THE AQUA TOOTER
On the web at http://www.aquatutus.com
March 2015
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.
March Meeting Entertainment
Please join us at
the April 2 General
Meeting to meet
Reef Check California’s Dan Abbott. He will introduce us to the Reef
Check California
program and talk
about what makes
it a special organiztion.
Dan Abbott, the
Central Coast Regional Manager, has been involved
with Reef Check California as a volunteer and parttime instructor since 2005, and started working for
Reef Check full-time in September 2014. Dan received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Economics and Policy from UC Berkeley, an interdisciplinary program focused on marine resource management from both scientific and economic aspects.
While at Berkeley Dan became an AAUS scientific
diver.
Most recently, Dan worked as a biologist for Tenera
Environmental where he oversaw a large number of
monitoring projects in San Francisco Bay, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and along the California
Coast. Additionally Dan spearheaded Tenera's successful application into AAUS and oversaw their
dive program as their Diving Safety Officer. Dan is
an active NAUI Instructor, a trained Outdoor Emergency Care Technician, and is a first aid and CPR
instructor.
Aqua Tutus Diving Club's
next regular meeting:
Thursday, April 2nd, 7:30 p.m.
Location: Round Table Pizza
20920 Redwood Rd.
Castro Valley
UPCOMING CLUB ACTIVITY (LOCAL)
• Mar 21 - Club dive Coral Street - Fritz Welss
POC
• April 11 - Club dive San Carlos - Elaine Berger POC
• May 2 - Club Dive MacAbee to Breakwater
snorkel – Jim POC
BOD MEETING SCHEDULE
3rd Thursday Every month except December,
• Thursday April 16
Round Table Pizza
http://www.meetup.com/Aqua-Tutus-Dive-Club/
or
http://www.my.calendars.net/atdc_events
For the Latest on Club Activities
AMAZON.COM CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO AQUA TUTUS DIVING CLUB!!
Check it out on page 6
TOOTER PUBLISHING SCHEDULE
Tooter INPUT by 20th of month
Tooter will be published usually by end of month,
THANK YOU PRESENTERS AND NEWSLETTER CONTRIBUTORS for making this month’s
AQUATOOTER possible: Linda Muth, Bruce
Watkins, Helga Mahlmann, Debbie Driggers,
February 2015
What’s Inside
March Entertainment Report
March Gen Meeting Minutes
March BOD Meeting Minutes
Aqua Tooter Page 2-4
Page 4-5
Page 5-6
Pleasanton, California
March Entertainment Report
Reported by Linda Muth
At the March 5 General Meeting, we enjoyed a great
presentation by local photojournalist Bruce Watkins.
Bruce is a regular contributor
to California Diving News
and has published several
books, including his newest,
“A Diver’s Guide to Monterey County, the Second Edition.”
Bruce started his presentation
with pictures from a trip to
Socorro, Mexico. Socorro is a
24 hour boat ride from Cabo
San Lucas. The islands are
known for mantas, dolphins
and whales.
http://www.dive-the-world.com/
maps-mexico.php
book which in detail shows many of the best dive sites
in Monterey County. Monterey diving is three dimensional because of the kelp beds. They add depth to the
dive sites.
Monterey is home to many types of nudibranchs. The
most numerous family are the dorids. Bruce showed
nice examples of the variety of nudibranchs we may
see while diving. If you take time to stay in one location for a while, you can be rewarded with some interesting behavior. Bruce was photographing a nice sculpin and spotted a nudibranch nearby. Much to his surprise, the nudibranch crawled under the chin of the
sculpin and gave it a nice “hug”.
Credit Bruce Watkins
We are also lucky in Monterey to have the opportunity
to dive with harbor seals and sea lions. Bruce told us
the best way to have a harbor seal follow you around is
to carry a speargun, not use it, but just bring it along
because the seals will think they will get fed.
Credit Bruce Watkins
Aboard the Solmar V, Bruce visited several of the islands. One of these islands was no more than a large
rock sticking out in the ocean but it held a very special
experience for the divers. Three humpback whales
quietly rested near the rock. A mother, her male escort
and her very young calf gave Bruce the experience of
a life time. These whales were known to be friendly
and allowed the divers close contact both snorkeling
and with scuba. The calf spent time visiting all the
divers. Bruce captured amazing images of the mother
and calf together. Sadly this beautiful and emotional
experience ended in tragedy as two large male orcas
ambushed the mother and calf. They managed to separate the calf and to the shock of the group, “bubbles”
the calf was gone. Bruce managed to get a photo of
the orca feeding on the calf.
Bruce lightened the mood by talking about his new
March 2015
page 2
Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California
Entertainment Report continued
Octopus are another creature we are lucky to have.
The best place to see them is at Breakwater at night.
Bruce had a fantastic image of an octopus on a kelp
stalk.
cles and large numbers of fish are some of the other
highlights at this boat only dive site.
Horseshoe. This is an outer pinnacle with lots of topography. Hydro coral is common as well as chestnut
cowries. A nice variety of fish and good visibility
make this site great for photographers.
Garrapata State Park. Located south of Point Lobos
in the Big Sur area. Park by the trees on Highway 1
and follow the trail down to the rocks. Take a giant
stride off the rocks to start your dive. Lingcods and
cabazon are common here. If the males are on the
nest guarding eggs, try not to disturb them. Cabezon
eggs are toxic but lingcod eggs make great snacks for
other fish.
http://www.redwoodhikes.com/BigSur/Garrapata1.jpg
Credit Bruce Watkins
Bruce also covered some of the dive sites that are in
his new book. He has nice maps showing location and
topography as well as images of some of the marine
life found at each location. All sites in his book have
GPS coordinates as well. Following are several of the
sites he highlighted for us.
Del Monte Beach - Shale Island This site is better
dove from a boat. There is too much boat traffic to
make it safe to swim to from shore. There are anchors
and chains to look at and a nice variety of fish and invertebrates. Fringeheads are common here as are
swell shark eggs. Bruce had a very nice image of a
sea star wrapped around the hole where a fringehead
was.
Ball Buster. This is a boat only dive site. There can
be a strong current running making for a challenging
dive, but it is definitely worth the effort. The site is 70
-110 feet. The rocks are covered with life including
strawberry anemones and sea stars. Ball Buster also
has red gorgonian which is not commonly seen at other dive sites. With luck, you could see wolf eels or
even a giant pacific octopus. Bruce showed us that at
100 feet, the strawberry anemones fluoresce. He
placed a blue plexiglass filter over his strobes to show
the red the anemones are emitting.
Black Dog Ridge. This site was found by the late
Chuck Tribolet. The site is located off of Cypress
Point. There is a lot of current so there is a healthy
growth of hydrocoral. Small sea stars, crabs, barna-
Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California
Partington Cove. This is at the northern part of Julia
Pfeiffer Burns State Park. You will need an event permit and sign a
release.
You
will be given a
key to a gate to
gain access to
the road that
leads to the dive site. This
can be a dangerous dive site
due to a sea
cave and tunnel
that can suck in
the
unaware
diver.
Entry
and exit is on
the rocks and
can be difficult.
McWay Falls
When accessiCredit Bruce
ble, there http:
Watkins
March 2015
page 3
Entertainment Report continued
General Meeting Minutes
are orange sponges with orange dorid nudibranchs and
a variety of rock fish.
Date: March 5, 2015
Reported by Helga Mahlmann
Meeting called to order by President Mike Barrett at
Round Table Pizza in Castro Valley, CA at 7:30pm.
Guests: Logan Bell, Frank Collires, Larry B, John R.
http://vagabonders-supreme.net/PartingtonCove.htm
Bruce finished off the evening talking about the Farallon Islands off of San Francisco. This is a great
place to see dolphins, humpback and grey whales, sea
lions and elephant seals. Bruce had a great close up of
an elephant seal. The elephant seals start arriving in
July and August and peak in December. This in turn
brings in the great white sharks. The average length
Entertainment (Linda Muth)
April – Reef Check – Dan Abbott
May – Jason Bradley (tentative)
June – Seacology
July – Members night
Aug – Oliver and Neil – Cozumel and the Yucatan
Sep – Paula Butler – Wakatobi
Oct – Craig and Susan Davis
Nov – Mike Boom – Tiger Sharks of the Bahamas
Treasurer’s Report (Helga Mahlmann)
$3129.73
Membership
17 Regular
2 Associate
10 Life
Training (Dennis Hocker)
• Advanced class planned for the fall, cost $75 vs
$250 at most dive shops.
• Enriched air
For more information on training contact Dennis
Hocker (510) 792-5606 [email protected] or
Neil Benjamin (510) 673-0073
[email protected]
Credit Bruce Watkins
Newsletter (Don Kelsey)
Input due around the 20th.
Web Goddess (Patti Shannon)
Life is adjusting so she can work on the new web site
and get it up and running soon.
for the great whites at the Farallons is 16 to 18 feet.
These sharks feed primarily on the yearling elephant
seals. Cage diving is allowed here but the topside action can be just as good. Bruce shared great images of
great whites. Some had their heads out of the water
and another was snapping at a bird. In an attempt to
get a close up of the mouth, he put his camera on a
pole and dropped it in the water. The result, a great
mouth and tooth shot but a camera chewed and spit
out by the shark.
Thank you again to Bruce for a great presentation.
March 2015
page 4
Meetup update:
Sign up is for members only
Old Business:
New Business: Jono reported BOD is looking at economics of Holiday Party, unexpectedly big crowd last
Dec so we did not break even. May adjust price and
method of assessing attendance prior to party time.
Special Committee:
Party pricing and crowd planning (Jono and Debbie)
Past Dives:
• Mike B – did a bunch
Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California
General Meeting Minutes continued
•
•
•
•
•
•
Dave – Feb 14 Lovers and Breakwater 30-40’vis
Kari and Oliver – Pipeline and medridium field
+1/2 track and barge
Bo Peng +Mike B – 1Mar Breakwater , 8’ vis w/
Jim Steele’s class
Mike + Oliver – Monastery Washrock, beautiful
and clear!
Mike + Baerbel – Butterfly House
Fritz – Cabo, wreck and lands end. Yellow pregnant seahorse, octopus, sea lions etc.
Bone Award Nominees: no nominations
Upcoming Activity and Dives
Sat Mar 7h Butterfly House POC Oliver 9:50am
Next Membership meeting: April 2,2015
Next BOD meeting: March 19, 2015
Jono/Helga moved to adjourn at 9:15 pm.
Aqua Tutus Diving Club
Board Meeting Minutes
Date: Mar. 19, 2015
Reported by Debbie Driggers
Present: Jim, Debbie, Jono, Patti, Dennis, Michael,
Fritz, Bernhard, Helga, Larry **corrected
Meeting called to order at 7:01 pm by Jono
Up-Coming Entertainment:
April – Reef Check – Dan Abbott
May – Jason Bradley (tentative)
June – Seacology
July – Members night
Aug – Oliver and Neil – Cozumel and the Yucatan
Sep – Paula Butler – Wakatobi
Oct – Craig and Susan Davis
Nov – Mike Boom – Tiger Sharks of the Bahamas
Treasurer’s Report (Helga)
Current balance is $3449.73.
Membership (Bernhard)
10 life members
30 members
3 associates
Director of Training (Dennis Hocker)
• Interest in AOW is increasing, Dennis would like to
use same plan as in the past, a weekend in Tahoe
followed by the night dive in Monterey.
• If we get good attendance for AOW a Rescue Class
Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California
might be in the works.
If anyone has interest in other courses please email
Dennis at [email protected]
Newsletter (Don Kelsey) – not present
Give input by the 20th, will get out within a week.
Webgoddess (Patti Hocker)
Our website is www.aquatutus.com Patti’s trying to
get the new site up and running. She would like to
make the name a .org and plans to run both sites simultaneous for a while. She’s looking into new hosting
services, also looking into options that can accommodate mobile. Jono will help Patti with finding a good
host.
MeetUp
Currently 55 members, 13 people are still pending.
New Business
• Jim will work with Bernhard to get him on MeetUp
and set as an administrator. He also asked who
wants to take ownership of the MeetUp. It should be
assigned to a specific person to take lead.
• Helga proposed we create a position Director of Social Media. Jono seconded that proposal and inquired if Jim were willing to take on the role. Jim
has agreed to fill the role if it’s created. Jim will
make a writeup to present at the next general meeting, also send to Don to publish in the Tooter and
then will be voted on in the following meeting.
• We will reinstate the old membership form to be
filled out annually as members renew. Bernhard will
update the form and begin having all new members
complete when they renew. This will allow us to
maintain an accurate and updated roster.
Old Business
• Possible future dues increase. Prior to discussing
further, Helga will outline and advise member of
what their dues buy. Helga will create a breakdown
of club costs (entertainment, classes, general expenses….)
• Per Helga: Dues pay Chamber donation, web, AV
equip, misc expense, po box, MeetUp, and many of
the costs of the holiday party. It was decided that
this subject will be revisited after the Special Committee for the holiday party presents suggestions.
• Helga inquired about the option of the club donating
to the Marine Mammal Center. She will bring up at
the next general meeting the option of a $100 donation to the center. Michael is opposed to the club
making a donation and would prefer individual donations. Subject should be brought up to at General
Membership meeting for club discussion and vote.
March 2015
page 5
BOD meeting minutes continued
After further discussion, this will be brought up to
be discussed by the general membership.
ATDC NON-PROFIT STATUS
IS NOW OFFICIAL AND REGISTERED AT
SMILE.AMAZON.COM
Special Committee
Holiday party planning. Jono and Debbie will come
up with options and present to the BOD by July.
Helga announces, in conjunction with our official
IRS non-profit status, the club is now registered with
smile.amazon.com.
Upcoming Events
2015
• BOD meetings 3rd Thursday January thru November at Castro Valley Round Table Pizza. 7:00pm
meeting, 6:30 social.
• Mar 21 - Club dive Coral Street - Fritz Welss POC
• April 11 - Club dive San Carlos - Elaine Berger
POC
• May 2 - Club Dive MacAbee to Breakwater snorkel – Jim POC
• May16-30 - Turks & Caicos, POC Dennis. Filling
up the remaining spots. If you have any interest,
get your deposit in before it fills up. Sport Dive
and Alert Diver both had good articles about this
place. There is space available. Two weeks on a
live-aboard 5 or more dives per day. Will venture
places the boat doesn't normally go.
• June TBA – Salt Point – Debbie POC
• July – Mike TBA
• Dec 12, 2015 - Club holiday party
• Dec 19-Jan 2, 2015 Cozumel - Patti POC
What is smile.amazon.com ??
Its Amazon.com’s
website where a small portion (0.5%) of revenue is
contributed by Amazon to charities selected by buyers. So, if you use amazon.smile.com instead of amazon.com, and select Aqua Tutus Diving Inc as
your favorite smile.amazon.com charity, 0.5% of
your purchase goes directly to the club. A painless
way (no cost to you) to help out the club treasury,
with contributions from Amazon.
2016
July 10 - 24 Chuuk. Dennis is going one more time!
If you have any interest/desire to do wreck diving.
No better place to do wreck diving. About 50 Japanese vessels are there. It doesn't get better.
Meetings
Next Membership meeting:
Thursday April 2 at Round Table Pizza, 7:30 meeting starts
Next BOD meeting:
Thursday Apr 16 at Round Table Pizza, 7:00 meeting starts
Meeting adjourned at 8:18pm
Get the full story at
http://smile.amazon.com/about/
ref=smi_se_ft_abt_saas
HOW TO SIGN UP
On
your
first
visit
to
AmazonSmile
(smile.amazon.com), select Aqua Tutus Diving Inc
to receive donations from eligible purchases before
you begin shopping.
Amazon will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com
will result in a small donation, from Amazon.com, to
Aqua Tutus Diving Inc.
Its that easy. So sign up NOW!!!!
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 29- July 13, 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 thekonabillfisher.com
March 2015
page 6
Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California
Calendar of Events
See the latest BOD meeting minutes,
http://www.meetup.com/Aqua-Tutus-Dive-Club/
or
http://www.my.calendars.net/atdc_events
for the current schedule of ATDC Events
ATDC Dive Training
Check http://www.aquatutus.com/
activities.htm
http://reefcheck.org/rcca/rcca_home.php
• Dates are tentative, depend on participation, check
the webpage
• Classroom sessions held at Dennis’ house, 38962
Larkspur Street, Newark, CA
• For more information contact
• Neil Benjamin: (510) 673-0073
[email protected]
• Dennis Hocker: (510) 792-5606
dennis@ rxscuba.com
What is a “POC”
The “POC” is a Point of Contact for a club dive.
Any member is welcome to plan a dive and put in
on our web site calendar. You don’t have to be a
dive master, or the director of training, or a board
member to do this. Any club dive is done with the
expectation that there will be people there to help.
ATTENTION , ASPIRING PHOTOGRAPHERS AND WRITERS
WANTED—DIVE PICS AND STORIES
FOR THE TOOTER.
Send your input to Don at
[email protected]
Thank You Bernard Sterling , for volunteering as
Membership chairperson
Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California
2015 OFFICERS/BOD/Volunteers
President
Mike Barrett
[email protected]
Vice President
Jono Dove
[email protected]
Secretary
[email protected]
Debbie Driggers
Treasurer
Helga Mahlmann
[email protected]
Membership Chair
Bernhard Sterling
[email protected]
Training Director
Dennis Hocker
[email protected]
Entertainment Chair
Linda Muth
[email protected]
Newsletter Publisher
[email protected]
Don Kelsey
Board Members @ Large:
Greg Gleeson
Larry Muth
Fritz Welss
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Past President
Oliver Edwards
[email protected]
Web “Goddess”
Patti Shannon-Hocker [email protected]
ATDC Web page:
www.aquatutus.com
FIND Oliver’s Tutorial
BEGINNING PHOTOSHOP FOR
UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHERS
at
http://www.aquatutus.com/tooter/
beginning_photoshop_for_underwater_photography.pdf
March 2015
page 7
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
Keep in touch by surfing over to:
http://www.mbnms.nos.noaa.gov
For updates on the Joint Management
Plan surf over to:
http://www.sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov/jointplan/
Keep up with California Diving, read
California Diving News
http://www.cadivingnews.com/
March 2015
page 8
Aqua Tooter Pleasanton, California