Next Dive Club Outing

Sept 30th - Oct 2

Sea Ranch House

talk to Curt & Carol

In Other Ocean News:

From Our friends at the DFG:

Fish and Game Commission Votes to Close Abalone Fishery in Sonoma County

The California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) today took emergency action to close the abalone fishery along part of the northern California coast. Specifically, the Commission voted 3-0 to close the fishery in the entirety of Sonoma County. Commissioners Daniel Richards and Richard Rogers were not in attendance.

This action was taken in the wake of confirmed reports of dead red abalone and other invertebrates on beaches and inside coves along the Sonoma County coastline.

Data continue to be collected that shows an abalone die-off along the Sonoma coast beginning Aug. 27. According to Department of Fish and Game (DFG) biologists, these abalone deaths coincided with a local red tide bloom and calm ocean conditions. Although the exact reasons for the abalone deaths are not known, invertebrate die-offs have occurred in the past along the northern California coast due to lack of oxygen and/or poisoning when similar weather and bloom conditions existed, but not at the magnitude of this event.

Abalone fishermen are advised to contact a physician immediately if they feel sick, and to report symptoms to the local county health department (www.sonoma county.org/health/about/publichealth.asp). The latest red tide updates from the California Department of Public Health are also posted online at http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/Pages/DDWEM.aspx.

For more information, please refer to DFG's Sept. 2 press release, available at http://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2011/09/02/abalone-die-off-observed-in-sonoma-county/.

Diver sets new world record GROVELAND, FL --

A Lake County diver set a new world record Friday for spending more than five days underwater. People gathered around Groveland's Lake David to rally around diver Allen Sherrod, 47, as he stepped foot back on land. Around 9 a.m. Sherrod broke the world record for the longest freshwater dive by just about 15 minutes.
"This was like amazing. He's tried this two times before. This whole week we knew he could pull it off," said Nicole Plussa, 17, who attempted the women's world record but had to resurface after about 13 hours.

Sherrod walked out of Lake David with a bottle of champagne and his sense of humor still intact.
Sherrod dedicated this third attempt to helping veterans pursue diving by raising money for Wounded Warriors.

"I feel good. I'm glad I did it," Sherrod said. "I'm the only one that's made 3 dives in 13 months that total almost 300 hours at one time in three dives. So that's an accomplishment on its own."

Sherrod built up so much nitrogen in his body from being underwater this time that he had to spend hours hooked up to an oxygen tank to adjust back to life on land.

For the last five days he survived on a liquid diet of Ensure and Gatorade.
He had some underwater entertainment with a waterproof monitor and keyboard where he could watch movies and even check Facebook.
Still, Sherrod said the worst part was all the waiting around. "I'm not a patient person," he told friends while wearing his oxygen mask.

Scott Cassell completes 30 mile dive from Catalina to San Pedro

At 6:15pm Saturday, Scott Cassell arrived safely at Cabrillo Aquarium Beach in San Pedro Harbor after covering 30 miles in a single day of diving. Using a computer controlled mixed gas rebreather, a DUI drysuit with an argon inflation system, 4th Element Halo 3D thermal protection, and dual Luminox dive watches, he completed the distance in less than 12 hours, after some technical issues delayed the planned 4am start time by several hours.