the aqua tooter - Aqua Tutus Diving Club

THE AQUA TOOTER
On the web at http://www.aquatutus.com
April 2010
Since 1958... a publication from the Aqua Tutus Diving Club, a non-profit organization established to promote Water Safety
and to further the sport of SCUBA Diving.
May Entertainment
It’s fun! It’s educational! It makes a difference! At our May 6
meeting, Megan Wehrenberg will tell us about the fun, opportunities, and impact of Reef
Check California.
Aqua Tutus Diving Club's
next regular meeting:
Thursday, May 6th 7:30 p.m.
Location: Round Table Pizza
20920 Redwood Rd.
Castro Valley
510-733-9500
Upcoming Club Activity (local)
The Reef Check Foundation invites experienced divers to become trained in our California rocky reef monitoring program.
Go to Page 7, for More about Reef Check and 2010 training.
North Central Coast Marine Protected Areas to Take Effect May 1
Twenty-one marine protected areas (MPAs) adopted last year
by the California Fish and Game Commission will take effect
May 1, 2010 along California’s north central coast. See IN
THE NEWS, page 8, for more.
Bay Area Dive Show April 30—May 1
Santa Clara Convention Center
Don’t miss it. Just down the road in Santa Clara at the intersection of Great America Parkway and Tasman Rd. Information at http://www.divechronicles.com/bay/
Diver Fred
offering
Tanks and
Weights
for Sale
See Page 7
May 21, 22 Salt Point Campout
Sept 11-12 Tahoe
check the club calendar
http://www.my.calendars.net/atdc_events
BOD MEETING SCHEDULE
May 20 Greg Gleeson’s house
June 17 Location TBD
http://www.my.calendars.net/atdc_events
For the most current information
Thanks to all the contributors to the March and
April Tooters. Marc Shargel, Ruth Chofre, Alan
Throop, Larry and Linda Muth, Oliver Edwards,
Connie Klein, and any others I may have failed to
mention. The monthly Tooter is not possible without your contributions.
What’s Inside
April Entertainment Report
Message from SCUBAShow 2010
April Gen. meeting minutes
April BOD meeting minutes
Coral Street Dive
Equipment Recall Notices
More about Reef Check
Gear For Sale
IN THE NEWS
Activity Calendar
Page 2-3
Page 3
Page 4-5
Page 5
Page 6
Page 6
Page 7
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California
At the April 1 General Meeting, we were treated to an entertaining ProShow Gold program by Ruth Chofre on diving and travel
in the Philippines. Since Dennis has a club dive trip planned for
the Philippines in July, 2011,
we thought it was a good
opportunity to whet our appetites for what should be a
great trip. … and from Ruth’s
program there is a lot to look
forward to!
Ruth and her husband Michael gave us a verbal introduction to the program. Michael was born in the Philippines and they have traveled
there to dive and visit family
and friends every year since
1984. In the process, they
have dove some of the notably “muck” and “fishy” locations that the Philippines has
to offer, so they know the area well. The earth’s “center of marine biodiversity” is a triangle that includes the Philippines at the
north, Indonesia on the south and west, and to New Guinea on the
east. This area has more marine species per unit area than anywhere in the world, with unique adaptations and behaviors. New
species are being discovered every year – the pigmy seahorses
and mimic octopi were just discovered in the last 10-15 years!
The Philippines include over 7,000 islands and is very diverse in
its geography – and various regions are known for its own special
features: from big marine life (thresher sharks, schooling hammerheads, and mantas); colorful macro life (nudibranchs, Mandarin fish, pigmy seahorses); coral reefs with vibrant soft corals
and fish that compare with Fiji; sand areas (“muck dives”) that
contain flamboyant cuttlefish; walls, atolls, and patch reefs; currents and placid divesites; deep dives (records were set at Puerto
Galera); wrecks (551’ Tae Mara and others at Croon Bay); from
pristine, unexplored dive sites to those with “all the amenities”.
The MAP shows the Philippines with just a few of its world-class
dive destinations, and some of those that
Ruth referred to. Dynamite fishing and collection of aquarium specimens using arsenic
has had a negative impact on the reefs in
many areas, but many areas are untouched.
Ruth said that
Google Earth
this activity has
been significantly
reduced in recent
years as reserves
have been formed
and the value of
the dive-tourist
industry has become
appreciated. She said
that they seldom
hear the explo-
April 2010
Page 2
Ruth shoots with a Nikon D100 in a Titan housing. She enjoys
producing programs with Pro Show Gold, for which she has a
reputation as an expert user. While relatively easy to learn, it has a
lot of capability and features that few exploit. It’s always educational to watch one of Ruth’s programs for what new features she
has used, and they add a energy that is entertaining to view. She
combines mixing video and stills, and shows multiple stills on one
frame in a very dynamic way.
Her program was from a trip in 2007, when they dove at Balayan
Bay near Batangas (specifically, Anilao), which is a marine
sanctuary and is about 100 mi (~2.5 hours) south of Manila. She
began with the arrival in Manila and a tour of the city, local culture, and attractions. From there, they took a van on an
“adventurous” trip to Anilao, a small village where they stayed at
the “Dive 7000 Resort” that had “all the amenities”. Anilao is regarded as the birthplace of
diving in the Philippines. In
the mid-1960's, a whole
coral reef was transplanted
onto a large rock formation
close to the shore. The coral
has flourished, diving has
developed, and this area is at
the forefront of the industry
in the Philippines to this
Nudibranch Credit: Ruth Chofre
day.
Ruth showed the wide variety of marine life and reef scenes that
were within just a short boat ride of the resort: colorful nudibranchs, shrimp, crabs, frogfish, cuttlefish, and many species of fish.
Flamboyant Cuttlefish Credit: Ruth Chofre
Reported by Alan Throop
sions that they used to hear frequently years ago.
Credit: Ruth Chofre
Ruth also had some great shots
of reefs, with soft coral and
Popcorn SchrimpCredit: Ruth Chofre
Aqua Tutus Entertainment Report
April, 2010
Soft Coral Credit: Ruth Chofre
beautiful crinoids. She has a
nice way of adding the marine ID information to the
images without being obtrusive.
Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California
Entertainment Report - continued
Credit: Ruth Chofre
Credit: Ruth Chofre
After a few dives, Ruth took us
on a tour of the local markets in
Batangas, with food displays a
little more “exotic” than we’re
used to here. Finally, back to
Manila and the good ol’ USA.
In Q&A, Ruth and Michael
were asked about dive destinations and conditions in the Philippines. They said the water
temperature is usually about
84oF and that it is hot and humid, particularly in the summer.
Air flights between the islands
are good, with 737-class air-
craft. Don’t try to
drive; it’s better to take
a taxi or rent a car with
a driver.
Credit: Ruth Chofre
Ruth particularly enjoys Balayan Bay, with
its excellent house reef
and nearby walls. But
other areas are known
for other attractions.
Exotic Dive Resort in
Malapascua on Cebu is
known for big animals:
Thresher Sharks, squids, and Octopus; they say that this is the
only place in
the
world
w h e r e
thresher
sharks can
Credit: Exotic Island Dive Resort
be
se en
within recreational diver limits on a regular basis. Gato Island is
another famous shark site, known for white tip sharks sleeping
within the caves and bamboo sharks, as well as
Mandarin fish (credit: Expigmy sea horses and
otic Island Dive Resort)
mandarin fish. Nearby
Tubbataha and Dumaguete are also known for
large animals.
Many thanks to Ruth and
Michael for presenting
this program and filling
us in on the Philippines.
The folks going on the club trip to Puerto Galera and Dumaguete
next year have a lot to look forward to! Dennis only has a couple
more spots left, so sign up for the fun.
Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California
Thanks to Steele’s Discount Scuba
5987 Telegraph Ave
Oakland CA 94609
(510)655-4344
for donated and discounted merchandise for the Aquatutus Diving Club
monthly raffles.
Message from SCUBA Show 2010
Hello Dive Clubs,
In Just a few short weeks THE Diving Event of the
Year! will take place - SCUBA Show 2010. May 1516 are the dates for America's Largest Consumer
Dive Expo and the Long Beach Convention Center,
Long Beach, CA is the location. Now in our 23rd
year we have once again booked Wyland as our featured artist and diving legend Stan Waterman will be
paying us a visit as well. The show will have 76,000
square feet of exhibits, Seminars, Continuous Film
Festival, over $38,000 in Door Prizes, and more.
As you know we also publish California Diving
News where your dive club has been listed. I have a
favor to ask of you. Could you place the SCUBA
Show on your events calendar? Attached is a press
release in MSWord if you'd like to publish a short
story on THE Diving Event of the Year!T
Thank you in advance for posting our event in your
newsletter and on your website.
Best Fishes,
Dale Sheckler
Producer
SCUBA Show 2010
May 15-16, 2010
Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA
http://www.scubashow.com [email protected]
April 2010
Page 3
General Meeting Minutes
Date: April 1, 2010
Reported by Connie Klein
Meeting called to order by President Jim Driggers at Round Table
Pizza in Castro Valley, CA at 7:47 pm.
Entertainment for This Evening:
Ruth Chofre and husband Michael presented an entertaining
ProShow Gold program on diving and travel in the Philippines.
There is great macro work and great diving in Wakatobi. Ruth
has been diving for many years doing a lot of photography, and
very active in the Northern California Underwater Society.
Treasurer’s Report (Greg)
Total Funds $8,838.31
Membership (Debbie Driggers)
We have 50 members.
Training (Dennis Hocker)
Nothing scheduled at present.
For more information on training contact Neil Benjamin (510)
673-0073 [email protected] or Dennis Hocker (510) 7925606 [email protected]
CenCal Report (Position not filled)
No Report
Newsletter (Don absent)
Tooter is on the Web. Don extended travelling, so no March
newsletter. April input by 4/20, publish 4/30. May input by 5/19
publish 5/24.
Web Goddess (Patti Shannon)
Our faster connection is helping. Alan sent a document with up
coming meetings. Will be uploaded in a couple of weeks.
Entertainment Report (Alan Throop)
May – Reef Check Presentation-Megan. We believe she is wanting to get the club to adopt a reef. If you’ve been certified before,
you’ll need to be recertified. www.reefcheck.org. Their classes
will start in May…good diving very professional…teaches you
identification.
June – Members’ night.
July Chuck Tribolet’s sea dip and wave action model and how to
use it.
October/November open for member’s night.
December, no meeting.
Special Committee
Holiday party is on December 11th at La Cabana in Newark.
Old Business none
New Business Vice President Chris Stensager will assume duties
of Vice President.
Past Dives
• Fred, 2 weeks ago on Saturday, with Oliver, Alan, Fufu. North
Monastery 2 inch waves. Spectacular dives, one of the best
we’ve ever seen. Visibility was murky until 40 feet. Came
back, almost hit on the head by a reel, turned out to be Guy’s
that he had loaned to FuFu. Went to Moss Landing—Phil’s
Fish House—great atmosphere, great food. Gary was there on
April 2010
Page 4
Tuesday night, have a great Bluegrass Band.
• Club Dive at wharf 2, three weekends ago. Diving conditions
were 3 to 5 foot visibility. Flat water. Nobody got hooked.
Very few fishers. One dive.
• Dennis, Jeff and Wayne Wendel went to Florida. The 17th did
4 dives on the Vandenberg. Visibility was in the 15 foot range.
Went up and down on each of the mooring balls . It was an
overcast, rainy day. Water temp was running 68 degrees. Captain Jojo used to run the Playmate. Loaded 20 tanks and went
out for the day. Over the top 2 decks of the Vandenburg, engine
room…only covered about a third of it. The Vandenberg was
supposed to be opened up but there are a lot of companion ways
where you don’t see ambient light. Dennis plans going back in
June. It’s 8 miles out from Key West. Diving the same boat in
June. There’ll be about 8 of us in June. There is minimal marine growth. Getting a fine layer of silt…easy to stir up. Just
been down recently. Originally commissioned as a troop transport and became a satellite ship. The dishes are big. Sits in 140
feet of water top is at 40 feet. Drove back to Ft Lauderdale Thur
night; 4 dives Fri, 4 dives Sat, 4 dives Monday, 4 dives Tuesday.
One of the largest nurse sharks ever seen. Had to be the biggest
nurse shark he’d ever seen…about a 25 footer.
• Florida went through an unusually cold spell this year. Finally
warmed up to 70 making a major difference. The Gulf Stream
Current ran out. Current was 1 to 2 knots. Monday and Tuesday were Bob Sheridan on the Tonto.
• Dave Chervin went to San Carlos Saturday and Sunday; 20-25’
visibility; helped out with Jim Steel’s class. Flushed out a cabezon and ling cod and what looked to be a green abalone. Lots of
crab. Little sandy but flat, no surge, warm.
Bone Award Nominees: none
Raffle Winners were as follows:
Chris – Snips
Patti – Whistle
Chris - Defog
Larry – Mask strap
Susan – Non waterproof case
Mike – Salt & Pepper Shakers
Upcoming Activity and Dives:
2010
4/3 Abalone Pot Luck – Ft. Ross.
4/4 Dennis North Monastery
4/11 Coral Street Dive
4/22 Board of Directors’ meeting at Don Jose’s Mexican restaurant
4/30 – 5/1 Bay Area Dive show at the Santa Clara Convention
Center
5/6 Club Meeting
5/15-16 Long Beach Scuba show
5/21-22-23 Salt Point
8/6 – 8/8 NCUPS Northern California Beach and Boat Photo Competition
9/11-12 Tahoe
9/11-14 VDM dive Around Catalina, maybe Clemente, Santa
Catalina $500 live Aboard.
12/11 Holiday Party
Dec 18 – Jan 2 Cozumel
2011
Jul 4-11 Phillipines, POC is Dennis – only have 3 spaces left.
2012
Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California
April Meeting Minutes continued
Next BOD meeting: Thursday 4/22/10, Don Jose’s Mexican Restaurant (6:30 pm dinner/7:00 meeting)
Next Membership meeting: May 6 7:30 pm, Castro Valley (7
pm social)
Meeting adjourned at 8:58 pm.
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
Date: April 22, 2009
Reported by Connie Klein
Chris Stensager called the meeting to order at 7:45 pm. Present
were Connie Klein, Patti Shannon, Dennis Hocker, Alan Throop,
Larry Muth, Debbie Driggers, Jim Driggers
Entertainment (Alan Throop) (sent by Alan after last meeting)
May—Megan will do her Reef Check Program
June—Member’s night
July—Chuck Tribolet’s Wave Model
• James Moskito has joined shark diving (Global Adventures)
may do a program for us.
• Amos Nachoum (Scuba Diving Magazine).
• Would like to get Eric Cheng of Wet Pixel.
• Kristin Ailee, diving related injuries is a possibility.
No Report, These are March’s amounts,.
General account
$3844.71
Class account
$6402.97
CenCal
$ 330.00
Total
$8594.54
Have $555.00 in dues
Membership (Debbie Driggers)
General : Total 50
Director of Training (Dennis Hocker)
September 11-12 AOW class and Altitude at Tahoe.
Newsletter (Don Kelsey)
Not present.
Webgoddess (Patti Shannon)
All dates are up to date on the website.
Upcoming Events
2010
April 30, May 1 Northern California Dive Show at the Santa Clara
Convention Center
May 6
General Meeting
May 15-16 Long Beach Scuba Show
May 20
Board of Director’s meeting, Greg’s
May 21, 22-23 Salt Point Campout (Connie POC)
June 3
General Meeting
June 17
Board of Directors, Location TBD
July 1
General Meeting
July 15
Board of Directors, Greg’s
Aug 5
General Meeting
Aug 6,7,8
NCUPS Beach and Boat Dive Photo Competition
Aug 19
Board of Directors, Greg’s
Sept 1
General Meeting
Sept 11, 12 Tahoe
Sept 11, 14 VDM Conception Trip; open to Aqua Tutus in June
Sept 16
Board of Directors, Greg’s
Oct 7
General Meeting
Oct 21
Board of Directors, Greg’s
Nov 4
General Meeting (Jim’s birthday)
Nov 18
Board of Directors, Greg’s
Dec 3
Sunol Train
Dec 11
Holiday Party
Dec 18 – Jan 2 Cozumel (Patti is point of contact)
2011
July 4 - 18
Philippines (Contact Dennis Hocker)
Meetings
Next Membership meeting:
Thursday May 6, 7:30 pm, Round Table, Castro Valley (7 pm social)
Next BOD meeting:
Thursday, May 20 at Greg Gleeson’s Home
Meeting adjourned 8:32 pm
CHECK OUT CDN’S “EASYDIVING-DIVING THE
EASY WAY”
Practical advise from CDN’S Bruce Watkins and
Dale Sheckler, now on the web at
http://www.cadivingnews.com/
easydiving_easyway.html
Special Committee: Holiday Party
December 11 at La Cabana, 7:00 pm. .
Old Business
• We received the Odyssey newsletter from Cencal. Connie to
send a request to receive an accounting of how the money is
being used. Connie to send letter requesting regular annual
statements (incl 2009), to Cen_Cal Attn: Helga, Treasurer,
P.O. Box 1168, Alameda, CA 94501-0121.
• Chris has joined us again resuming duties of Vice President.
Dive The Phillipines 2011
Jul 4-18, 2011
Contact Dennis Hocker [email protected]
New Business none
Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California
April 2010
Page 5
Coral Street April 18—Dive Report
Equipment Recall Notices
Reported by Larry Muth
Photos by Linda Muth
The club dive was rescheduled to this day from the previous Sunday due to storm conditions. Jim Driggers was the point of contact
and Larry Muth was the site contact due to Debbie Driggers’ surgery.
Alert forwarded from Gary Dreifuerst and Alan
Throop to the Tooter
Linda and Larry Muth were the only participants. It turned out to
be one of those beautiful
days clear and 67F. The
ocean was nearly flat with
only a slight surge. We entered the water just after 9.
The tide was a -0.7 at
8:10AM. We swam out
with very little kelp in the
way. We dropped down just
to the West of the outer
wash rock in 14ft of water
and swam north and east clockwise partway around the rock looking for subjects for photos and video.
Mares has announced a recall of defective Nemo Air dive computers manufactured in Italy. The O-ring on the Nemo Air quick
connector can fail, causing the dive computer to start leaking
breathing gas, which could require a diver to surface quickly,
posing a drowning hazard to divers.
There have been no injuries or fatalities associated with the defective Mares scuba diving equipment.
The recall affects the following Mares Nemo Air dive computers:
• 414158 - Nemo Air dive computer
• 414159 - Nemo Air w/compass
• 44200771 - HP hose w/quick connector Nemo Air (spare
part)
• 44200770 - Quick connector assembly female Nemo Air
(spare part)
Owners of Mares Nemo Air dive computers affected by the recall should stop using the defective equipment IMMEDIATELY
and contact an authorized Mares dealer or service center to have
the defective O-ring replaced. For more information, go to
www.mares.com
See US Consumer Produce Safety Commission notification at
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10197.html
Linda took a number of macro
and normal pictures and I was
able to take some close-up
video as well as some video
stills since there was not much
surge. The poorest visibility
during the dive was about 15ft
and 54F. However, most of the
time the visibility was around
25ft. We each could do our
thing and still keep track of each other.
Near the end of the dive I looked up from about 25ft. and saw the
waves were acting like mirrors and flashing light across the kelp
stalks. I shot video of this phenomenon. When I viewed it after the
dive it looked almost like northern lights. Very interesting!
URGENT RECALL: Mares Nemo Air Dive Computer
Date: 2010-04-14
http://www.cdnn.info/recall/tabata_100413/
tabata_100413.html
URGENT RECALL: Tabata TUSA RS-670 Regulators
Date: 2010-04-13
During the swim in there was very little eel grass, which makes
entries and exits difficult at this dive site. During June, July and
August this can be a real problem. Cameras and other gear normally become tangled in this grass.
Tabata has announced a recall of defective regulators manufactured in Japan. The first stage balance chamber plug can loosen
from the scuba regulator causing a high-pressure leak and creating unstable pressure, which poses a drowning hazard to divers.
Our dive lasted about 58 minutes and was one of our best dives at
Coral Street. There is much to see here. There are a number of
different fish, small animals, kelp and other interesting subjects.
You just have to look and
enjoy. For those divers
who want to go deeper,
you can swim out due
north and see patch reefs
that have wide sandy areas
between them and go
down to 50ft.. I find more
than enough interesting
things to see around the
near shore rocks and channels.
There have been no injuries or fatalities associated with the defective Tabata scuba diving equipment.
The recall affects the TUSA R-600 first stage scuba regulators
with the following serial numbers:
UR600022 through UR600029,
UR600031 through UR600103,
UR6000637 through UR6000676,
UR600708 through UR600716,
UR600737 through UR600776
Owners of defective TUSA regulators affected by the recall
should stop using the equipment IMMEDIATELY and return the
product to TUSA or an authorized dealer for free inspection and
replacement.
•
•
•
•
•
Linda and I want to nominate the entire club for the bone award
for missing a great day and dive. Their loss!
April 2010
Page 6
Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California
More about Reef Check
From Alan Throop
Since 2005, Reef Check’s California (RCCA) Program has
trained over 500 experienced recreational SCUBA divers to scientifically monitor California’s rocky reef ecosystem at 64 sites
Advertise in the TOOTER
Club members may advertise “dive equipment for
sale” at no cost. Just send your requirements to
the editor for listing
[email protected]
Ads must be renewed (just email Don to advise)
each month or will not appear the following month
GEAR FOR SALE
Two Aluminum 80’s w/ boots
Fresh Hydro (Dec. 2009)
& Just VIP’d.
Ready to dive!
$55 each or $100 for both
from Humboldt to San Diego. The program’s goal is to create an
educated network of citizen-scientist divers that helps to improve
marine management by providing decision makers with data on
indicator species of fishes, invertebrates, and seaweed. Reef
Check divers can participate in surveys ranging along the entire
coast of California, and more recently down into Baja, Mexico.
Reef Check California has announced the 2010 Training Dates
which can be found at: http://www.reefcheck.org/rcca/
training_schedule.php. Each training is held on two consecutive
weekends with classroom and pool training the first weekend followed by six training and testing dives in the ocean the second
weekend. The cost of the course is $200 which covers all fees and
includes your own personal underwater survey equipment, the
RCCA Training Manual, and species identification flash cards.
To date, data has been used by the California Department of Fish
and Game to help assess population levels for nearshore fish and
shellfish species and by stakeholder groups involved in the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative Process. Taking action and becoming a trained Reef Check Diver allows you join a group of
dedicated divers from all walks of life including commercial and
recreational fishermen, university students and conservationists
who want healthier California rocky reef ecosystems and support
science-based decision making.
Scheduled Trainings in the North/Central Coast:
Monterey 1: May 15-16 & May 22-23
Monterey 2: June 12-13 & June 27-27
Santa Rosa: July 17-18 & July 24-25
San Luis Obispo: Aug 21-22 & Aug 28-29
Email Megan at [email protected] with any questions.
Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California
Weights & Belts
Coated 5 lbs Retail @ $16.99
each + Shipping
On sale for $10 each.
1 lb. ‘bullets’ $2 each. Belts
free!
Fred Wade
[email protected]
Guidelines for AquaTooter Input
The Tooter is created using a PC running Windows
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• For Text documents, please use file formats
compatible with Windows XP or 7.
• Provide separate images, even if your pictures
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makes it easier for me to transfer images to Publisher documents. Sometimes images inbedded
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April 2010
Page 7
IN THE NEWS
Ban on commercial whaling to be overturned in June
Powered by CDNN - Cyber Diver News Network
April 17, 2010
TOKYO, Japan — Commercial whaling is set to return after
almost 25 years as Japan moves to overturn a worldwide ban.
Conservationists say that lifting the current moratorium will
threaten the long-term survival of whale populations and
would be a highly symbolic defeat for preservation.
They warn it could "open the floodgates" to far bigger slaughter in the future.
At present whaling is carried out mainly by Japan, Iceland and
Norway.
The three nations have killed 35,000 whales since the ban was introduced in 1986. In Japan's case, the killings have been justified as
being for "scientific research."
Under the deal being considered by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), hunting would be legally recognised and there are
fears that other countries could take part.
Britain's opposition to whaling may count for nothing because Denmark is likely to back the change. This failure to reach a European
Union consensus will rule out any veto by the remaining 24 member
states.
Proposals will be published this week and a deal will be struck at an
IWC meeting in Morocco in June. They are expected to be backed
by America and Denmark. The US is worried that if it blocks the
plan, Japan will veto any renewal of permission for small-scale
whale catching by indigenous peoples in Alaska. Denmark is expected to back it to ensure a quota for its dependent territories of
Greenland and the Faroes.
Britain is a strong supporter of the existing ban, but may now be
unable to stop the new deal being ratified because it votes in a block
with the EU.
For the complete story go to
http://www.cdnn.info/news/eco/e100417.html
FROM http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/
North Central Coast Marine Protected Areas
to Take Effect May 1
Twenty-one marine protected areas (MPAs) adopted last year
by the California Fish and Game Commission will take effect
May 1, 2010 along California’s north central coast. The new
regulations are being implemented as part of the Marine Life
Protection Act (MLPA), which requires that California reexamine and redesign its system of MPAs with the goal of increasing its effectiveness at protecting the state’s marine life
and habitats, marine ecosystems, and marine natural heritage.
Regulations for the north central coast MPAs, between Alder
Creek near Point Arena in Mendocino County to Pigeon Point
in San Mateo County, were adopted by the commission in
August 2009 and approved by the Office of Administrative
Law in April 2010.
In addition to the 21 MPAs, the new regulations include three
state marine recreational management areas (SMRMAs) and
six special closures, in total covering approximately 153
square miles (20.1 percent) of state waters in the study region.
Approximately 86 square miles (11 percent) are designated as
“no take“ state marine reserves, while the remaining areas
have different take allowances providing varying levels of
protection.
Specific details about each MPA, SMRMA and special closure
are available at www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa. Statewide there are
five MLPA study regions; the north central coast study region
was the second to complete the MPA planning process. As
mandated by the MLPA, the north central coast planning process (2007-2009) began by examining all existing MPAs within
the study region and ultimately led to redesigning them into a
new suite of MPAs. The MPAs for the north central coast will
become part of a statewide network of MPAs once planning in
all study regions is complete.
The north central coast MPAs were designed through a collaborative public process in which 45 members of a regional
stakeholder group worked closely with a science advisory
team, a blue ribbon task force, the California Department of
Fish and Game, and MLPA Initiative staff and contractors to
develop a set of MPA recommendations.
More information about the north central coast MPAs can be
found on the MLPA Web site at www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa
northcentraLhome.asp.
For Bruce Watkins’ perspective, see his article (The North
Central Marine Life Protection Act - Impact on Abalone Divers) in CDN at
http://www.cadivingnews.com/article/802/The-NorthCentral-Marine-Life-Protection-Act-Impact-on-AbaloneDivers
April 2010
Page 8
Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California
Check
Calendar of Events
http://www.aquatutus.com/activities.htm
for the latest calendar
2010
April 30, May 1 Northern California Dive Show at the Santa Clara Convention Center
May 6
Membership Meeting, Roundtable Pizza, Castro Valley 7:30pm.
May 15-16 Long Beach Scuba Show
May 20
Board Meeting (Greg’s house) Dinner 6:30PM, business meeting 7:00PM
May 21, 22 Salt Point Campout (Connie POC)
June 3
General Meeting
June 17
Board of Directors, Location TBD
July 1
General Meeting
July 15
Board of Directors, Greg’s
Aug 5
General Meeting
Aug 6,7,8 NCUPS Beach and Boat Dive Photo Competition
Aug 19
Board of Directors, Greg’s
Sept 1
General Meeting
Sept 11, 12 Tahoe
Sept 11, 14 VDM Conception Trip open to Aqua Tutus in June
Sept 16
Board of Directors, Greg’s
Oct 7
General Meeting
Oct 21
Board of Directors, Greg’s
Nov 4
General Meeting (Jim’s birthday)
Nov 18
Board of Directors, Greg’s
Dec 3
Sunol Train
Dec 11
Holiday Party
Dec 18 – Jan 2 Cozumel (Patti is point of contact)
2011
Jul 4-18
Phillipines, Contact Dennis Hocker
[email protected]
ATDC Dive Training
Check
http://www.aquatutus.com/activities.htm
• Dates are tentative and depend on participation.
• Classroom sessions held at 38962 Larkspur Street,
Newark, CA
• For more information contact
• Neil Benjamin: (510) 673-0073
[email protected]
• Dennis Hocker: (510) 792-5606 dennis@ rxscuba.com
Keep up with California Diving, read
California Diving News
http://www.cadivingnews.com/
Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California
2009 Club Officers/Volunteers
President
Jim Driggers
[email protected]
Vice President
[email protected]
Chris Stensager
Secretary
Connie Klein
[email protected]
Treasurer
Greg Gleeson
[email protected]
Membership Chair
Debbie Driggers
[email protected]
Training Director
Dennis Hocker
[email protected]
Cen Cal Representative:
Entertainment Chair
Alan Throop
[email protected]
Newsletter Publisher
Don Kelsey
[email protected]
Board Members @ Large:
Fritz Welss
[email protected]
Matt Warren
[email protected]
Larry Muth
[email protected]
Past President
Greg Gleeson
[email protected]
Web “Goddess”
Patti Shannon Hocker [email protected]
ATDC Web page:
www.aquatutus.com
April 2010
Page 9
For quick access to Chuck Tribolet’s
Internet Resources
for the Bay Area Diver
http://www.garlic.com/~triblet/swell/
News from the Monterey Bay
National Marine Sanctuary
Keep in touch by surfing over to:
http://www.mbnms.nos.noaa.gov
For updates on the Joint Management
Plan review process, surf over to:
http://www.sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov/jointplan/
For Cencal updates and calendar
http://www.cencal.org/
Aqua Tutus Diving Club
P.O. Box 11952
Pleasanton, CA 94588
North Coast Diving since 1958
Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California