Dear Dolphin Divers of Sacramento,  February 1, 2026 

Man, oh man—2026 is already in full swing! January flew by in a blink, and February is already 

picking up speed. I want to apologize for not having any scuba diving activities on the calendar yet. 

February isn’t looking much better, but please know that the board and our Activity Director are working behind the scenes to get things moving again. 

On a brighter note, last weekend Ken announced the October Albion camping trip. Be sure to check it 

out and sign up early—those spots fill up fast. 

Now, what do we need from you? I’m glad you asked me. The board is preparing a survey for all 

members to complete. It will include a few basic questions about what you want from the club and how we can encourage more member involvement. More details will be coming soon. 

At the January general meeting, I shared that it’s once again time to elect our board at the April general meeting. With the help of our current board, we reviewed each position and what the 

responsibilities look like. As a not‐for‐profit club, we rely on a dedicated board to steer the ship, keep us organized, and ensure we are offering meaningful diving and non‐diving activities for our members. 

As many of you know, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find members willing to run for officer 

positions or appointed roles, and the nominating chair often recruits volunteers directly or asks 

current board members to serve another year. Several long‐serving members are now stepping down or letting me know that this will be their final year, and we thank them for their years of service and dedication to the club! 

Why am I bringing this up? At the time of writing this, we still have three open board positions for the 

2026–2027 year: Treasurer, Activity Chair, and one to two Member at Large vacancies. If you’re 

interested or would like more information, please email me at ocautry@gmail.com or text me at 

916‐955‐9105. 

Your involvement truly makes a difference, and I appreciate every one of you. 

Our next Dolphin Diver of Sacramento General Meeting will be held in person on Wednesday, 

February 18th, 2026, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM at Mountain Mike’s Pizza, located at 2220 Gold 

Springs Court, Gold River, CA. Their phone number is 916-917-551.  You can order early on their app or website at: https://www.mountainmikespizza.com/locations/gold-river-gold-springs. 

Warm regards, 

Owen Autry, President 2025-2026 

                                                                 

QUOTES FROM THE SEA
(Or just for the New Year)

“Each wave that kisses the shore carries a tale from the ocean’s heart.”
Aloo Denish Obiero

“The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul.” Robert Wyland

“At sea, I feel comfortable and I come to rest.”
Laura Dekker

“If the ocean can calm itself, so can you. We are both saltwater mixed with air.”
Chief Seattle

“You will love the ocean. It makes you feel small, but not in a bad way. Small because you realize you’re part of something bigger.”
Lauren Myracle

“Be like a sea turtle; at ease in your own shell.”
Bill Copeland

Please send in your favorite “Quotes from the Sea” if you have not already seen them here. I am always looking for more.

Safety Officer’s Message
By: Brad Freelove

How Safe is Scuba Diving

Every so often, someone will ask me how safe Scuba diving is.  Just last week, a newly certified diver came up with some crazy number of 200 deaths per year for diving.  Not sure where she got this information from, but I bet that the source had no data to support the number.  I then showed her a statistic that showed almost 150 deaths per year from falling coconuts!  That in the 1980’s, coconuts were often called “the killer fruit.”  I knew that my number was as bogus as her number.  After a little time on the net, I was able to convince her that 200 deaths per year for diving was way out of line.  Same for 150 deaths from falling coconuts.  Just urban legends, old wife’s tales, folklore…..well, you get the idea. 

Coconuts v scuba diving: based on a call to D.A.N., between 50 and 100 deaths per year for scuba diving would be an accurate estimate.  That is just for the United States of America.  Only one death due to falling coconuts reported in the U.S. during the past couple years.  Worldwide the deaths due to falling nuts are around 10 per year.  If you add in the deaths due to falling out of coconut palms while harvesting, insect bites from climbing same palms, opening the coconuts up, eating bad coconuts, and the palms falling over to crush someone, then you can get a year that has around 150 deaths.  Stay away from coconuts to be safe! 

Other ways to kick the bucket in the U.S.:

Snake bite 3-6 deaths per year

Spider bite 3-7 per year

Shark attack 5-10    please remember that worldwide, over 100 million sharks are killed each year for food, sport, or bycatch.  It is much safer to be a human than a shark.

Lighting strike 20-30

Eating eggs 30-35

Dog bite 30-50

Bicycle riding 1,000!

Choking on your food 5,000

Auto Accidents 45,000

Drug (illegal stuff) related to 75,000 to 100,000 deaths per year! 

You are much safer scuba diving than you are eating your lunch.  Driving to your dive location is more apt to get you killed that diving.  Relax and enjoy the dive.  So many other ways to get into trouble. 

Make sure that your equipment is up-to-date and in proper working order.

Make sure that your skill level is appropriate for the dive you are about to make.

Make sure that your body is ready for the dive.  Stay in shape.

Albion River Campout 

This Was a Mess: A Dive Debrief on What Not to Do

Ken Anderson, a new member of the Dolphin Divers of Sacramento, shared a YouTube video about a diving mishap in Cozumel, which you are encouraged to watch for his lessons and your feedback.

Member News

FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS:
Mitch Evensen – 2/3
Paul Rees – 2/3
Mark Oliver – 2/13
Natalie Clark – 2/14
Mark Pratton – 2/15
Carmen Young – 2/16
Chris Matthews – 2/18
Barry Hurff – 2/22
Owen Autry – 2/24

New Members:
No New Members Joined In January…

Are you interested in becoming a Dolphin Divers of Sacramento member?
CLICK HERE TO JOIN

COZUMEL PICTURES

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

For the full view click here…

DATE(S)	EVENT	LOCATION	LEADER	CONTACT INFO.	ACTIVITY
May 7, 2025	DDS – Board Meeting	Ed Hurff’s	Owen Autry	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com
May 21, 2025	DDS General Meeting	Mountain Mike’s	Owen Autry	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com	Melissa Hadley presentation on the Galapagos Islands
May 31, 2025	UW Poker Run	Folsom Point	Brad Freelove	(916) 879-3853 bradlinda@frontiernet.com
June 4, 2025	DDS – Board Meeting	Doug Hillblom’s	Owen Autry	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com
June 18, 2025	DDS General Meeting	Mountain Mike’s	Owen Autry	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com	Brandon from Dolphin SCUBA will discuss Dive Computers
July 2, 2025	DDS – Board Meeting	Dave Whiteside ‘s	Owen Autry	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com
July 13, 2025	River Clean up	American River	Brad Freelove	(916) 879-3853 bradlinda@frontiernet.com
July 16, 2025	Picnic in The Park	Fair Oaks Park	Owen Autry	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com	REPLACES GENERAL MEETING AT Mountain Mike’s

JUST LAUGH

EDITOR’S NOTE
By: Joe Morgan

I AM LOOKING FOR MEMBERS TO SEND IN PICTURES OF DIVING, DIVING VACATIONS ETC.

• Trip Reviews: Let us know where you have been diving, what operator you used, the hotel you stayed at and how was the diving there. Let us know if the operator was safe and fun. Let us know if the hotel was a good deal, give us as much detail as possible and hopefully more Dolphin Divers will venture there in the future.
  
• Recipes: I was told that in the past Dolphin Divers gave each other SEAFOOD recipes that they loved so that everyone could enjoy the bounty of the sea, I hope to continue that each month with at least one good recipe.
  
• Dive and Camping yard-sale items you wish to include in the newsletter.
  
• Dive Activities: Please let me know if there are any dive-related activities you would like included in the newsletter.
  
• Pictures from your last dive. Please make sure to let me know how you would like the picture credited in the newsletter. -example – Picture by John Member, of a Silky Shark, at Roca Partida Mexico.

PLEASE MAIL ALL SUBMISSIONS TO

Editor@dolphindivers.org

DOLPHIN DIVERS OF SACRAMENTO
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Owen Autry – President
Ken Takata – Vice President
Marlyn Sepulveda – Treasure
Corinne Fuerst – Secretary
Douglas Hillblom – Events Chair
Brad Freelove – Safety Officer
Renee Viehmann – Webmaster
Jack Millard – Historian
Joe Morgan – Editor
Tracy Clarke – Promotions
Dave Whiteside – Member at Large
Tom Mischley – Member at Large
Sally Walters – Member at Large
Cheryl Anderson – Member at Large
Ed Hurff – Member at Large
Chris Matthews – Member at Large