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And then there were two . . .
TWO WEEKS FROM NOW - Congrats
to the Seahawks (who dominated the Rams the
entire game) and the Patriots (could you believe
that snow at the end?) who will meet for Super
Bowl LX in two weeks.
SUPER SQUID -
It sounds like we've been getting good squid
activity at Vets Park in Redondo for the past
few weeks. The interesting/frustrating thing
about the seasonal squid run is that you never
really know how long it will go &/or whether
it'll be long or short. It's also important to
understand the difference between going out
during the day and going out at night. During
the day, you will not see any live squid as the
mating is a nighttime thing. However, you should
have a great view of the clusters of squid eggs
that have been laid. The gestation period for
these is usually 3-8 weeks but it's also
dependent on the water temperature with colder
water slowing things down. So over time, the egg
clusters seem to build up and multiply. If you
want to see live squid, then you need to do this
as a night dive. But even then it's a crapshoot
as to whether you time it right because the
squid seem to come in for mating frenzies not
throughout the entire night, but in surges. So
sometimes you hit it right, and sometimes you
don't. But no matter when you do it or how you
do it, it's a very unique and interesting dive
and one that I hope you'll think about trying.
From our standpoint, the next scheduled Reef
Seekers escorted squid dive is February 26.
Fingers crossed.
JELLYFISH GO TO SLEEP -
Just file this one as "interesting" or even
"weird." But it seems that recent studies
indicate that jellyfish actually sleep, almost
as much as humans do. There are certainly
instances in the marine world where animals are
able to shut down half their brain but keep the
other half alert to ward off predators. And
there are species like parrotfish who sleep at
night but spin a cocoon around themselves to
hide their scent from predators. But, while
they're not laying their heads on pillows, it
seems that jellyfish may shut down totally and
sleep for long periods of time. In part, this is
thought to protect their DNA and allow for DNA
repair while the jellyfish sleeps. On top of
that, when researchers gave the jellies
melatonin, they slept even more, much as humans
do when we take it.
INVESTIGATE ONE-WAY FARES -
If you've tried to book airfares lately, either
domestic or international, you know it's like
playing roulette. Waiting might get you a better
price but it also might mean the prices go up.
One other factor to consider is, instead of
booking a round-trip ticket, look into booking
two one-way tickets. Sometimes that might mean
going on airline A and returning on airline B
but it might also mean you can save a couple of
hundred bucks, depending on the routing.
However, the other thing to factor in and
investigate before you confirm are the baggage
charges. On most round-trip tickets, the baggage
rules and fees from your departure city carry
through on the entire itinerary. But when you
book tix as two one-ways, you might find that
the baggage charges coming home, since you're no
longer leaving from a U.S. city, are different
than when you departed. This could be for number
of checked bags allowed, weight of the bag, &/or
baggage fees themselves. So one-way tickets
might offer some discounts but also make sure
you research them fully so you find hidden fees
that might eat up the fare savings.
NITROX ANYONE? -
Just a reminder that if you're interested in
getting your NAUI Nitrox cert, we've got a
Zoom-based class for that coming up on February
4. The biggest advantage nitrox has over air is
the bottom time extension you get from it due to
the decreased amount of nitrogen in the mix.
Nitrox is not appropriate for all dives but
works for many. And if you'd like to learn the
ins and outs and get a good handle on the
physics and science underlying all of this, sign
up for this class. $75 plus some materials fees.
Call us at 310/652-4990 or just shoot an e-mail
to this address.
FLIGHT DELAYS DUE TO THE STORM -
Looks like the worst is behind us but if you've
got a flight on Monday, even from LAX, make sure
you check if it's on-time or delayed before you
leave for the airport. Also check to see where
your actual plane is coming in from. You may be
flying between cities not affected by the storm
but your aircraft may be coming in from a
storm-affected area.
And thatll do it for now. Have a great week and
let's go diving (and maybe squid-watching)
soon!!!
- Ken |
