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Capt. Dave's Ocean ReportAs
seen weekly in the Dana Point News/Orange County Register November 24, 2005 Well the weather has been super calm and we have been seeing lots of common dolphin on our trips. Still no sign of the Grays, with the exception of the one who spent an hour in the Harbor I get asked frequently why California has so many dolphins - we actually have more off California than Florida, Alaska, and Hawaii combined. The main reason for this large population is there is plenty of food for them to eat. We have lots of sardines, anchovies and squid – fast food for dolphins. In fact, squid and sardines are the top two commercial landings in California, so man is getting his fill as well. The fish do well here because of a cold upwelling of water from down deep at the bottom. Wind and currents move the surface water away and then it is replaced by cold deep water off the bottom. When things die they tend to go to the bottom and when this nutrient rich water reaches the surface and is closer to the sunlight it acts like fertilizer for the plankton. Tiny fish eat plankton and bigger fish eat them and then the dolphins eat the fish. Upwelling happens when you have just the right conditions of currents, wind, and deep water and a shallow shelf. These areas are very productive; they represent only fifteen percent of the ocean but supply fifty percent of all the fish we catch worldwide. Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for what we have. And living here in Orange County - one of the richest places on the planet, we have much to be thankful for. But not everyone lives in such conditions, so I would like to share something that I do that is near and dear to me, in fact I consider it one of the most important things I do on our trips. On our way back to the harbor after a satisfying Dolphin Safari I gather everyone who is interested up in the cockpit and tell them all about dolphins and whales, answer questions, and show them artifacts like actual whale baleen and whale teeth etc. and I tell them about my film. I let them know that half the profits of the film go to World Vision. My wife and I sponsor a Village in Malawi Africa with half the profits from the film through World vision. I also do something a little risky with such a captive audience - I let them know that for thirty dollars a month they can sponsor a child through World Vision and then I pass around about twenty sponsor packets with photos of children needing sponsors. I am always careful not to lay any guilt trips, I let people know that only those who really feel the tug to do this or those who might have always wanted to do something like this should take one of these children’s packets home with them. I let them know that a sponsor can really make a difference in these children’s lives: I spoke recently at World Vision’s headquarters in Washington and I met a man from Africa who was sponsored as a child. His sponsor wrote him letters, (he saved every one), and encouraged him to stay in school while his village was encouraging him to drop out and help out the village. He stayed in school and is now working for World Vision and is doing more for his village now than ever would have been possible had he not listened to his sponsor. If any of you feel the tug to sponsor a child this Thanksgiving please go to our website www.dolphinsafari.com and follow the links to World Vision. My wife and I sponsor five children ourselves (outside what we are doing with the film) and it is a real blessing. That’s it till next week. Capt. Dave, over and out. ____________________________________________________________________ CALL US (949)488-2828 FOR YOUR RESERVATIONS. |
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