Welcome to Fall (and Yom Tov for those observing) . . .

LOBSTER OPENER THIS COMING FRIDAY NIGHT - We've never been known as a "hunting" operation in any sense of the word but we know that some of you still hunt and are looking forward to Friday night's opening of lobster season. A couple of reminders:

• The season open at 6:00PM Friday evening

• Legal daily limit is 7

• Lobsters must be measured immediately

• You can't bring them to the surface

• Short lobsters must be returned immediately from where they were snatched

• Have your lobster card with you (on the boat or in your car)

• WATCH YOUR AIR SUPPLY ON EACH DIVE

• Remember that no lobster is worth your life

SPECIAL LOBSTER TAKE RESTRICTION JUST IMPOSED - Domoic acid raises it's ugly head again. It's been detected in lobsters off of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and down through Long Beach so CADF&W has instituted a special delay in opening some of those areas for the lobster season. You can read more about it here - LOBSTER OPENING DELAY AREAS - but there's also a map, although it's a little confusing.

DECODING THE LOBSTER RESTRICTION MAP - It can be a little confusing at first glance. And FTR, it doesn't seem to impact any others areas other than those listed. So Catalina, Santa Bararba Island, San Clemente, and San Nicolas are all open, as long as you're not hunting inside an existing MPA or protected area. The green areas on the map below - Redondo and NW Palos Verdes, as well as the second area west of Long Beach down to just past Bolsa Chica - are open but there's a health advisory. The purple area - San Vicente MPA - as well as the blue area - Abalone Cove SMCA - both prohibit the taking of lobster regardless. The brown-ish shaded area in the middle - from the Abalone Cove SMCA to just beyond Middle Gate in the breakwater - is the delayed open area. It's not stated how long this delay will be. I'd assume that there will be more testing done and, until the lobsters are free of domoic acid, the restriction will stay in place. So for a while. Basically, if you grab lobsters along the harbor breakwater, most of that area is at least temporarily restricted. (Thanks to Tony Hanna for the heads-up about this.)

STILL WORKING ON THE 2024 TRAVEL SKED - January's still up in the air, we've already got nine people for the return to San Ignacio Lagoon in March (whale hugging), I'm looking at Grand Cayman mid-to-late May, Murex in Indonesia in July, perhaps Yap in mid-September, and November's still up in the air. Other than San Ignacio, nothing is yet firmed up but this is the way things are leaning at the moment.

AWARD-WINNING PHOTOS - I always like to share with you the results of photo contests and the latest are the winners in Oceanographic Magazine's Photographer of the Year contest and here they are: PHOTO WINNERS.

FREE COVID TESTS ARE AGAIN AVAILABLE FROM THE GOVERNMENT - Thanks to Alan Wald for this heads-up. It seems the federal governement is once giving out free COVID at-home test kits starting this Monday. (And hopefully, there's no shutdown to disrupt this.) To order your four free kits, go to https://www.covid.gov/tests and place your order.

U.N. HIGH SEAS TREATY SIGNED - It took almost 20 years to accomplish but 66 nations signed on the U.N. treaty to protect the high seas last week. You can read more about this important milestone here: HIGH SEAS TREATY FINALLY SIGNED.

And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon!!!

- Ken