Dear Dolphin Divers of Sacramento,

Happy 4th of July! Wow, half of the year has just flown by like a speeding bullet. I hope you are having a great summer so far and are able to take a vacation while the weather is so beautiful. June 21st was the Summer Solstice and also the longest day of the year. I love this time of year…waking up to the sun rising early in the morning and the evenings lasting so long. Great for getting a of lot outside activities done in the day.

We are having our summer Dolphin Dive meeting this July 19th ~ this is when I get to BBQ hamburgers and hot dogs – and try very hard not to lose all the hair on my arms! This year I will be bringing my new Weedabest heat resistant BBQ gloves. They guarantee not to lose all the hair on your hands, so we will see how they work. This is a great time to have some fun and bring your favorite dish to share with your fellow divers. More information about this will be out soon, so watch your emails over the next week or so.

In June I had the pleasure of going on an Alaskan Cruise with my girlfriend Sandy, my son Evan and daughter-in-law Jordyn, along with 25 others. Five of us were celebrating our 60th birthday as Jordyn’s mom (a friend of mine from school) helped put this 10-day trip together, starting with a party (school) bus ride from Sacramento to San Francisco. Wow what a fun way to get down to the city! And what a great treat to cruise under the Golden Gate bridge on the Carnival Miracle Ship while its horn was blowing. We had some days with rain, wind and fog, and some more pleasant days. The ship stopped at Juneau, Skagway, and Icy Straight Point, Alaska – as well as cruising Endicott Arm Fjord to view the glacier and many icebergs, before heading to Prince Rupert, BC, and then back to San Francisco.

One of the surprises was the large number of jewelry shops. They all wanted to sell you Jewelry at 75% off, “what a deal”…😊 While walking around Juneau, we found a fun bar the World-Famous Red Dog Saloon, which has been there since 1959. We learned about a drink in a shot glass called the “Duck Fart,” – a great time is sure to be had after a couple of those. It was a layered tall shot glass with Kahlua on the bottom, Bailey’s in the middle, and topped it off with a layer of Crown Royal. The piano player would see you getting it, then gets all the patrons in the bar to yell, “No sipping…no stirring…no spilling…no sharing…quack, quack knock it back!”

Endicott Arm Fjord was filled with otters, seals, and their pups, along with ice burgs, Dawed glacier and gorgeous waterfalls – what a visual treat! The Endicott Arm Fjord and the Dawes Glacier is a National Geographic Venture. The Endicott Arm is a 30 mile-long, steep-sided fjord, with beautiful waterways and is the southern extension of a bifurcated fjord system partnered with the Tracy Arm to the North. To me this part of the trip was a gem to be able to see Alaska in all its glory. From there we headed to Prince Rupert, Canada. It was a comfortable 76 degrees, and all the locals were saying it was hot. I did notice as we were leaving all the kids playing and adults lounging in the park playing as the ship departed. That was the last port of call and we then sailed for two days back to San Francisco at 21.8 knots. The sun was out, and it was a relaxing time at sea.

Some takeaways on this trip were that not all trips need to have a game plan. We strolled through the towns and enjoyed our time in each port. Spending time with family, playing cards, dice, and other games is so much fun, joking around with each other and laughing until it almost hurts. I met some great new friends in our group and look forward to meeting them again in the future. Ten days on a ship is a long time, but well worth the trip to the last fronter, Alaska.

Please note!!, our next Dolphin Club General Meeting will be held in-person on Wednesday, July 19th, 2023. Fair Oaks Park 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd, Fair Oaks, CA 95628. More Information coming.

Hope to see you in the water and bubble up!!

Owen Autry,
President

QUOTES FROM THE SEA

“With every drop of water you drink, every breath you take, you’re connected to the sea. No matter where on Earth you live.”
Sylvia Earle

“There’s nothing wrong with enjoying looking at the surface of the ocean itself, except that when you finally see what goes on underwater, you realize that you’ve been missing the whole point of the ocean. Staying on the surface all the time is like going to the circus and staring at the outside of the tent.”
Dave Barry

Safety Officer’s Message
By: Brad Freelove

Diving the American River

During the past couple months, I have received several calls, texts, and emails asking if the river is now safe to dive.  Fears of too much water, too cold water, and are low water quality reports true.  There are a couple websites that have accurate information on water flow rates, temps., and water quality. 

For water quality try this website:

https://regionalparks.saccounty.gov/Parks/E-Coli/Pages/ParkStatus.aspx

When the county has new water quality information, they update this website.  Often, they have local news services report to the public on any concerns that the county might have.

Sometimes, the county will close access points on the river.  Check out this website for closures:

https://regionalparks.saccounty.gov/Pages/Park-Status-Update.aspx

For water flow rates and water temps, try this location:

https://snoflo.org/report/flow/california/american-r-a-fair-oaks-ca/

https://www.dreamflows.com/graphs/day.076.php

https://seatemperature.info/american-river-(folsom)-water-temperature.html

and for the most accurate water temperature for diving, I use this website:

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/11446500/#parameterCode=00010F&period=P7D

The Sacramento Bee contains a daily report of water flow rates for the American River and water quantity for Folsom Lake.

As to what is safe for you, only you can determine that.  Right now, the flow rate is way down and several diving groups have been enjoying the water.  The raft rental companies are renting and all divers report very diveable conditions.  Dolphin Divers of Sacramento is putting together a couple river cleanup dives.  I hope to have dates set soon.  Watch your email for more information.

LABOR DAY CAMPING
Sept 2023

 Join all your club buddies on our annual Labor Day camping trip at Ocean Cove Campground. This is the weekend of our annual Spear and line fishing contests with LOTS of fun social time spent with other club members and guests.

You must sign up using the club form.

We have two group areas reserved near the beginning of the campground. Look for the Dolphin Banner near the Group entry gate. RV and tent Camping spaces are allotted on a first-come-first-served basis. It will not be possible to save space so please plan on arriving as early as possible. Some of us will be there earlier in the week, before Friday. If you want to come early or stay late, you will need to pay for those days direct to Ocean Cove. Everyone who has signed up in advance will be issued a parking pass so Ocean Cove will know you are part of our group. IF there is space available after the members who signed up in advance have arrived it will be possible to pay the event leader in the campground and select an available space, BUT YOU WILL STILL NEED TO USE THE CLUB SIGNUP FORM! This form will be available on our website, www.dolphindivers.org, and will be included with all messages about the event. I will track all of the early signups to monitor the available space.  If our group areas fill up it might also be possible to pay the Ocean Cove Campground and stay in a space outside of our group area, but ONLY if our group area is filled! I will send a message to everyone using our club e-mail if/when it looks like we might run out of space. If you are not into camping there might be room space available at the Ocean Cove Lodge: https://www.oceancovelodge.com/

The camping cost for this event is $40.00 per night for one camping unit including one vehicle under power. Towed vehicles, including trailer or vehicle towed by a motorhome, are included in the campsite fee. Any extra vehicles, including visitors, must pay an additional fee. The launch fees for all boats used for the event will be paid by the club. On Sunday night, after our potluck dinner and fish fry, all event prizes will be awarded AND there will be a Raffle for many GREAT dive and camping-related items. BRING CASH FOR THIS RAFFLE. If you have anything that you would like to contribute to the raffle please let me know and bring it to the event. Because of the severe drought, Ocean Cove has requested that we bring as much of our own water as possible. If you have any please also bring firewood to contribute to our group campfires! There are a few water faucets available and there will be portable toilets in every camp area that will be frequently pumped. Usually, it is also possible to pay the Portable Toilet service truck to pump out your RV tanks.

YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR KEEPING YOUR SITE CLEAN AND FOR ANY GUESTS WHO JOIN YOU. PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY. There will be children playing so be careful when driving.

The closest air fill station may be in Santa Rosa, so please bring enough tanks to make all your dives. Diving will only be only allowed if conditions are safe. If it is not safe there will be an alternative method of awarding prizes to paid contest entrants. Please contact me if you have any questions or suggestions:

Jack Millard, jbmillard@aol.com, 916.955.8017

COLUMBUS DAY CAMPING
Oct 2023

An FYI for anyone wondering about the annual Underwater Easter Egg Hunt: The Crazy Horse restaurant, where we held our awards dinner, has gone out of business. I did not find another venue that can accommodate our group of 60+ for a rate that makes sense. Most places charge separately for room rental and food, making them cost prohibitive.

Ken Takata is not hosting the Memorial Weekend camp/dive trip this year because of the historically rough water during most previous events. Instead
I have reserved the meadow campsites at Albion River Campground for Columbus Day weekend, October 6 – 9. Albion River Campground is right on the Albion River where it empties into the ocean. Activities can include kayaking on the river (rentals available) and/or ocean, Diving, visiting Mendocino or Fort Bragg (the ice cream at “Cowlicks” in Fort Bragg is one of the stops I NEVER miss)  or just hanging out around the campfire enjoying each others company. We will also make a couple of motorboat and kayak trips up the river into the redwoods.

If you want to join us contact the campground to make your reservation. You can choose any of our reserved sites from D1 to D25, or one off the rental trailers, B22 – B24,. There are also a few full hookup sites, A2 – A15 with sewer connections, close to the group area. (I am in site A2 because I will be there for 7 nights) When you call for a camping reservation be sure to ask for one of the sites in “D” section, that I reserved for our group. This will be a joint event with the Seahorses dive club. If you camp in a tent bring a heater and extension cord: every site has water and electricity.

Please let me know when you make a reservation so I can keep track of how many, and which, spaces we take. Any spaces not reserved by us will revert back to the Albion CG for renting to non-members.

Jack Millard 916.955.8017
https://albionrivercampground.com/
(707) 937-0606

Member News

JULY Birthdays:

COMING SOON

New Members:
COMING SOON

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CLICK HERE TO JOIN

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

FOR THE FULL SCHEDULE PLEASE CLICK HERE

REVISED JUNe 28, 2023
DATE(S)	EVENT	LEADER	CONTACT INFO.	ACTIVITY	COMMENTS
April 1-2, 2023	Monterey Boat Dive	Brad Freelove	(916) 879-3853 bradlinda@frontiernet.com		Completed
April 5, 2023	DDS Board Meeting	Owen Autry	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com		Completed
April 19, 2023	DDS General Meeting	Owen Autry	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com	Scubapro Rep. Jason Gillaspie, will present and discuss newest Scubapro products. Club election of 2023 -24 Officers	Completed
April 29, 2023	Underwater Poker Run	Grodon Kuhnle / Brad Freelove	(916) 425-1636 gordonstech@hotmail.com	UW Navagation to poker cards. Make the best poker hand. Awards for winners	Completed
May 3, 2023	DDS Board	Owen Autry	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com		Completed
May 17, 2023	DDS General Meeting	Owen Autry	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com	Our own DDS Secretary, Liz Marchiondo will give us a presentation on Photogrammetry	Completed
May 20, 2023	SCUBA Challenge	Brad Freelove	(916) 879-3853 bradlinda@frontiernet.com		Completed – Cancelled because of new rules by Folsom Lake
June 3, 2023	DDS River Cleanup Dive	Brad Freelove	(916) 879-3853 bradlinda@frontiernet.com		Cancelled – Hazardous River Conditions
June 7, 2023	DDS Board	Owen Autry	Tracy Clarke		Completed
June 21, 2023	DDS General Meeting	Ken Takata	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com	Joe Morgan will present Great White diving at Guadalupe Island	Completed
July 5, 2023	DDS Board	Owen Autry
July 8, or 9th, 2023	Event to be determined
July 19, 2023	DDS General Meeting / Picnic in the Park	Owen Autry	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com	General Meeting & Picnic in the Park, Used Equipment Giveaway and Swap. DDS provided Hamburgers & Hot Dogs with Member proviided Pot Luck dishes
July 22, 2023	Scavenger hunt	Dave Rosas	David Rosas cfidaver@sbcglobal.net
August 2, 2023	DDS Board	Owen Autry
August 16, 2023	DDS General Meeting	TBD	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com	River City Waterway Alliance
Sept. 1-4, 2023	Spearfishing Contest	Jack Millard	(916) 955-8017 jbmillard@aol.com	Camping, Diving & Spearfishing event, Prizes for event winners
Sept 6, 2023	DDS Board	Owen Autry	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com
Sept. 9, 2023	Inland Lobster Feed	Jack Millard	jbmillard@aol.com (916) 955-9105	Combined Seahorses and Dolphin Divers	New as of 04/10/2023	Application due on June 12. Corinne and Brad to handle.
Sept 16, 2023	Great American River Cleanup, American River Parkway Event	Brad Freelove	(916) 879-3853 bradlinda@frontiernet.com	DDS diving, snorkeling, and general river cleanup in partnership with the American River Parkway Foundation
Sept. 20, 2023	DDS General Meeting	Owen Autry	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com	John Steenkolk Video on Secorro–Giant Manta Rays & Hammerhead Sharks
October 4, 2023	DDS Board Meeting	Owen Autry	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com
October 7, 8, 9, 2023	Albion River, Camping/Diving/Fishing	Jack Millard	(916) 955-8017 jbmillard@aol.com	Combined Dolphin Divers and Seahorses Event
October 18, 2023	DDS General Meeting	Owen Autry		John Steenkolk presentation on Socorro Islands
October 22, 2023	Pumpkin Carving Contest	Brad Freelove	(916) 879-3853 bradlinda@frontiernet.com	Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest. Prizes awarded
Nov. 1, 2023	DDS Board	Owen Autry	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com
Nov. 15, 2023	DDS General Meeting	Owen Autry	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com	Presenter to be determined
Nov. 24, 2023	Swap meet	Brad Freelove	(916) 879-3853 bradlinda@frontiernet.com
Dec. 6, 2023	DDS Board	Owen Autry	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com
Dec. 9, 2023	Christmas Party	Event Leader Needed
Dec. 13, 2023	DDS Gen Meeting	NO MEETING	NO MEETING	General Meeting Not Held in December

Custom Dolphin Divers Swag
By – Tracy Clarke

Hey all you divers out there,
Do you want a special T-Shirt or Jacket for yourself or as a very special gift?  Bring it to me, so I can put our amazing logo on it. 

Bring it to me at our General Meeting. April -May – June You have until June to bring me your stuff to be printed. 

I’ll have it ready by the picnic in the park. 
Tracy

California Waterman’s Alliance
Urchin Culling

Hi dive buddies!

Our partners at the Waterman’s Alliance(WA) are hosting an organized recreational purple urchin culling event at Caspar Cove in Mendocino! This is the last year for the emergency regulation (CC Title 14 Section 29.06) and we are pushing for as much culling effort as possible! Please come participate in this experimental restoration project. Reef Check divers who attend the event and cull urchins will receive volunteer days.

WA reserved 2 campsites at the Caspar Beach RV Park & Campground and a field compressor for participating volunteers! Visit their webpage on Facebook: “Waterman’s Alliance Urchin removal Efforts”.

Below is a message from Josh Russo on the Waterman’s Alliance Facebook page:

“2023-Memorial weekend May 27-29 is the next time we we will have the compressor on-site. Free tank fills Saturday Sunday and maybe Monday. I have the group campsite at caspar Friday Saturday and Sunday nights. There’s no charge for camping with us but it is limited space so bring the small tent and be considerate of others. Carpooling encouraged. text me if you want to camp with us so I can keep a head count. (707)333-9575”

To participate you MUST:

1. Sign up on the RCVT
2. Let Josh Russo know if you will be staying at the WA campsites- this is important so WA knows how many people to expect at the campsite! (contact info above)
3. Have a valid California Fishing license
4. Review California fishing regulations (CC Title 14 Section 29.06)
5. Cull INSIDE the targeted area- in between orange buoys
6. Record your dives to the Caspar Dive Log

Organized events are the last weekend of every month May-September: May 27-28, June 24-25, July 29-30, August 26-27, September 30-October 1.

You are responsible for your own camping gear and food. The campsite has warm showers and a gear washing station. There is a small camp store on site, but proper grocery stores are located nearby in Mendocino and Fort Bragg.

Please contact Morgan with any questions: mmurphycannella@reefcheck.org.  760-994-5719

EDITOR’S NOTE
By: Joe Morgan

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

Each month I will be looking for submissions in the following categories:

• 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

President: Owen Autry
Vice President: Ken Takata
Treasurer: Marlyn Sepulveda
Secretary: Elizabeth Marchiondo
Safety Officer: Brad Freelove
Activity Chair: David Whiteside
Webmaster: Renee Viehmann
Promotions Chair: Tracy Clarke
Newsletter Editor: Joe Morgan
Historian: Jack Millard
Member at Large: Tom Mischley
Member at Large: Lalanyia Little
Member at Large: Ed Hurff
Member at Large: Sally Walters
Member at Large: Douglas Hillblom
Alternate Member at Large: Corinne Fuerst