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Video:
Transferring Kelp Container from the Science Center Boat to the Aquarium Truck for Transport Back to the Ecosystems Kelp Tank
Jim Kinane aboard the California Science Center boat Maximus....
Photo: Dida Kutz
Dida Kutz is founder and publisher of http://www.blueplanetdivers.org/, a website that connects research institutions with potential science diver candidates, as well as editor of Point Lobos Magazine in Monterey.
You appear to have devoted your life to the ocean. What started you on that path?
Gosh, a lot of things. I was an avid reader as a kid and our family had that Time-Life Nature Library, and my favorite book in that library was the one entitled The Sea. I also read Rachel Carson’s The Sea Around Us. And my dad built a sailboat in the backyard over four years and we used to sail out to the Channel Islands quite a bit. Actually, I enjoyed that the most of us three kids, and he and I used to take trips out there ourselves. In fact, I was completely blissed out by those trips, and fascinated by the huge pods of dolphins in the channel, the shark frenzies we sometimes encountered while we were trolling for fish, and of course by my dad scuba diving at Santa Cruz Island. So it was a combination of things, not one single event.
See link below for more:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5530840/profile_dida_kutz_marine_conservationist.html?cat=58
Photo Credit: California Science Center
Note: this is almost identical to the orientation meeting that three off us attended today at the California Science Center, to apply to become Volunteer Aquarium Divers:
by Paris Waddill, Examiner.com
More than eighty Southern California divers packed into the back room of Eco Dive Center in Culver City last Tuesday night. What was the occasion? They were invited to Eco Dive Club’s monthly meeting, featuring a presentation by Captain Chris Wade, Dive Safety Officer and Senior Collector for the California Science Center.
Captain Chris provided information on the Science Center’s new “Ecosystems” wing. Among other exhibits the wing includes a 188,000 gallon tank, containing a live kelp forest and numerous plants and animals common to the Southern California coast. Island and river zones are also exhibited, featuring active aquaria with live ecosystems. Since admission to the Science Center’s permanent exhibition galleries is free, much of the work done in collecting plants and animals, maintaining the exhibits, and delivering educational presentations to visitors is done by volunteers. For the aquarium exhibits, this means volunteer divers.
http://www.examiner.com/x-52405-LA-Scuba-Diving-Examiner~y2010m6d4-California-Science-Center-reaches-out-to-area-divers
Photo: Janna Nichols/REEF
Completing 4 days of marine life surveying off the dive boat, the Monterey Express, skippered by Captain Phil Sammet, a team of 18 REEF surveyors from California and the Pacific Northwest, using the ‘roving diver’ method, tallied up and recorded a total of 54 species of fish and invertebrates, to be entered into REEF‘s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) database. See link below for more information: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5461714/monterey_bay_national_marine_sanctuary.html?cat=58
Second to last row, first and third from right: Dr. Steve Lonhart and Chad King, respectively.
First row, second and third from left, Mike Bear and Barbara Lloyd, from San Diego.
Photo Credit: Barbara Lloyd
Friday, June 04, 2010
Locations: Outer Ocean Pinnacles/Dali’s Wall, Carmel
Dive Times: 0847/1038
Mix: 32%
Dive Buddy: Barbara Lloyd
Visibility [Amazing] : Site #1: 40-60 ft vertical/30-40 ft. horizontal Site #2: 20-30 ft.
Marine Life Observed: Macrocystis, Northern Palm, Southern Palm, Giant Sea Stars, Bat Stars, Lacy Bryozoans, Kelp Greenling, Painted Greenling, Tube-Dwelling Anemone, Strawberry Anemone, White-Spotted Anemone, Spiny Brittlestars, large Pacific Sea Nettle ((Chrysaora fuscescens )
See here for more on the Sea Nettle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_nettle
Highlights:
Dive#1: ‘Outer Ocean Pinnacles,’ Carmel
This was a spectacular dive site with arguably 60 ft. vertical visibility and at least 30-40 ft. horizontal visibility.
Just as the name implies, it consisted of dramatic granite or stone pinnacles and steep walls, covered in Southern Palm and Giant Kelp, rising up from the sandy bottom at around 100 ft, covered in a wide variety of marine life, from colorful sponges to anemones and algae.
On the way to the surface, we encountered half a dozen or so large Pacific Sea Nettles, which ranged in size from 1 foot to 3 feet long, which was a real treat.
Dive #2: Dali’s Wall
This was a nice rocky, kelp bed environment, with lots of Giant Sunflower stars scooting around the bottom, but I was distracted by a self-inflicted [by a sharp pencil] leak in my left wrist seal, which caused ice-cold sea water to pour into my dry suit—sea water so cold that it actually burned.
Needless to say, this cause me to cut my dive short—to about 15 mins—and head for the surface.
Nonetheless, these final dive sites, especially the ‘Outer Pinnacles,’ were a fitting end to a week of spectacular diving for REEF in some of the best dive spots California has to offer.
WOLF EEL Photo Credit: Gerald Winkel/REEF Diver
Date: Thursday, June 03, 2010
Locations: Aumentos/Eric’s Reef, both in Monterey
Dive Times: 0910/1115
Viz: not very good for this area: 15 ft/8 ft. w/brown layer of ‘gunk’
Dive Buddy: Barbara
Marine Life Observed: Black-eyed Gobies, Painted and Kelp Greenlings, White-Spotted Anemones, Tube-Dwelling Anemones, Masking Crabs, Sunflower Stars, Orange Puffballs, Red Volcano Sponge, Blue Rockfish, Kelp Rockfish, Strawberry Anemones, Metridia…….
Due to weather conditions in the forecast, Capt. Phil decided to stay within the Monterey area today……visibility was disappointing for this area, which is normally quite good, but we got some good surveys done with actually quite a bit of variety of marine life—when you could see it.
Tomorrow, we will head to the Carmel area and hope for better conditions.
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Dive Type: Science/REEF
Dive Sites: Butterfly House [Carmel]/Carmel City Beach
Dive Times: 0854/1115
Dive Lengths: 38 mins/34 mins
Temps: 49 F./49 F.
Max Depths: 86 ft/46 ft
Viz: Site #1: +/-30 ft. Site #2: /10-15 ft.
Marine Life Seen: Bat Stars, Strawberry Anemones, Sunflower Stars, Noble Dorids, Brown Cowries and a Ratfish [Hydrolagus colliei], Orange Cup Coral, Purple Hydrocoral, Gumboot Chitons, Kelp Greenling, Leather Stars, Brittle Stars, Cobalt Sponge, Orange Puffballs….
Buddies: Barb and Jackie
Dive #1: Butterfly House, Carmel
The first dive was a spectacular wall dive between two pinnacles on a sandy bottom, where was saw a Spotted Ratfish and Jackie got some video of it. Although Ratfish are common in the PNW and locally, they are extremely rare above very deep depths in San Diego, so this was a rare treat.
See here for more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_ratfish
Dive #2: Carmel City Beach
This dive was recommended by Christy Semmens, the Science Director for REEF as a good spot for ‘species diversity,’ and indeed it was, even though it was just a sandy are off of Carmel City Beach. We saw our first Kelp Greenling here, something also rarely seen in San Diego.
Someone else saw a Pacific Giant Octopus, under a large rock and was able to get some photos of it.
Very interesting stuff!
