San Francisco Divers June 2017 Volume XLV No. 6

SUP DIVING VS. KAYAK By Mike Staninec urchins and kept looking into cracks and holes for On Saturday, May 20th, some of the dwindling fish, without much luck. After an hour or so Gene and aging freedive contingent of the San Francisco showed up and told me he had been diving in the Reef Divers assembled in Sausalito, eh, that would same cove, just a bit closer to shore. He had his limit be two of us, Gene Kramer and myself. The forecast of abs as well and had not seen any fish. I pointed for Mendocino coast was quite bit rougher than for out a spot where I had seen some small blues earlier Sonoma that day, so we had decided to stay and he said he'd check it out, and jumped back in. I south. We drove up to the coast through Bodega worked the bottom some more, and was very happy Bay, trying to scout to find a medium size China rockfish in a crack, out the conditions which I invited home along the coast, for dinner with my 38 starting at Salmon Special. Creek. The We were both ready was supposed to be to head back. I tried 4-5' which is usually various positions on mild, but the surf at my SUP, but it was Salmon Creek did hard to get not look all that comfortable for mild. For the rest of paddling and my the drive the water progress was very was shrouded in fog, slow. Gene saw me making it impossible struggling and offered to tell what the ocean me a tow, which I was doing. We gladly accepted. I was decided to make lying on the board Timber Cove our first stop and took a quick look at kicking and holding on to the tow rope with my the water from the top of the cliff. At that point we hand. We got back around the point and landed back could see enough to tell it was definitely diveable, on the beach. I was tired from the kicking and so we paid our fees and drove down the ramp to started to cramp up in my calves as well as my abs, drop off Gene's kayak and my SUP (stand-up but I managed to struggle out of the water and drag board), which I had found quite useful on a previous my gear out. dive in Stillwater Cove, Carmel. Overall, we were both happy with the dive and the We paddled north around the corner and by the conditions, and the catch was reasonable, if not time we rounded the corner I lost Gene, as I was spectacular. I do have some thoughts about using the much slower on my board than he was on his kayak. SUP for diving. I tried one in 101 Surf Sports, a I thought he had perhaps gone around one more great new paddle shop in San Rafael. I have corner, so after a bit of looking around, I just extensive kayaking experience, but almost no SUP decided to dive in the middle of that cove, as I did experience, and it was very evident that standing up not want to paddle further. The bottom was 15-25' in the usual fashion made for some very slow going, and the vis was an amazing 20' or so. Interesting around 2 knots, by my GPS. Then I tried sitting on it structure with some small caves and holes. Not a lot and paddling with a kayak paddle, and what do you of kelp, lots of small urchins and the occasional ab. I know, I could push the thing over 5 knots fairly went about my business and it was not too difficult well. I decided to buy one and rig it up for diving, as to get a limit of abs around 8"; I did not see anything bigger. I also grabbed about eight medium size Continued on page 3

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REEFER’S RAP - 2017

JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH

01 - New Year’s Day 02 - Groundhog Day 11 - Sanctuary - K Dock 14 - Sanctuary Dive Boat - K Dock 11 - Sanctuary Dive Boat - K Doc 12- Daylight Savings Time 16 - Martin Luther King Day 14 - Valentine’s Day 15 - Fermentation Lab, 1230 Market 18 - Almanac Taproom 15 - l'emigrante wine bar, 2199 Street 2704 24th Street @ Potrero Mission Street 17 - Saint Patrick’s Day 20 - Inauguration Day 20 - President’s Day 28 - Chinese New Year

APRIL MAY JUNE

01 - April’s Fools Day 05 - Scuba Show - Long Beach 10 - Sanctuary Dive Boat - K Dock 08 - Sanctuary Dive Boat - K Dock 17 - Movable Feast - Broken Record, 21 - Ali Baba’s Cave, 799 Valencia 19 - Barebottle Brewery, 1525 1166 Geneva Avenue Street @ 19th Street Cortland Ave., near Bayshore 29 - Memorial Day Holiday (before freeway)

JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER

04 - Independence Day Holiday 12 - Sanctuary Dive Boat - K Dock 04 - Labor Day Holiday 08 - Sanctuary Dive Boat - K Dock 16 - Movable Feast - TBD 17 - 19 Peace Dive Boat 19 - Movable Feast - TBD 20 - Movable Feast - TBD

OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER

09 - Columbus Day 05 - Daylight Savings Time Ends 16 - Sanctuary Dive Boat - K Dock 14 - Sanctuary Dive Boat - K Dock 11 - Veterans Day 20 - Movable Feast - TBD 18 - Movable Feast - TBD 19 - Sanctuary Dive Boat - K Dock 15 25 - Christmas Day 31 - Halloween - Movable Feast - TBD 23 - Thanksgiving Day

.

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shop was open and the sign “Yankee” Sullivan, as well as the SUP from page 1 beckoned me in to take the tour first governor of Alta California it is much lighter than a kayak of the chapel, basilica and the under Mexican rule; Don Luis and very simple. It worked well cemetery. Antonio Argüello. for me in Carmel, but that was a In classic San Francisco short paddle, just to the rocks in fashion across the street from the front of the Stillwater Cove pier, Mission is the Saint Matthäus- maybe a quarter mile. One Kirche. We tend to forget that advantage is that I did not have Yuerba Buena before the Gold to anchor it, being light and Rush was a very small town. In gliding well, I just tied my gun 1846 there were around 200 line to it and dragged it behind people living in what we now me with little effort. However, on call San Francisco. Between the longer Timber Cove paddle, January 1848 and December the sitting position got pretty 1849, the population of San uncomfortable after a while and Francisco increased from 1,000 it was hard to paddle with my to 25,000. top on. I did not have a good place on the board to stow the top. Lying on the board and kicking is another option, but it It’s a remarkably peaceful was pretty slow. For longer place, especially on a weekday paddles, I will definitely go back when you have it all to yourself. to the kayak, for short paddles it There are four marked burial will probably work. places in the Chapel, William Leidesdorf, a prominent African American businessman, the Noe Family, Lieutenant José Joaquin Moraga and the Very Reverend STAMMTISCH Richard Carroll, the first pastor at By Pierre Hurter the Mission after San Francisco Among the many people who became an Archdiocese. came to seek their fortunes were German immigrants. Within four years of the beginning of the Gold Rush there were consuls in San Francisco representing Meckelenburg-Schwerin, Hanover, Hamburg, Bremen (remember Germany as we think of today didn’t yet exist), Austria and Switzerland. In the 1870’s there were four German Lutheran congregations, a Reform On one of my meandering congregation and a Catholic ambles … absquatulating … German parish. As early as 1851 around town, I found myself in there were at least two front of La Misión de Nuestro synagogues serving the German Padre San Francisco de Asís or My favorite part of the Mission speaking community as well. On Mission Dolores. Founded on is the cemetery. The headstones a side note the first Jewish June 29, 1776, give evidence of a time when services in the City were held on by Lieutenant José Joaquin people died young and came Yom Kippur (5610), September Moraga and Francisco Palóu (a from the far corners of the world. 26, 1849 on Montgomery Street. companion of Juniper Serra) and The dead include three victims of both members of the de Anza the Vigilantes: James Casey, Expedition. The door to the gift Charles Cora and James Continued on page 4

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Stammtisch from page 3 my favorite, Best Place to Walk in March. That’s way to long to Four Blocks without Hearing be out of the game. Muscle

English. memory only lasts for so long, if The First World War was tough you want to be a reasonably on German speakers; some states competent diver, you need to banned the language, even for dive. Just a theory on my part, church services. During World but it’s like going golfing for a War II all of the other German week once a year; do you really language churches in San think you will ever get any good Francisco stopped holding at it? services in German except for So, on Memorial Day a group Saint Matthews. They’re still of us decided to brave the waters there and they still have German off of Monterey and go for the language services on Sundays. In case your curious, the Best plunge and get wet for a change. Immigration is and always has Tiki Bar, according to the SF The drive down was uneventful; been a contentious topic. There Weekly is Pagon Idol on Bush traffic actually appeared to be seem to be two prevailing views, Street, the Best Place to Walk fairly light. We hooked up with we’ve always been a nation of Four Blocks without Hearing Jim, Bhushan, Ralph, Larry and immigrants, or in the words of a English, is Clement Street, Mel with Mitch and Paula as well-known conservative between sixth and tenth street. skipper and crew. commentator; “We’re not a For the rest of the best, you’ll th Our first dive was at Chase nation of immigrants, we have have to check out the May 18 Reef. We dropped down the never been a nation of edition of the SF Weekly. anchor chain and unto a small immigrants. This is a myth I’m reading Nancy Isenberg’s pile of rocks. I tied off my reel invented by the Democrats for White Trash. The 400-Year and headed in a generally electoral purposes and Untold History of Class in southerly direction until I had Republicans for who knows what America. It’s a fascinating look about 200 feet of line behind me reasons, because their donors at America’s history outside of … nothing. So we headed back need the cheap labor.” I’ll just the typical elementary school to the starting point and tried note that the largest ethnic group memories most of us have again, until I had covered the in America according to the 2013 carried with us into adulthood. cardinal directions. No luck, just census is people with German It’s a reminder that the problem the small pile of rocks and a roots. In 2013, according to the with history is that most of us neatly wound reel. Census bureau, 46 million don’t know our history and those Americans claimed German that do know it seem to think that Our second dive was at Eric’s ancestry: more than the number they are too smart to be caught Pinnacle, it turned into a great who traced their roots to Ireland up in the lessons of the past. It dive. The water was (33 million) or England (25 also seems incredibly topical in on the cool side, 48 to 50 degrees million), go figure. As to light of today’s day-to-day depending on your computer whether or not we are a nation of events. with 30 to 40 feet of visibility. immigrants, well I’m not a According to California Diving Native American and Gerda isn’t When it comes to diving, we News, Eric’s Pinnacle was named related to Pocahontas. haven’t had much luck lately. back in the 1990s when Captain Last month we were set to head Paging through SF Weekly’s Phil Sammet and Eric Minard out on the Sanctuary when we “Best of San Francisco” nodding (Captain Dave Minard’s brother) got a call from Mike, something my head at some choices, were out looking for a sandy spot about seven foot swells in the chuckling at others. Why is it Bay, 12 feet around the corner to where they could hunt halibut. that we find lists of “the best” so Carmel. Call me a wimp, but Phil was driving and Eric was interesting? Or is it really only that’s really no fun. We were watching the depth finder when me? I think some of the starting to dry out; the air in our they went over a steep-sided categories speak for themselves; tanks was going stale. We hadn’t pinnacle. When it came time to Best Tourist Attraction for been in the water since returning Locals, Best Tiki Bar, Best New Continued on page 5 from our dive trip to Raja Ampat Edibles sold in Dolores Park and

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Stammtisch from page 4 over the map, in terms of education, experiences and name it, well you can guess the background. We had an rest. interesting group on the boat, It’s a good sized jumble of rock conversations and experiences with the top sitting in 20 feet of ranged from experimental water and the base around 55 physics to astronomy to high feet. It features lots of spires and finance to gas blends to cracks full of wildlife. There should you be buying Tesla stock where some wisps of kelp, the and at what price? and power, steam and electricity, polluted the air, the waters of huge number of sea urchins seem Continuing on the theme of then bay and the surrounding to be taking care of that, along discoveries of the month, San communities for decades, leaving with a carpet of strawberry Francisco’s historic Pier 70 behind huge quantities of anemones, sponges, cup corals shipyard has closed after 150 hydrocarbons, sulphur, acids, and metridiums. years. The area has been and powdered carbon, ash, slag, industrial site since the Gold We did see the semi-resident manganese, mercury, lead, Rush, the first steel ships built on wolf eel, a few big lingcod and copper, cadmium, zinc and other the Pacific were built here. It’s the lots of very small sand dabs. heavy metals. Given the luxury the oldest civilian shipyard in We had the usual issues that I’ve of hindsight it’s easy to criticize America. The last ship built come to associate with diving what was done. Still, a lot of there was the frigate U.S.S. with “Damp Suits”, but no major people made a living here, raised Bradley, delivered on May 11, issues, flooding or losses. A family’s, made San Francisco 1965. great day on the water followed what it was. Progress, it’s by lunch at the Sand Bar & Grill. complicated, messy and and Try the Jumbo Crab Club rarely easy. It will be interesting Sandwich or the sand dabs for to see how this impacts the that matter. redevelopment plans for the area. Closer to home Good News the newspaper and magazine shop on th In recent years its dry docks, 24 Street in my neck of the which include the largest woods closed after 22 years in working dry dock on the West business. The Internet, the rising Coast, was kept busy keeping cost of magazines and the cruise ships afloat. A bigger dry bankruptcy of a distributer of dock in Portland took most of international magazines spelled that business. BAE, which had the death knell. run the repair facility decided to I’ll have to admit to being sell to Puglia Engineering for $1 someone who still likes to have a for the business plus $38 million hardcopy in my hands, but the in pension liabilities. It went from as many as 16,000 workers magazines and newspapers I read in WWI to approximately 18,500 regularly, I subscribe to. Still I’ll men and women during WWII, miss buying the odd issue of Shotgun News … I don’t want to One of the great things about working three shifts a day, seven diving is the people you meet. It days a week. In the end, there subscribe because when “they” seems that all to often we spend were some 200 workers left to let come to round up “God fearin most of our time with folks who go. It’s not just coal miners who Americans” I don’t want to be in aren’t all that much different then are on the wrong side of the data base. progress. we are, same world view, general Times change, I used to buy the agreement on most topics, It wasn’t all wine and roses, Chronicle everyday and read it constantly hearing that what you manufactured gas plants (MGPs) Continued on page 6 think is the norm. Divers are all that produced gas for gaslight

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Stammtisch from page 5 American Apparel, “Made in America - Sweatshop Free” along with my morning coffee seems to have gone with the before starting the workday, that wind, it’s local stores as bare as was back when the Sporting Radio Shack. I remember when Green was actually green and Radio Shack was at the leading Herb Caen was pumping out a edge of computers, back in 1977, column a day in Baghdad by the two years after the MITS Altair Bay and The San Francisco 8800, Radio Shack introduced Comical was a real newspaper. the TRS-80, one of the first Still I’ll miss Sam’s smile, as I’m mass-produced personal sure many of my local dog computers. It was a pre- neighbors will miss his treats. assembled system at a time when many microcomputers were built up some tanks at Any Waters, Old Doc's Clock ended its 56- from kits, backed by a taking El Camino Real for a year run at 2575 Mission Street nationwide retail chain when change of pace. In Palo Alto I on Saturday, June 3. Word has it computer stores were in their had an “only in the Bay Area that the New Doc's, will reopen infancy. It was my first exposure moment, there on one corner was at 2417 Mission Street by July 1. to the computer world. It was a Tesla dealer, on the other a The iconic sign will apparently also an era where you could build McClaren dealer. If you’re not be making the move. This a hi-fi system or a television looking for a hybrid with a little being San Francisco we may from a kit, Dynaco, Heathkit, etc. more oomph than a Prius, check soon see two signs within a block out the P1. The only issue that I of each other. I just hope the can see is that they only made new owner doesn’t screw up the 375 of the million-dollar plus, sign. 903-hp gas/electric hybrid cars (3.8-liter 727-hp V-8 paired with a 177-hp electric motor) and they have all been sold. Anyway, I put my name on the waiting list for the next model. Our June club dive was great, Jacob, Gerda and I and were the The City keeps changing, but fearless bunch that headed out on really it always has. I note that a gorgeous Saturday to explore working stiff clothing has an the underwater world of ongoing appeal for people; it Monterey. I have to say that I tends to be comfortable, well could get used to the luxury of made and fairly priced. I will such a small group aboard the Klockars blacksmith shop on admit though when I saw a Sanctuary. Topside conditions Rincon Hill is a leftover from a Vietnam Era style jacket, more where terrific, flat, sunny and time when San Francisco was a completely described as “Coat warm. man’s cotton wind resistant Rip- solid blue-collar working stiff Our first dive was at Aumentos stop poplin jacket” hanging in a town. I remember going there Reef, a bit of at the local haberdashery priced at $475 some years ago to have bottom, but not bad if you tucked bucks, I have to wonder, something fabricated, Tony into the lee side of one of the particularly when you can get Rosellini gave me a tour and huge blocks that make up the real ones for around $25 used, or offered lunch and a glass or two reef. The water temperature was $45 for brand new ones from around 50 degrees, the area of wine. Now it looks as if it outfits like Propper, a purveyor covered with Corynactis may become a cannabis of military uniforms, where are californica. The visibility wasn’t dispensary. As long as they we heading? preserve the redwood floors and great, somewhere around 20 feet On a totally unrelated topic, I machines, I’m all for it. Continued on page 7 was driving back from picking

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Stammtisch from page 7 Eat Me rules have been designed to provide some means of restoring, with lots of particulates hanging by Kenneth Gwin maintaining, or insuring that in the water column. The these resources are sustainable. highlight of the dive was listening to a seal chatter away Rules seldom make people nearby. Of course, when he happy. buzzed me, it scarred the crap out Some of these rules create of me until I realized it was the problems in reality. Even if seal I’d been listening to. fishing within an allowed Dive two was at Hopkins Deep, location and within allowed a great dive. Big chunks of depths, fishing means you catch granite strewn across a sandy whatever comes by, not bottom around 90 feet. There There are people out there who necessarily what you intended. were squid eggs clusters eat the scenery. But that's the It is very common to catch a everywhere. They looked like world we live in—it's all about fish you are not allowed to keep. semi inflated condoms swaying the food chain. And fish caught at certain depths in the current. The only down seldom recover from sudden side of both dives were all of the Bag limits have been a way of . sea nettles Chrysaora fuscescens life for those that forage, hunt in the water. and fish. These rules and There have been tricks and regulations have been part of an devices used to send restricted attempt to manage a complex and fish back down in a attempt to sometimes dwindling resource. save them, but these are There is now a complex array of cumbersome procedures and are regulations in the broad scope of only sporadically employed. The wildlife management. To fish you are not supposed to understand all of this, you might keep, often ends up being eaten need a law degree. by the seagulls. Good intentions don't always work. However, Afterwards we headed to Turtle Besides the notion of bag limits there have been some successes Bay, hoping for a light lunch (both for commercial and at recovery, despite the realities. before heading home. Turns out recreational fishing), there are a they are no longer there. Our number of no-take zones and As a deeper diver, I have often next stop was at the Sea Harvest protected areas meant to provide seen many restricted fish, such as on Foam Street, Gerda had the space for the recovery of a boccaccio, yelloweye, cowcod, crab Louise, I settled for the number of species that are canary, and so on. They are down combination and chips, fish, threatened or whose populations there, but often at depths well calamari, scallops and oysters. are near collapse. past recreational limits and sometimes past the limits That’s it for June, as a parting Look at rockfish as an allowed for fishing. For a number thought I recently read about a example. Because of the intense of reasons (do rules work?), condition I had not heard of on these territorial and some of these fish have now before, pseudologia fantastica, slow growing fish, a number of become more common, some an elaborate and often fantastic species have nearly vanished even abundant. account of exploits that are false from California waters. Complex but that the teller believes to be restrictions have therefore been One of the most beautiful of all true. Not sure why it resonated imposed on the taking of these rockfish, and one often seen at with me, but for some reason it fish in recent years. depth in the waters off Monterey seems to describe and explain There have been a number of and Carmel is the canary much of what I read in the news these fish that have been rockfish. These have been lately. excluded from take. There has excluded from take for a number of years. The restriction on take also been a maximum depth limit for all rockfish taken. Rockfish has recently been amended to are creatures of the depths. These Continued on page 8

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Eat Me from page 7 worlds of twilight and darkness, going to. Judging by the number and what kind of realm has of folks that recognize me and allow the retention of one of Bhushan ventured into? greet me with a smile, I think I these fish per day. That means am being familiar to there has been enough recovery There is a fifth dimension, also. to allow some take, and the beyond that which is canary inadvertently caught can known to man. It is a A group of us made the annual now be kept and eaten by you, dimension as vast as space trip this year. Norm and Jim have and not the seagulls. and as timeless as infinity. been doing this trip with me for It is the middle ground many years now, Steve Neff My fishing report after between light and shadow, recently joined and we had Deb considerable research: delicious. between science and Gilmore join us for the first time. superstition, and it lies We missed Pierre and Gerda on between the pit of man's this trip, as we did Joerg and fears and the summit of his Monica. Those of us that went knowledge. This is the had just about the perfect dive dimension of imagination. trip, as is typical for Cozumel It is an area which we call and us. The Twilight Zone … Rod We all arrived by May 17th Serling and returned on May 24th. In the intervening days we dove as a group of 5 on some of the best diving spots Cozumel has to

offer. With our group size,

Aldorra kept us as one group, in The Deep End one boat and we did not have to by Kenneth Gwin "share". Aldora also provided us For years I have been busy with their signature 120cu ft steel proselytizing. Few have listened tanks, with . Aldora of to my suggestions. Unfazed, I course by now knows our group persisted. I told tales, well, and appreciates us a return romanticized, even embellished customers many times over. This my exploits, and encouraged means we are really only constrained by weather as to others to follow me into the Diving Cozumel depths. Results have been mixed. where we dive. This is important Take Bhushan, a longtime Reef By Bhushan Mudbhary because many dive shops in Diver. For years, he resisted. Cozumel may not take you to the I would rename Cozumel more southern reefs. We had no His hesitations seemed sound. "Aak'ha", or Turtle Water in such constraints. We hit many of For him it was all about risk Maya. The loggerhead turtle, the southern spots like Punta Sur management. Deeper meant early on in the season, swam Sur and Columbia Deep. We did darker, scarier, and all the rest. I towards me some 20ft below or not do Devil's Throat this time, have no idea what changed in his so over the white sand. It was at but instead went down another reasoning to alter his conclusions towards the end of the dive, but I passage in Columbia called and lead him finally down this decided to go for it and "David's Throat", named after the path. But now he dives with descended to try to intercept it founder of Aldora. We wanted to doubles and there is a touch of and take its picture. It was but weren't able to dive helium in his tanks. moving faster than I had guessed Maracaibo on account of and it passed me several feet For me, depth is merely an weather. We also dove below. As it did, I managed to Palancar(caves) as well as the arbitrary line. There are no get a head shot of this big animal. fearsome dragons to see when I "2nd dive" favorites such as La cross beyond those recreational Cozumel is a familiar and Francesca, San Francisco, Cedral limits. Still, the question remains; comfortable place to me. It is etc.. what really lies below in those more of a returning to than a Continued on page 9

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Cozumel from page 8 The diving routine is pretty least the ones we go to haven't settled for us at this point. The made us sick. One night we 1st dive can be deep but within might go to Pancho's Backyard recreational limit. Depending on for killer Margaritas (or Paloma the dive, it wouldn't be unusual if you are Jim) , and great to exceed recreational no Mexican cuisine. Or we might go decompression limits by a small to Le Chef for Pizzas, salads, amount. Something like 5 sandwiches and the like. La minutes of deco obligation at Choza is of course a must go to, 20ft was probably about as far as is the classical La Casa into deco anyone got. We are Mission. This year we tried two definitely mindful of safety, as is new places, which will get added Diving far north out in the open Aldora, but with the experience to our list, as they were both channel has now been a tradition of the group and having done phenomenal. La Cocay was for us, and this year was no these sorts of profiles before, referred to as "San Francisco exception. This trip is a lot of everyone is reasonably good!" by a friend. The fun. Besides the dive being more comfortable with an occasional Mediterranean style cuisines and on the wild side, both regards to and small bit of deco. Aldora has the setting were phenomenal. it being very exposed and the Memo suggested we try the critters, the company that join recently opened Sal De Mar, use from Aldora are also a lot of which we did and it did not fun. Memo who is part owner disappoint. joins this dive and brings along his fisherman friend Mummia. On land we enjoyed walking The sites are somewhat on the around the plaza, making sure deeper side. In one excursion we Norm had ice cream. And no we saw sharks, schools of can't talk about what happened at barracudas, eels, stingrays and Woody's Bar. What happened in other life that one typically sees Cozumel stays in Cozumel, right over several dives at the usual gang? told us on occasions that our reefs down south. We also get to group of divers are at the top end shoot lion fish and have lion fish of diving skills amongst their (and lobster) ceviche for lunch. customer base. This trip tends to Add to this a visit to a lagoon skew advanced, that said, we go where we walked up to an old there to have fun so any level of Mayan temple ruin, it made for a skills can be accommodated. We very fun and unique day. tend not to have very many newbies at the club, so skill level is usually not an issue. This year Debra who joined for the first time on this trip, hadn't been diving for some months, but she quickly developed her comfort level, and was rolling back over the boat and heading down to 130 ft, like the rest of us :). We hope to have added another Our critter karma on this trip regular to this awesome trip. was quite good. We saw one or That's just the diving trip. This more eagle rays on several dives, trip to Cozumel is also has a unusual given the time of the gastronomical side, of the year. Nurse sharks many times. pleasant sort. We have only had Lots of turtles. one diver get sick once over all these years. The restaurants, at

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SFRD June’s Blast From The Past

Once again You are There, the time is June 1997, here are some of the highlights of Volume XXX No. VI of The Reef Diver Times, Newsletter of the San Francisco Reef Divers. For those of you wondering how this is possible, you need only remember Mr. Peabody of Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show. As you may recall, Mr. Peabody, is a beagle and the smartest being in existence. A Nobel laureate, Olympic medalist, scientist and inventor, despite his many accomplishments, he is lonely. So, he decides to adopt. He meets Sherman a dorky, bespectacled, red-haired boy. After saving Sherman from a group of bullies, Peabody discovers that Sherman is an orphan and decides to adopt him. After a court appearance and a talk with the President, Peabody becomes Sherman's new guardian. As a birthday gift for Sherman, Peabody invents the WABAC (Wayback) time machine. He and Sherman go back in time to see a Roman speaking in Latin; Peabody adds a translator circuit to the machine so that everyone seems to speak English. Their next trip is to see Ben Franklin flying his kite and discovering electricity, but Peabody and Sherman realize that they cannot interact or change the past. Peabody makes some more adjustments, turning the WABAC into a "should-have-been machine". That brings us to where we are now … Reef Rap Saturday, June 14th Kayak tour at Still Water Cove. This is a kayak dive opportunity. Bring your kayak or we’ll lend you one. Contact Frank King. Tues. June 17th General Meeting 7:30 PM at the Wawona Clubhouse 19th Ave. and Wawona. Sat. June 28th Ab Closer and rescue helicopter tour. A day of ab diving followed by a brunch. See details in this issue. Sat. July 12th Pt. Lobos Pot Luck Dive. We have 15 spots at Pt. Lobos. Jim Vallario Coordinates. Weekend July 18th-20th Bike and Wine Trip Pam Radkey is coordinating a bike and wine tour. Long Shore Currents Tuesday July 1 thru Monday 14th The Great American Fish Count Weekend July 31st - August 2nd Channel Islands on the “Vision”. The boat is full, but if you would like to be put on a waiting list, contact Bill Galarneau. Please note, final payment is due for those who signed up. Summer Backpacking Trip. This trip. This trip will be coordinated by Ray Will and will be to the Trinity Alps or Coastal hike. Members please feel free to express your ideas. There are two choices of dates Aug. 13th-17th or Aug. 27th-31st. August 23rd Monterey Boat Dive. This trip will be coordinated by Jim Vallario. We are trying to get the new “Monterey Express.” Sept. 6th - 7th Tahoe weekend. Details TBA Sept. 20th Underwater Cleanup. Bill Galarneau coordinates a cleanup dive at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay.

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Sun. Oct 5th Annual Abalone Feed Fund Raiser. To be at the Pacific Rod and Gun Club. We will ab dive on Sat. and hold our fund raiser feed on Sun. Weekend Oct. 25th-26th Pacific Star Boat Trip. Two days at sea along the Big Sur Coast makes for great diving. Jim Vallario coordinates. Oct. 11th-12th Abalone Cook off/Contest on the North Coast - Judging entry fee is $20. John Parent coordinates. Sea Ranch weekend in late October or early November. 4th Annual Salmon Swim on the American River. One day in late October or early November Frank King will coordinate. Other news included a gear maintenance and repair party, a new dive boat on the scene, the Monterey Express, which is now running out of La Paz and of course it was the first meeting at the Wawona Clubhouse. That’s all the news that’s fit to print.

SINGAPORE ON IT’S WAY TO BEING NUMBER ONE - IN SHARK FINNING TRADE Despite various moves made in recent years, such as hotels removing shark’s fin from their restaurant menus, for example, Singapore has moved up the ranks to become the world’s second-biggest trader of the product, per the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The analysis of Singapore’s role in the shark and ray trade found that, on the export front, the country placed second after Hong Kong, with trade valued at $40 million between 2012 and 2013. Hong Kong came in at $45 million Singapore is also the second-largest importer of shark’s fin after Hong Kong. Imports over the same period were valued at $51.4 million, compared with Hong Kong’s $170 million. In recent years, businesses from hotels to airlines have taken steps to stem the trade. In 2014, Singapore Airlines Cargo stopped carrying shark’s fin on its flights. That year, hotel giants, including Hilton, also said no to dishing out the ingredient at the properties they own and manage. More than 70 million sharks are killed yearly across the globe, and many species are caught at “unsustainable levels”, Traffic and the WWF said.

RUSSIAN MEGA-SUBMARINE SET TO EXPLORE UNDER THE ARTIC ICE A gigantic new Russian research submarine will be used to its Arctic frontier as it prepares to harvest previously untouchable natural resources. The Arctic Research Submarine was designed by the Rubin Design Bureau, which was also responsible for the Typhoon-class missile submarines, the largest subs ever built. The vessel will weigh in at 13,280 tons, making easily the largest civilian research submersible ever built, and will be 442 feet long.

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The sub features two sets of wing-like receivers, which retract into the hull and allow it to receive sonar signals broadcast from the ship's hull. This allows the submarine to map its surroundings in all directions as it cruises along underwater. Russia is eager to secure mineral and energy mining rights in the Arctic, in areas becoming more accessible as global warming reduces the amount of pack ice. Moscow has made underwater territorial claims in the Arctic extending past the traditional 200 mile Economic Exclusion Zone claimed by all countries, including parts of the North Pole.

DID YOU MISS THE BOAT? Last month I posted the possibility of visiting RMS.Titanic. Well if you didn’t sign up right away, you might be too late because trips on Blue Marble’s titanium and carbon-fiber submersible to the vessel’s final resting place two miles down, are fully booked. At $105,129 per person, it’s is almost twice as much of that of the last Titanic tourist trip on the Deep Ocean Explorer in 2012. Don’t worry if you missed this opportunity. Los Angeles-based The Bluefish is taking reservations for a similar expedition in 2018-19. The price yet to be determined, but it will include the 8-day round trip from Newfoundland. Check it out … thebluefish.com/visit-the-titanic

MEET THE ROBOT THAT'S SUCKING UP LIONFISH Looks as if lionfish may finally have a predator they can’t outswim: It reaches depths of 400 feet, weighs about 20 pounds and is equipped with a camera. It’s an undersea robot dreamed up by nonprofit Robots in Service of the Environment (RSE). The idea for the robot, which began testing in April, started after a diving session in Bermuda during which Colin Angle and his wife, Erika, had encountered plenty of lionfish. Someone on the dive suggested that Colin could invent a way of sucking up these pesky prowlers. He is the chief executive officer and co- founder of iRobot, makers of the Roomba vacuum. Colin teamed up with several partners including his wife’s company, Science From Scientists. The result was the Guardian LF1. The robot is surface operated via a video game controller. The onboard camera spots a lionfish and stuns it with two low-voltage electrical probes. Then lionfish is than suctioned into a containment vessel. One robot can capture up to 10 of the invasive fish before returning to the surface.

UNDERWATER WAR WRECKS ARE DISAPPEARING The wreck of the HMAS , which was sunk by the Japanese in 1942 is sixty percent gone, the victim of illegal scrap metal salvaging. A team of Indonesian and Australian divers made the discovery that 60 per cent of World War II shipwreck has vanished, with evidence of large- scale illegal salvaging for scrap metal at the site off

12 San Francisco Reef Divers June 2017 Volume XLV No. 6 the coast of Java. An iconic Australian warship, HMAS Perth was sunk by the Japanese in the Battle of Sunda Strait 75 years ago. Some of the damage to the wreck is a result of the Japanese torpedo strikes that sank the vessel in 1942 and the degradation of the site over the last 75 years, but there are signs of salvage, with some salvage activities, including equipment visible around the site. The scrap metal found on naval shipwrecks has an extremely high resale value, the phosphor bronze used in ships' propellers for example is valued at about $4000 a ton. HMAS Perth is not the only shipwreck around Indonesia to be torn apart for scrap. Three Dutch ships sunk during the 1942 Battle of the Java Sea have vanished in their entirety prompting outrage in the Netherlands. More than 350 navy personnel and civilians on the HMAS Perth died in the Battle of Sunda Strait. Another 328 escaped with their lives but more than 100 later died as prisoners of war after being taken captive by the Japanese. (The Commonwealth War Graves Commission does not consider a shipwreck to be a war grave.)

THE WORLD'S SMALLEST IS CAUSING DISCORD IN BAJA CALIFORNIA Two decades ago, 600 vaquita swam in the waters of the coast of Baja California. Today, fewer than 30 remain, the only ones left on Earth. Hundreds of vaquita have died in recent years after becoming entangled in nets set for the totoaba, a large white fish whose swim bladder can fetch thousands of dollars on the black market in China, where it is believed to have medicinal properties. The prospect that the vaquita could disappear in a matter of months has inspired a controversial conservation campaign, with the Mexican government banning all fishing nets from a large swath of the Sea of Cortez, the gulf separating Baja California from mainland Mexico. The government has paid tens of millions of dollars to help local fishermen who have found their profession suddenly outlawed. But the money has failed to quell rising anger in the port town of San Felipe and other beach communities strung along Baja California’s east coast. They see eco-activists who have descended on the area as foreign interlopers who care more about a handful of sea creatures than they do about the livelihoods of local Mexicans. The vaquita is the world’s smallest porpoise, with the smallest geographical range of any marine mammal: Its entire habitat is a third of the size of Los Angeles County. The problem, authorities say, is that the illegal totoaba trade is more lucrative than cocaine trafficking. Mexican fishermen have been exporting totoaba bladders to China for decades, but in recent years, thanks to China’s booming economy, demand has soared. In late 2015, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society sailed into San Felipe’s sleepy harbor. It had come to try to enforce the net ban that had been instituted by the Mexican government, but which was not being well enforced. Every day since, a team of vigilante volunteers from around the world has hauled up and destroyed nets illegally set by Mexican fishermen. Sea Shepherd has the blessings of the Mexican government a sign, in part, of the government’s inability to stop the poachers on its own. Naval ships frequently come along side the Sea Shepherd vessels and offer to help recover the nets. But in the coastal communities of Baja, many residents don’t understand why their government has allowed in a group of activists they feel are out to ruin their way of life. A few months ago, hundreds of fishermen in San Felipe called for the activists’ ouster in dramatic fashion: they painted “Sea Shepherd” on the side of an old boat and burned it, drawing cheers.

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ST SINCE JANUARY 1 1973 ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO REEF DIVERS (SFRD): The Reef Diver Times is the official newsletter of the San Francisco Reef Divers, a not for profit community organization dedicated to safe and the preservation of our ocean resources. Membership is $25 annually, dues payable to “SFRD”. The General Meeting is held the 3rd Wednesday of the month. Location is announced one week prior to the meeting. Please check our yahoo site for details http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sfreefdivers/ We meet at 7:00pm for socializing, drinks, food and club business. For more information, visit http://www.sfreefdivers.org or our Facebook page

SAN FRANCISCO REEF DIVERS Reef Diver Times C/O Gerda Hurter 515 Diamond Street San Francisco, CA 94114

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