Dolphin Underwater &
Adventure Club
June 2011 Newsletter
Next Club Meeting:
Wed. 8th June 7:30pm
Pizza Night &
Special General Meeting
Re Clubrooms
Upgrading
Venue: The Club Rooms
Northcote Rd Ext’n,
Lake Pupuke, Takapuna
Club’s Mail Address:
14 Gails Drive
Okura
RD2 Albany
Ph/Fax: 09 473 8069
Mob: 0274 839 839
Email: marg.howard@xtra.co.nz
What’s Inside
Coming Trips & Events
Committee Contacts
News & Views
Reports
www.dolphinunderwater.org
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: 2011/2012
President
Steve Boundford
476 9286
sbounders@xtra.co.nz
Vice-President
Martin Brett
418 2332
m.brett@auckland.ac.nz
Secretary/Treas
Margaret Howard
473 8069 Ph/Fax
marg.howard@xtra.co.nz
Editor
Denis Adams
444 0501
triden@clear.net.nz
Clubroom Management
Denis Adams
0275 970 922 Mob.
Web Site
John Freeman
478 4958
johnf@witblitz.net
Dive Trips Officer
Dave Dobbie
479 8334
dobbie@paradise.net.nz
Adventure Trips
Martin Saggers
410 2363
msaggers@xtra.co.nz
Committee
Tom Butler
624 3505
trbutler@xtra.co.nz
Peter Howard
473 8069
Bob Shaw
473 1711
Bruce Nixon
478 7186
Fiona Warwick
482 0135
442 4148
kevin@performancediver.co.nz
Honorary Dive Instructor Kevin Hodgson
Life & Honorary Members
Barry Barnes – Life
Reg Lawson - Life
Graham Thumah – Honorary
Peter & Margaret Howard – Life
Roberto Tonei – Life
Tony & Jenny Enderby - Honorary
Brian Horton – Life
Dave Quinlan – Life
Eileen Slark – Honorary
Cover Page Photo: A Black Coral Tree with a Snake Star entwined on it
taken by Bruce Nixon
Dolphin UAC Trips & Events Coming Up
17th June to 27th June – P & O Bounty Discovery Cruise on Pacific Pearl – 10 nights – stopping at
Norfolk Island, Noumea, Lifou, Port Vila and Mystery Island - Meals and entertainment on board all
inclusive, drinks, diving and excursions are extra. Speak to Margaret for details.
29th July to 7th August 2011 – Beqa Lagoon Resort Fiji Trip – Return Air Fares, Meals and Diving NZ$2773 per Diver Twin Share NZ$2610 per Non Diver Twin Share check our website under Links
www.dolphinunderwater.org or contact Marie at - Dive Pacific Tours Ltd Ph.: (09) 578-2924
Other trips Dave will book if you are interested in any of the following:- Once the weather starts to
improve and warm up Dave will have a few more dive trips to add – or if you would like to organize an
event or a dive give him a ring & we can add it into our schedule. Contact Dave Dobbie – 479-8334
Wreck dives - Ex HMNZS Tui and Waikato – 2 for 1
Ex HMNZS Canterbury – our newest
Ex HMNZS Wellington – 3 parts now
Rainbow Warrior – history & colorful
Mikhail Lermontov - 2nd largest dive-able ship in the world.
Island diving - Mokohinau’s, Bay of Islands, Poor Knight’s, Hen & Chickens, Alderman’s, Mercury’s.
Other social winter stuff we can do: Go-Karts, Luge, Ski, Sedgeway round Devonport, Dinner at a
Restaurant ie Daikoko, Mongolian, Lone Star etc, Climb Rangitoto Is, Kelly Tarltons and so on, just let a
committee member know & we’ll see what we can do.
Our Club’s Trip Rules
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F
Bookings allowed on all trips.
A deposit or full payment to be made at time of booking.
Full payment MUST be paid at least two weeks before departure date.
Trips Officer to handle trips & bookings, & Treasurer to handle finances. Cancellations due to
weather will be refunded in full, or transferred to another trip.
Members cancelling for any reason will lose full monies unless they find a replacement for their
position on the trip.
The trips Officer will determine if there are enough people to run a trip & if not will notify
cancellation two weeks prior to departure.
Non-Members & non-financial members will be charged an extra $10 on trips.
Two trips & club membership is a must.
Please send Club Fees to Margaret Howard, 14 Gails Drive, Okura, RD2, Albany
Or Internet bank to 06 0122 0074227 00 & don’t forget your name.
Family Membership $55 – Single $45 – Junior $30 – Social $30
If members need to hire or buy any new gear Kevin Hodgson (our Hon Dive Instructor) from
Performance Dive, have offered the Club great discounted rates, email him on
Kevin@performancediver.co.nz or give him a ring on 09 489 7782. Dive trips also available.
Be careful what you consume & do
A New York man who, believing Tuna to be a healthy food option, ate around 10 cans of the stuff a week,
always the same cut price brand from the same super market. When after two years of this diet, he was
stricken with chest pains, his body was found to contain twice the mercury normally found in an adult male.
The man is now suing the canning company & the store chain. He would probably also sue the fishing-boats
if he could.
If this tells us something of the state of our oceans, it also underlines the American reflex to litigation. And
just as the tuna action got underway, a US diver was taking a bunch of diving professionals to the cleaners.
Daniel Carlock was left drifting off California’s coast for some four hours before being rescued, improbably,
by boy scouts (which should be worth a badge or two for them), He sued the diver centre & charter-boat
company that abandoned him, citing “substantial losses including anguish & shock, embarrassment,
humiliation” & , get this, skin cancer. This was the result, he said, of his enforced exposure to the sun.
Daniel was not spotted when he surfaced some way from the boat after failing to equalise, but he was still
marked down as present when the boat move off to a distant site.
Incredibly, the divemaster even registered desperate Dan as having done a second dive. His absence went
unremarked for three hours – had these people never watched Open Water?
For his trouble, Daniel won more than a million pounds, less than he had wanted because he had, after all,
been told to come up near the boat.
He said he brought his action to force changes in the scuba industry. This it may well do, though we must
also accept that the verdict may have a knock on effect on the cost of diving, as the pro’s top up their
insurance.
Thanks to www.divernet.com magazine.
“The Sea Around Us”
Winter Lecture Series 2011
Friday Evenings, 7:30pm
Admission: Adults $6 • Students and Pensioners $5 •
Season ticket $40
London to the Black Sea and beyond via the great waterways of Europe.
June
10th
A Jet Ski expedition for cancer.The story of the attempt to ride 3 jet skis from London to Auckland
for cancer and how it all went wrong. The highs, the lows and everything in between. An analysis of
what was achieved in spite of the failure.Includes fantastic photos and video.
Jeremy Burfoot, Qantas Pilot, Adventurer.
June
17th
“Ngataki” The boat that Johnny Wray built from driftwood & fencing wire in 1931 -1934.
and still going strong.
David Wright – Teacher, yachtsman,one time Mate on Spirit of Adventure.
“'Motivating communities to look after their coastline from the ground-up.”
June
24th
Sam Judd - Surfer, is co-founder of the award-winning New Zealand charity Sustainable
Coastlines. Over 2 years of operations, events directed by Sam have seen over 10,500 volunteers
work together to remove more than 86 tonnes of waste from coastal areas. Countless others have
been inspired to look after our coastlines due to his work.
July
1st
Alaska – Kayaking with Sea Otters, Whales & Bears- 400 Km in a folding boat.
Paul Hayward - Engineer and yachtsman. Natasha Romoff - Botanist and IT project manager.
Restoration of, and sailing on “James Craig” -1874 barque with a Transtasman history.
July
8th
July
15th
July
22nd
July
29th
John Duder – Engineer, yachtsman and square rig sailor ex British T.S.” Sir Winston Churchill”.
Former Trustee & First Mate on “Spirit of Adventure” and “Spirit of N.Z”, and now Trustee of “R.Tucker
Thompson”.
A Wild Ride – The 2011 Two man Round North Island Race
Robert Shaw -Owner,designer,skipper of “Karma Police”.Lecturer Marine Technology, UNITEC
Auckland
A Sponge is not as you suppose, a funny sort of weed..- Michelle takes us on a journey of
research discoveries that highlight the wonders of these little known animals.
Dr. Michelle Kelly – Sponge biologist, National Centre for Aquatic Biodiversity & Biosecurity at Niwa,
Auckland
“The Seas of Araby” – Kennedy Warne talks about his recent experiences of diving in Oman, UAE
and Kuwait for National Geographic Magazine.
Kennedy Warne – Natural History Journalist and photographer, Founding Editor N.Z.Geographic.
Sir Peter Blake Marine Education & Recreation Centrewww.merc.org.nz
1045 Beach Road, Long Bay, Auckland. Phone 473 0714
Usual large crowd enjoying themselves
Gary hamming it up as usual too!
Our Annual Awards Night with presentations by President Steve
Margaret with “The Stirrers Wooden Spoon”
The editor with the “Hard Luck Trophy”
Bruce with the “Best U/W Photograph Cup”
Wren & Ted with the “Scuba Trophy”
Plus we must mention the very special certificates! Presented by Denis
Martin for being the “Hairyest Club Member”
(Does he even own a razor blade?)
Tom for the “Most Social Member of the Club”
(Another great movie night /dinner)
Trish for being the “Best Refreshment Server”
(Where would we be without her – high & dry!)
Dave for being the “Un-Hairyest Club Member”
(Great polish job Dave!)
Margaret & Peter for the “Itchy Feet Award”
(They’re never home!)
Martin for winning the photo location competition
(How amazing you winning the Fijian sunset picture)
Plus there were a few others we won’t mention this time & some no shows also!
An non-club member’s view on the Fiordland Trip
The scene: late November 2010, the Meyer household, telephone booth: Meyer (M), good evening Saggers,
what the heck do you want? Saggers (S) the Dolphins Club is going to Fiordl... (M) (interrupting politely)
I'm available and going. (S) But you don't know when or how much. (M) I don't need to just tell me when or
if you find out.
Such was my desire to visit that particular part of New Zealand. (Aside: I never did find out how much, and
only days before the event, when.)
The scene: Auckland airport, Wednesday 30 March, a really frantic time of the year for business, however
such was my desire to visit this part of.... Good morning, I am Philip (to Bruce) and you are? Good morning
(to Craig) and you are? ... Hullo, Martin, when are you going to learn to make an introduction (typical Pom.)
The scene: Christchurch airport, later the same day. Question: Well, what's for lunch, apart from Guinness.
Answer: More Guinness.
The scene: Invercargill airport, later still the same day. Q.: Where's the bar? A.: Tuatapere. The food
accompanying the drink was totally acceptable, as were the sleeping arrangements. And the breakfast
following (ok, apart from the fellow who went out of his way to upset the chef.)
The scene: The footpath outside the Tuatapere pub: Self, Martin, Craig and Bruce (SMCB) - you are for the
launch; everyone else, aka Brian, Paddy, Peter, Margaret you are for the helicopter (h/c). The h/c will fly to
Chalky inlet. The launch will go to the north end of Lake Hauoroko (L.H.). The h/c will collect half of the
evacuees and fly them to the north of L.H.
That half of the evacuees will launch to Tuatapere. SMCB will h/c to Chalky Inlet. The other half of the
evacuees will h/c to Tuatapere. Now, if you can follow that you have been paying more attention than any of
the aforementioned. But, it worked out ok. And so we were one party on the good launch Takapu, under the
good care Cook(ess) Annie aka Cookie, whose command of the English language (not to mention
Australian) is unsurpassed.
Ken the skipper and Jackson the Deckie were also present. The other present was the body of a deer donated
by the evacuees. And a welcome present too, as it transpired.
So after Cookie made it clear that the staff quarters were staff quarters and "We don't do small here" we
were at our anchorage for the night. For the wildest part of New Zealand, it was an absolute mill pond,
disturbed only by the snorers. Of whom there were eight. However Bruce was elected number one and
volunteered to sleep elsewhere for the rest of the voyage.
One of the facilities used constantly for our enjoyment was Hammer Down. Not, in any way related to
Hampton Downs, but equally as exciting. Jackson had been allocated a daily ration of fuel for this tinny,
which he took the greatest delight in consistently (that is, every day) exceeding by considerable factor (if it
was less than 2, he took out his vengeance in the evening card game, occasionally "Presidents and
Peasants".)
So the pastimes that occupied our days included visiting the art gallery, the museum, the local mall, the
sports field and the cafe. Let me tell you about these attractions.
The art gallery was the view outside. Wherever I looked, morning, noon, night, I wanted to take photographs
of the stunning and ever-changing scenes that nature provided. When anybody tells you, as they will, that
Fiordland has four seasons in a day, they are telling you lies.
If they were to say that there are four seasons in every hour that would be closer to the truth.
The museum or more correctly the museums, were the Pusyger Point lighthouse and the Lodge. And don't
forget the Sounds themselves.
The local mall, of course was the bountiful results of diving and fishing. The fresh meat department seemed
to be low on stocks during our visit. But, thanks to the gift of the deer, we were able to stave off our hunger
for venison.
The Cafe was open every morning, every noon-time and every evening. Cookie was 0ne hundred percent
correct when she told us "We don't do small". She should have added
"We don't do stale" when she tossed overboard one of the biggest crayfish because after the second day it
hadn't been eaten.
The sports field was the hills around us (for the hunters present) or the ocean for the divers or fishers: If any
"guest" wanted to go diving, fishing, hunting or walking, it was immediately available.
There are some credits that I need to make here: firstly to Martin for thinking to invite me to join this group
(ok, so somebody has to be nice to him, sometime); to Bruce who put the whole show together with aplomb;
to Craig who not only kindly offered to lend me his dive gear, an offer that of course I should have accepted,
but instead dedicated one of his dives to providing six crayfish for me to bring home,
to The Shark Lady (Paddy) for teaching me, no, showing me how to catch these creatures, to Brian and Peter
and Margaret for accepting me as a member of a very great group of friends;
Thank you.
Philip Meyer.