Happy Easter to those that celebrate the holiday!

We had a great dive last weekend on March 9th. It was the Dolphin Divers Annual Easter Egg Hunt under the water at San Carlos Beach, in Monterey, CA. This dive consisted of “hidden” eggs in the water that could be exchanged for a prize later that evening. The water was a cool 57 degrees, and I went down early on Thursday to help set the course on Friday with Jack, Brad, Ken, Fred, Kenny, Cheryl, and myself. The visibility was only about 10 feet and on the day of the events it dropped as our fellow divers stirred up the bottom. I am pretty sure everyone had a good time. Several of the divers went back out and enjoyed a second dive in the kelp, along with the seals and otters. The weather was sunny, and the water was calm. A great day for the event.

This is the last month for the current board, and it’s not too late to join the board as our secretary or as one of our members at large. The board is comprised of great people that are of service to the club and the diving community. We work hard to keep the board going and keeping you in the water as much as we can as a club. I would like to extend a big “Thank you!” the current members of the board for all their hard work and dedication to the club.

In April at this general meeting, we will be voting for the new board, and for all of the Dolphin Divers of Sacramento members there will be FREE PIZZA. If you are not a member, please sign up today online or at the meeting. It is also time for everyone to renew their membership. Again you can do this online or in person at the general meeting.

Please note, our next Dolphin Club General Meeting will be held in-person on Wednesday,
March 20th, 2024, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at Round Table Pizza (9500 Greenback Lane in Folsom), and via Zoom for those who would prefer to attend remotely. Marilyn will send information on the day of the meeting. You will not want to miss this meeting…everyone is welcome to join!

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

Owen Autry,
President

Safety Officer’s Message
By: Brad Freelove

TSA Baggage Inspection of Diving Equipment

About 3 weeks ago, I was outward bound from Sacramento to Cozumel. When I arrived
at the Hotel Cozumel, I started unpacking by dive stuff. If something was broken or
missing, I wanted to know now and not on the first dive. For about 5 years, I have been
using TSA approved locks to keep unauthorized hands off my equipment. When I
opened my dive bag, I found a short note from the folks at TSA letting me know that
they had inspected my luggage. A first for me! I know the TSA trolls are out there
doing their best to keep us safe or limiting forbidden items, but I have never been
inspected. The TSA note made it very clear that having TSA approved locks allows
them to inspect without having to cut off my locks.

Well, my dive knife was still there. Same for my computers, lights, camera housing…….
all the stuff that I had put the bag was still there. I did not feel violated. In fact, I was
kind of happy that TSA was actually looking.

On a whim, 2 days later I called the TSA phone number shown on the note. It took a
while, but I was able to get hold of a real, live, person. I was curious on the reason for
inspection. As all bags have barcode tags, the woman at TSA knew about my
inspection. I had been selected at random. Nothing personal or suspected, just
happened. She did support the use of TSA approved locks and Apple AirTags. She
was sorry for any inconvenience and asked if I had a complaint. Nope, just curious.

You can buy the locks for about $12 or more per set of 2. AirTags can be had for about
$80 for a set of 4. Your luggage will be safer and easier to find. AirTags do have a
couple quirks but a few minutes after landing at Cozumel, I knew that my luggage was
close by.

QUOTES FROM THE SEA

The sea is a field full of miracles where it shows nature’s resilience against destruction. The Grumpy Guru, Beach Quotes

The calming movement of the sea along with the restless ocean breeze gently caresses me creating a soothing trance which lulls me to a place of peace. M. L. Borges, By The Sea

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

Socorro Island Video
(In case you missed the meeting)
from January’s trip

Join the Dolphin Divers Board

DOLPHIN DIVERS OF SACRAMENTO BOARD NEEDS YOU!

SECRETARY

Since we are having trouble filling the Secretary position, we are trying to divide the duties of the
position into two separate areas of responsibility. They are: Recording Secretary, and Book-
keeping Secretary.
Duties of the Recording Secretary: Take minutes at the monthly board meeting and distribute
those minutes to the board. Using our Google Sheets minute template makes this job very
simple.
Duties of the Bookkeeping Secretary: Accept membership applications, maintain the club
member roster, issue new membership cards, issue new members a club logbook.
Our hope is that dividing the Secretary duties will entice you to volunteer for some of the
Secretary’s duties. The only way we can keep the club viable is to fill the board positions. So,
if you want to see the club continue, please volunteer.


MEMBER AT LARGE

The club has 6 Member at Large Positions. This position is ideal for newer members since it
allows them to participate in planning club activities, become familiar with the club operations,
and learn from the many experienced divers on the board. The board is a congenial group, and
our meetings are very enjoyable.
Please volunteer.

Contact Ken Takata at kennethktakata@gmail.com if you would like more information or wish to
volunteer.

Just Laugh

Reminder for All

(Brad recently sent out a reminder for the Easter Egg Dive, but I think it is a good reminder to go out for everyone in the club. I have changed his words a little to be less event specific, but here you go.)

If you are bringing your own tank to a dive, please check your hydro date and VIP date.  If your last hydro date is over 5 years, you will not be able to fill your tank.  If your last VIP date is over 1 year old, you will not be able to fill your tank.  

If your tank has need of a VIP or hydro, get hold of Dolphin Scuba and figure out how long it will take.  You can rent a tank if need be.

The tank in the photos is barely in compliance for the VIP.  A few more months left on the hydro.  Don’t get to your favorite dive spot and find out that your tank is an issue you could have taken care of before you left town.

Yard Sale

Free to a good home. Call Dave at 916-730-8282

Cozumel Drift Dive
By Brad Freelove

Cozumel Drift Dive

Much of the diving on the west side of Cozumel is drift diving. You roll out of the boat,
head to the bottom, and let the current move you along.

Most of the time, the current is very mild. Nothing that you cannot swim against. No
need for reef hooks or panic.
On this particular dive, the current was probably ½ knot. Nothing to worry about, just a fun
experience. About 70 minutes into the dive, the current picked up a bit. Maybe 1 knot
now. You can kick against it and win but nothing you want to do for an extended period.

Our divemaster decided to call the dive. We were strung out about 150 ft. behind him
and at depths of 50 to 70 feet. Most of us started to ascend to the surface, sad that the
dive was over. Suddenly, the bottom dropped from 70 ft. to about 120 ft.
This sudden drop in the bottom terrain created a reallllly big hole that the water was
trying to fill up. The current was pushing us from the back and the water above us was
taking us down while trying to fill in the drop in the bottom. You could see the whirlpools
forming from the surface. Some of the whirlpools were just a few feet deep. Others
were nearly 50 ft. long. Nothing dangerous but did get your interest. I was the second
to last diver in the chain. I could see the diver in front of me making way to the surface.

I looked behind me to make sure that my dive buddy was doing fine and heading up.
Yup. There he is. Down around 100 ft. putting some air in his BCD. Fin power was
okay, but adding air to the BCD was the easiest and safest method in getting to the
surface.

I did the same, keeping an eye on the person in front of me and my dive buddy
behind me. No one was in trouble, but I was happy that all the divers in our group were
very experienced. When all of us were on the surface and talking about the excitement
created by the currents, our divemaster relaxed a bit. You could sense that he was just
a little worried about how the currents had picked up.

Having experienced divers, a good dive master and a knowledgeable boat captain
made the dive a very fun one. If you have never been to Cozumel, get there soon.
Water temps. were a consistent 80 degrees F. The air temps slightly warmer. Visibility
was from 50 to 100+ ft. The food is good, and the locals are very friendly.

Member News

March Birthdays:

Paul Rees – 2nd
Lorne Green- 2nd
Gary Short – 5th
Holger Fuerst – 6th
Mike Melvin – 7th
Josh Daniels – 11th
Carol Herrlie 27th

It is also a very special Birthday for my favorite little girl. March 7th my baby girl, Reagan, turned 10 and can now finally get certified and begin joining us on adventures. She will be blowing bubbles very soon!

New Members:
Hannah Dunham

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

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

For the full view click here…

March 6, 2024	DDS Board Meeting	Owen Autry	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com
March 9, 2024	Easter Egg Hunt	Jack Millard	(916) 955-8017 jbmillard@aol.com
March 20, 2024	DDS General Meeting	Owen Autry	(916) 955-9105 ocautry@gmail.com

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: 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