Avalon Harbor Cleanup 2010

This year I've decided to start the New Year off right and volunteer my time for the Avalon Harbor Cleanup on Catalina Island. When I told my boyfriend about it, he was immediately excited since he has been to Catalina Island before but has never actually had the chance to dive Catalina Island!
The two of us will take part in one of the worlds largest organized dive events, that was "started in the 1970’s by the local dive community in an effort to cleanup Avalon Harbor, and this event is the only time diving is permitted in the Harbor. Over the years, this event has grown to become one of the most publicized and popular dive events in Southern California".
Its no secret that Catalina Island is my favorite place in California to dive. I have had the opportunity to see some of the most amazing creatures there, so it is without hesitation that I am spending Saturday, Feb 20, 2010 picking up trash underwater! And who knows, maybe I'll be the winner of the "most unique item found" award! If not, I will still be happy to help cleanup and protect the waters I love!


x0x0 ~ Conserve and Preserve!

Seahorse Annual Christmas Party

The Seahorse Christmas Party was a huge success this year. Tons of fun was had by all, and lots of spirits were flowing! Notables worth mentioning; Winners of the photo contest: Above water - Dennis Wade; Under water - Dennis Wade; Almost anything goes - Margie Tomenko. The Big Ab contest was also won by Mr. Dennis Wade (Hey, was this rigged? Lol!) and his girlfriend Bess had us all in stitches with her rendition of White Christmas!
The best part of the night for me, was during the White Elephant gift exchange, when I was able to steal the cute little sugar cookie cutters from Michelle Johnson. I made Christmas cookies in the shape of dolphins, whales and sharks...my friends loved them! Hope everyone had a great Christmas and wishing everyone a safe New Year of diving!!

Private Open Water Class

Several weekends ago I taught a private Open Water Class and had an exceptional student pass with flying colors. Erik is one of PADI's latest open water divers! Even with less than two feet of visibility, Erik was able to navigate underwater like a pro! Hope you have fun on your vacation Erik...take lots of pictures for us!

............LAKE NATOMA RESCUE CLASS............

Last weekend I helped my boyfriend teach a rescue class for Dolphin Scuba Center. I would like to congratulate both students who passed the class...Adam and Bob are now officially Rescue Divers!

Even with overcast skies and the water temperature a frigid 49 degrees, our students could not be deterred. They pulled out the unresponsive diver on the surface (me) and found the unresponsive diver underwater (Ben) and performed the necessary steps to get both divers to shore safely. Congratulations once again for a job well done!

California Diving At It's Best

As much as I hate to admit it, I've done hundreds of dives in Monterey, but never once have I done a dive out to the end of the jetty at Breakwater. So last weekend, I talked my boyfriend into loading up all of our gear (and my dog, Sage) and heading down to Monterey for a quick overnight trip. Because he loves to dive as much as I do, it really didnt take much convincing before we were on our way to the coast!
I knew it was going to be a good day when we pulled into the parking lot at Breakwater to see a huge pod of dolphins swimming not far off shore. I was thinking to myself "what better omen, right?"
After a quick Frisbee toss on the beach to stretch Sage's legs, we came up with a game plan. We were going to surface swim three quarters of the way out, then drop down and swim along the bottom of the rock wall until we came to the end of the jetty, where, if we were lucky, we might see a few seals. The seals and sea lions like to hang out and sunbath along the rocks at the jetty, and many times they will jump in the water and swim close to divers.
After anxiously gearing up, we hit the water and started our surface swim by kicking at a brisk pace, trying to avoid any entanglements in the kelp. When we arrived at our designated 'drop zone' my boyfriend and I gave each other the okay sign, and descended approximately 30 feet to the sandy bottom below which was littered with brightly colored starfish and anemones . With the help of the sun shining on the surface, visibility under the water was decent...about 15 to 20 feet and increasing the deeper we got. We began our dive cruising along the bottom for about 10 minutes and just as we leveled off my breath was momentarily taken away by a fleeting shadow that appeared out of the corner of my eye. Before I had a chance to wonder if my eyes were playing tricks on me, the shadow was back in the form of a large seal, and he had brought his friends with him...lots of them! To get a better look, we ascended several feet to kneel on the rocks at the base of the jetty. Surrounded by thick kelp stalks jutting up to the surface, we watched as the aquatic forest quickly became a playground for dozens of seals darting back and forth around us in an amazing display of underwater acrobatics. These graceful, fluid animals seemed to be extremely curious as to what we were doing in their backyard, because they approached us within a few feet, blowing bubbles, spinning, flipping and even barking at us when we started to leave. Almost as if to say, "Hey, come back, we just starting having fun!"
Time seemed to pass all too quickly. Getting low on air, we reluctantly started back towards shore, leaving our new pinnaped friends to play amongst themselves once again. Working our way around the rocks and kelp, we followed the upward slope of the sand and slowly rose to about 15 feet of depth. All of a sudden the visibility became bad, and I mean bad, even by Monterey's standards! As the sand settled a little, I noticed something moving in it. Just then we came upon several large batrays that were burying themselves in the sand by dropping to the bottom and fluttering their wings rapidly to stir up the sediment. As we would swim over them, they would take off, move forward a few feet and repeat the process over again. They were captivating to watch and they were everywhere hiding in the sand! I had never seen so many batrays at Breakwater before!
The entire dive was amazing, and before we were even out of the water, both of us were trying to figure out how we could do the same dive again, but with more bottom time! As an instructor who teaches most of her classes at the jetty, I find myself taking for granted how fortunate I am to be able to see the rich diversity Monterey has to offer. It truly is, California diving at its best!

Open Water Certfications at Lake Natoma

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of helping Ben Byington from Dolphin Scuba with a PADI Open Water class at Lake Natoma.
John, Evan, Nate, Mike, David, Doug, Rachel, Tiffany and Danielle completed their four check out dives to become full fledged divers! Although the water temperature was a chilly 61 degrees, the surface temperature could not have been more perfect. It was sunny and warm with no one to share the lake with except the geese....and a few rowers. All nine divers completed their skills with flying colors, and I was truely impressed with how well all of the students controlled their bouyancy! Ben was obviously a great instructor ;-)
I would like extend my congratulations to everyone and say job well done! I hope you continue to love diving as much as I do!!

Sailboat "Camping" in the Caribbean

On a recent trip to the BVI, a group of five others and I decided to rent a sailboat and island hop for three days. It was an amazing adventure to see parts of the islands that are not accessible from land, and that most people who visit the BVI don't get to experience .
Luckily, two of the six of us, had extensive sailing knowledge, because, as I soon found out, it is hard work to sail a boat! The 27 footer included two small staterooms and a galley that converted into a twin size bed. There was one bathroom that included a tiny shower, with one other freshwater shower located on the back swim step. The vessel did not come equipped with air conditioning but it did come with tons of Caribbean mosquitoes! "Finally" our home for three days, was a little like camping on the water. One night in particular, we fell asleep to a gentle breeze on the top deck, only to scramble like mad when awaken with a midnight thunderstorm, then again two hours later when the anchor started dragging! But don't get me wrong, what we lacked in creature comforts, was more than made up for in scenery!
My favorite part of the trip was on the second day, waking up in a cove anchored off Jost Van Dyke, and slipping into the sapphire blue water just as the sun was coming up over the island. The water was a balmy 82 degrees and flat as a board, and while everyone else lay tucked in their beds, I donned my mask, fins and snorkel and took a quiet, tranquil swim alone. It almost felt as if the warm sea existed solely for the purpose of surrounding me in a peaceful liquid blanket, and I found myself feeling more relaxed than if I had spent a week at the spa. As I headed to shore to take in the sunrise from the beach, I saw a small stingray nestled in the sand who looked content to enjoy his slumber just a little while longer. I have had many zen-like experiences while diving in the ocean, but this definitely ranked at the top!
Our three day trip ended entirely too soon and even though our boat didn't have all the amenities I would have liked, I found myself wanting more! With great friends, great dive sites and great times, this was truly a trip to remember!

The Cove

The following was a letter I wrote to The President of the United States after viewing the movie, The Cove. I strongly urge that you see this movie, it is truly eye-opening! And please go to The Cove's website...there are several easy ways to make your voice heard.


Dear President Obama,


First and foremost, I would like to thank you sincerely for taking the time to read my letter. And I have to say, that never in my life has anything moved me so profoundly, as to incite action on my part, even in this simplest form.

I recently saw the movie “The Cove”. This movie was an eye-opening, lump in my throat, pit in my stomach depiction of the thousands of dolphins that are being slaughtered each year off the coast of Japan.

Not only does this movie portray the horrific decimation of a huge number of dolphins, but it also sheds light on the fact that a large quantity of the dolphin meat is being sold to the Japanese people and unbeknownst to them, it contains toxic levels of mercury. If we allow this to continue, not only will we be responsible for the brutal, inhumane killing of a species of marine mammal, but we will most certainly be responsible for the alarmingly high increase in the number of birth defects in Japanese babies that is sure to follow. This is not just an “animal rights” issue, this is also a “human rights” issue.

Although I know I should be asking you what I can do to help stop these and other atrocities from happening around our world, I instead, am going to ask something of you. Please go see the movie, Mr. President. I am convinced that if you do see this movie, you will be compelled, as I am, to stop the systematic killing of one of the oceans most spectacular creatures by whatever means possible. And let’s face it Mr. President, you have quite a bit more pull than I do!

I would like to end with a few quotes from several people much smarter and wiser than I;

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

“By ethical conduct toward all creatures, we enter into a spiritual relationship with the universe” ~ Albert Schweitzer

“The question is not, can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But can they suffer?” ~ Jeremy Bentham

“If you have men who will exclude any of Gods creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men” ~ Saint Frances of Assisi

“I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being” ~ Abraham Lincoln

Respectfully,


Brennda Corrie

PS….I would like to take this opportunity to tell you that I voted for you!

I'm an official Seahorse!

Last night I went to my first abalone/wine festival with the Sacramento Seahorses, and it did not disappoint! They served appetizers ranging from abalone ceviche to abalone fritters, with the main course being nothing other than the traditional breaded and fried abalone slices. Everything was delicious! And this great group of people have the preparing and cooking of these fantastic treats down to a science. It was held in a member's backyard, that resembled more of a state park, than an actual yard, with tables strategically placed so that as these delectable morsels were prepared, they could be passed around and gobbled up before getting cold. The food was accompanied by fabulous bottles of wine, and the desserts....to die for! One of the things that impressed me the most about the Seahorses, was their belief that abalone divers should not take advantage of the sea. Even though the abalone population in California has made a slight comeback in recent years, abalone is still a product that has been grossly over harvested for many years leading to its near depletion. It is because of this, that strict laws have been enacted limiting the number of abalone that can be caught and transported by an individual. Commercial abalone fishing continues to be illegal. The Sacramento Seahorses truly believe that these laws should be adhered to, to preserve the health of abalone populations in the state. Any type of poaching, no matter how small the infraction, is frowned upon! The Seahorses exemplify the type of divers that I am proud to be associated with. I am already looking forward to our next event at Van Damme State Park on the California north coast!

My New Website is LIVE!

After months of late nights and endless days of camping out in my friend Alison's office, my website is finally live! This website represents my biggest passion in life....diving! Please go to brenndaunderh2o and feel free to let me know what you think! I welcome any and all criticisms:) Thank you to everyone who helped me pull this website together including my best-ies, especially Alison...you were my biggest supporter!

In Honor of Shark Week

In honor of Shark Week (a Discovery Channel annual event), I have put together my own shark movie, albeit, not as lengthy as the hour long episodes featured on the the animal friendly channel. This clip will only take a few minutes to watch and is just a small collection of the different shark dives I have been on. And yes, I'm the person actually taking the video or pictures of these jaw dropping, adrenaline rushing, heart pounding predators....and no, they were not photo-shopped! Lol! The Great White shots were taken while cage diving off the coast of Guadalupe Island, the Whitetip Reef Sharks were filmed while diving in Panama, the Hammerheads and Silvertips were shot in Cocos Island and the Grey Reef Sharks were captured in the Turks and Caicos. I hope you enjoy them...I know I did!

Queens Bath, Kauai

I've just arrived on the beautiful Garden Island of Kauai, and on my first morning here, my girlfriend Aliee and I decided to hike down to a gorgeous spot known as Queens Bath. The "pool" is carved into a massive lava shelf and is the size of several large swimming pools. Usually shut down in the winter months due to rough surf, the pool is mostly calm and crystal clear during the summer.
So after a brisk 20 minute walk from our condo, we arrived at the path that would lead us down to the pool (which resembled more of a foliage covered trail that one might see while trekking through the jungle). As we neared the end, the trail opened up into a clearing that was composed entirely of huge boulders of lava, and nestled delicately at the bottom of the boulders was Queens Bath.
The pool is partly fed by fresh water streams that flow nearby and there were several breathtaking waterfalls that were visible on the hike down. Bathers of the pools are said to use these fresh water falls to rinse off after a day of soaking and swimming in the salt water.
Several life preservers hang menacingly on wooden stumps at the end of the trail as a reminder for those unfortunate souls who happened to misjudge the calmness of the water, and for all of the beauty of Queens Bath, it has the dubious honor of being Kauai's number one drowning spot. With the rough and jagged lava rock that surrounds the pool, I can definitely see how this serene over sized soaking tub could become a treacherous place to swim if not during the right time of the year.
Stay tuned, tomorrow will be our first day of diving on the island, and we are looking forward to a great day in the water! xoxo

Congratulations To My Newest Open Water Divers!

Congratulations to Scott and Nathan, my two open water students who went down to Monterey with me this weekend and completed their PADI open water certification course! With enthusiasm and determination, Scott and Nathan braved the 52 degree water temperature, five foot visibility and dreary surface conditions to pass their open water check out dives with flying colors. On our second dive Saturday, we were swimming back to shore when Scott spotted, what I estimated, was a 2.5 ft flounder trying to camouflage itself on the sandy bottom. I have seen a bunch of smaller ones over the years, but this was the biggest flounder I've seen at the jetty. The otters were also out in full force this weekend...jumping on floats, harassing students and being the mischievous critters they are! Then on Sunday, while completing our surface interval, we witnessed three Bottlenose Dolphin jumping out of the water and swimming within a few feet from a group of students! It was a fantastic ending to a fantastic weekend. As always, I would like to thank my surface team for helping with the class....Adam and Sage, I wouldn't of been able to do it without you, thanks for the help! xoxo

Monterey Weekend

Ok, so Sage and I are taking a few students down to Monterey to get their open water certs this weekend. I just checked the Monterey weather conditions and its not looking like its going to be the best weekend we've ever had, but it should still be pretty good in the water! As of now, the forcast is 3-5 foot swells with winds out of the SW at approximately 10 kt, and it looks like we won't have to worry too much about sunscreen as we are supposed to have showers on Friday, Saturday and maybe Sunday. Current water temperature is 53 degrees with 5-10 feet of visibility.

I also just learned that there will be a fishing tournament for a Veteran's Association, so the jetty will be packed. Should be fun to see what kind of fish they pull in! I'll be taking lots of pictures and posting conditions, so stay tuned!

Welcome To My Blog!

Hi, I'm Brennda, a PADI Dive Instructor...thanks for checking out my blog! I love, love, love to dive. But even more than that, I love to teach people how to dive. My feeling is that the more people I can get to experience the thrill of the under water world, the more that people will want to preserve it! If you have never witnessed first hand the sleek graceful image of a California Sea Lion zipping through the water or felt the jaw dropping, adrenaline rush of seeing a Great Hammerhead disappearing into the blue, then why would you ever want to help save it? I can tell you from experience, once you do see something that only a handful of people in the world have seen, you will be hooked! Not only to dive, but to help conserve!

Introducing Sage....My Blue Mountain Dingo Diving Buddy! Sage is my 3 year old pup who I rescued from the SPCA when she was just 3 months old. In her young life, she has been to the ocean more than most adults, and on any given weekend, you might see her down in Monterey helping me teach a class. If you happen to see Sage, stop by and say hi, she loves meeting new fellow divers!