mistake #4 – Getting separated on the surface
Despite our best efforts, when we surfaced we were REALLY far from the boat. I was afraid they could not even see us, so we started kicking as hard as we could. Now, this is difficult in a wetsuit, but in a drysuit it was virtually impossible. Not to mention the added weight of a pony bottle and a steel 100. So, eventually we were farther and farther apart and sometimes I could not see Heather at all. John later suggested that a johnny line would have helped us to not only stay closer together on the surface, but would have also kept us with the anchor line. So, noted for next time! I was so tired at that point that I did not think I could reach her again, let alone tow someone, and so I ended up almost making it to the boat before they zipped over to pick me up and then headed over to pick Heather up. We were exhausted and a little sunburnt, but we were ok.
And here’s the kicker: if asked back, we would do it again! But this time, with buddy teams.
Please join us NEXT Monday, August 10, as Brian Meux returns to the club to give us an update on our local kelp beds and the MLPA.
Kelp Restoration Project
The giant kelp beds off of southern California are one of the most biodiverse communities known to exist in our world’s oceans. Similar to tropical coral reefs, kelp beds are highly productive ecosystems that support a wide array of life. One-fourth of California marine organisms depend on the kelp forests for some part of their life cycle. The survival of the threatened bocaccio, giant black sea bass, the few remaining sea otters and entire industries are dependant on large, stable kelp beds.
Brian Meux - Kelp Project Coordinator
Brian began working with and volunteering for the Baykeeper in 2005. Part of his master’s thesis is an analysis of the Santa Monica Baykeeper Kelp Restoration and Monitoring Project. Brian became the Kelp Project Coordinator in June 2007.
Brian’s bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley is in integrative biology. His studies had an emphasis in marine ecology and he also played for Cal Rugby. Brian’s research was filled with descriptions of the harmful effects of human activities on the ecosystems we all depend on. He feels that through the Kelp Project we have the opportunity to make a positive difference. Brian’s master’s degree was awarded by a brand new program at Cal Poly Pomona called Regenerative Studies. This interdisciplinary program focuses on experiential learning relating to sustainable development and ecological restoration and design. His studies have him well prepared for his new responsibilities at the Santa Monica Baykeeper.
Brian aims to restore and monitor as much kelp forest as possible in Santa Monica Bay, with the help of all the dedicated SCUBA divers who volunteer their time to give back to our local reefs.
Brian will also be updating us on the California Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA). In December of 2007, the Resources Agency announced that portions of the coastal waters of southern California—from Point Conception near Santa Barbara down to the Mexican border, would be the next to receive protection in the historic statewide process to establish a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) under the California Marine Life Protection Act.
The Marine Life Protection Act is a visionary state law that brings together scientists, fishermen, conservationists, business owners, residents and Fish & Game officials to create a long-term plan to restore and protect California’s most unique and threatened marine environments.
100 years ago the National Parks were established on land to protect special areas and wildlife. Marine protected areas and reserves will provide similar protections preserving California’s stunning marine ecosystems for future generations to observe and enjoy. We support a balanced plan of protected areas that considers the needs of marine life, fishermen, coastal communities and California’s natural legacy.
