Dear Dolphin Divers of Sacramento,                                                                     May 4, 2025

Happy Mother’s Day to everyone this May. I hope you have good moments you can remember with your mom and the adventures you may have had with her. I am blessed to still have my 92-year-old mom in my life and pray that she continues to stay strong. Many of you have seen her at the Ocean Cove campout and dive trip these last few years, as she enjoys the ocean and sea breeze. I asked her if she would like to join us again this year and she said she will have to think about it. She is going to Texas to see my daughter for a week, and I think that will be an indicator if she will make the trek in August to come with us to Ocean Cove.

Next week is the first monthly meeting for our new board! The changes to members are as follows: Douglas Hillblom (Events Chair), Dave Whiteside (Member at Large), Cheryl Anderson (Member at Large), Chris Matthews (Member at Large), and Liz Marchiondo (Alternate Member at Large); all other board members remain the same.

We will be working on putting the year together, planning out future trips to go diving and other activities. If you have anything to add to our activities, please email me at ocautry@gmail.com and I will help you get things going.

It’s also that time of year again…time to renew your membership with Dolphin Divers of Sacramento! Renewal is easy! Just visit our website at www.dolphindivers.org or bring your complete renewal form and dues to the next club meeting.

We appreciate your continued support and look forward to another great year of diving together. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to any board member or reply to this message.

Good news, our D.D.S. Board and the membership voted during the last general meeting to book Mountain Mike’s Pizza for the remainder of the year. The new location is at Mountain Mike’s Pizza, 2220 Gold Springs Ct., Gold River, CA 95670. Go to their website and check them out.

Please note, our next Dolphin Club General Meeting will be held in-person on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at Mountain Mike’s Pizza located at 2220 Gold Springs Ct., Gold River, CA 95670 and we are able to have a Zoom link for this meeting. Marilyn will send out more information prior to the meeting. Come early to enjoy visiting with your follow divers.

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

Owen Autry,

President

Safety Officer’s Message
By: Brad Freelove

Reef Safe Sunscreen – Are They a Gimmick?

When I am heading out on the water for a dive or just walking the beach, I try and put on sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses.  It does not take long for me to burn.  Depending on the time of day and the intensity of the sun, in about 15 minutes I can look like a boiled lobster.  When I purchase my sunscreen, I always pick one that is safe for our marine environment.  Scientists estimate that somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 tons of sunscreen wash off our bodies as we play in our oceans, lakes, and rivers.  Oh, and when you take a shower, that sunscreen must go somewhere.  Right down the drain and into our waters. 

When purchasing my sunscreen, I do look for the words, “reef safe.”  However, there is no universal meaning for the term “reef safe.”  It truly is buyer beware in the sunscreen market.  The Haereticus Environmental Laboratory website contains a list of what you should and should not use in and around the water.  Yes, you do have to use your brain on this but remember, you are putting this stuff on your body.  Some of those chemicals are absorbed by you.  

By knowing what you don’t want on your body, you’ve taken the first major step to becoming more conscious of your habits. Now, once you get to the store it is important to remember that mineral sunscreens with non-nano zinc dioxide as the active ingredient is the best option to protect our reefs. 

Stuff to avoid:  Oxybenzone, Benzophenone-1, Benzophrnone-8, OD-PABA, 4-Methylbenzylidene, camphor, 3-Benzylidene camphor, nano-Titanium dioxide, nano-Zinc oxide, Octinoxate, and Octocrylene. 

If you want to get a list of “approved” sunscreen products that are reef safe, go visit the Environmental Working Group’s Guide to Sunscreens.  This is what I use.  You can get it from Amazon.  Stream 2 Sea SPF 30.  About $18.

QUOTES FROM THE SEA

“Darling it’s better down where it’s wetter. Take it from me!”
Sebastian, The Little Mermaid

“The sea is as near as we come to another world.”
Anne Stevenson

“To me the sea is a continual miracle; The fishes that swim, the rocks, the motion of the waves, the ships with men in them. What stranger miracles are there?”
Walt Whitman

REMINDER
NEW MEETING LOCATION
ROUND TABLE CLOSED

Dear Dolphin Divers of Sacramento,

The Board has been working hard to find a new location after the old location Round Table Closed.  Yes, we are “NO” longer meeting at Round Table 9500-1 Greenback Lane

We will be sending out more announcements about the upcoming general meeting, but I wanted to get this information out to all of you as soon as I got the last details cleared up.

The new location; Drum Roll Please!!

Mountain Mike’s Pizza

2220 Gold Springs Ct, Gold River, CA 95670

https://www.mountainmikespizza.com/locations/gold-river-gold-springs/  Copy and paste to look at their website

Mountain Mike’s

Serving up the best pizza in Gold River the same way Mountain Mike’s has done it since 1978 — dough rolled fresh daily, using real whole milk mozzarella, vegetables and meats sliced every day…all on a fresh, golden brown crust…with superior service for dine in, carry out or delivery.

Mountain Mike’s is also home of the legendary crispy, curly pepperoni, which uses natural casing so our mountainous pepperonis curls and crisp when cooked…a true pepperoni lover’s dream.

Thank you,

Owen Autry

D.D.S. President

Member Yard Sale

Member News

– REMINDER –
In Case You Have Missed This
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL TIME

Dolphin Divers of Sacramento

Our 2025 new membership year starts on April 1^st and runs through March 31^st, 2026.  If you want to continue to be part of the largest diving club in the Sacramento area, you will need to get signed up for the new membership year.

Your membership entitles you to receive our monthly newsletter….The Bubbles.  The Bubbles will keep you updated on upcoming club dives, meetings, parties and other dive stuff.  You also receive an air-fill card from Dolphin Swim and Scuba.  You get 10 FREE air fills from Dolphin.  Along with the card, you will receive a 10% discount on items not on sale.

To renew your membership at Dolphin Divers, you can:

Complete the application below and mail the application and dues payment into the club P.O. Box.  The address is at the bottom of the application.

You can pick up an application during our monthly meetings.

You can print an application from the club website.  https://www.dolphindivers.org/membership/membership-application/

You can go to the club website and follow the instructions for submitting an online application and dues.  https://www.dolphindivers.org/membership/membership-application/

May 2025 Birthdays

Hannah Dunham 5/3
Sally M Walters 5/3
Lee Friedmann 5/6
Jeffery Abbott 5/9
Kenny Carraher 5/14
Suzanne Ito 5/22
Marlyn Sepulveda 5/27
Elizabeth (Liz) Marchiondo 5/30

May New Members

Kai & Sean Allen
David & Chloe Mitchell

AS MEMBERS, REMEMBER WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING TO GROW OUR “DOLPHIN DIVERS FAMILY” SO PLEASE REACH OUT TO OTHER DIVERS AND LET THEM KNOW ABOUT THE CLUB WHENEVER YOU GET THE CHANCE.

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

Just Laugh

 How can you tell if two sharks are friends?

They act chummy with one another.

Comparison of the ACR ResQLink 400, Garmin InReach Mini 2, and Nautilus Lifeline

When it comes to personal safety in remote or marine environments, nothing makes me feel safer than knowing that if an emergency arises, help is on the way. I often travel solo, and often to very remote diving locations. After hearing stories of divers being carried away by heavy current, and a movie about a dive operator leaving people behind I began thinking of how-to Self-rescue from those horrible situations.
With that in mind I have tried carrying various communication devices with me and think I have settled on my “every dive carry” kit.

When I was initially researching which safety device to carry, three devices stood out: the ACR ResQLink™ 400, the Garmin InReach Mini 2, and the Nautilus Lifeline. Each device caters to divers (and other adventurers) who require reliable communication or emergency signaling when off-grid. While they share a similar goal—ensuring personal safety—they differ significantly in technology, communication capability, coverage, and intended use.

My initial choice was made because on my first liveaboard in Socorro, I was diving on the “Nautilus Under Sea” and we were each given a Nautilus Lifeline and taught how to use them. During the week the company offered significant discounts to their liveaboard customers. I immediately grabbed one and have worn it on every dive since.
The Nautilus Lifeline was specifically created with scuba divers in mind. Unlike the other two, this device operates as a marine VHF radio with Digital Selective Calling (DSC). Divers can communicate directly with nearby vessels or coast guards on open marine channels, providing precise GPS coordinates during surface emergencies. Lifeline does not rely on satellite networks and does not require a subscription. However, its range is limited to line-of-sight VHF communication, typically up to several miles depending on conditions—and it’s not suitable for inland or terrestrial use. My Nautilus Lifeline has been a part of my kit since that first liveaboard. It is simple, easy to carry, and easy to test for peace of mind.
After that first trip, I really began to wonder about whether the Nautilus was enough. Knowing it can only communicate for a few miles, and only line of sight. I knew it was perfect for immediate area rescue efforts, but what if a current took me farther away from the dive vessel than that range? So, I began to look at GPS systems.

My first choice was the ACR ResQLink, the ACR has no monthly contract, and I had no plans for using it for anything but the direst of circumstances.
Their advertising states – The ACR ResQLink™ 400 is a personal locator beacon (PLB) designed for global emergency use. It operates on the 406 MHz frequency, part of the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system, which does not require a subscription. Once activated, it sends a distress signal along with GPS coordinates to a network of search and rescue satellites. The ResQLink 400 is built for reliability, with a rugged, waterproof design and a simple interface. However, it only activates in emergencies—there is no two-way messaging or non-emergency communication capability.
What stood out to me was not having a monthly contract. The ACR does not offer a dive housing, but Light Monkey (The Underwater Flashlight company) will make a custom housing for around $300 (this was three years ago, so check the price for yourself before deciding)
This is a great piece of kit, and was with me for around two years on every dive. The combination of the nautilus for short distance, and the ACR for satellite communication I felt safe no matter where I was and knew I could send a “come-get-me” signal from anywhere on the planet.
With the housing, and the ACR itself, this is by far the heaviest of the options, and that was a minor inconvenience, but the real decision to look into other options came when I was thinking about what it would actually be like to be floating in the ocean waiting for rescue. I considered what would be important to me in those hours and realized one key component to staying positive in a situation like that would be knowing that someone had received my signal for help. The issue there is that the ACR nor the Nautilus have any way of telling you that anyone has heard you. Which led me to looking into the Garmin, since it can communicate two-ways.

Now Garmin’s website says – The Garmin InReach Mini 2 is a two-way satellite communicator that operates on the Iridium network, offering 100% global coverage. This compact device allows users to send and receive messages, share real-time GPS tracking, and trigger SOS alerts to a 24/7 monitoring center. It requires a subscription plan, but provides much greater flexibility for communication. Users can stay in contact with family, check weather forecasts, and adjust plans based on real-time information. The InReach Mini 2 is ideal for backpackers, remote workers, and divers traveling inland or offshore.
After looking into the Garmin, I was sold. It has a dive housing that is significantly smaller than the case required for the ACR. It can communicate two-ways to let me know that someone has heard my distress call and is on the way. Those two factors led me to swapping the ACR for the Garmin on my dives.
The monthly cost is between $14.99 and $49.99 depending on which level of service you choose. I chose the $14.99 version and that is now factored into my yearly diving costs, but I still recommend the ACR for people who do not want a monthly bill and do not need two-way communications.

Final Recap –
When comparing the three, the most significant contrast lies in communication capabilities and use case. The ACR ResQLink™ 400 is strictly for emergency alerting, the Garmin InReach Mini 2 excels at ongoing two-way communication, and the Nautilus Lifeline bridges a gap with direct marine radio contact. In terms of size, all three are compact and portable.
Ultimately, the choice depends on your primary activity. For general emergency preparedness without a subscription, the ACR ResQLink™ 400 is dependable. For robust, two-way satellite messaging across the globe, the Garmin InReach Mini 2 is unmatched. For divers needing reliable marine communication at the surface, the Nautilus Lifeline remains the best purpose-built tool.
On every dive I now carry my Garmin and my Nautilus Lifeline, and when walking around the ship I have my Garmin on my person.

As a side note, on one dive trip to a far-off island that had been planned for a year, and I could not change. The Sacramento Kings had finally made the playoffs and I was going to miss the whole first series. We were out of communication range for everything but the Garmin, So myself and a few other NBA fans were sitting around the table as my wife updated us on scores via satellite text. It was a hilarious way to try to keep up with the outside world. In the end the Kings lost, but at least I had my very primitive way of “watching” the game.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

For the full view click here… (Click 2024/2025 Tab)

DATE(S)	EVENT	LOCATION	LEADER
May 7, 2025	DDS – Board Meeting	Ed Hurff’s	Owen Autry
May 21, 2025	DDS General Meeting	Mountain Mike’s	Owen Autry
June 4, 2025	DDS – Board Meeting	Doug Hillbloom’s	Owen Autry
June 18, 2025	DDS General Meeting	Mountain Mike’s	Owen Autry
July 2, 2025	DDS – Board Meeting		Owen Autry
July 16, 2025	Picnic in The Park	Fair Oaks Park	Owen Autry
August 2, 2025	Inland Lobster Feet	Lake Natomas	Jack Millard
August 6, 2025	DDS – Board Meeting	Brad Freelove’s	Owen Autry
August 20, 2025	DDS – General Meeting		Owen Autry
Aug. 29 to Sept. 1, 2025	Spearfishing Contest	Ocean Cove	Bob Taylor
Sept. 20, 2025	Great American River Cleanup	American River	Brad Freelove

EDITOR’S NOTE
By: Joe Morgan

I’M 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

Editor@dolphindivers.org

DOLPHIN DIVERS OF SACRAMENTO
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Owen Autry – President
Ken Takata – Vice President
Marlyn Sepulveda – Treasure
Corrine Fuerst – Secretary
Douglas Hillblom – Events Chair
Brad Freelove – Safety Officer
Renee Viehmann – Webmaster
Jack Millard – Historian
Joe Morgan – Editor
Tracy Clarke – Promotions
Dave Whiteside – Member at Large
Tom Mischley – Member at Large
Sally Walters – Member at Large
Cheryl Anderson – Member at Large
Ed Hurff – Member at Large
Chris Matthews – Member at Large
Liz Marchiondo – Alt Mem at Large