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Dear Dolphin Divers of Sacramento,

June is here and brings with it the start of summer heat and many fun times with our family and friends. We have some fun events planned for the upcoming months and I hope you can participate in one or two of them this summer. Be careful on those hot days and as always drink lots of water. If you are diving and wearing a dive suit getting ready to enter the cold water, take your time getting in as you are aware of how the cold water can take your breath away really fast. See you in the water this summer.

For all you Dad’s out there, Happy Father’s Day. I would like to share a poem with you that spoke to me while pondering Father’s day. Have a blessed Father’s Day.

“Walk a little slower Daddy”
Said the child so small.
“I’m following in your footsteps
And I don’t want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are very fast,
Sometimes they’re hard to see;
So walk a little slower, Daddy,
For you are leading me.

Someday when I’m all grown up,
You’re what I want to be;
Then I will have a little child
Who’ll want to follow me?

And I would want to lead just right,
And know that I was true:
So walk a little slower, Daddy,
For I must follow you.”
—Author Unknown —

If you have not joined the club officially please sign up by checking out the Web page at https://www.dolphindivers.org and register today. This will get you on the email list so you won’t miss any activities and get 10 free refills of your scuba tank.

Our next Dolphin Club General Meeting will be held in person on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at Round Table Pizza (9500 Greenback Lane in Folsom), or via Zoom for those who would prefer to attend remotely, Marilyn will send information the day of the meeting. We are working on new and returning guest speakers to bring quality and interest to our meetings.

Hope to see you in the water, and bubbles up!!

Owen Autry,
President

QUOTES FROM THE SEA

Shark encounters are one of the main fears people have when taking up or thinking of trying, scuba diving. Many divers dream of seeing sharks while diving, but for some, it’s still a cause of concern. So it’s worth reminding them that coconuts present a far greater danger than sharks during a tropical vacation. Say what? Well, roughly 150 people are killed every year by falling coconuts — they are really, really heavy and fall from great heights — compared to around 10 yearly fatalities from shark attacks.

THOMAS GRONFELDT

Safety Officer’s Message
By: Brad Freelove

Do I Need a Dive Knife?

At some point, most divers ask themselves this question. Is a dive knife a necessary item for me to carry while diving? By the end of this article, perhaps you can answer that question.
A dive knife can serve many purposes. You can use it to cut fishing line, rope, or other underwater entanglement refuse. Having 10 meters of 50 lb. test braided fishing line grab hold of your fins will make you a believer in having a knife around. Yes, you can use a line cutter or shears instead of a knife, but both devices can be hard to use with gloves on. They also have limits on the thickness of what you cut. Also, some dive locations may not allow you to carry a knife while diving. Line cutters and shears are probably okay in most places.

Try a Dive Knife

You can get a small dive knife that fits on your BCD or your wrist, or you can get a larger size that fits on your calf. Many divers wear a calf-mounted knife as well as a smaller knife that is mounted to their oral inflator hose or a pocket of their BCD.

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Whatever you end up with, be sure you can find and remove your knife from its holder. You may want to add a lanyard to your knife. I use some lightweight bungee cord. If you need to use your knife, you can have it attached to your wrist. If you let go of your knife, it will not travel far.

Most BCDs have some sort of mounting kit that attaches a knife to a location on the BCD. Zip ties work well for this but use the mounting kits when you can. Zip ties can have some sharp edges that might cut your BCD. You can file the edges down, melt them smooth, or wrap them in tape. Velcro tape can be used to attach your knife and has no sharp edges. Determine where you want to mount the knife and go from there.

Stainless steel and titanium are the two most common materials blades are made from. Titanium costs more than stainless and does not corrode as much as stainless steel. It also weighs less. But good stainless will give you a sharper edge. To assist in the corrosion area, you can coat the blade with some plumber’s grease. Much better than silicon as it does not wash off after a couple of dives.

Your knife is a tool. Properly used and maintained, you can enjoy many years of service from it. Cutting away some left behind fishing lures or weights is something that I use mine for on many dives. I remove as much fishing line from our ocean as I can. That same fishing line loves to grab my fins or dive computer when it gets a chance. Your cutting tool is there to help you out. Yes, you can use your knife to cut seaweed if necessary. Go easy on that. Our kelp beds are slowly growing back. Hacking them up may not be the best use of your knife.

Your knife is NOT a weapon, pry bar, rock hammer, or anything else. Improperly used, your knife can and will ruin your day. Use it when you need it but only for what it is intended for.

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

JUNE MEMBER BIRTHDAYS

Chelsae Moltrum
Michael Melvin
Tom Oja
Jordan Oja
Emily Oja
Phoebe Scholar
Jamie Sepulveda
Eileen Gaffney

NEW MEMBERS

Jake Burke
Gina Darin

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

GEAR REVIEW
Aqualung 850 Roller Duffle Bag
By: Brad Freelove

I purchased this bag a couple of years ago from Dolphin Scuba Center. The bag has flown to Cabo, Cozumel, and Texas. Several boat trips including Socorro, Cozumel, and the Channel Islands a couple of times…..well, over 100 dives later and the bag is still going strong.

It has a lifetime warranty and has plenty of room for most of my travels. If you want to put enough stuff in a bag for two divers, there is a larger size.
The 850 is great for just me.

Some of the pertinent facts about the 850 are:
Zipper closure
Heavy-duty PVC-free 840D nylon, total weight is 8.8 lbs
Large internal zippered mesh compartment
lightweight extendable aluminum handle
Removable accessory bag strap
Durable and smooth-rolling ball-bearing wheels
Internal fin pockets accommodate large dive fins
Protective stiffener and padding throughout the bag
Heavy-duty #10 zippers with tactile zipper pulls for easy gripping and corrosion-resistant YKK zippers

SCUABA SHOW 2022
By: Joe Morgan

Over the weekend of May 14th and 15th, I headed down to Long Beach for “SCUBA Show 2022”. The show is massive, there are over 250 total exhibitors, and even if you spent five minutes at each booth you would need 21 hrs. With show hours of Sat 10-6 / Sun 10-5, you have only 15 total hours of SCUBA Show. So you have to have a plan and be selective of which booth to see. My main reason for attendance was the lectures on subjects ranging from safety to underwater photography. After subtracting 9 hours for the lectures, only six total hours remain to see all the exhibitors and meet all the wonderful people in attendance. I mention this to let you know it was truly a whirlwind.

Prior to leaving home, I researched most of the presenters with booths, so I could have a game plan for who I wanted to talk with the most. After compiling a list of all the booths and making a map of which booths were most important, I set off.

Saturday morning comes and I leave home at 03:30 for a 06:30 flight to LAX. I arrived in Los Angeles at almost 8, then took an Uber to the Long Beach Convention Center. That is where the silliness began, upon arrival to the very large (picture Sierra College) convention center campus, there was no signage and multiple entrances. I sat in front of what looked to be the main entrance to the hall. As I sat, other visitors walked by and would ask where the entrance was, I explained I had no idea, but met some wonderful fellow divers this way. We all began wandering around in every direction trying to locate the “real” entrance. One member of our party was a wonderful lady who was supposed to be taking the tickets at the door. So at least we were lost with a professional. Having been an hour and a half early I had plenty of time to figure it all out. After walking around asking people for what seemed an eternity we finally found the correct building and got in line, really an amusing way to spend the first hour.

Almost immediately upon getting in line “SCUBA Radio” began pulling people out of line for a contest, and wouldn’t you know it, I was selected to compete. 10 entrants were each given a box, and prizes included round trip airfare to Fiji and a new Shearwater Peregrine Dive Computer. I ended up with a consolation prize, but it was very fun and began the day off wonderfully.

At 10:00 the doors finally opened, and we all began wandering around and interacting with the exhibitors. As I said there were too many booths to pay them all proper attention, and there was only an hour before the first lecture, so I hurriedly began interacting.

Once the lectures began most of my time was spent there.

Lectures Attended Saturday
Polar Diving in the Arctic and Antarctic – Henrik Enckell
Expedition Scuba Diving in the Red Sea – Raf Jah
Five Mistakes Divers Make – Dan Orr
Aggressor Adventures Expands To New Destinations – Cpt. Tom Gebhardt

The hours not spent in the lecture rooms were used meeting tour operators, dive shop owners, gear manufacturers, expedition leaders, and resort representatives, and asking everyone who had anything I found of interest if they would be interested in speaking for our club. I had expected maybe one in ten to say yes, in fact, EVERY single person not only agreed to talk to our club but seemed very enthusiastic to do so. I will be putting together a list of options for the board to help nail down dates and times, but it looks like we are going to have some wonderful presentations coming up.

Some major highlights were talking with Dan Orr about dive safety, meeting Kelly, who is running Scuba trips in Cuba, speaking with Henrik Enckell about expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic, and discussing the use of a full-face mask with the guys at OTS.

The best part of the day was meeting the couple who owns “Force Fins” Bob and Susanne. They had been a part of the morning “find-the-entrance” fiasco, and then we bumped into each other throughout the day, then Saturday after the show ended, we accidentally found ourselves seated next to each other at the bar of a nearby restaurant. We ended up talking about SCUBA for a couple of hours and like most times you are around divers, I made a few more friends for life.

After a very long day, it was time to head to the hotel and pass out.


Sunday morning wake up, continental breakfast, and off to another day of SCUBA information.

I arrived at the hall and had an hour to talk with more presenters before the lectures began.

Lectures Attended Sunday
Boast Worthy Backgrounds – Andy & Allison Sallman
The Human Factor in Diving – Mel Futrell
Before, During, and After an Incident: Things you never learned in your rescue class – Jim Gunderson
Expedition Scuba Diving Addu Atoll Maldives – Raf Jah
Legal Issues Facing CA Divers in 2022 -Rick Lesser and Jorge Lopez

In the few hours not spent in lectures, I met with some more manufacturers about their newest gear, talked in-depth with some very nice conservation groups, and had a great talk with Steve about the “Waves” program that works with disabled veterans to get them into the sport. Jim Gunderson from DAN gave an enlightening talk about “what your rescue class never taught you” and he is willing to give it again for the club. I met Raf, an Expedition leader who takes groups on trips to less-dived locations and he gave presentations on a trip to the Red Sea where his group took a very special route. Then he showed a trip to a remote island in the far south of the Maldives called Gan (Addu Atoll). I am excited to see if our club can get a group together who would be interested in going on either of those trips.

After a long couple of days, the show finally ended and after the last few attendees filed out of the hall, I stayed behind and sat in Raf’s booth enjoying a warm beer with Raf and Andy (a group travel guide from Colorado) and spent an extra hour dreaming of far off locations. Eventually, the clean-up crew pushed us out the doors and I headed to the airport for a late-night flight home.

It was an outstanding way to spend a few days, and I made dozens of new dive buddies who I can’t wait to blow bubbles with. I have rambled on long enough but the takeaway from this whole article should be that if you have never been, or haven’t been in a while, I cannot recommend SCUBA Show highly enough. Get it on your calendar for June 3-4, 2023 and make time to attend.

Lastly, I am available to talk to anyone in the club who would like more information on any of the lectures or with any other questions.

!! AFTER SHOW UPDATE !!

I was home from the show for two days and received this email:

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They agreed to ship it to save me the drive to Costa Mesa, and I will show the group once it arrives. What an outstanding way to cap off a wonderful trip!

DOLPHIN DIVERS OF SACRAMENTO
CLUB STORE NEWS

If you are looking to purchase any Club-Branded merchandise, it is available at the monthly meeting.

Over the summer the club will be printing more Club-Branded merchandise and if there is anything that you want to be printed please bring it up with Tracy Clarke at the general meeting.

REPORT ON MEMORIAL DAY
MAY 27-30
ALBION RIVER CAMPGROUND
By: Ken Takata

25 DDS campers made the trek to Albion. Several of us left Sacramento a day earlier than planned to take advantage of the very calm seas predicted for Friday May 27th. Predictions were correct and the seas were like glass. Fishing and crabbing were excellent.

The seas turned windy and rough on Saturday afternoon and on Sunday. Still a great time was had by all.

We had our usual gourmet potlucks and ate and drank a little too much. Several of us went kayaking, golfing, or just spent time exploring the beautiful Mendocino Coast. It was another successful Dolphin Divers Adventure.

Pictures of the event will be posted on the website.

I will lead the event next Memorial Day, so stay tuned.

KEN TAKATA
kennethktakata@gmail.com

SCUBA CLUB COZUMEL REVIEW
By: Brooke Hudson

Dolphin Scuba Center sponsored a trip to Scuba Club, Cozumel, in March. It was hosted by Dessie and Brandon, employees of Dolphin.

What I liked about Scuba Club was that it offered daily boat trips, 2 dives, or you could dive from the property, entering through a small ocean pool in the patio. The small ocean pool had a couple of steps with a handrail that made getting in easier with your gear on. Once in the pool, you swam on scuba through a short ravine that led into the ocean. Or, you could do a giant stride entry off the dock.

Once in the open ocean, it was only 25 feet deep there in front of the Club. The water was 82 F degrees, 100-foot vis, and plenty to see. Steve and I did not go on the boats, as you had to be there with all your gear at about 8 am. We didn’t want an early schedule. We were happy as clams to just enter the little pool after a leisurely breakfast and do simple dives in front of the property. We saw large angelfish, small rays, and many schools of fish under the nearby pier. There was a very mild current.

The rooms were fine, and ours had a lanai with a great ocean view. Breakfast and lunch were provided, and you could sit on their patio enjoying an ocean view while eating. For dinner, we walked into town and ate at one of the restaurants, many with open-air patios. I would recommend Scuba Club; it was delightful.
Brooke Hudson

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

KINDNESS IN THE DIVE COMMUNITY
By: Joe Morgan

As many of you know I am fairly new to diving, but in the short time I have been around the sport I have noticed something remarkable; How truly generous, pleasant, and helpful everyone in the Scuba community is.

I have been on a few trips now, liveaboards as well as land-based trips, and every single trip has led me to new friends. Dive buddies who I now plan future trips with and send pictures and stories of dives we have taken almost daily.

On every trip there is some issue where a diver on the boat has forgotten something, broken a piece of gear, or simply needs help with a skill. Every single time someone has stepped up to assist. Whether that is simply an O-ring, advice on training, help with skills underwater, or something more in-depth. The real striking part of this is that they are HAPPY to help. I cannot say enough how impressing that is in a world where that does not seem to be the case in other events.

On my trip to Socorro, on the first dive day, a diver crashed his drone into the water where it immediately sank. I assumed it was gone forever. The drone was of course destroyed but was insured if you had at least a single piece of the broken drone to return. Without at least a single piece it would have been a couple of thousand-dollar loss. We pulled anchor and headed to another island for the next few dive days. Four days later we returned to that same site. One of the divers onboard had extensive search and recovery experience. He sacrificed one of his own dives with mantas and sharks to instead plan the recovery of the drone. After only 30 minutes, the pair was back on board with the drone in hand. I was amazed that in 110 feet of water, in heavy current, and after four days the experienced diver could find it. (So much so, that I soon plan on taking a search and recovery class) but I was more impressed with the fact that he would sacrifice part of his own vacation to assist a stranger.
This kindness is one of the main reasons I have involved my sons (and as soon as she is old enough my daughter) in this activity. The people I have met on Scuba trips are the type of people I want my children to become. World travelers with a passion that they want to share, a love of nature and conservation, and are simply pleasant, kind people to be around. If they learn nothing else from diving, I hope it is that.

I write this letter to say thank you to all the divers I have met, and to applaud those who foster this type of attitude in the sport. If there is anyone in your life who needs to feel the love of a community with similar attitudes there is no better activity than SCUBA diving.

PHOTOS OF PAST EVENTS

EDITOR’S NOTE
By: Joe Morgan

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: Ilkan Cokgor
Webmaster: Renee Viehmann
Promotions Chair: Tracy Clarke
Newsletter Editor: Joe Morgan
Historian: Jack Millard
Member at Large: David Whiteside
Member at Large: Corinne Fuerst
Member at Large: Marylin Campbell
Member at Large: Steve Campbell
Member at Large: Lalanyia Little
Member at Large: Tom Mischley
Alternate Member at Large: Bob Taylor
Alternate Member at Large: Tom Oja