June 2020 Current Bubbles Newsletter
June 3, 2020 7:00
Board Meeting @ Live via Zoom Conferencing
June 17, 2020 TBD
General Meeting @ Round Table Pizza 9500 Greenback Lane, Folsom, CA
June 7, 2020 POSTPONED
SCUBA Challenge @ Folsom Lake
July 19 – July 22, 2020 Channel Islands – Vision Live-a-board dive trip
8th – Jordon Oja
9th – Marylin Campbell
12th – Kim Hurley
14th – Paula Guzman Delgado
14th – Chelsae Moltrum
14th – Jamie Sepulveda
15th – Emily Oja
19th – Mike Melvin
22nd – Jeff Ford
22nd – Kim Taylor
23rd – Tom Oja
27th – Margie Tomenko
28th – Amy Rojas
30th – Mark O’Hair
None This Month
Click Here to Print Your Newsletter
Message from the President – Owen Autry
Dear Fellow Divers,
Hello from your new President, Owen Autry. Wow! It is June 2020, and I never expected we would not be diving or meeting as a group, Dolphin Divers of Sacramento. Although there is nothing happening with the club, a lot has been going on with the Board and getting our new Board together. I would like to thank the members that contributed last year and send a special thank you to the new members and those that came back to be tortured by me this new
diving year.
I would like to mention our big club dive trip to the Channel Islands is right around the corner! I am inviting you to join us in what I think is a great way to get to know the other members, rekindle old relationships, build new ones, and do some unlimited diving. The nice thing is you can dive as much, or as little as you like. Please click here for more information.
Are you a member or want to be a member? Please, take a moment to print our 2020-2021 membership application from the website at www.dolphindivers.org , fill it out and send it in with payment to P.O. Box 112, Orangevale, CA 95662. Our club membership renewal is normally in April, and we PROMISE to have a FREE PIZZA meeting when we can meet again. There will be applications at the next meeting as well, but it would help our club if you could send in your application ASAP.
I am excited to maneuver the USS Dolphin Club though this next year, and with your support and camaraderie, the Board and I look forward to meeting again soon. Please keep you and your family safe during this time in our lives.
Bubbles up!
-Owen Autry, President
We want to hear from you! Do you have something to share? A favorite dive site or story? Do you have a video slideshow or movie of a recent trip? Send it to me and I can share it with other members via our monthly newsletter. YouTube videos embed nicely into this new newsletter format.
Thanks for the continued opportunity to serve you. I hope you like it!!
-Renee
Due to COVID-19, All events and meetings in May were cancelled or postponed. Stay tuned for updates regarding June meetings and events.
Inland Lobster Feed/Lake Natoma Dive CANCELLED
(usually July/August)
Unrelated to the Corona Virus shut down we will not be able to hold our dive and picnic at Negro Bar, Lake Natoma, this summer ☹ The Negro Bar picnic area is undergoing a complete reconstruction with new restrooms, picnic tables with sun covers and handicapped access. Unfortunately this work is not scheduled to be completed until some time in October. As my mother-in-law used to say: “Another disappointment”
4th Annual SCUBA Challenge POSTPONED
Folsom Lake Folsom Point
TBD
Event organized by Brad Freelove
The 4th Annual Dolphin Divers SCUBA Challenge has been postponed until large gatherings are permitted. Hopefully sometime in late June or early July. If we have no increases in COVID-19 cases over the next 3 weeks, the Board can OK a date.
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On June 7th, come join the fun at Folsom Point. Test your ability against others in using your compass, building something underwater, finding lost treasure,and other fun stuff. There will be prizes and a potluck BBQ after the event. We will be sending out additional information starting in April. Last year we had 7 diver teams participate and over 25 members showed up just for the after-dive festivities.
Join us for a ton of fun!
-Brad
be 4 days from Sunday, July 19 to Wednesday, July 22. We will head to Catalina Island for the warmer water and (hopefully) the Giant Black Seabass and dive sites at Ship Rock and Farnsworth Banks. There are always a few hunters and photographers/videographers on our trips, but this is a trip for everyone so we will go where the conditions are best for general diving.
Bottom time is limited only by your nitrogen loading and how many times you want to dive. If you are a new diver this is probably the best way for you to practice your skills while diving with more experienced club buddies. The scenery along the islands is so beautiful we are often joined by non-diving family members. The crew takes excellent care of us and it is unbelievable how good the food is coming from the tiny galley.
save them for our next charter). Mail your check to the club PO Box or give it to me or the treasurer at a meeting. I’ll tell you more at the meetings and in the “Bubbles”. When you sign up I’ll also send you information about the specifics of the trip and what you can expect. You can check the club website for previous trip reports in our archived Bubbles. 
Memorial Day Camping & Diving RESCHEDULED
Albion River Campground
August 7th-9th, 2020
Event organized by Ken Takata
The Albion River Campground Memorial Day event has been rescheduled for August 7, 8, & 9. Reservations for some of our Memorial Day campers had to be cancelled because of scheduling conflicts with the new dates. So, a number of campsites in our group’s cluster are vacant and now available. If you are interested in joining us, please let me know and call the Albion River Campground to reserve one of the sites in our cluster. When you reserve a campsite, let the campground know you are with the Dolphin Divers of Sacramento group. They will do their best to assign you a vacant site within our cluster or in a nearby site. The campsites assigned to our group are: C8, C9, C10, C11, C34, C35, C36, and C37. I plan to arrive on Friday (8/7) afternoon and depart on (8/10).
Here’s information on the campground:
Albion River Campground
http://albionrivercampground.com/
Telephone # (707) 937-0606
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Summer is here. Time to dive! Before you drive or fly to your favorite dive location, remember to practice safe diving. First rule of being a safe diver is to be a smart diver. Be a smart diver and make sure that you and your equipment in good shape?
Hopefully, you have used the past couple months to get out and exercise. Are you in good shape? Cardiac events are involved in many diver emergencies. Are you smart enough to realize that you need to shed off a few pounds of flesh? Check with your doctor if you have any doubts about your ability to dive. Your doctor can make suggestions based on your current health. So, enough about getting off the couch and getting some exercise.
Your doctor says that you are fit enough to dive. Has it been a while since you made your last dive? Maybe a refresher course would help you out. Those unused diving skills can be “refreshed” with a small amount of time at your local dive shop (LDS). Not only will you remember some of your forgotten skills, but your LDS employee can update you on changes in equipment and training. Take the time to relearn those skills in a safe environment……..a pool.
Ok, your doc has said that you are good to go for scuba diving and your skill level is sufficient. What about your equipment? Lay your equipment out and look for problems. Straps that need replacement. Gauges that do not work. Wetsuit shrunk? Zippers that do not zip. Batteries need replacing? Get batteries approved by the manufacturer of the equipment. If you have any doubts on how to judge the condition of your equipment, get some help. Your LDS can help you with just about anything. That includes taking a class on how to take care of your own equipment. Rebuilding a regulator is something left to those with the proper knowledge, tools, and parts. But replacing a mask or fin strap is not all that tough to do if you learn how. Learn how to take care of your equipment.
So now that your equipment is in good shape, your body is in good shape, and your skills are refreshed, come join your fellow dive club members for a dive. Join us for a dive in local waters. Join us for a trip to Ocean Cove or Albion. If you really want to have some fun, come join us for our Channel Islands dive. 4 days of diving, eating, and having a ton of fun!
If you dive in the ocean long enough, you are bound to run into a sea cucumber. As the name implies, they look like a cucumber or a pickle. There are about 1,250 species of these critters inhabiting the oceans around the earth. Fully grown, the range in size from less than an inch to over 6 feet long! In California waters we are fortunate to have the giant red sea cucumber. Our local cuke does not grow much past 16 inches long but they do get to be almost 2 inches in diameter.
Sea cucumbers have some distant cousins (phylum echinoderms) that you might know. Urchins, star fish, and sand dollars are all related to sea cucumbers. Our big red local guy likes calm waters. You can find him (or her) walking around the bottom on lots of tiny tube feet. They are omnivores…..eating both plant and animal material. In turn, cucumbers are eaten by some starfish, otters, and humans.
I have eaten sea cucumbers a few times. Fresh out of the water and dipped in a special sauce, it’s like chewing on a rubber band dipped in a special sauce. However, much of the rest of the world enjoys eating them. You can order them from some restaurants. Some seafood stores sell them. Costco sells them dried and in a bag of 16 ounces. Cost is about $40 – $50 US.
If you want the really fresh stuff, tag along on our Channel Islands trip in July. Ken Takata will bring up a few cucumbers and whip up his special dipping sauce. You might even like it……or not!
NAMAKO (SEA CUCUMBER) – JAPANESE STYLE
Submitted by Ken Takata
Click here for direct link to recipe
Namako or Sea Cucumber is a traditional Japanese New Year’s dish. It is sliced into thin strips and eaten raw with a citrus/soy sauce dip called Ponzu. Like eating Oysters on the half shell, Namako is a developed taste and not to everyone’s liking. You can prepare the Ponzu Sauce yourself or purchase it in the Asian Food section of your grocery store. The flavors of Ponzu sauces can vary depending on the chef’s preferred ingredients. The Ponzu recipe provided below comes from a chef from Japan. Sea Cucumbers are a diverse group with some species too tough to consume. California’s Namako are soft bodied and edible.
Did you like a previously submitted recipe? Tell us what you thought!
Salmon & Brussels Sprouts – May 2020
– It just so happened that I had some Salmon in the Freezer and Brussels Sprouts in the refrigerator. So, I tried your Salmon and Brussels Sprouts Recipe tonight. It was really good. I modified it a little by adding some capers to the salmon and baking it with a few slices of lemon on top. I’ll make it again. Thanks, Ken
If you have recommendations for equipment, please share them by submitting a “GEAR REVIEW” article in the Bubbles. If your experience differs from a reviewer’s, please share that too. Other perspectives can give us a better view of what will or won’t work for us.
REVIEWER DESCRIPTION: Ken Takata, Sr. Citizen, SCUBA Diving since 1980, 900+ dives (cold and warm water),
DIVE ACTIVITIES: SCUBA and Freediving, UW Photography, UW Sightseeing, Ex-Spearfisherman
FLEXIBLE SCUBA HOSE: I have used a braided flexible low-pressure hose on my second stage for about 10 years. They are made of polyurethane a liner reinforced with a synthetic internal braiding and covered by a nylon exterior braiding.
PROS:
1) Much less jaw fatigue: They are significantly more flexible than rubber hoses. The stiffness of my old rubber hose forced me to clench my jaws in order to keep the regulator properly positioned in my mouth. The flexible hoses eliminated this problem and reduce my jaw fatigue.
2) With SCUBA gear on, it is easier to locate your second stage: Because of the hose’s increased flexibility, the second stage drapes straight down from the first stage next to your tank. I find it easier to locate because of this consistent attitude. Stiff and springy rubber hoses, on the other hand, tend to position the first stage at varying angles depending on the stiffness of the hose. So, your second stage may be at varying distances from the tank and more difficult to locate.
3) Easier for traveling: Because flexible hoses are so pliable, they can coil up into a smaller package. They are also about 30% lighter than rubber hoses.
CONS: Flexible hoses tend to cost more than rubber hoses
A Nice Way to Spend a Saturday Morning
by Brad Freelove
May 23rd found almost 20 divers and diver groupies at Doton’s Point, Lake Folsom. DDS member Gordon Kuhnle put together a shore dive in the warm waters of Folsom. A chance to get in the water, practice some rusty skills, look for treasure, and have some fun. We were able to park right at the waters edge. After a quick but informative dive briefing by Gordon, the herd was on the move and entered the water. Water temp. was almost 70 degrees. Gordon had made a dive on the 22nd and put out some items on the bottom of the lake. That is what we were looking for. He had already placed 4 diver floats and flags on the surface so we should be safe from crazy boaters…..right?
If your U/W navigation skills were decent, you had no problem finding the items that were on the bottom. But the dive was not so much about finding stuff but for getting back with friends. Yes, we did kind of stay away from each other on the shore. Still, nice to see friends that I had not seen in person in several months. Facebook is ok but not the real deal.
In many of the dives that Gordon puts on, this guy showed up. He goes my many names and state and county park rangers know him on sight. I hope he is around for many years.
Gordon did put out some nice prizes. After 45 minutes or so of diving, I went back to the shore and found that CRAZY BOATERS had infested the lake. 60 mph up and down the lake. I kept waiting for a couple of them to crash into each other. Happily, that did not happen.
Many thanks to Gordon for putting on the dive and to all our friends that joined us.
Officers and Chairs
- President – Owen Autry
- Vice President – Ken Takata
- Secretary – Brad Freelove
- Activities – Julie Edwards
- Treasurer – Marlyn Sepulveda
- Safety Officer – Steve Gilmore
- Past President – Dana Carlson
- Promotions – Tracy Clarke
- Newsletter Editor – Renee Viehmann
- Webmaster – Renee Viehmann
- Historian – Jack Millard
Members at Large
- Dave Whiteside
- Gordon Kuhlne
- Kenny Carraher
- Craig Brookey
- Maridee Green
- Liz Marchiondo
- Alex Khunle
- Craig Brookey (alternate)
- Corinne Fuerst (alternate)
- Ilkan Cokgor (alternate)
2013 Arctic Fox Cab Over Camper
Ordered new from factory. Always stored indoors except when using. Meticulously maintained. This is the best quality unit you can get! Hard to find. Also the largest! Need 1 ton dually truck!
For more details:
https://sacramento.craigslist.org/rvs/d/ryde-2013-arctic-fox-1150-truck-camper/7128586166.html
Truck also available.
For more information call or email Holly 530-219-5415
