Soupfin Sharks are In
One of the more exciting marine life encounters a California diver can have is with a soupfin shark. Looking very much like the sleek blue shark, soupfins are gray in color, measure five to seven feet in length and move into shallow kelp forests in the late spring and summer. But their appearances for some reason are sporadic, showing up some years and other seasons they are absent. For 2006 soupfins have been making early appearances at San Clemente and Catalina Island.

Often running in small schools, soupfins are completely harmless, neither being attracted to nor fleeing from divers (although they do seem a little annoyed by scuba bubbles). They can be distinguished from their blue shark cousins by their color and tail shape (soupfins have a large lobe). Blues are also an open-water shark and rarely seen in kelp forests.

If they continue to move into shallow waters, the dive site known as Torqua Springs on Catalina Island is a good place to observe these graceful and exciting creatures.

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New Avalon Mayor is a Dive Boat Captain
Bob Kennedy is now the new Mayor of Avalon on Catalina Island. Bob Kennedy is owner and operator of the popular dive charter boat King Neptune, based in Avalon, as well as owner of the Catalina Scuba Luv dive store in Avalon.

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Free-Divers Requested to Participate in Survey
In order to better understand certain medical aspects of free-diving, diving specialist Ralph Potkin, MD is conducting an online survey and study about free-divers and their experiences with “chest squeeze.” All free-divers are requested to participate in the survey by going online to www.wfdma.com/surveys/chest_squeeze.

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