stammtisch by pierre hurtercoffee, fresh fruit and yogurt and then off to the pier to meet our boat...

San Francisco Reef Divers March 2018 Volume XLVI No. 3

1

STAMMTISCH By Pierre Hurter

Mark Twain wrote:

“Travel is fatal to

prejudice, bigotry, and

narrow-mindedness,

and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”

Taking Twain at his word, Gerda and I headed for SFO to start on our quest to broaden our horizons and take on “charitable views of men and things”. Well, if you ‘ve traveled lately you can imagine that it didn’t take long for us to be disabused of that notion.

It all started out reasonably enough, we fired up the laptop and started the process of checking in at home, vital data, height, weight, political leanings, number of bags, etc. and printed our boarding passes. Don’t bother, once you’re at the airport you’ll have to line up at one of those self serve kiosks and do it all over again anyway, at least if you have luggage to check. I haven’t yet mastered getting all of my dive gear into a carryon bag.

Of course, because we had printed our boarding passes we stood in the “Drop your Bags Off” line. Once we reached the end of that line we were informed that you need to line up at the aforementioned kiosk to get your baggage tags, pay an extortionary baggage fee, pick up your luggage tags, spiffy new boarding

passes and then get back into the “Drop your Bags Off” line.

It starts when you go to buy a seat on an airline, it sort of reminds me of buying car tires, you shopped around and priced the tires you want and now they ask “you want those mounted ... balanced ... and valve stems? That’s going to cost you”. Same with the airlines, economy, is that basic, regular or premium?

Our bags dropped off and boarding passes in hand we headed for the security gauntlet, poked, probed, with our pants around our ankles, we headed towards our departure gate and what has become our more or less annual pilgrimage to Cozumel. This time we were heading there on American Airlines via Charlotte, North Carolina. It’s a longer layover than heading through Dallas-Fort Worth, but last year we missed our connecting flight and a days worth of diving, so ... better safe than sorry.

Continued on Page 3


2

REEFER’S RAP - 2018

JANUARY

01 - New Year’s Day 15 - Martin Luther King Day 17 - Clay Oven, 385 West Portal Ave.

FEBRUARY

02 - Groundhog Day 14 - Valentine’s Day 16 - Chinese New Year 19 - President’s Day 15 – Barebottle Brewery, 1525 Cortland Ave. 20 - President’s Day

MARCH

10 - Sanctuary Dive Boat - K Dock 14- Pi Day 17 - Saint Patrick’s Day 21 – Pi Bar, 1432 Valencia

APRIL

01 - April’s Fools Day 14 - Sanctuary Dive Boat - K Dock 17 - Tax Day 18 - Movable Feast - TBD 27 - Arbor Day

MAY

01 - May Day 12 - Sanctuary Dive Boat - K Dock 16 - Movable Feast - TBD 28 - Memorial Day Holiday

JUNE

01 - Donut Day 09 - Sanctuary Dive Boat - K Dock 19 - Juneteenth 20 - Movable Feast - TBD 21 - Summer Solstice

JULY

04 - Independence Day 14 - Sanctuary Dive Boat - K Dock 18 - Movable Feast - TBD

AUGUST

03 – Int’l Beer Day 11 - Sanctuary Dive Boat - K Dock 13 - Int’l Left Handers Day 15 - Movable Feast - TBD

SEPTEMBER

03 - Labor Day Holiday 16 - 18 Channel Islands Trip 19 - Movable Feast - TBD

OCTOBER

08 - Columbus Day 13 - Sanctuary Dive Boat - K Dock 17 - Movable Feast - TBD 31 - Halloween

NOVEMBER

04 - Daylight Savings Time Ends 06 – Election Day 10 - Sanctuary Dive Boat - K Dock 11 - Veterans Day 21 - Movable Feast - TBD 22 - Thanksgiving Day

DECEMBER

07 - Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 08- Sanctuary Dive Boat - K Dock 19 - Movable Feast - TBD 21 - Winter Solstice 25 - Christmas Day


3

Stammtisch from page 1

Like most places, Cozumel has changed quit a bit since our first visit in 1990, but just like that first visit to the island of swallows, Isla de las Golondrinas, it is still a magical place. On our first visit we weren’t divers yet, just avid snorkelers. I was looking at a photo of the two of us taken back then, we were lean, tanned and looking as comfortable as the fat iguanas baking in the sun next to us.

The next time we came, some years latter, we were ready to dive. We stayed at the Scuba Club, a great all-inclusive resort. The only problem with staying there is that there are so many fun places to eat and drink, from small funky taco stands to fancy dinning that puts many San Francisco spots to shame. As it is all-inclusive and me being a bit frugal, it’s hard to pay for lunch twice. So now we go ala carte and do our own thing.

For me, Cozumel is still a great destination, all you have to do is get away from the cruise ship haunts and explore the back streets, try the hole in the wall eateries and get to know some locals.

We arrived Saturday afternoon and, after dropping our bags off at the Casa Mexican, headed for Aldora to check in, fill out the requisite paperwork and get settled in for the next days’ diving.

We managed to get in 10 dives in the course of five days, with an average bottom time of an hour and eleven minutes. Last year the average was an hour and forty-four minutes, but we were taking it easier this time out. The water temperature was a steady 79 degrees with the air temp in the 80’s. Believe it or not, I was cold on our first two days of diving; cold enough that, despite my legendary frugality, I went to the local Pro Dive Shop and bought a hooded vest. It is currently keeping the hooded vest and zippered vest I already have company in the garage.

Our dive days quickly fell into a predictable rhythm. We would roll out of bed and head for the buffet breakfast shortly before 7:00; toast, coffee, fresh fruit and yogurt and then off to

the pier to meet our boat for the day. The first dive of the day would be the deepest, with a 32% nitrox mix to get us going. Afterwards an hour or so surface interval at Playa Palancar or Mr. Sanchos Beach Club, for some sopa de marisco and a limonada. Mr. Sanchos is definitely the preferred option by the way.

Afterwards, we would head back out for our second dive, this time with a serving of 36% nitrox and a little bit shallower. The dives at Aldora tend to be fairly long, almost always at least an hour no matter who is in your group. Tanks are either 100 or 120 cubic foot high-pressure steel, plenty of gas even for the greediest air hog.

For our first two days of diving we shared the boat with a variety of folks, most of them repeat customers with Aldora. You can’t help but notice that there are lots of folks who have been coming to Cozumel for many years and they keep coming back to the same outfit.

Bhushan and Indigo arrived Sunday evening. After checking in at Aldora, we had dinner at Cuarto Tacos, great place, next door to the Lobster Shack, same owners, and terrific margaritas. The highlight of the afternoon was a brief drenching downpour. Glad I always keep a lightweight rain parka tucked into my carryon rucksack.

Monday morning the four of us headed south of the island. Two great dives, Palancar Bricks and Punta Delila and on the way back a bit of excitement. A local kayaker hailed us. He had an exhausted family of three hanging onto his kayak, they had gone snorkeling and apparently been dragged out by the current. It

Continued on page 4


4


was choppy and they were beat, just to add to the mix, only one of them could swim. We got them onboard, calmed them down and gave them a lift back to shore.

It was great diving with Indigo, there is something magical about the excitement and wonder of a new diver. I’m not saying I’m jaded, but its good to be reminded of how wonderful the world under the water can be.

After diving we would head back to our room to cleanup, do a little reading, update our logbooks and often as not take a brief siesta. Late afternoons we would wander the town and see what was new. I’m sad to report that Jacinta, a terrific restaurant in an elegantly restored house, is no more. Glad we managed to eat there last time, it was a wonderful experience.

On the plus side there is now a micro brewery on the island, Cerveceria Punta Sur, good beer, friendly staff and a wood fire pizza oven. What better way to end a great day of diving?

Aside from the Cerveceria, we ate at the Lobster Shack, Cuarto Tacos, Pancho’s Backyard, best margaritas in town, La Chosa and a snack on the square.

We took Friday off while our gear hung on hangers zip-tied to the air

conditioner vents to dry and made a

final meandering

wander around town, one last

margarita before heading for the airport.

The flight back home was uneventful, the next day found us taking it easy with our gear

soaking or hanging and dripping onto the garage floor, laundry neatly cleaned and folded, another successful vacation.

On the continuing topic of what’s going on in the City, I had mentioned the saga of the emergency call boxes around the city. Turns out there are 2,300 of the boxes scattered around the City, dating back to the 1860’s. According to Linda Gerull, chief information officer of the Department of Technology, of those 2,300 boxes, 2,014 are in working order. Stay tuned for more news on the topic. The City that’s wired for the Internet can’t report an emergency in an emergency.

It’s still a while until

November, but here are a few of the

more interesting

ballot measures

you’ll get to vote on. My favorite is a measure to divide the State into

three California’s. You may remember that a version of this idea floated around once before. Tech billionaire Tim Draper wants to split the Golden State into three states this time out. Draper spent more than $5 million in 2014 in

an unsuccessful bid to qualify a ballot measure asking voters to

divide California into six states. We’ll see if he has more luck this time.

Then there is

Continued on page 5


5


the “California Clean Environment Initiative”, it’s official name is a bit longer and more unwieldy, but it seeks to ban treating water with fluoride and chlorine, ban smart meters, investigate radio wave emissions and of course stop requiring that kids are vaccinated. Hang on while I wheel out my iron lung and unplug the cell phone buds from my ear.

Closer to home a 75 unit housing project slated for the Mission is on hold while the Board of Supervisors consider whether the Wash Club Laundromat on 25th and Mission Streets should be considered a ‘historical resource”. It’s not the Laundromat, but it’s former tenants, a variety of advocacy groups that concerns some people.

On the foodie front, Bayou a cajon/creole restaurant on 17th and Valencia is closed. I loved this place, fried okra, crayfish etouffee, gumbo, what more could you ask for? Apparently it wasn’t enough to survive the San Francisco restaurant scene. The Burger King on 16th Street between Mission and South Van Ness is no more as well, how did this come to pass and why is no one protesting? Park Chow has closed its doors as well as Doc’s lab and Doc Rickets on Broadway.

Anytime you walk through a neighborhood you haven’t visited in awhile you’re bound to see some changes. Polanco Gallery in Hayes Valley specialized in Mexican art; they have apparently opted to retire after 28 years.

There’s a new shop, B8ta, clever, no? Where you can try and buy the latest in high tech gadgets. Me, I’m partial to the Boosted Dual + electric skateboard which is currently on sale for $1199. With a top speed of 22 miles and a range of seven miles, this could be a major commute changer for me.

Other highlights of the days wander were some very nice two hundred dollar hoodies and a new spot on Valencia that offers chilled Pellegrino sparkling water while you shop. In between I checked out the new Wise Sons Bagel shop in Hayes Valley, lox, cream cheese and capers ... a little bit of heaven.

Taking a deeper dive into March I note that among other things it is National Frozen Food Month, National Celery Month, National Corn Dog Day. More importantly the March equinox marks the beginning of spring. Not sure who comes up with these days and dates, but there you have it.

SFRD March’s Blast From The Past

Once again You are There, the time is March 1998, here are some of the highlights of Volume XXXI No. 3 of The Reef Diver Times, Newsletter of the San Francisco Reef Divers. For those of you wondering how this is possible, you need only remember Mr. Peabody of Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show. As you may recall, Mr. Peabody, is a beagle and the smartest being in existence. A Nobel laureate, Olympic medalist, scientist and inventor, despite his many


6

accomplishments, he is lonely. So, he decides to adopt. He meets Sherman a dorky, bespectacled, red-haired boy. After saving Sherman from a group of bullies, Peabody discovers that Sherman is an orphan and decides to adopt him. After a court appearance and a talk with the President, Peabody becomes Sherman's new guardian. As a birthday gift for Sherman, Peabody invents the WABAC (Wayback) time machine. He and Sherman go back in time to see a Roman speaking in Latin; Peabody adds a translator circuit to the machine so that everyone seems to speak English. Their next trip is to see Ben Franklin flying his kite and discovering electricity, but Peabody and Sherman realize that they cannot interact or change the past. Peabody makes some more adjustments, turning the WABAC into a "should-have-been machine". That brings us to where we are now … REEF RAP Tuesday, March 17 - March General Meeting - 7:30 p.m. at the Boat House at Laker Merced: PRE-ABALONE SEASON PRESENTATIONS ON FREE DIVING AND ABALONE HUNTING plus a very special ST. PATRICK”S DAY PARTY: Whether you’re Irish by descent or just have a bit of the leprechaun in your heart, wear a wee bit o’the green and come celebrate. Call Karen Wertz and volunteer to help plan the festivities. Saturday, March 21 - RITE OF SPRING DIVE - our first dive of the spring. Contact AnthonySingelton. Saturday, March 28 - Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) Tour: Free of charge! A unique opportunity to get up close and personal with one of the scientific research marvels of our time. Make sure you don’t miss out – contact Frank King to reserve a spot. Details page 4. Wednesday, April 1 - Sunday, April 5 - ABALONE SEASON OPENER: We camp at Van Damm State Park. For reservations, please call event coordinator Ray Will. Details page 5. Wednesday, April 8 - Saturday April 11 - SPRING BREAK DIVE TRIP - Dive Santa Catalina Island and a Santa Barbara Oil Rig: Two days of diving in Catalina, including an excursion to Farnsworth Banks (conditions permitting) and a one day “chance of a lifetime” opportunity to dive a Santa Barbara Oil Rig on the dive boat Spectre. Cost is $275. Space is limited – send a $75 deposit to secure a spot. Call Loretta Lowe for more information. Details page 10. Thursday, April 9 - LIFE BELLOW THE SEA: THE DEGREDATION AND RESTORATION OF CORAL REEFS - Talk by Dr. Tim McClanahan at the California Academy of Sciences (CAS): Jeff Lipsett coordinates SFRD group - call him. Details page 13. Sunday, April 19 - APRIL SHOWERS DIVE - Tired of the rain? Ready to really get wet? Weather permitting; Frank King leads a Monterey dive. Details in the April Newsletter. Tuesday, April 21 - April General Meetinbg - 7:00 p.m. at the Boat House at Lake Merced: Guest speaker Clay Bennett from the Surf Rider Foundation. Details page 13. Saturday, May 2 - Cypress Point Boat Dive: The Cypress Point is a new dive boat in Monterey. It is the sister ship to the Cypress Sea. We have chartered half the boat (10 spots).


7

This is a three-tank dive with lunch. Cost is $60 plus crew tips. Contact Frank King or Jim Vallario for reservations. Details page 11. Tuesday, May 19 - MAY GNERAL MEETING: Entertainment TBD - Contact Karen Wertz or Bob Miche with ideas. Tuesday, June 16 - JUNE GENERAL MEETING: Guest speaker Steve Barnett, Field Rep from Divers Alert Network (DAN). Friday, June 26 - Tuesday, June 30 - NORTH CAROLINA WRECK DIVING: After much talk we’ve finally set a date for this trip! We’ll join some of our east coast members for a fun-filled weekend of diving in the famous “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” You’ve read about t, now it’s time to experience it. Cost $325 (does not include airfare) - a $100 deposit to secure spot; balance due by May31. Beaufort, North Carolina would be great springboard to plan a longer summer vacation. Co-ordinated by John Singer and Loretta Lowe. Details page 15. Saturday, July 18 - Cypress Point Boat Dive: Same trip as May 2 above. Details page 11. Saturday / Sunday, August 1-2 AB SEASON RE-OPENER - Volunteer your service cleaning up the grounds and camp free at Salt Point State Park. Contact coordinator Pam Radkey. Thursday, August 6 - Sunday, August 9 - SANTA CRUZ ISLAND BACKPACKING / KAYAKING TRIP - Three days of camping, kayaking, spear fishing, snorkeling, hiking and playing on this no-amenities trip to Santa Cruz Island. We need to bring everything required for two nights (including drinking water). Cost $95 (covers Island Packers boat round-trip fare for passenger and kayak, plus shared room in Ventura for the night prior to departure). Limited space on this trip. First come / first served - full payment holds a spot! For more details, call Loretta. In other news were articles about the club’s weight belt policy, see the insert n this month’s newsletter, the early history of the abalone industry in California, the new Cypress Point and more.

DESECRATED WAR GRAVES For more than six decades the wrecks of Allied warships, sunk in 1942 battling against the Japanese, lay undisturbed on the seabed.

Dutch, British, Australian and American warships went down in a naval campaign that led


8

to the Japanese takeover of what was then the Dutch East Indies.

In recent years, in what has been called the world’s largest grave robbery, dozens of warships sunk in the waters of Southeast Asia have been plundered.

Divers who surveyed the sites found that at least 40 WWII era vessels have completely or partially vanished along with the remains of up to 4,500 people.

Divers who had planned to attach commemorative plaques found that two Dutch warships HNLMS De Ruyter and HNLMS Java had completely disappeared, while large parts of a third ship, HNLMS Kortenaer, were missing.

The expedition team found that three British warships, including two E-class destroyers, HMS Electra and HMS Encounter, and the heavy cruiser HMS Exeter, had also been fully or partially removed.

For years salvers had looted the old wrecks, taking bits and pieces, but in the past three years a more systematic and technologically sophisticated ransacking has been under way.

Operating from the surface, barges equipped with cranes that can reach over 600 feet deep, drag several hundreds of tons of old ships to the surface with each lift.

As well as brass, copper,

and bronze, one reason the salvaging has gone wholesale is that the ships are a source of “low background steel” produced before the first atomic bomb was detonated in 1945.

Virtually radiation-free, low-background steel is used in sensitive medical and scientific instruments. These warships are among the few remaining sources.

For the past year an irate Dutch government has been lobbying Indonesia in a series of joint meetings to try and determine how its war graves disappeared, while Britain has decried a breach of international law. For the locals, it’s just a way to make a living.

BITING PINNIPEDS JOINED BY ERRANT YACHTSMAN IN AQUATIC PARK

It turns out that getting bitten by a seal isn’t the only potential danger in swimming

at Aquatic Park. There’s also a renegade yachtsman to contend with.

The cove next to the historic Hyde Street Pier is under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service; Aquatic Park Cove is not a marina. There are no facilities for pumping out waste. Boats are allowed to anchor in the cove for a maximum of five nights in a row or 30 nights total in a year. In either case, a permit is required. Brian Pennington is allegedly in violation of all three.

So far the standoff has involved the U.S. Park Police, the San Francisco Police marine unit, and the U.S. Coast Guard, which has cited Pennington, the owner of the sailboat, for seven violations, including a felony for obstructing an attempt to board his vessel.

Pennington dropped anchor on September 26, according to court records, and has been

in the cove off and on ever since, for a total of 119 nights

and counting,

according to a letter of

complaint filed

February 20 by Morgan

Smith, acting superintendent for the maritime park. He has not left the cove for at least 70 days to pump out his sewage


9

tank, according to the complaint.

Park police are seeking a “stay away order,” that would give Pennington 72 hours to remove his boat from Aquatic Park. If he does not comply, police have requested that the judge allow the boat to be impounded.

FROM SHELLFISH TO PLANKTON, DARPA PROGRAM TURNS CREATURES INTO SENSORS

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is launching the Persistent Aquatic Living Sensors program to gather the responses of living things to underwater vehicles and relay the information through a network of man-made hardware.

The program is looking to use living sea creatures, from mollusks and crustaceans to certain types of fish, as part of a sensor network to monitor potential threats to U.S. naval vessels are lurking beneath the waves.

The Persistent Aquatic Living Sensors, or PALS, program will “study natural and modified organisms to determine which ones could best support sensor systems that detect the movement of manned and unmanned underwater vehicles,” according to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency website.

Living organisms could give researchers advantages over hardware, according to the release. They adapt and respond to their environment, and they can sense stimuli such as optical, chemical, tactile, acoustic and electrical, according to the release.

REPORT ON 2017 SHARK ATTACKS AND DEATHS RELEASED BY INTERNATIONAL SHARK ATTACK FILE

Worldwide, there were 88 reported unprovoked shark attacks five of which were

fatal in 2017, according to the University of Florida International Shark Attack File’s latest report. Of those attacks 53 or 60% occurred in the United States, none of which proved fatal. Florida is by far the leader in the number of attacks, with a total of 31; California featured just 2.

Of those attacks, 59% were surfing or engaged in board sports, followed by 22% swimming or wading. SCUBA diving represented a mere 2% of all those attacked.

The study defines “Unprovoked attacks” as incidents where an attack on a live human occurs in the shark’s natural habitat with no human provocation of the shark. “Provoked attacks” occur when a human initiates physical contact with a shark, e.g. a diver is bitten after grabbing a shark, attacks on spearfishers and those feeding

sharks, bites occurring while unhooking or removing a shark from a fishing net, etc.


10

It’s as I have often said, the most dangerous part of diving Monterey is the drive to and from the dive site.

BOMB ON THE COZUMEL TO PLAYA FERRY On March 1 authorities found an undetonated pipe bomb on one of the Barcos Caribe ferries, which travel between Cozumel and Playa del Carmen. Less than two weeks previously, a blast injured 19 Mexicans and five Americans on another Barcos

Caribe ferry traveling the same route. The government has said that “the incidents are exclusively related to situations that are internal and inherent to the ferry line in question,” and for now those ferries have stopped running. Although ferries run by other companies are still

traveling between Playa del Carmen and Cozumel, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico has barred its workers from taking any tourist ferries between the two ports.

Reef Divers Ann Gilmore, a long time club member, has graciously donated her dive gear to the club. Included are a pair of yellow Mares fins, size small, a Sea Quest BC, size medium, a Scubapro BC sized medium, a Scubapro G250 first and second stage, a Dacor XL first and second stage and 15-2 pound bullet weights. If you are interested or could use any of this gear, let me know.

There’s also a 7-inch abalone measure manufactured by Kearneys’ Mfg. Fresno California. It turns out that the company is still in business, not sure if they still make abalone gauges. How about a Pelican box made in Torrance, California; or a set of deco tables? Let me know if there is anything you could use or would like to add to your collection.


11

2018 Channel Islands Dive Trip Sunday, Monday and Tuesday

September 16-17-18

• The tradition continues, we have 14 spots (half the Peace) set aside for the SFRD!

• The Cost per spot is $450 - still one of the best bargains for Channel Island diving anywhere. MEMBERS ONLY – pay your $25 for 2018!

• To secure your spot, send a $100 deposit (per spot) to our treasurer - Pierre Hurter, 515

Diamond Street, SF, CA 94114. Spots will go on a first check received basis, so don’t delay.

• The Peace leaves the dock at 10PM on Saturday, September 15th - The first dive is on

Sunday morning, the 16th.

• Bring all of your dive gear, including one full tank. The Peace can refill air or 32% Nitrox. Alternatively, you can rent a tank and have it delivered onboard.

• For those diving Nitrox, unlimited Nitrox fills cost $75. If you want Nitrox, bring your

Nitrox certification card and a separate check for $75 payable to the Peace Dive Boat.

• Wine, beer and other adult beverages may be brought on board, but remember, your 1st drink marks your last dive of the day.

• For additional information, directions to the boat, etc. check out the Peace website …

www.peaceboat.com.

• For any other questions, contact Jim Vallario at 415.566.0784 or 415.819.1159 (cell).


12

SINCE JANUARY 1ST 1973

ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO REEF DIVERS (SFRD): The Reef Diver Times is the official newsletter of the San Francisco Reef Divers, a not for profit

community organization dedicated to safe sport diving and the preservation of our ocean resources. Membership is $25 annually, dues payable to “SFRD”. The General Meeting is held the 3rd Wednesday of

the month. Location is announced one week prior to the meeting. Please check our yahoo site for details http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sfreefdivers/ We meet at 7:00pm for socializing, drinks, food and club

business. For more information, visit http://www.sfreefdivers.org or our Facebook page

SAN FRANCISCO REEF DIVERS

Reef Diver Times C/O Gerda Hurter

515 Diamond Street San Francisco, CA 94114

stammtisch by pierre hurtercoffee, fresh fruit and yogurt and then off to the pier to meet our boat...

Documents