Abalone Poachers Sentenced
Three poachers arrested last October for taking abalone at night using scuba gear were finally sentenced. Van Ky Do, 52, of Santa Rosa was given a one-year jail sentence, fined $20,000, and ordered to forfeit the 1995 van he was using for his activities. Others were given jail time ranging from 60 days to 6 months and fines from $5000 to $6000. Maybe these stiff sentences will deter more poachers from joining the trade.
Spear Fisherman Injured
Dereck Owen was halibut hunting off Del Monte beach, had finished his dive, and sat on his kayak waiting for his friends. One of his dive partners failed to unload his gun before surfacing. It discharged striking Dereck squarely in the spine, between the shoulder blades. Dereck is alive, but sadly, will remain a paraplegic. Contact Ed Cooper for information on how to help Dereck and his family at ecooper@divemonterey.com.
It's
Been a Whale of a Summer in Monterey
Divers on Monterey's charter boats reported numerous encounters with gray and humpback whales this summer. Most of the encounters have been topside with whales breaching right in front of the boats. There also have been in-water encounters with gray whales in Carmel Bay. Rumor has it that no one got a picture of these incredible encounters.
Nor Cal Reports,
"It's a Kelpy Year."
The kelp canopy seems to be much thicker this year along the Central and North Coast. Divers, in general, are reporting more abundant marine life and clearer water than in the past several years. Seems the post El Niño conditions are bringing lots of nutrients to the inshore kelp beds
Important Safety Notice
Recall notice for model no. MH2, mini-hammerhead subsurface signaling device.
This model of mini-hammerhead is compatible with the Seaquest Airsource, Aqualung Air Mic, Oceanic Air XS, Zeagle Octo+ and Beuchat Venturi. No other mini-hammerheads are subject to this recall.
Ideations Design Inc. is recalling all model number MH2, Mini-Hammerhead that are compatible with the above mentioned systems. Only the MH2 model is being recalled, no other Mini-Hammerhead is affected. It has been discovered that some of these units may have defective springs in their female air couplings. These springs may bind up, causing airflow to the above mentioned down stream systems.
These units have only been available since September 1998. Only (200) units have been sold. Ideations wants to replace these springs for safety reasons. Ideations is requesting divers to return these units to the dealer where they were purchased for a no charge replacement of this spring or returned to: Ideations, 4214 - 24th Avenue West, Seattle, WA 98199.
Reported to the U.S.C.P.S.C. and being monitored for its effectiveness.
For additional information, please call Ideations design inc. at: (800) 275-4332.
