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March’s Speaker

Notes on Collecting

Upcoming Fun Dives

2004 Board Officers

Board Officer’s Column

Dive & Event Calendar

Dive Site of the Month

Divers on the Loose

Editor’s Column

How to Contact Us

Our Next Meeting

President’s Column

Sea Stories

Sound Life of the Month

Submission Deadlines

Guy Balbirona

In the course of our daily lives we make decisions regarding money—How can we make more? How can we make better choices in spending it? It is always tough when we are asked to pay more for something.

There are organizations that set-up a self-pay program to insure a prosperous future. I belong to such an organization. We have an apprenticeships program that is paid for by the members enabling us to have a secure system that educates our people.

The recent ESDC membership dues increase is an example of how we, ourselves, are funding a worthwhile self-paying venture by rewarding members for continuing their diving education. There is a lot that could be said in favor for funding this program that pays us back by having more knowledgeable divers in our club.

I could go on and on about the need for competent dive buddies or drone on about the good reasons to associate with people who could teach me a few things. But what I would like to say is thanks to all who approved the dues increase. It can be tough sometimes to reach into your pocket; however, in this case, I feel it really pays us back. I commend you for ensuring continued prosperity for our club. I have the satisfaction of knowing that any ESDC member can ‘pack my chute’ anytime—and that’s a good thing.

David Ripley

For those who missed last month’s guest speakers, Roy and Mark Gresham, representing PSI, I would like to take this opportunity to thank them again and to reiterate some important information I learned regarding scuba tanks—oops!—strike that—the first thing I learned is that they are not tanks—they are cylinders—and should be referred to as such—thank you very much. A tank is something the army runs around in or that you pump over-priced gasoline into. A cylinder is used to contain gases under pressure.

That said, when you have your cylinder filled you should never allow it to be filled at a rate higher than six hundred pounds per minute and as for the horse-trough water bath—it is completely unnecessary and potentially damaging to your—?—cylinder—that is right—just checking to see if you remembered. Placing your cylinder in a water bath provides the means for the accidental contamination of your cylinder with water if either the valve gets splashed or the fill connection gets dunked and then attached to your valve. Take the time to be sure your valve is dry and clean before filling. Skip the water bath—it does virtually nothing to cool your tank in that elusive goal of a complete fill.

Another important safety consideration to think about when carrying your cylinders is to hold it so that the valve opening is facing away from your hand. If carried with the valve facing your hand an accidental discharge of air could leave you with an air embolism.

A final word of advice is to have your t—no, no—your cylinder inspected yearly by a PSI certified inspector. PSI (Professional Scuba Inspectors) is the only nationally recognized training and inspecting organization. A thorough inspection consists of 18 steps, anything less and you are not getting a proper inspection done. Your safety is on the line—do not cut corners.

Reminder: Jason needs a head count for Camp Casey by March 10. Thank you.

A reminder to all, membership dues were raised at the last meeting to $30.00 per single and $47.00 per family membership; dues are due now. Information regarding dues, board members, past newsletters, upcoming dives, and other important club "need to knows" can be accessed at: www.emeraldseadiveclub.org.

No submissions.

Bruce Bury

Five divers took part, Saturday, January 31, in the Junkyard dive: David and Darlene, Jim, Damon, and I. Air temperature was 34 degrees, no wind and no rain before the dive, water was calm.

We entered the water at the concrete steps and dropped when I could no longer see any shells on the bottom (more about this later). Close to shore water clarity was bad, due to the runoff from the rain with lots of particles suspended in the water. Maximum depth was 66' with a total bottom time of 50 minutes with water temperature of 41 degrees; visibility was 15 to 20'. When we reached the trail line we headed SW where I saw a lone ratfish. We crossed the line multiple times to check out a lot of the junk; two bathtubs, a shopping cart, concrete blocks, tires, an engine, logs, etc. There was a metal rod upright in the sand with a nest of squid eggs attached to it. We found a ling cod egg nest and a small guard fish near the nest; I thought that it seemed too small, about 20" long, to be guarding the nest. There were copper rock fish and kelp perch, some trying to hide in the logs and junk. Sea stars were plentiful in the junk yard and in the eelgrass; Stimpson's, sun star, leather and spiny sea stars as were the white plumose and aggregating anemones. I spotted a shaggy mouse nudibranch with eggs on a blade of eelgrass. Darlene saw a one inch, approximately, lined chiton. David took a photograph so maybe that will appear in a later newsletter. We turned toward the shoreline and found the broken pilings, kelp, decorator, hermit, and Dungeness crabs. We stayed at the piling's depth for our safety stop then headed back. We managed to come straight back to the concrete steps after I relocated the seashells that I spotted earlier. We had a very good time there due to the low current, which assisted us on the way back.

Jim, Damon, and I went to cove two to check out the Honey Bear. Air temperature was now 39 degrees. We headed for the white buoy, saw a small white jellyfish, dropped down and followed the trail line checking out the pilings on the way, saw one red Irish lord in the pilings. Also seen were shrimp, a small real deep red California sea cucumber, lots of sea anemones, jingles were attached along the sides of the logs, decorator, sharp nose crabs, and scaly head sculpins were in and on the pilings. We headed for the Honey Bear, no octopus there this time, but we did see a lot of schooling striped sea perch by one piling that reaches to the surface. There was one sea pen by the Honey Bear just off to the side of the octopus entrance. Also seen were painted and kelp greenlings with visibility of 10 to 15'. We then went toward the rock wall staying around 15'. I discovered that the rocks were full of kelp crabs small and large alike. I found two shaggy mouse and one leopard nudibranch. We also found a ling cod egg nest by the rocks as well as copper rock fish hiding. As we got near the end of our dive, I started moving small rocks/concrete and found a bunch of cling fish, crescent, pen point, and saddleback gunnels, a slender cock’s comb, and an assortment of small crabs. Maximum depth was 54’ with bottom time of 47 minutes. I would like to thank all four divers who came to dive with me today. See you all at the next club meeting. Bye.

Greg Becvar and Wendy Drucker

On Sunday my "driver", Brad, picked me up for our trip to Anacortes. He kept me entertained with stories and observations along the way. Skip in the lead vehicle made frequent calls to check on our progress. At Anacortes we met up with our Emerald Sea group. Loogpla made sure we had everyone and gave us the briefing on the dive site. We were going in on the slack and might get some return current to help us get back.

Wendy and I lagged a bit behind the rest of the group getting our gear ready. When we got into the water all but one buddy team was already down. We took a nice steady pace on the surface swim. When we got to the drop point the current was pulling us seaward . . . Hmmm, no problem, it will change soon or so we thought. Wendy and I dropped down to the bottom. Visibility sucked, maybe five feet. The current was still carrying us out . . . hmmm?? I decided to make a gradual angular decent to see if the visibility improved. 60' no luck, 70' no luck, 80', 90', still no luck. At 105' I had enough. I signaled to Wendy, let’s start back. I thought, "This damn current is still trying to pull us out!" We began an angular ascent back the way we came. Kicking and using rock hand holds we made our way up slope. At about 30' the current seemed to double in strength, "Oh S!@T. I LOST Wendy!" I held onto a rock and looked around. After about two minutes I decided to check shallower water. Hand over hand I worked in shallower. Low and behold there she was . . . OK! We quickly agreed to head straight into shore. Hand over hand, breathing like a locomotive I finally made it to "shore". I tried to catch my breath and watched for Wendy. Where the heck was she?

One minute . . . no Wendy, two minutes . . . no Wendy. Oh there are her bubbles, three minutes . . . no Wendy. I know she does have a pony bottle, four minutes . . . no Wendy. I think . . . "Ok, I have 300# in my tank and my pony, can I go back safely and get her if she's tangled in the kelp???" . . . Five minutes . . . no Wendy . . . BUT I sight her pony bottle. Ok I'll wait two more minutes then go back in using my pony bottle if she does not come up . . . Wait, there she is, coming up. I watched her fight her way in the last few feet. I swam over to check to see if she was OK. Wendy said, "I'm almost out of air and I can't find my pony regulator." I looked and found that the current had pushed it under her main tank yoke. I do not know if Wendy could have gotten to the regulator had she really needed it. A very close call . . . !

We rested as best we could for a few minutes. Then we heard Skip and Brad on the trail above us. We relayed that we were OK and would stay close to shore to get back to the point of entry. Thanks for checking on us guys. It was nice to know we had help if we needed it. We kicked and pulled our way back about 200 yards. I had to stop a number of times to catch my breath. At that point I decided to try walking. I stumbled along through the rocks and holes for awhile while Wendy kept swimming. Then I realized the current had finally changed. I put my fins back on and we swam on in exhausted, tired, and cold. But hey at least it wasn't WORK ;-}

Five years ago, fresh out of dive school, I made my first certified dive with Guy Balbirona and Chris Fischer. Guy was giving me some tips on shore and at one point I joked something like, "I’ll do it if I don’t drown first." In a serious voice, Chris responded, "No one is going to drown today. We’re all coming back." I wondered if he realized I was only joking.

On February 8^th, as we geared up for our Skyline wall dive on the marina shore, I heard Brad say to his buddy something like "Here’s where I hid my car keys in case I don’t make it back." I said to him in Chris’s serious voice, "We’re all coming back." I knew he was just joking (when is he not?) and he is a great diver and a fabulous person, but in these five years I have decided that some things are just not funny, and that one’s attitude is the biggest safety factor in diving.

Probably some people were wondering if I was coming back that day.

Usually, when I go on a dive someone else has planned, I double-check slack and dive times for myself. Though I do trust my friends’ ability to do the same, I know that even though we help each other as much as possible, I am ultimately responsible for my own life and safety every time I enter the water. But this time it was a last minute decision to go to Skyline, and I couldn’t find my Tidelog, so…

My buddy Greg and I were inexperienced at the site, each having dived it only once before. We naively went farther and farther down the wall, confidently waiting for the current to turn around. It didn’t. We found out later that the others in our party, who knew the currents there, had turned back quickly. We headed up the wall, and it was more like rock climbing than diving. The current was against us and increasing. We managed to stay close together in spite of the bad visibility until about 25 feet depth. We then lost each other. By then the kelp was horizontal on the bottom in the current. I anchored to a kelp and flashed my super bright HID light around and Greg found me, though I don’t know if was by my light or his good diving. I suppose he could have left me in his wake but he is a good buddy. We resumed our struggle shoreward but soon got separated again. Visibility was about two feet. I was trying to get as close to shore as possible on the bottom because I knew I would be swept on the surface. At nine feet the rocks became small and slippery so I only had the kelp to hang on to, but most of it kept breaking in my hands. I was trying to find a strong stalk that was long enough to ride to the surface. Finally I got one and with air low, headed up. I had no idea if Greg had made it in yet, but I knew if he had he would be very worried about me. I hit the surface and swam like hell for the shore. We had been swept far up the coast from the Marina, so all we had was a cliff lined with submerged big rocks. No way to exit, but it felt good to be out of the worst of that current. Our friends had walked out along the top of the cliff and knew we were okay, but we had a long swim back.

The next day I talked to Kelly at Anacortes Diving, who is an authority on that site. She said that though Loogpla had calculated slack at the right time, one should never dive Skyline at the slack before flood. The current is too unpredictable. As we discovered! This wall should be dived at slack before ebb only. The predicted maximum current speed was 1 knot, but I don't believe it. It was a "lessons learned" dive. It was good to know I was strong enough to prevail in that situation, and I never once doubted that I would make it back. Thank you Greg. Thank you Skip and Loogpla. And thank you Nitrox.

Darlene Ripley

Recently, during a stint of insomnia, I surfed into a television show broadcast by Bellevue Community College on sea stars in Puget Sound. I do not know where it was filmed but it was calm and clear, as Tom Cruise said in "A Few Good Men"—"CRYSTAL!" I should have taken notes but I was in shock that I was watching a show about Puget Sound sea life; however, I did remember the narrator saying there are two dozen species of sea stars in Puget Sound! He showed the three most common stars: purple, mottled, and sunflower.

Did you know the purple star has a tiny, white, star shape in the middle of the top? That is how one knows it is a purple star regardless of its color. Ladies, lavender maybe, but an orange purple star?

Years ago fishermen off the California coast were so upset with the mottled star, because they were eating all the abalone, they chopped off one arm (or ray) of all the mottleds they could find. Well, the joke is on the fishermen because the mottled is capable of growing a new arm as long as enough central disk is attached to provide vital functions. Sometimes two instead of one arm are re-grown (seems like the fishermen snagged themselves in their own arms).

My favorite is the sunflower sea star (pycnhopodia helianthoide). The ones I have seen seem to be illuminated from within their core. (Did Fox and Scully ever go diving?) These docile looking creatures can grow to be close to four feet across and are very aggressive and fast; moving at a rate of four feet per minute. While devouring sea urchins, clams, crabs, snails, sea cucumbers, sand dollars, various dead fish, and cute little chitons they are being stalked by the sun star, locally, and king crab in other areas.

When you see one of these, admire it as a magnificent sea creature, but do not get too close as it may be the covering for an illuminated alien being.

I would like to thank Mark Plunkett for clarifying some details for this article. Mark is a marine biologist working as the Seattle Aquarium Conservation Coordinator. He has worked there 19 years as well as teaching part-time at Bellevue Community College for 20 years. Mark co-produced and Peter Coyote narrated the show.

Skip Stacy

Elena DiPardo

ESDC welcomes George Whiteside as our Guest Speaker, Wednesday, March 3, 2004.

George is currently the acupuncturist at University Health Clinic on Roosevelt Way NE in the U-district.  He has been diving in Puget Sound for ten years, with more than 500 dives.  He started as a shore diver then in 1998  purchased dive kayaks and has been a fan of kayak diving ever since. 

He has been kayak diving from the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula to the Northern Gulf Islands and most recently his favorite diving has been off of Quadra Island.  Learning how to safely and comfortably dive the current swept passages of the Northwest has become his specialty.

 He will be giving a presentation on kayak diving, featuring a slide show of "How To" (including information on tidal exchange precautions).  He will also show underwater photographs of the vibrant sea life surrounding Seymore Narrows.  His goal is to share his enthusiasm for kayak diving and the safety tips he has learned over the years.  Hope to see you all there!

You can earn an air card, valued at $40.00, for the dive center of your choice by hosting two club dives. If you need assistance in planning a dive, pick a date and place then contact one of the board members who will assist you with becoming a dive host. This is a great way to meet club members and have lots of fun.

When you take a class that furthers your diving experience, such as Advanced Open Water, Rescue, Dive Master, etc., show The Board your certification card and you will receive a congratulatory $15.00.

E-mail Jason Miller, our mailing list moderator, jason.miller@IDG-Corp.com,

to be put on the ESCD yahoo group mailing list where you can communicate with other members regarding various dive topics, find dive buddies, or let everyone know about a planned dive that did not make it to the newsletter or clipboard in time. Join the list so YOU won’t be left out!

Wednesday, March 3, 2004

Alfy’s Pizza

4820 196^th SW

Lynnwood WA

425-775-5459

Board meeting, 6:00 p.m.; everyone is welcome to join these meetings

General meeting, 7:00 p.m.

Heading north on I-5: take exit 181B (196^th St SW/Alderwood Mall Pkwy). At the top of the exit there is a stop light, turn left. At the next stop light turn left onto 196^th St SW proceeding to 48^th. Alfy’s is on the south side of the road. (Alfy’s is 4 blocks down from The Rock.)

Heading south on I-5: take exit number 181 (Lynnwood). At the top of the exit there is a stop light, turn right onto 196^th St SW, proceed to 48^th. Alfy’s is on the south side of the road. (Alfy’s is 4 blocks down from The Rock.)

President Guy Balbirona kaikanuni@aol.com

Vice-President Elena DiPardo edipardo@u.washington.edu

Secretary/historian Laura Orlich lorlich@ssoe.com

Treasurer Willow Moore dr.moore@verizon.net

Activities Coordinator Rich Carton addcorich@verizon.net

News Letter Editor David Ripley esdcnewsletter@mindspring.com

NL Editor’s Secretary Darlene Ripley esdcnewsletter@mindspring.com

Big Buddy Coordinator Sharan Smith sjsmith0@gte.net

Webmaster Phil Morgan pmorg@olmpus.net

Greeter Loogpla Cowden loogpla@att.net

Visit our web-site: www.emeraldseadiveclub.org

Write us: Emerald Sea Dive Club

PO Box 73

Edmonds WA 98020

Contact any of the board members via telephone or e-mail.

Month for newsletter Deadline

April March 29

May April 26

June May 31

July June 28

August July 26

September August 30

October September 27

November October 25

December November 29

₪ Bruce Bury

425-788-8063

bury10f6@aol.com

₪ Skip Stacy – rainy days

425-775-2410

₪ Guy Balbirona – anytime after work (3:30)

425-252-1632

₪ Jason Miller -- Rescue 425-778-7548

Jason.miller@idg.corp.com

₪ Mike Bevan

work: 425-788-0595

home: 425-788-1015

₪ Greg Becvar

425-670-3978

tridoxia@yahoo.com

₪ Jim Sawyer -- Rescue Certified

425-335-5312

jpsmrvideo@aol.com

Wendy Drucker

As divers we have all been taught, "Don’t touch anything. Don’t bother the animals—we are merely tourists in their world." As members of the Emerald Sea Dive Club we have rare opportunities to interact with the marine creatures on our collection dives at Camp Casey and Richmond Beach. We justify these special collections because they enlighten non-divers, teaching them to respect the life below the waves, and because we take care that the animals come to no harm.

These notes are my personal observations and are intended for our many new members, and for everyone else who needs them.

1. When you remove a creature from its home you are responsible for its well-being during the collection and on the return to shore. At Richmond Beach we are collectively responsible for the creatures on shore and during their return to their homes.
2. Critters collected at Camp Casey are in good hands with Keith Ludeman, the resident marine biologist. At Richmond Beach it is we who have to take care of them after they are brought ashore.
3. Handle the creature very gently. If you can’t get it into your bag or jar without harming it, just leave it alone.
4. If you have to uproot it or forcibly pry it off a rock, you may hurt it. Just leave it. At Richmond Beach visitors will be able to look at critters such as limpets, chitons, and anemones in the tidal pools.
5. California sea cucumbers (the big orange-brown ones) do not fare well in the Richmond Beach touch pools. Aquarium volunteers have reported them washing ashore dead after we leave. I no longer bring these poor guys in.
6. Grabbing fish is great fun for us but bad for the fish. You can trap or net a fish, but if you have to seize it with your hands and grip it, you are probably hurting it. Their bones and organs are no match for your strength. Just because it swims away doesn’t mean it isn’t mortally wounded.
7. Large crabs are not suitable for kiddies’ touch pools. Think little fingers and big pinchers.
8. Think about the mix you are creating in your bag. If you want to bring in a Pycnipodia (sunflower star) leave it for last to collect. There are plenty of them. If you put it in your bag at the beginning of the dive it might eat some of your other catches. Same for other large starfish. (If you have any crabs in your bag, the stars will often willingly cling to the outside for the swim in.)
9. The water in the touch pools at Richmond Beach warms up quickly. Cold sea water has to be added frequently. These critters cannot tolerate warm water. At the end of your dive, instead of stripping off your gear and heading for the food, take a turn hauling in buckets of cold water. The beach volunteers try, but it is much easier for someone wearing an exposure suit. Also, someone in a suit needs to take the animals back to their home.
10. Your first concern is, of course, your personal safety, and your buddy’s safety. But beyond that, your primary consideration as a collector must be the life and well-being of each creature you take. You volunteered—they didn’t!