Meetings

MEETINGS

When We Meet

Marin Scuba Club meets on the second Wednesday of each month from January through November from 7:00 – 8:45pm.

We meet at the Sausalito Parks & Rec Center at 420 Litho Street AND via Zoom.
(WE WILL CONTINUE MEETING IN THE EXERCISE ROOM INDEFINITELY.) There is FREE PARKING in the lot, Bee, Bonita and Litho Streets. NOTE: The Rec Center has an entrance on Bee St., so do not enter upstairs through the parking lot.

 

Upcoming Events

Check out our Club Calendar. It includes:

          • Guest speakers discussing all aspects of diving
          • Slide shows, multi-media presentations, and videos
          • Valuable travel tips and dive resort reviews
          • Diving weekends (campouts with abalone diving when available)
          • Club dive trips (Northern/Southern California cold water & tropicalwarm water)
          • Holiday parties and club picnics

Wednesday, January 8 2025 Meeting: Ana Blanco and Steve Peletz, IOFF, “Ocean Conservation: Inspiring Action Through Film and Photography”. Live, in-person and via a Zoom hybrid event from 7:00 to 8:45 pm PT in the Exercise Room.

We’ll kick off the new year with two very special guests: Ana Blanco, Executive Director and Member, Board of Directors, of the International Ocean Film Foundation; and Steve Peletz, a research diver, retired dive instructor, videographer, and ocean advocate.

Since the official list of selections is still in progress, they’ll share a variety of short films and photography by Steve, all focused of ocean conservation.

Ana joined the IOFF in 2011 with more than a decade of experience in executive nonprofit management. In 2012, she established the International Student Film Competition. In 2013, she launched the IOFF Traveling Program for students worldwide.

A certified PADI diver, a sailing aficionado, and a volunteer with the Blue Water Foundation, she’s currently co-producing and co-directing her debut film, “Sequoias of the Sea” about the vanishing bull kelp along Northern California’s coast.
Read Ana Blanco’s Bio.

The second presenter, Steve Peletz, also manages Deep Blue Monthly, an online magazine featuring news on marine science and ocean conservation.

As a Board Member of MigraMar, an organization of 24 marine scientists who study, track, and advocate for migratory species of sharks, whales, turtles, and rays in the Eastern Pacific, he’s been tagging sharks since 2016.

Among other projects, he’s filming “Shark Finale”, a documentary on the economic, political, and physical challenges that marine scientists face in seeking greater protections for migratory sharks, whales, and turtles in the Eastern Pacific.
Read Steve Peletz’s Bio.

PS: The 22nd Annual IOFF, attended by many MSC members, will be held from April 11-13 at the Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco.

Watch Ana’s and Steve’s presentation on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/1046538030

 

Wednesday, November 13, 2024 Meeting: “Six MSC Presenters” will take place live, in-person and via a Zoom hybrid event from 7:00 to 8:45 pm PT in the Exercise Room. 

  • Virginia Bria focused her talents on Santa Maria Island in the Azores (her devil rays image is shown above). Watch her Vimeo.
  • Ric Miller combined two events in one video:
    – 1) The August Dive ‘N Dine with some historical photos from events past, and
    – 2) The MSC 2024 Philippines Dive Trip featuring extended stays at Buceo Anilao and El Galleon dive resorts (shown below). Watch his Vimeo.
  • Lisa Perla shot and edited a five-minute video of Chuuk Lagoon/Truk Atoll. Watch her Vimeo.
  • John Lewis and Barb Wambach showcased some amazing stuff that they saw in the Maldives. Watch their Vimeo.
  • Ken Carter will present his marine life discoveries from a trip to Hawai’i and pictures of the Loch Ness Monster from Scotland.
  • And Gil Zeimer summarized his latest scuba blogs and articles. Watch his Vimeo.

Please join us for the MSC group presentations on Wednesday, November 13th from 7:00 – 8:30 pm PT –– live on via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7983463827?pwd=UGEreEJ4VFoycmZRZ2lPWnM5NGp6dz09&omn=89653330618
ID: 798 346 3827                                  Passcode: 755205

Wednesday, October 9, 2024 Meeting: “Safe Diving For Seniors” will be presented by Dan Orr, in-person and via a Zoom hybrid event from 7:00 to 8:45 pm PT in the Exercise Room (instead of our regular meeting room).

As President of Dan Orr Consulting, he:

  • Has been diving for over 60 years, since JFK was in the White House
  • Created a college-level diver education program at Wright State University (Dayton, Ohio)
  • Was an Associate Diving Safety Officer (DSO) at Florida State University, and
  • Retired as President of Divers Alert Network (DAN), where he helped focus its worldwide diving safety mission

Dan has been an invited speaker at numerous national and international diver conferences and conducts regular webinars for global audiences on diving safety subjects. He has published, co-authored and contributed to more than a dozen books and manuals including:

  • 101 Tips for Recreational Divers
  • Scuba Diving Safety
  • Diving Science-Revisited
  • A Pocket Guide to First Aid for Scuba Diving Injuries
  • A Pocket Guide for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries
  • The NOAA Diving Manual and
  • The DAN Oxygen First Aid for Scuba Diving Injuries Training Manual

He has also published over 200 articles including:

  • The Normalization of Deviance (aka Shortcut Mentality)
  • Time to Return to Diving but Cautiously
  • COVID-19, Local Diving and The Older Diver
  • The Ageless Diver
  • A Crisis Lurking Below the Surface––Emergency Hyperbaric Chamber Availability
  • Diving Safety Is Good Business and
  • Open-Circuit Diver Fatalities

Finally, Dan has been honored by his peers by being the recipient of many prestigious awards and is a member of the Explorers Club and a member of the Hall of Fame for Disabled Divers, the Diving Industry Hall of Fame, and the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame.

His October 9th presentation from his home in Idaho will focus on “Safe Diving For Seniors”. We look forward to having you join us. For more information, visit https://www.divenewswire.com/author/dan-orr-consulting/.

Watch Dan’s Presentation on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/1018739878

Wednesday, September 11, 2024 Meeting: “A Decade of Blackwater Diving Images” will be presented by Walter Marti (LA UPS), in-person and via a Zoom hybrid event from 7:00 to 8:45 pm PT in the Exercise Room (instead of our regular meeting room).

Walter has been filming the underwater world since the 1980s. As an accomplished videographer, his shots have been shown on BBC, PBS and many others.  His documentary-style films have been shown in numerous national and international film festivals. He recently retired to pursue his passion for videography full-time.

In 2011, he started diving in the offshore depths, before it was known as Blackwater Diving.

Walter runs regular videography clinics around the world, often teaming with Mike Bartick. Their next Underwater Photo & Video Expedition to share Walter’s unparalleled experience of videography will be in October in Burma:
https://www.thesmilingseahorse.com/burma-7d-photo-video-training.html

His films can be seen on Facebook or YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/waltermarti.

Walter’s September 11th presentation will focus on how he got started in Blackwater Diving, how you can do it, where you can do it, and what can be seen.

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7983463827?pwd=UGEreEJ4VFoycmZRZ2lPWnM5NGp6dz09&omn=81803040410
ID: 798 346 3827                     Passcode: 755205

Watch Walter’s presentation on Vimeo.

Wednesday, August 14, 2024 Meeting: “What Wuzz That Sound? Ocean Sounds and The Animals That Make Them” will be a live Michael Stocker presentation, in-person and via Zoom hybrid event from 7:00 to 8:45 pm PT in the Exercise Room (instead of our regular meeting room).

Michael Stocker is the Founder & Executive Director of Ocean Conservation Research. He had established a love of nature –– and particularly sea life –– at an early age.

When he was young, his Mom could take him to the beach and drop him in a tidepool, after which she could stretch out on the sand, crack a novel, and not be pestered for the rest of the day.

Due to the efforts of an exceedingly tedious biology teacher in high school, Michael diverted away from studying biology in university, and studied music, physics, acoustics, and electronics – rounding out his continued love for marine life with marketable skills.

These all came together when physical oceanographers were proposing the ensonifying of the entire ocean with communication signals for nefarious purposes.

Knowing that the sea creatures would not enjoy this, Michael girded his loins, and brought his skills to bear on advocating for the sea.

Now he is the “go-to man” for ocean colleagues worldwide for any and all issues related to protecting the ocean’s natural soundscapes, upon which all marine life depends.

He has advised and designed environments and technical online systems for a diverse array of clients, including the U.S. National Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., George Lucas’ “Skywalker Ranch”, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Mexico City’s “El Museo Papalote” children’s museum, and various Hollywood sound and film studios.

Join us for Michael’s “What Wuzz That Sound? Ocean Sounds and The Animals That Make Them” presentation on Wednesday, August 14th from 7:00 to 8:45pm PT. Visit his website at www.ocr.org.

Join this Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7983463827?pwd=UGEreEJ4VFoycmZRZ2lPWnM5NGp6dz09&omn=84103851066
Meeting ID: 798 346 3827 Passcode: 755205

Watch Michael’s presentation on Vimeo.

Wednesday, July 10, 2024 Meeting: “Underwater Images”, “The Two-Year Dive Trip”, and “Dealing With Insta-Buddies” with Carly Anderson of Albuquerque will be a live, in-person hybrid event from 7:00 to 8:45 pm PT in the Exercise Room (instead of our regular meeting room).

Carly is an extraordinary woman on the rise who will be Zooming with us on July 10th from her home in New Mexico for a scuba trifecta of presentations.

Though still in her 20s, she’s a scuba diver, photographer, videographer, adventurer, writer, and world traveler obsessed with adding new hobbies and destinations to her global bucket list. To date, she:

  • Published a coffee table book of her stunning underwater images
  • Attained two SSI scuba certifications
  • Presented two seminars at Scuba Show 2024
  • Showcased her photos in art galleries in New Mexico
  • Worked on over 20 film and television production sets
  • Traveled to 27 countries
  • Has a strong passion for creating visual media

Carly adds, “Diving in our oceans often feels as if one is visiting another planet. As a photographer and video-grapher, I aim to capture scuba divers and the creatures around them in the often beautifully strange reality that one experiences when visiting a place where humans don’t naturally belong.”

About Her Presentations.

  1. First, she’ll share a variety of her underwater images taken in 11 countries.
  2. In 2021, Carly originally planned a three-month solo sabbatical to travel and dive. But she didn’t return home for two years. She’ll summarize her adventures –– on land and on sea.
  3. Every dive during her extended trip was with an “insta-buddy” — usually assigned on the boat moments before descent. Carly will focus on her solo diver experiences worldwide. She’ll quiz us on topics such as:

– How do you decide which dive centers to book?
– How is it different than diving consistently with your regular buddy, significant other, or family member?
– What mental checklist should you use?
– What questions should you ask?
– Erratic buddy behavior
– What she learned
– And how she responded in each situation.

Join us for Carly’s triple header presentation on Wednesday, July 10th from 7:00 to
8:45 pm PT. Visit her website at www.globalseahorse.com and follow her on Instagram.

Join this Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7983463827?pwd=UGEreEJ4VFoycmZRZ2lPWnM5NGp6dz09&omn=85977743762
Meeting ID: 798 346 3827 Passcode: 755205

Watch Carly’s Presentation on Vimeo.

Wednesday, June 12 2024 Meeting: “Freediving – All You Ever Wanted to Know About Breath Holding: Show and Tell of Equipment and Techniques” with Brian Stanley of Bamboo Reef will be a live, in-person event  from 7:00 – 8:45 pm in the Exercise Room (instead of our regular meeting room).

Co-owner and co-founder of Bamboo Reef in SF and Monterey, Brian has been a scuba diver since 2002 and a freediver since 2008. In addition, he’s also a Scuba Assistant Instructor Trainer, as well as a Level 2 Freediver Instructor Evaluator.

Focusing on Freediving and Spearfishing.
These days, Brian spends more time training for freediving and spearfishing than diving. His personal best is a five-minute breath hold at a depth of 132 feet (40 meters).

He leads freediving classes, underwater hunting classes, training nights, and instructor courses at Bamboo Reef’s two locations in Northern California (San Francisco and Monterey). These courses will teach you to dive safely while on breath hold, both as a diver and as a buddy, increase your breath hold duration, and help you equalize to depth. Whether you train in San Francisco, or Monterey Bay, all certification dives take place in Monterey Bay.

If you haven’t attended one of his free dive training sessions, you’re missing out on some serious fun!

About Bamboo Reef.
Bamboo Reef has been serving Bay Area divers since 1961, and Monterey Bay divers since 1970.

They are proud to be one of a handful of SSI Platinum Training Facilities worldwide, which means they have the experience and knowledge to train dive instructors as well as students.

Join us on Wednesday, June 12 for this free-flowing deep dive into freediving featuring Brian Stanley from 7:00 – 8:45 pm in the Exercise Room.

Watch Brian’s Presentation on Vimeo.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7983463827?pwd=UGEreEJ4VFoycmZRZ2lPWnM5NGp6dz09&omn=89278632123
Meeting ID: 798 346 3827       Passcode: 755205

Wednesday, May 8, 2024 Meeting: “Svalbard: Wild Land, Wild Ice, Wild Life” with Jodi Frediani will be a live, in-person event in the Exercise Room (instead of our regular meeting room). Jodi is a Santa Cruz-based award-winning photographer and whale researcher, Jodi has been swimming with and photographing humpback whales on the Silver Bank off the coast of the Dominican Republic for over 20 years.

Monterey, Alaska, Argentina, Antarctica, et.al.
One of Jodi’s images was a People’s Choice Finalist in Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2022; another was First Place Black & White in Nature Photographer of the Year 2023. She has also has been photographing the marine life of Monterey Bay for the past 12 years, while taking time off for photographic adventures to Africa, Alaska, Argentina, Antarctica, the Arctic, Brazil, Franz Josef Land (Russia), Norway, Siberia, Svalbard, Thailand, and Tonga.

Her work has appeared in many national and international publications, including the BBC’s “Nature’s Weirdest Events”, and Carl Safina’s National Geographic blog, “Ocean Views”.

Besides working with polar bears, she’s engaged in whale research through several fluke ID projects both here and abroad.

Killer Whales vs. Gray Whales
With co-authors Nancy Black and Fred Sharpe, she published her first scientific paper in 2020, entitled Postmortem Attractions: Humpback Whales Investigate the Carcass of a Killer Whale-Depredated Gray Whale Calf.

Since 2021, she has been part of a team conducting field research in southeast Alaska on humpback whale playback studies and was co-author on a recent paper on Interactive Bioacoustic Playback as a Tool for Detecting and Exploring Nonhuman Intelligence: “Conversing” with an Alaskan Humpback Whale.

She’s Also Publishing Research Papers
Jodi is currently collaborating on an additional paper about humpback whale blow bubble rings. See her amazing photography at http://www.jodifrediani.com/.

Join us on Wednesday, May 8th at 7:00 pm in the Exercise Room (instead of the Edgewater Room) at the Sausalito Rec Center for a fascinating journey to Svalbard (formerly known as Spitsbergen or Spitzbergen), an Arctic Ocean Norwegian archipelago north of mainland Europe. Watch Jodi’s Presentation on Vimeo.

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7983463827?pwd=UGEreEJ4VFoycmZRZ2lPWnM5NGp6dz09&omn=84517385743
Meeting ID: 798 346 3827         Passcode: 755205

Wednesday, April 10, 2024 Meeting: “The Coldest Dive: Antarctica” with Jeff Bozanic, Ph.D. features another presenter we met at Scuba Show in Long Beach last summer.
Does water freeze at 32o F.? Not at the bottom of the world. Join this technical diving instructor and research scientist as he takes us on a journey to the coldest place on Earth this month: Antarctica!

During his seminar, he’ll describe teaching students to dive into 28o F. water. He’ll show you fish with antifreeze in their blood to keep them from becoming icicles. And he’ll share images of descents through 23 feet of solid ice to study life on Mars. He’ll also talk about visiting remote islands where you can see over 250,000 penguins with a single glance. You’ll see his groups reach out to icebergs as they bob up and down in the waves. And view them wandering through shipwrecks frozen in ice and time.

About Jeff Bozanic
Dr. Bozanic started diving in 1972 and has been teaching diving since 1978. As a technical diving instructor and marine scientist, he has participated or led over 70 diving expeditions during the past 40 years to places like Palau, Canary Islands, Clipperton Island (Eastern Pacific), the Red Sea, and Mexico. From 1989-1992, he oversaw scientific diving operations in Antarctica as part of the U.S. Antarctic Program. As an aquanaut and instructor, he has been associated with the Marine Research Development Foundation since 1985.

Jeff has written extensively on dive safety and education, including the textbook Mastering Rebreathers and being the lead Technical Editor of The NOAA Diving Manual. In addition, Jeff is active in recreational, cave, ice, deep, and rebreather diving, logging his 5,000th dive in 2016, and especially likes getting wet with his three children.

Many Contributions to Underwater Sciences
Jeff has been recognized with the TDI Professional of the Year Award, the DAN/Rolex Diver of the Year Award, the NAUI Lifetime Achievement Award, and by the American Academy of Underwater Sciences’ Conrad Limbaugh Award for Scientific Diving Leadership in 2015. Finally, he’s very proud to receive the 2024 NOGI Award for Sports/Education.

Join us on April 10th for a truly chilling dive into the most remote continent on earth… Antarctica! For more information, visit: https://jeffbozanic.com/.

Join us on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7983463827?pwd=UGEreEJ4VFoycmZRZ2lPWnM5NGp6dz09&omn=89407902735
Meeting ID: 798 346 3827
 Passcode: 755205
Watch Jeff’s Presentation on Vimeo.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024 Meeting: “Diving Into Social Media” with Jami Leslie Feldman features a woman we met last year at Scuba Show in Long Beach. We were so enthralled with her presentation that we’ve asked her to present this month.

A Southern California-based photographer, avid scuba diver, and Divemaster, she’s an ambassador for the ScubaPro Global Dive Team, an active board member for the San Diego Underwater Film Exhibition, plus a past president and current board member for the San Diego Underwater Photographic Society.

Her photography passion began around age 11 in a black-and-white darkroom class. That inevitably evolved into underwater photography when she was scuba certified in 2008. Jami loves the beauty of the underwater world, the challenge of cold water diving, and the creative outlet it brings.

Her goal is to help inspire, educate, and promote ocean conservation efforts through photography and video. And make you smile with a few goofy posts in between.

She will dive as often as conditions (and a toddler) will allow so follow along on her social media channels to see what’s happening down in Southern California!

For detailed dive reports, in-depth photos and videos and more underwater Vitamin Sea, subscribe to www.UnderwaterPaparazzi.com or follow Jami on www.instagram.com/underwaterpaparazzi/.

Join us on Zoom on Wednesday, March 13th for this deep dive into social media:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7983463827?pwd=UGEreEJ4VFoycmZRZ2lPWnM5NGp6dz09&omn=81838804207Meeting ID: 798 346 3827            Passcode: 755205

Watch Jami’s presentation on Vimeo.

Wednesday, February 14, 2024 Meeting: “25 Years Focused on Cayman Reefs: Explore The Cayman Islands with Jim Hellemn” features an underwater imaging specialist, digital artist, and long-time friend of Marin Scuba Club who is renowned for his groundbreaking techniques in capturing the vibrant beauty of coral reefs.

In this insightful talk, Jim will share his experiences, from his most challenging projects across the three Cayman Islands, along with his favorite and best-selling Cayman images, and offer a sneak peek into his upcoming group trips, exploring the very places where he created them.

With over 4,000 dives under his belt, Jim says, “My personal hope is that my images and the exhibitions that we do will help people begin to appreciate the ocean as a vital part of our world so they can begin to take realistic steps to protect and preserve marine environments for our future generations.”

A Unique Approach
We all know that you can only see a coral reef well up-close, and you’ll need to bring some light with you. Back up enough to see a wider view, and it disappears in blue. But Jim has spent his career developing new ways to capture the essence of these special places, creating innovative equipment and techniques that enable him to photograph an entire reef.

Stitching Images Together
His first coral reef image, “Great Wall West”, published in National Geographic in 2001, was the first “stitched” and highest resolution coral reef image ever created. Jim spends days, even months on a reef, taking hundreds of precise photos up close with specially designed lighting.

Next, in post-production, he uses high-power computers to assemble all the individual images into a seamless super-wide landscape that captures all the true colors and detail.

The images are more than just a photograph –– they document an important ecosystem that is vital to our planet.

Jim’s images have also been a benefit to science. He returned to Bloody Bay Wall in 2010 to create a second identical resolution image that is being used by scientists to compare changes in the reef over a decade. Working closely with them, Jim also produced a matching image of Great Wall West, capturing coral fluorescence and turning scientists in a new direction.

Explore The High-Resolution Images of Great Wall West:
Explore Great Wall West 1999
Explore Great Wall West 2010
Great Wall West Fluorescence

Join us on Zoom on Wednesday, February 14th for Jim’s incredibly detailed images:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7983463827?pwd=UGEreEJ4VFoycmZRZ2lPWnM5NGp6dz09&omn=88335845602

Meeting ID: 798 346 3827
Passcode: 755205

Visit www.jimhellemn.com/. Watch Jim’s presentation on Vimeo.

Wednesday, January 10, 2024 Meeting: Our first presentation of the new year, “Filming In The Deep”, will be by Caitlin Bailey, a wildlife cinematographer, photographer, and ocean explorer.

Based in San Antonio, Texas, her accomplishments include:

  • She’s worked as part of the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration video team onboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer since 2016, surveying the deep sea with remotely operated vehicles.
  • She’s created nearly 100 deep sea videos for NOAA.
  • She was the inaugural participant in National Geographic Society’s (NGS) Second Assistant Program, working with National Geographic Photographer David Littschwager on a project on microplastics and plankton.
  • She is a National Geographic Society Explorer, grant recipient, and is currently in the Field Ready Program.
  • She is also a member of the Emerging League at the International League of Conservation Photographers.

Caitlin’s work has taken her to Antarctica, the Arctic, Ireland, Alaska, and more. She earned a B.S. in Animal Biology from Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, and a M.F.A. in Science and Natural History Filmmaking from Montana State University.

Join us on Wednesday, January 10th for her extraordinary films and images. Visit https://www.caitlinbailey.com and engineeringfordiscovery.org to see more.
Watch her presentation on Vimeo.