Club meeting slides March 2019

1. Bottom Breathers Dive Club
Meeting: 1-Mar-2019
Today's topics:
Coral Identification,
Gear sale showcase

2. 2019 Events
• Next meeting – Apr 5, 2019
• April 6th - Haigh quarry opens
• May 10th - Club meeting (Not first Friday)
• June 20-25 - Florida Keys trip

3. 2019 Events
• July: No Meeting (Summer vacations)
• Aug 17th - Club BBQ (changed date)
• Oct 4-6 - Mermet Springs trip
• Oct 11th - Club meeting, pizza party @ Dan &
Anne's House
• Oct 20th - Underwater pumpkin carving
(Haigh)

4. 2020 Events
• Jan 11th, 2020 - Club party
• Jan 29-Feb 6, 2020 - Socorro Liveaboard
(Nautilus Belle Amie)
• July 31-Aug 5, 2020 - Guadalupe White Shark
Liveaboard (Nautilus Belle Amie)

5. Florida Keys 2019
Trip Info
Trip information
June 20-25, 2019

10. Trip information
• Local Diving in Key Largo (6/21-6/24):
– 2-tank morning boat to wrecks and deep sites
– 2-tank afternoon boat to shallow reefs
• All boat trips optional, a la carte, up to 16
dives
• Pricing varies based on dives selected, $1022
for 16 dives including room, tanks, weights,
nitrox on wreck dives (flights not included )
– Reef only: 8 dives, room, tanks, weights: $630

11. Trip information
• Accommodations: Ocean Pointe Suites in Key
Largo (MM 92.5 oceanside), sharing 2 BR condos
with laundry and full kitchens, 4 to a room
• Diving: Florida Keys Dive Center (MM 90.4
oceanside), full service, rentals, 46’ Newton boats
• Plan A: Fly on 6/20, dive! 6/21-24, fly out in PM
on 6/25. Use MIA or FLL airports.
– Share rental cars where possible from FLL or MIA

12. Trip information
• Plan B: All of Plan A PLUS go dive Blue Herron
Bridge on 6/25 (pending further
research/investigation)
• Questions/Reserve at
info@bottombreathers.org

13. Socorro Island
Liveaboard Info
Trip information
January 29-February 6, *2020*

14. Trip information
• Jan 29-Feb 6, *2020*--8 nights, 9 days
• Nautilus Belle Amie – 140’ long, 33’ wide
(www.nautilusbelleamie.com)
• 2 cabin classes available (9 spots remaining)
– 1 premium suite berth (male)
– 0 superior suite berth SOLD OUT
– 8 lower deck stateroom berths
– 0 single stateroom SOLD OUT
• Boat can handle 30 divers total
• Details on www.bottombreathers.org (right side link)
• Reserve at info@bottombreathers.org

15. Trip information
• Departs Cabo San Lucas in the evening
• We typically stay a day before and 2 nights
after for travel ease.
• Currently 18 divers from our last “Socorro”
trip signed up – a great group!
• Info: http://www.bottombreathers.org/2018/07/23/bottom-breathers-
liveaboard-29-jan-2020-socorro/

16. Trip information
• Pricing:
– Premium - $4695 - main deck – 1 berth left (male)
– Superior - $4095 - upper deck – SOLD OUT
– Stateroom - $3595 - lower deck
– Single stateroom - $4494 - lower deck– SOLD OUT

17. Trip information
• Payment:
– $100 deposit to reserve a spot (non-refundable)
– 10% due 29-Jul-2018 now
– 10% due 29-Apr-2019
– 20% due 29-Jul-2019
– balance (~60%) due 30-Nov-2019
• Payment types: paypal, credit card, personal
check, electronic payment

18. Guadalupe Island
Liveaboard Info
Trip information
Jul 31-Aug 5, *2020*

19. Trip information
• Cage “diving” tethered to the boat
• 2 surface cages (6am-6pm)
• 3 submersible cages (scheduled)
• 2 bait stations (crew only)
• No fins, no scuba – surface-supplied air
• Water temps in July: 72F
• Logistics: Fly to San Diego, bus to Ensenada, MX and
return to San Diego via bus after
• Info: http://www.bottombreathers.org/2018/07/23/bottom-breathers-
liveaboard-31-jul-2020-guadalupe-white-shark-cage-dives/

20. Trip information

21. Trip information
• Jul 31-Aug 5, *2020*--5 nights, 6 days
• Nautilus Belle Amie – 140’ long, 33’ wide
(www.nautilusbelleamie.com)
• 5 cabin classes available (28 spots remaining)
– 4 premium suite berths
– 8 superior suite berths
– 12 lower deck stateroom berths
– 2 single staterooms
– 2 “triple” stateroom berths (3 bunks, 2 occupants)
• Boat can handle 32 “divers” total
• Reserve at info@bottombreathers.org

22. Trip information
• Pricing:
– Premium - $4295 - main deck
– Superior - $3695 - upper deck
– Stateroom - $3195 - lower deck
– Single stateroom - $3994 - lower deck
– Triple stateroom - $2895 - lower deck

23. Trip information
• Payment:
– $100 deposit to reserve a spot (non-refundable)
– 10% due 31-Jan-2019
– 10% due 31-Oct-2019
– 20% due 31-Jan-2020
– balance (~60%) due 1-Jun-2020
• Payment types: paypal, credit card, personal
check, electronic payment

24. Coral Identification

25. Coral & Coral Reefs
• Types of coral (they’re all animals)
– Hard (reef-building) – these secrete hard calcium
deposits to form skeletons; form/build reefs
• Actually a colony of polyps living together, each is an
animal; each polyp has 6 tentacles
– Soft – do not produce secrete calcium deposits
(sea fans, for instance)
• Structures called spiracles support their bodies
• Have 8 fuzzy tentacles for feeding

26. Coral basics
• Coral are (small) animals living on a structure
– Not rocks (though part of them may be rocks)
– Not plants
• Algae in their bodies give them their color(s)
• Two main types:
– Hard and Soft

27. Hard Coral
• Blue Coral

28. Hard Coral
• Staghorn

29. Hard Coral
• Elkhorn Coral

30. Hard Coral
• Pillar Coral

31. Hard Coral
• Table Coral

32. Hard Coral
• Brain Coral

33. Hard Coral
• Great Star Coral

34. Hard Coral
• Tube Coral

35. Soft Coral
• Black Sea Rod Coral

36. Soft Coral
• Pulsing Xenia Coral

37. Soft Coral
• Red Sea Fingers Coral

38. Soft Coral
• Variable Soft Coral

39. Soft Coral
• Sunburst Coral

40. Soft Coral
• Purple Sea Fan

41. Soft Coral
• Sea Whip

42. Soft Coral
• Sea Nae Nae

43. Soft Coral
• Carnation Coral

44. Coral & Coral Reefs
• They eat…
– Plankton
– Brine shrimp (if they get close enough)
– Food produced by the algae living in its tissues
– Mostly at night when they “bloom” or open their
tentacles

45. Coral & Coral Reefs
• They are eaten by…
– Crown of Thorns Sea Star
– Nudibranchs – these guys keep part of the coral
(the nematocysts) in their bodies and use them!
– Parrotfish, butterfly fish, tangs – ever wonder
where all that sand comes from? Parrotfish poo.
– Turtles

46. Coral & Coral Reefs
• They are eaten by…

47. Coral & Coral Reefs
• They are eaten by…

48. Coral & Coral Reefs
• They are eaten by…

49. Coral & Coral Reefs
• They are threatened by…
– Bleaching – When stressed coral loses its symbiotic
algae and may die (or could recover)
• Temperature
• Runoff and pollution
• Sunlight overexposure
• Extreme tides (low tide)
– Humans – fins, hands, etc
• Cyanide fishing (it’s apparently a real thing)
• Blast fishing
• Sunscreen – recent laws introduced in Key West, Hawaii

50. Coral - Bleaching

51. Coral – Fire “Coral”

52. Coral
• Fire Coral: actually isn’t coral at all!
• Fire coral is a hydroid. Hydroids are a family of
stinging invertebrates.
• Fire coral has more in common with jellyfish
than coral!
https://www.khaolakexplorer.com/marine-life-guide/coral-types/

53. Coral & Coral Reefs
• http://marinebio.org/oceans/coral-reefs/
• https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/threecorals.
html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral
• http://www.coralfilm.com/faq.html
• https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coral_bleach
.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_issu
es_with_coral_reefs
https://www.leisurepro.com/blog/explore-the-blue/10-incredible-species-soft-coral-around-world/
https://www.leisurepro.com/blog/explore-the-blue/identifying-corals-reef-soft-corals/
https://www.leisurepro.com/blog/explore-the-blue/5-incredible-soft-coral-species/
https://www.leisurepro.com/blog/explore-the-blue/coral-identification-types-of-coral-part-1/

54. Tonight’s Social Time…
• Pizza, drinks, and SHOPPING at:
– The House You’re In Right Now!