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And the winner is . . .
CHAMPS -
Not the most exciting Super Bowl ever. But given
that almost half the country watches the Super
Bowl each year, I'm guessing you might have too.
Congrats to the Seahawks, proving that defense
DOES win championships . In other sporting news,
we not only have the Winter Olympics going on
(I've grown partial to curling over the years)
but pitchers and catchers report for spring
training later this week.
SOLMAR'S NOT THE ONLY ONE CANCELLING -
We told you the other week about the problems
with Solmar
V and
how they've ceased diving operations, leaving a
lot of people with lost payments and out
significant amounts of money. This type of thing
is not limited to just the diving industry.
Alaska Dream Cruises, which operated four
smaller cruise ships specializing in southeast
Alaska trips, on Friday abruptly
announced that
they were shutting down and cancelling all
future cruises, leaving their booked passengers
high and dry. They say they're contacting
everyone with details about getting refunds. But
the article in "Come Cruise With Me" reminds
everyone that bankruptcies are covered under
most travel insurance policies. So, to circle
back to Solmar,
if you got travel insurance, hopefully that will
cover your losses.
AVALON THIS WEDNESDAY -
We're planning on diving the Underwater Park
this Wednesday and it'll be the first time in
some time for Reef Seekers as an entity.
Personally, I'm planning on taking a good look
at the Cousteau Plaque, which we installed a
little over 5 years ago, to give it a bit of a
cleaning and see how it's holding up. And, of
course, we'll take a peek in the general area
where the Giant Sea Bass hang out, although this
isn't really the time of year when they're
around. That begs the obvious question which is:
Where do they go for the winter? Not sure if
anyone knows. Looks like there might be some
rain Tuesday but things should be lookin g good
for Wednesday. I'm planning on taking my GoPro
so hopefully with have some videos &/or stills
to share with you next week.
CALIFORNIA BANS OCTOPUS FARMING -
This is actually a big deal. As many of you
know, octopuses (that's the correct plural -
it's not "octopi") are pretty intelligent
creatures and they exhibit traits of individual
personality. So it's nice to know that Governor
Gavin Newsom recently signed into law a bill
that makes it illegal to raise octopuses in
California for human consumption. It's a small
victory for conservationists and animal rights
folks, but a victory nonetheless.
LEAVING FOR YAP IN A MONTH -
It's the first of our three big 2026 trips and
we're looking forward to it. We've got 16 divers
in our group, some repeat visitors and some who
will be new to Yap, and we're looking forward to
some extended and close Manta encounters as well
as all the other treats that Yap has to offer.
And yes, we'll be sharing them with you daily
via FaceBook as the trip progresses.
MIGHT HAVE A SPOT ON OUR INDONESIA TRIP -
Our second big trip in 2026 is with Murex in
Manado, Indonesia, in July. We also build in a
day trip to Bangka Island and a day trip to see
the Lembeh Straits, so you experience all that
Northeast Sulawesi has to offer. We might have a
last-minute opening (or even two) on this trip
and if this is something you've maybe been
thinking about or figured it was too late to
join, there may still be an opportunity for you.
If you're interested, give us a call at
310/652-4990.
VALENTINE'S DAY -
Remember to do something special for your honey
this Saturday.
BALCONY VISTOR TODAY -
Not dive-related but had a Cooper's Hawk pay a
visit to the balcony today. Needless to say, the
Mourning Dives and Finches/Sparrows who are my
usual customers fled. I think it's a female who
came and sat three different times, about a
minute or so each time. Impressive-looking bird.
(She's not in a cage but sitting on the other
side of my drying rack. Note that she's
balancing on one foot.) |
