First, I want to remind everyone we have some upcoming events our July Picnic in the
Park July 15 th , an event at Lake Valley Reservoir in August and our annual Ocean Cove
trip. Please watch your calendars and sign up as soon as possible so we can plan
accordingly.

I also wanted to thank Rich Dewitt and Melissa Hadley for their presentations in May
and June respectively. Our July Picnic in the park will also include an equipment swap
and sale so if you have dive related items which you want to sell or give away, please
bring them as this is a great opportunity to “right size” your equipment inventory.
Just a reminder for everyone that every dive is a learning experience and whether you
have three dives or three thousand dives always remember to ensure that you do the
proper safety checks and preparation. As divers we should always strive to be good
stewards of our environment and leave no trace behind (unless of course you remove
the trash you see).

Also think about proper equipment, maintenance and cleaning, which is always helpful
in maintaining your own personal safety. If you are going to be traveling it never hurts
to have a pre-trip inspection of your gear and any repairs made that might be
necessary.
Remember to Dive Safe and Dive and often, but most importantly enjoy your
opportunities to blow bubbles.

QUOTES AND THOUGHTS FROM THE SEA

“Here on the ocean floor is the only independence.
Here, I am free.”
Captain Nemo, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

“The sea remains the final unseen, untouched,
and undiscovered wilderness.”
James Nestor, Deep

“It isn’t always the treasure that drives men
down deep into the sea.”
Jennifer Arnett

“Every time you dive, you hope you’ll see something new. Sometimes the ocean gives you a gift,
sometimes it doesn’t.”
James Cameron

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

JULY GENERAL MEETING
Picnic in the Park

Safety Officer’s Message
By: Brad Freelove

Dehydration and Scuba Diving

Stay hydrated!  You read it and hear it almost daily.  Depending on your source of information, you should drink somewhere between 50 and 120 ounces of water each day.  A bunch of factors go into that calculation.  Age, activity level, environmental conditions and any medical conditions are just a few of the factors that can determine the amount of water you should consume daily.  For Scuba divers, being dehydrated can cause you to be overly tired, confused and increase your susceptibility to decompression sickness.  None of these are good for divers.

How did you get dehydrated?  Wind, heat and sweating are some of the factors that can cause you to lose water.  But divers have a couple other factors.  The compressed gas that you are breathing has had most of the moisture removed.  Your tank should have around 67 ppm water.  The air around you can be as high as 40,000 ppm.  Your tank gas is extremely dry!  Every breath you take removes a little moisture from your body. 

Being submerged in cooler water causes your blood vessels to constrict to keep your core warm. This increases blood pressure, prompting your kidneys to filter out excess fluid and making you need to urinate.  The fancy term for this is immersion diuresis.  Divers often use the term pee factor. Whatever term you want to use, the result is the same.  You are losing water.

The reduction of water in your body will reduce the amount of water in your blood.  Blood should be about 90 percent water.  Your blood plays a big part in removing nitrogen from your body.  Less water in your blood supply reduces your ability to get rid of nitrogen.  Your dive computer does not factor in you being greatly dehydrated.  Not a good thing for divers.

So, to be a safe diver, drink plenty of water during the day and stay away from alcohol and caffeine before your dive.  As always, check with your doctor if you wonder how much water you need. 

Albion River Campout 

Member News

JUNE BIRTHDAYS:
(Sorry for not posting last month, but happy birthday)
Nancy Deer – 6/4
Nicholas House – 6/9
Dennis King – 6/18
Michael Melvin – 6/19
Tom Oja – 6/23
Margie Tomenko – 6/27
Keiko Lewis – 6/29
David Oberst – 6/30

JULY BIRTHDAYS
Lilianna Clark               1st
Ralph Mc Gahey         4th
Max Serrano                 4th
Steve Bruegeman       5th
Sandi Stemple             5th
Brooke Hudson            10th
Kimberly Hall               13th
Mike Soldwisch           15th
Colette James              16th
Wendy Oberst              21st
Cheryl Anderson         22nd
Ron Carello                  22nd
Carolina Hepfner        22nd
Jason Moore                 25th
Nicolaus Grady            26th
Brian Zorko                    28th
Brittania Junes             31st

New Members:
Sage Andrade
Shannah Andrade

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

Ocean Cove Camping

Dear Dolphin Family,
Labor Day Weekend and our annual Ocean Cove Camping Trip are on for 2026!

When: September 4th – September 7th, 2026

Most campers arrive on Friday, September 4th, and depart on Monday, September 7th. You are welcome to arrive earlier if you wish; however, please note that our group campsites must be vacated on Monday, September 7th, as the Hog Arama group takes over the campground for the following week.

We are fortunate to have Jack Millard serving as our host again this year.  He always does an outstanding job and helps to  make Ocean Cove one of the club’s favorite events.

Additional details will be coming soon, but for now, please mark your calendars and plan to join us for a fun-filled weekend of camping, diving, and fellowship.

Thank you,
Doug Hillblom
President 2026–2027

Past Trips Photo/Video Section

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

JUST LAUGH

What’s a scuba diver’s favorite subject in school?
Current events.

What do you call a scuba diver who tells bad jokes?
A pun-derwater comedian.

How do scuba divers make decisions?
They go with the flow.

Annual Photo Contest Reminder

This is your reminder to start looking for pictures that you take throughout the year for our annual photo contest.

There are five categories:

• Above water at a Club event.
• Underwater at a Club event.
• Open category – any photo taken anywhere – above or under water.
• Selfie category – any selfie taken anywhere – above or under water.
• Cell phone category – any cell phone photo taken anywhere – above or under water.

Regardless of category, all photos must have been taken within 12 months prior to the date of the contest (November 2025 to November 2026).

Voting for the photo contest will happen at the November 2026 general meeting. More details about the voting process will follow as we get closer to the November meeting.

Thank you and keep taking those pictures!

DOLPHIN
SUMMER PICNIC
AUG 8th

DOLPHIN SUMMER PICNIC

Saturday, AUGUST 8^TH, 2026

Enjoy A Fun Day with your Dolphin and Seahorse dive club buddies.

Activities available include: Altitude Diving (5,840’), Kayaking, Swimming, Windsurfing, Fishing, or just Relaxing at:

PG&E’s: BEAUTIFUL LAKE VALLEY RESERVOIR,

Beautiful Clear Lake Valley Reservoir is nestled in the Sierra Mountains off the Yuba Gap Exit 160,  on I-80 for day use.    It is approximately an HOUR AND 20 MINUTES from Roseville CA. 

Enjoy a full day of picnicking with lots of water activities for the entire family.  There is a boat ramp for boats and kayaks.   Boats are limited to a 10 MPH limit on a trolling electric motor.  There are two good sized islands on the lake to be explored.      

This will be a POT LUCK.   Club will provide Hot dogs, Hamburgers, and  condiments  So please bring a dish to share with utensil to serve, and a chair plus a $5.00 donation for picnic.  There is a $5.00 cash parking fee and a $10 boat launching fee.  No fee for Kayaks or Canoes.

Divers plan on briefing at 9:00 am.   It is a clear 2 mile long mountain lake with a sandy, rocky bottom with some tree stumps.  It is a mountain lake, so usually very calm in the morning and can be windy in the afternoon.  At the picnic area there is a beach area for swimming.   Because it is an altitude dive you should NOT plan on driving higher towards the Tahoe Area until a day after diving.

For those of you that are interested in camping, there is an adjacent campground named Lodgepole Campground.  Reservations are though PG&E/Camping website: https://recreation.pge.com/reservation/camping/  Reservations open up April 14 for full weeks, April 21 for 2 days and there are a few 1^st come/1^st serve spaces, or try your luck at a 1^st come first served site.

Questions — Cap’n Jack Millard  at  jbmillard@aol.com   916.955.8017

Watch the group emails and newsletter for future updates

Directions to Lake Valley Reservoir (Silvertip Picnic Area) from Sacramento Valley

* Location:   Off interstate 80 east take exit ramp 160 (Yuba Gap exit}
*From Exit:  Turn right at the top of the ramp. Then a quick left on Crystal Lake Road.

*Road Changes:   When you come to a “Y” veer right,  at the sign for Lake Valley Reservoir/Lake Valley Road.  Travel approximately 1 ½ miles.  Look for a sign on your left for Lake Valley Reservoir.   Turn left there.  This becomes a rough road.  Go very slow. Go under a mile and look for yellow sign on right that states lake.  Turn right and it goes into the Silvertip Picnic Area /Lake Valley Parking Area.  

*Pay: $5:00 cash parking fee and place receipt on dash.

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

PRESIDENT: Douglas Hillblom
VICE PRESIDENT: Ed Hurff
TREASURER: Owen Autry
SECRETARY: Corinne Fuerst
MEMBER AT LARGE: Marlyn Sepulveda
MEMBER AT LARGE: David Whiteside
MEMBER AT LARGE: Chris Matthew
MEMBER AT LARGE: Sally Walters
MEMBER AT LARGE: Jason Moore
ALTERNATE MEMBER AT LARGE: Paul Rees
ALTERNATE MEMBER AT LARGE: Ken Anderson
ACTIVITY CHAIR: Open – (Brad Freelove)
SAFETY OFFICER: Brad Freelove
PROMOTIONS CHAIR: Tracy Clarke
Historian – Jack Dillard
Webmistress – Renee Viehmann
Newsletter Editor – Joe Morgan