THE AQUA TOOTER On the web at http://www.aquatutus.com January 2016

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.

Meeting Entertainment Aqua Tutus Diving Club's Please join us on February 4th with Scott Harrison as he presents images and commentary from his Monte- next regular meeting: rey Bay diving experiences. Thursday, February 4th 7:30 p.m.

Scott has been diving since the late 90’s in and around Location: Round Table Pizza the Monterey peninsula. He dives Monterey about 40 20920 Redwood Rd. Castro Valley times a year and has been able to capture some images and events that not even the most seasoned diver has experienced in Monterey Bay, tonight Scott will be UPCOMING CLUB ACTIVITY (LOCAL) sharing some of those images with us. Sat, Feb 20 - Club Dive- McAbee Beach Scott is a published underwater photographer with im- Sat, Mar 19 - Club Dive - Lovers Point ages showing up in California Diving News, Reef May 21-22 Salt Point Diving/Camping Check, Ocean Conservancy, Northwest Dive News, BOD MEETING SCHEDULE Diver Magazine, and others. Like most other underwa- 3rd Thursday Every month except December, ter photographers Scott has purchased, upgraded, re- Thurs, Feb 18th Round Table Pizza placed, and flooded many cameras. http://www.meetup.com/Aqua-Tutus-Dive-Club/ Currently, Scott is shooting a Nikon D7000 camera in or http://www.my.calendars.net/atdc_events an Aquatica housing with Sea and Sea YS350 strobes. For the Latest on Club Activities

ATTENTION AQUATUTOR UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHERS ATTENTION AQUATUTORS Your images are needed Your help to design a club at AQUATUTUS.COM tee-shirt is needed Talk to or email Jono or Nick with Email your dive photos to Patti for your ideas use on our club website. Please provide an email communi- Email: [email protected] cating that Patti can use your image on our website. Email: [email protected]

Email: [email protected] WORDS TO DIVE BY and ENTERTAINMENT REPORT will return next month

What’s Inside TOOTER PUBLISHING SCHEDULE Page 2 Tooter INPUT by 20th of month January Gen Meeting Minutes Page 2-3 January BOD Meeting Minutes Page 3-5 Tooter will be published usually by end of month

January 2016 Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California General Meeting Minutes Newsletter (Don Kelsey) Date: January 7, 2016 Newsletter for December came out. Input due by the Reported by Kari Klaboe 20 th .

Meeting called to order by President Mike Barrett at Web Goddess (Patti Shannon) Round Table Pizza in Castro Valley, CA at 7:30 pm. Will be updated this weekend to include a button for Club Dues. Speaker: David Chervin Social Media (Jim Driggers) Guests: Franz, friend of Kari. 67 on Meetup 40 to 42 on Facebook (open to the public) Entertainment (Kat Smith) - Kat will be taking over as entertainment chair. Thanks It is now club policy that no one should book a dive on Linda for all of your hard work! the same day as a scheduled club dive.

Feb: Scott Harrison Old Business: Mar: Alameda Search and Recovery – Dave McMur- Holiday Party (Debbie Driggers) Raffle - Raised $280 dy for the Pacific Grove Chamber. Thank you Jono for Apr: Craig and Susan Davis selling raffle tickets at the party. May: Dennis – What do I do when… New Business: none Jun: Jason Bradley Jul: 2015 Monterey Shootout results Boat Diving (Bernhard Sterling) : A boat dive was Aug: Member’s Night coordinated by Bernhard last fall and he would like to Sep: TBD see if there is interest in more boat diving. Unfortu- Oct: TBD nately, the day of the fall boat dive the weather forced Nov: Turks & Caicos - Larry them to stay in Monterey Bay. But, the dive was a very useful learning experience. Please contact Kat if you have any requests or sugges- tions for future entertainment. What we would do differently? • make a list of interested of people, Treasurer’s Report (Helga Mahlmann) • Only go when conditions look good. $4019.66 • Create a contact list of interested people, so Bern-

hard can contact those people when conditions look Membership (Bernhard Sterling) good and we can act instantly. (Bernhard to contact 76 total - no changes in December. Membership dues everyone shortly to start the list of those interested for 2016 are due and you can pay in person with cash, • Oliver: Suggested, since we’re in winter, we may check, or Square. Online payments at Aquatutus.com want to hold off on boat dives until the weather through Square are also possible. gets better. • Training (Dennis Hocker) Patty: Suggested using swellwatch.com to monitor • swell information. Medic, First Aid, CPR Class: Class tentatively • scheduled for March - Dennis will keep us updated. Larry: Suggested we get the list up and running now. • Rescue Diver: Right now there is not enough inter- est to warrant a rescue class. Special Committee: No new information • Rescue Diver required training: Advanced Open

Water and current CPR training • Past Dives: Enriched Air - Occurred in November 2015. Oliver - Southern California, Catalina Dove off of Catalina, the kelp has died off (eastern For more information on training contact Dennis side - there is no giant kelp left growing, it’s all Hocker (510) 792-5606 [email protected] or Neil gone). Oliver’s impression - reasonably calm, visibil- Benjamin (510) 673-0073 [email protected] ity so-so, looked unhealthy (fish looked out of sorts)

January 2016 page 2 Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California Membership meeting minutes continued Bone Award: Dennis won - just didn’t look good. Will try diving again in the for throwing winter, but thinks it may be better to go in the sum- the dive mas- mer time. ter’s mask into Oliver - San Diego, California - Yukon and Ruby the water at Wrecks Cozumel. Yukon is the first large west coast wreck, 350 foot long Canadian Destroyer. Also dove the Ruby (wreck dive) which is more like an artificial reef - 100 foot boat. Enjoyed the Yukon immensely.

Club Dive - Cozumel, Mexico • Sheila and Jeff: Club dive with Patti, Dennis, Jono, and others (seven total). Greatest dive adventure of their lives. 30 dives (Sheila 25 dives). Highlight - saw a large turtle. They’re going back! • Patti: Dennis was hit in the face by a turtle. Lots of turtles, reefs were healthy, 36 dives. Saw eagle rays, turtles, eels, toad fish, sharks, Cozumel cat- fish. Tough for photography, but great for drift div- Upcoming Activity and Dives ing. • Jono: 38 dives. Neil Benjamin and Jono did their 2016 best to eat Lionfish. The sea life can tell when • Saturday: Oliver in Monterey (Monastery Beach) - you’re fishing Lionfish and you get followed by look on Meetup other fish, sharks. • Jan 16: MacAbee – Jim Driggers is POC (this is • Dennis: Turtle swimming towards him and slapped scuba diving, can snorkel if you want) Will look on him in the face, first time ever. It’s surprising that Monday/Tuesday of this week and update if needed. the Lionfish population is down because they May get cancelled or postponed. aren’t restricted by depth or area, so it’s surprising • Feb 10-27: Philippines Azores and Puerto Galera - to see numbers down so significantly --- it’s not Dennis Hocker is POC just divers or others trying to control populations • Jul 10-24: Chuuk - Dennis is going one more time! (not restricted to salt water - they are everywhere) If you have any interest/desire to do wreck diving. • Patty: Lionfish (eel being fed Lionfish was huge). No better place to do wreck diving. About 50 Japa- There weren’t that many lionfish, only saw a few. nese vessels are there. It doesn't get better. • Dec. 19-Jan. 2: End of year trip to Cozumel Fritz - Grand Caymen and Cozumel Only a few Lionfish. Cozumel - shark and eel live 2017 together in one hole and he got a picture. 150 foot • Jun 24-Jul8: Caribbean Explorer II, St. Maarteen, visibility, drift dive, 84 degree water Saba, St. Kitts - POC Dennis

Bone nominations: Meetings • Jono nominated Neil Benjamin for running into a Next Membership meeting: reef while he was playing with his dive computer. February 4, 2016 • Patty nominated Dennis because when another dive boat came close, he picked up the rinse bucket and Next BOD meeting: tried to throw the water on the other boat and threw February 18, 2016 the dive master’s mask in the water. Dennis: Don’t leave your mask in the rinse bucket. Meeting adjourned about 9pm

Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California January 2016 page 3 Aqua Tutus Diving Club • CPR/First Aid/Medic - need to choose a date, like- Board Meeting Minutes ly March. Date: January 21, 2016 If anyone has interest in other courses please email Reported by Kari Klaboe Dennis at [email protected]

Present: Alan, Nick, Jono, Patti, Dennis, Myron, Larry Webgoddess (Patti Shannon) Fritz, Bernhard, Mike, Kat, Helga, Kari • Site is updated and the website domain fees were paid this month. Meeting called to order at 7:03 pm by VP Jono. • AquaTutus.com (expires 2018) • AquaTutus.org (registered for five years) Treasurer’s Report (Helga Mahlmann) • Helga suggested we look into setting up club • Financial statement for 2015 was provided for re- emails, instead using our personal emails. Patti view. Net income for 2015 was $793.32. will follow up with everyone. • Holiday party update provided: essentially the party cost the same as the last two years, but we made Social Media (Jono - Jim not present) more money on the raffle this year. • 67 members on Meetup - 2 pending: Thanks to • $280 from the raffle was donated to the Pacific Mike for handling pending applicants and Linda Grove hyperbaric chamber. for uploading holiday photos. • 2016 Pacific Grove hyperbaric chamber annual do- • 46 members on Facebook: Thanks to Patti, Kat, nation from Aqua Tutus was also submitted. and Susan for being regular contributors. • Also donated this year to the chamber - they need to replace the compressor Newsletter (Don – not present) • Current balance is $4267.93 Special Committee Up-Coming Entertainment (Kat Smith) Holiday Party date set as December 10, 2016. Patti to 2016 check on venue. Feb: Scott Harrison Mar: Alameda Search and Recovery, Dave McMurdy CenCal Apr: Craig and Susan Davis • Minutes are going in to the newsletter, Helga just May: Dennis – What do I do when… received a new packet of forms for the year. Jun: Jason Bradley • CenCal will not be producing tide table booklets Jul: 2015 Monterey Shootout results this year. Aug: Member’s Night • Add to the general meeting agenda some verbal Sep: TBD offer to new members to discuss CenCal, so they Oct: TBD better understand the organization. Nov: Turks & Caicos - Larry Possible speakers for September, October, or next year: Old Business • Paula Butler with Wakatobe Place (Mike to coordi- • Alan presented his write up for the guest flier. nate with Kat) Much debate followed and it was suggested that • Mike Boom (Helga to coordinate with Kat) we don’t need a full page flier but instead, maybe • Bill and Mari Conaway (Alan to coordinate with a business card. Kat) • Action: Alan to finish a tri-fold flier for guests at the club meeting. Membership (Bernhard Sterling) • Still looking into speaker and sound options. 10 life members, 33 regular members, 3 associates We’ll look into options and make sure we get the 46 Total mike handed back to speakers in the rear of the room. Also we’ll work on limiting separate con- Director of Training (Dennis Hocker) versations. • Enriched Air - Some interest and will look into pull- Action: Fritz is looking into a speaker extension ing together a class. Class will be PADI. cord. Dennis and Jono will assist.

January 2016 page 4 Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California BOD meeting minutes continued • Jono offered the goal of maintaining the club’s current success. • Nick would like to know if we can create a club • Helga offered coordinating an equipment swap, shirt. Patty Baugh is willing to help with the de- around March. Dennis offered his yard for the swap. sign but wants more information. We can request • Decision : Hold a club equipment swap in March. ideas from members and to have her design. Nick • Bernhard offered the goal of expanding upon the is suggesting a retro design. Everyone should sub- club’s efforts to educate members on water safety and mit a design. Don should add a request for de- addressing gear issues. signs to the Tooter • • Decision : To include practice drills at some of the Update: Jono talked to OAKLANDISH, http:// club dives where we try mask removal, BCD removal, oaklandish.com/ they will do custom screen losing a weight belt, etc. printing, we just need to bring them the design for • Decision : We will all email Jono water safety and dive a quote. gear issues that we think would be worthwhile to prac- • Action: This initiative is still in progress. Patty tice. Baugh may be interested in helping, Nick has • Emergency numbers - Jono suggested we develop a some ideas, and Alan will bring in previous club club procedure for emergency contact numbers. tee-shirts. • Decision : Dennis to look into DAN tags for our BC’s. Action: Announce at next general meeting that

we are still looking for help with the club tee- Club Dives shirt design. • Kat has volunteered to be POC for the February club • Nick suggested that we add photos to the front dive. Date selected is February 20. Location will be page of the web. Patti has requested that people McAbee Beach in Monterey, CA. send photos. • Update: Patti has not received photos. It was sug- Nick has volunteered to be POC for the March club gested she may coordinate with Patty Baugh dive. Date and location TBD. regarding posting digital media on our website. Action : Patti to post in newsletter a request for Upcoming Events people to send in dive photos. 2016 • FEB 10-27: Philippines Azores and Puerto Galera - Summary of Topics for next general meeting Dennis Hocker is POC • • Add to the general meeting agenda some verbal FEB 20: Club Dive - Kat (McAbee Beach, Monte- offer to new members to discuss CenCal, so they rey, CA) • better understand the organization. MAR 19: Club Dive - Nick (TBD) • • Add to the general meeting agenda an announce- JUL 10-24: Chuuk - Dennis is going one more time! ment about the opportunity to be a part of CenCal. If you have any interest/desire to do wreck diving. • Announce at next general meeting that we are still No better place to do wreck diving. About 50 Japa- looking for help with the club tee-shirt design. nese vessels are there. It doesn't get better. • • Announce at next general meeting that members DEC 19-JAN 2: End of year trip to Cozumel should forward dive photos to Patti for use on our club website. Please provide an email communi- 2017 • cating that she can use the image on our website. JUN 24-JUL 8: Caribbean Explorer II, St. Maar- teen, Saba, St. Kitts - POC Dennis New Business • Club DVD player is up for grabs (Kat). Meetings • Decision : Provide as raffle item at next holiday par- Next Membership meeting: ty. February 4, 2016

• It would be good if we talked about goals for the Next BOD meeting: upcoming year: advertising for membership, more February 18, 2016 training, more trips, whatever is the beginning of

the year goals. (Mike) Meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm. • Mike offered the goal of attracting more members.

Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California January 2016 page 5 Calendar of Events

See the latest meeting minutes, or http://www.meetup.com/Aqua-Tutus-Dive-Club/ Or http://www.aquatutus.com/

for the current schedule of ATDC Events

ATDC Dive Training

Advanced Open Water Class Calendar http://reefcheck.org/rcca/rcca_home.php Class diving completed on Sept 19th

• Dates are tentative, depend on participation, check 2016 OFFICERS/BOD/Volunteers the webpage President • Classroom sessions held at Dennis’ house, 38962 Mike Barrett [email protected] Larkspur Street, Newark, CA Vice President • For more information contact Jono Dove [email protected] • Neil Benjamin: (510) 673-0073 Secretary [email protected] Kari Klaboe [email protected] • Dennis Hocker: (510) 792-5606 Treasurer dennis@ rxscuba.com Helga Mahlmann [email protected] Membership Chair Bernhard Sterling [email protected] Training Director What is a “POC” Dennis Hocker [email protected]

Entertainment Chair The “POC” is a Point of Contact for a club dive. Kat Smith [email protected] Any member is welcome to plan a dive and put in Newsletter Publisher on our web site calendar. You don’t have to be a Don Kelsey [email protected] dive master, or the director of training, or a board member to do this. Any club dive is done with the Board Members @ Large: Kat Smith [email protected] expectation that there will be people there to help. Jim Driggers [email protected] Nik Kerson [email protected]

ATTENTION , ASPIRING PHOTOGRA- Past President Oliver Edwards [email protected] PHERS AND WRITERS WANTED—DIVE PICS AND STORIES Web “Goddess” Patti Shannon-Hocker [email protected] FOR THE TOOTER. ATDC Web page: www.aquatutus.com Send your input to Don at [email protected]

Thank You to all contribu- FIND Oliver’s Tutorial BEGINNING PHOTOSHOP FOR tors who made this Aqua- UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHERS at tooter possible this month, http://www.aquatutus.com/articles.html Kari, Helga Then click on “Beginning Photoshop For Underwater Pho- tography -- by Oliver Edwards” for the download

January 2016 page 6 Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California Aqua Tutus Diving Club P.O. Box 11952 Pleasanton, CA 94588 North Coast Diving since 1958

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 http://www.mbnms.nos.noaa.gov

https://www.facebook.com/MBNMS Keep up with California Diving, read News from the Monterey Bay California Diving News Aquarium Research Institute http://www.cadivingnews.com/ http://www.mbari.org/

https://www.facebook.com/MBARInews? fref=ts

News from the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation http://californiamsf.org/index.html

News from the Pacific Grove Hyperbaric Chamber https://www.facebook.com/ PGHyperbaricChamber Protecting the unique habitats and cultures of islands worldwide http://californiamsf.org/pages/donate- http://www.seacology.org/ pgh.html

Don’s timeshare is now available for 2016. Book now while it is still Available at a great low price.

Big Island, Hawaii Kona Condo for Rent June 15- June 29, 2016 $450 per week,+$14 tax One-time $50 registry fee covers one or all weeks. Weeks run Weds to Weds Contact Don Kelsey 925-820-8362 [email protected]

Resort details at www.thekonabillfisher.com

Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California January 2016 page 7