Diving's Greatest "Urban Legend"
CDN,
Here on the east coast, there is a story going around that I'm
trying to get to the bottom of and see if it is a rumor or if it
really happened. I was told that a diver was scooped up during the
forest fires by a helicopter filling up a tank with water to put the
fire out. I was told his buddies searched and couldn't find him and a
memorial service was held. Months later, a burned body was found in
the burnt forest, and identified by dental records to be the missing
diver. Please let me know if this is true and when it happened, if it
did.
Judy
via E-mail
Judy,
Do you know what an "urban legend" is? This is the greatest and
longest lasting in diving. (Details change, but the basic story is
the same). No, it is not true but not a year goes by that it does not
get told, taking in many hapless victims. Funny story though.
Editor
Dear California Diving,
Very interesting newspaper!
My wife and I are new divers in New Mexico, and we would like to
visit California's diving locations. Just saw your August News. The
calendar at the back goes through August, with a couple September to
November events. Does this mean the season ends in the fall, no
events after November, water not divable after November, or events to
come in future news?
Thanks in advance.
Dale Gerber
New Mexico
Dale,
Diving in California is year 'round. It is especially good now and
through early winter when the water is the clearest and calmest. It
can get storm-tossed January through March but with many windows of
good diving. There are also events throughout the fall and winter.
Keep your eye on California Diving News for the latest.
Editor
Dale & Kim Sheckler,
I woke up from a deep sleep this morning dreaming about salps, and
I then remembered your new radio show. I got up and tuned in. Every
week my buddy and I make a night dive, we are lobster hunters keeping
in rhythm during the off-season, actually we just love to dive. We
discuss in great lengths your magazine. On the way down to Laguna my
buddy and I were discussing jellyfish and wondering what salps were?
Sure enough diving the south end of Aliso Beach we came across
hundreds of these creatures from 2" to 12" in length. After 18 years
of diving we have never seen these before. The water was very cold
for a summer dive in Laguna. This week my buddy sets up his camera
with the intention of getting a photo of the salps. We go to Deadmans
Reef at Crescent Bay (always a good reef for photographs), expecting
cold water, we find the water to be warm and of course no salps seen
over the entire dive. My buddy photographed Treefish and Cabezon, and
I found the smallest lobster I have ever seen. They were about 1" in
length with full antenna, totally transparent, and drifting with the
warm water current. That is the beauty of diving the ocean, it is
very unpredictable and you just never know what you are going to see.
The other topic I wanted to discuss, however, is negative. It's the circus that comes to local beaches on opening night of bug season. Last year we decided on Cress street for our opener. We watched three people get citations for small bugs and lack of fishing licences. People are so ignorant to the rules, it was upsetting.
Mark Koeckritz
Irvine
SCUBA Show, Talk Radio for Your Underwater World, is on KPLS, AM830, Saturday mornings 6 to 7 a.m. and can be heard throughout coastal Southern California . Listener call-ins are welcome. During the show, listeners can call 800-300-8830.
We'd like to hear from you! Send your comments to EMAIL: mail@saintbrendan.com or P.O. Box 11231, Torrance, CA 90510; Fax (310) 792-2336 (please include include name , city and a way to contact you.)
