Suspected Great White Shark Attack (San Diego)

CNN is reporting the tragic news of a likely great white shark attack that resulted in the death of a 66-year old man.

A 66-year-old man died early Friday after being attacked by what authorities suspect was a great white shark off the southern California coast. Dave Martin, a retired veterinarian, was pronounced dead shortly after the incident, which occurred about 7 a.m. (10 a.m. ET) at Solana Beach, California. Martin was in a group of nine swimmers "when he was bitten across both thighs by what is believed to be a great white shark," according to a statement issued by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. "Some of the other swimmers looked back to see the victim up out of the water flailing, and (he) was pulled back under the water. He came up screaming and was helped to shore by four of the swimmers."

Continue reading article here:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/25/ca.shark.attack/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Calendar: Chamber Day, May 7, 2008 (SoCal)

Some of our SCUBA buddies have mentioned that it is pretty hard to keep track of SCUBA-tastic events. For the sake of the cause, we are going to do our best to collect scuba events. We will file them under the label "Calendar" and we will try to have the location in the title. So, if you know about, or if you are promoting, a scuba event, bring it to our attention and we will put it under the calendar tab!


That being said, we've just been directed to a really cool event in Southern California. It's called Chamber Day. This year's event will be on Wednesday, May 7, 2008. The official website, http://wrigley.usc.edu/hyperbaric/chmbday.htm,says the following:

The great thing about this event is that ALL the monies raised goes to the Chamber. No administrative fees are deducted from the proceeds, the local SoCal boats donate their time and services, the manufacturers donate gear for raffle prizes, the Aquarium of the Pacific donates their facility for the evening event, hundreds of volunteers donate their time, and you (hopefully) donate your money.The Catalina Chamber is dedicated strictly to the treatment of diving accidents on a 24/7/365 basis. Although we hope you’ll never need it, having the Chamber available gives divers a vital safety net in the event something should go wrong with your dive. Although there is a grant from LA County, and the Chamber gets income from some outside activities, Chamber Day provides a significant portion (roughly 50%) of the Chamber’s annual budget.

So, if you live and dive in SoCal... get involved!

Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel

I've been blessed to visit some beautiful places on this planet and stay in some hotels with great character. This major travel / adventure bug has lead to my desire to become scuba certified. What better place to explore than underwater? That's the last great frontier, right? I've visited all of the majorly inhabited continents (read I'm not counting Antarctica) other than South America. I hope to visit the magical land of South America soon and very soon. In the meantime, I am just going to share with you places I've been that when I REVISIT will be amazing places to dive (example: my post about my visit to Australia http://twotank.blogspot.com/2008/04/my-time-in-land-down-under.html). If you are lucky enough to already be certified, you may want to check these places out, ASAP.

A place near and dear to my heart is the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/LagunaNiguel/Default.htm The pictures tell it all! Notice how much my pictures look like the pictures on the hotel website? This means that the property is SO beautiful that a horrible shot like me can get a fantastic pic :) This hotel is wonderfully appointed, but very laid back. I love that combo. Don't get me wrong, I love nice stuff, but nothing ruins my vacation like pretentious and snotty. Can I get an amen? The beach was amazing, the multiple pools were awesome, and they had the most unbelievable work-out space I've ever seen. I think it was a three-story glass front to the workout / yoga space that basically had you hovering over the water while you were sweating it out on the treadmill. But, if you just want the most relaxing breakfast of your life, this is the place to go. The Ritz has several breakfast rooms overlooking the ocean. It is just pure bliss. So, to send a little bliss and relaxation into your day, I am including a couple shots from my stay at this amazing property. Has anyone done any diving in the OC? Where should I stay when I come back to visit SoCal?

Hugs and fishes,

Kari

Calendar: Long Beach Scuba Show (June 21-22, 2008)

SoCal divers... mark your calendars for the Long Beach Scuba Show: http://www.scubashow.com/

For those of you who attended last year... how was it? Are you going again this year? Give us the scoop!