Another Gear Maintenance Tip

Howdy,
I was reading through your last issue regarding tips for taking care of your gear. One thing I didn’t see mentioned was the use of Downey fabric softener. I can’t claim credit for this, it was actually a tip given to me from my instructor, Anthony Wiley of Wiley’s Scuba Locker in Riverside, several years ago. The Downey seems to really help keep the smell out and keeps the colors in your suits and BCDs. Being an instructor now myself, I recommend it to all my students.

Keep up the good work,
Martin in San Diego

Questions Where “Smoke” is Blowing From

CDN:
The writer named “Smoke” in your August “Letters to the Editor” column picked an appropriate pseudonym... It’s hard to believe that anyone actually living and diving in California would argue that the projected health of any nearshore fishery in our state is not in fact “gloom-ridden.” Where is “Smoke” diving? There’s no doubt Fish and Game have made some bad decisions in the past and that their science has been less than perfect but—here’s the catch—science is never perfect in regard to fisheries until it’s too late. In other words, when the fishery is terminated, then everyone can agree that a fishery has been lost, with plenty of appropriate facts and statistics.

I suspect “Smoke” (does he have a friend named “mirrors”?) is either a professional fisherman or has friends who are professional fisherman. This same pathetic tactic, yelling about bad science, was the strategy professional abalone fishermen used when they tried to block Fish and Games’ much delayed and necessary closure of the abalone fishery south of the Golden Gate. Instead of vaguely referring to all the “exact information” and “statistical data” that “Smoke” claims is out there, along with his “loosely based quote, not as an ultimate resolution, but rather as a simplistic means to an end among other ideological resolutions...” (????) Why doesn’t he write us back and tell us exactly which California fisheries he thinks are okay, both commercially and for sportsmen: the abalone fishery? The salmon fishery? The rockfish fishery? Halibut? Lings? Sea Bass? I’d like to hear about it.

Jack Patton
Vallejo, CA.

Loves the Diving News but Wants More Baja Articles

Dear Dale,
Thanks for a great publication that I look forward to every month. The Diving News is a great reminder to get out there and dive our beautiful kelp forests, reefs and artificial structures. We are indeed lucky to live so near a great diving environment.
Also, I’d love to see some articles on Baja dive sites. Our neighbor to the south offers some great opportunities for diving. I volunteer for any research you need to do on diving in Loreto, La Paz, or Los Cabos!

Happy Diving,
Damon Hands
Long Beach, CA

Stay tuned to California Diving News! Articles on Baja diving are due in the months ahead! Because so many California divers use Baja as a long weekend destination, we will be covering the locale more often.
Editor

Response to Speared Black Sea Bass

Hi Dale:
Since it took so many decades to almost bring this fabulous creature to its demise, we know that it will take many more decades to bring it back. A good idea that I feel should be done on all Boats is: On dive boats, the crew or Divemasters always give dive briefings about the site. They’ll tell you currents, depths, where lobster and other critters might hang out. Why not also ADD to their briefings a few words about the Black Sea Bass? What it looks like as a juvenile, and as a large adult and telling the divers that this is not a fish to spear.
Putting aside the *^#@*^ divers that are just out to kill things, (which are few), many new and some experienced divers are ignorant and uneducated in underwater hunting. Many do not even know the names of what they kill. If Divemasters on all boats briefed the divers ahead of time, especially about “Black Sea Bass,” and also mentioning that there is a $5,000 bounty on anyone that shoots one, we might see less of these thoughtless and senseless attacks. Please Spread the Word.

Sincerely,
Susan Speck
Dolphin Dive Center, Arcadia

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.)