SDM JOURNAL FOR...
October 16, 2009
It has been pretty quiet, mostly because I have been hard at work on the current issue of SDM. I always feel guilty if I am not working on the mag, trying to get it finished up for you all. I am close, not there yet, but close. I have been bloging a bit about the making of this mag, in our magazine blog. Not as much as I should but the reason for that, is again, I feel guilty not concentrating on the mag.
I am hoping to finish it up this coming week. The bulk of this issue is dedicated to Andy Murch's North American Shark Diving Tour, and what an adventure it is. The problem is, Andy's adventure was long and amazing, so I am running out of room in this issue. So I am forced to split it up into a part one and part 2. Something I did not want to do, but considering my limited pages in this issue, it is a must.
I will be meeting up with Andy - tonite in fact, where we will be going over the final layout edits over the week, so it should be a lot of fun. I have not seen him since our silky shark dive, so its going to be nice catching up, for some real time details on the rest of his trip.
October 5, 2009
I have to take a moment, off subject and say good bye to someone. But before I do, a bit of back story is needed. Back in the year 98-99, I started reading comic books. Reading different comics from different artists. One artist in particular caught my attention. I picked it up originally because it was a story about sci-fi and the ocean, plus the art work was just stunning. After reading the first few issues, I was hooked on Michael Turner's work. So I began collecting comics as well from other stories he had been a part of.
Micheal Turner's huge hit Fathom comics, which helped him build a hugely successful comic book company Aspen Comics...This is his legacy.
Needless to say I became a fan of his work. He was featured in a comic book magazine (got to love those magazines!) which I picked up to read. In it, I found out he was also a diver, something which I thought was pretty cool... kindred spirits. Then upon reading further, I found out he was born April 21, 1971, which was the exact same month, day, and year that I was born. I thought that was really wild. Maybe it was a coincidence? Then again maybe not? I finally got to meet Michael back in 2000 when our local comic book store brought him down for autograph signing, and custom sketches. I made it a point to be down there that day, and got to shake his hand, and share with him our shared birthday. He was pumped up about it and we chatted briefly, I took a fan shot with him, (which still hangs on my office wall to this day) and we went our seperate ways.
Micheal Turner, April 21, 1971 -June 29, 2008
I eventually lost interest in his work, when he stopped penning the comics himself, and took over the corporate world of managing the huge comic book business he built, Aspen Comics. I was not a fan of the other artists he had hired to pen. Anyway, I got into my world, and lost track of what he was up to. I decided today to see how he was doing and checked out his website. It turned out that Michael past away last year on June 29, 2008. A long term battle with cancer finally took him. It took me by surprise. I didn't really know him, but still felt connected in a strange way. Anyway, this is my way of paying tribute and saying goodbye to a kindred spirit, and an amazing artist.
...I hope your new adventure is as amazing as the one you left behind!
September 19, 2009
I just realized that I had not updated my blog. I have been working on SDM stuff like crazy but I guess I just glazed over updating the blog. So I was thinking about how to get you up to speed on everything so I figured the best way was to bullet point you all on the high lights of what I have been multi tasking on...
-I just posted our california mako trip report
-I am in the process of adding a new software to create and improved our.Shark Store for you all. That is a few weeks away from being finished.
-Issue 21 is in full force right now. I am trying hard to get this issue finished and to ..the printers for you all. Its looking really damn good if I may add.
-I just updated our expedition page with a bunch of new trips, and many of them are ..already sold out, so if you want to go, you better pick a trip and let me know as ..soon as possible.
As far as our reader trips, I am changing things up this season. I am making them much more intimate, and most of the trips were running this season are very small, averaging 5-6 people. The reason for this is two things; 1 is safety, and 2 is, time in the water. We are going after a lot of those hard to find species, and sharks like these - when they do show up, do not stay around for very long. So I wanted to increase water time for you all as much as possible. I am sure a lot of commercial shark operators think I am crazy for it, but I have never been known for doing the smart thing. The fun, cool thing, with lots of heart and passion, I am known for. Yea I can say that with true conviction.
This idea is based off of our California mako trip this season. It was small, so much fun and totally exhausting. We spent full days in and on the water. And when we got back in the evenings, all we had energy left for, was to shower off the chum funk, grab a meal and a couple of beers before we all past out. Then we woke up, jumped on the boat and did it again!.
I loved it and decided that is how I want to spend 2010. I want our year to be sharky as hell, full of fun EPIC moments, with really good people. Those thoughts are what the 'Eat my Fish!' tour is going to be about. I can't wait.
September 9, 2009
Oh the crazy superstitious 9-9-9 day. What craziness the media had with this day . The media asked "What does it mean?" and What's going to happen?" I'll tell you what it means. If your reading this it means you lived to breathe another day, you are alive to watch another sunset, to hug a friend, to laugh at a good joke, to drink a beer, and to experience another great adventure. That is what 9-9-9 means.
Ahh screw it, they won't listen... I say let them hold on to their lies and fears! Let them hold on to routine, and to boredom. Just let them do what they do everyday, for the rest of their lives...Nothing! My blog today is dedicated to you - the traveler, the adventurer, the Shark Diver, the surfer, the hiker, etc... I want to thank you for being out there, for writing your blogs, for sharing your pictures with everyone on the web, for writing in books and journals, and bar napkins, and magazines! Oh those beloved magazines. and TV! Thank you for being on TV for everyone to see. Thank you for risking ridicule, and embarassment, and harassment for trying something new, and bold, and fun, and different. Thank you for expressing your art, and your moments.
I want to thank you for being brave enough to escape boredom, and to escape work, and routine, so that you can travel and experience life. All of life, good and bad. It is because of you that I started this magazine. It is because of you that I dream. Your stories inspired me to travel, and to want to experience adventures like yours. I wanted to be like the guy in National geographic magazine, up in the Mountain's of the Congo, trying not to stare a gorrilla in the eye. and I wanted to be like Cousteau, exploring the vast ocean wilderness. I wanted to be the guy that summited Everest.
There is so much to do, so much to do. For now I choose sharks... but who knows, when the new issue of Nat Geo comes out, maybe a trip to Mongolia will be on my to do list? You never know?
I could be like most people and just sit at home admiring those people and dreaming of far away places from the safety of my home. But I chose to step outside my door and experience life and all its beauty for myself. It has not always been grand, I have fallen flat on my face and ass so many times I can't count. But thats life, and that is what makes it so damn beautiful. And hey? If this blog bothers you then good. It means your letting life pass you by. You need to get up and get out there, don't spend you life being afraid of what might happen if you go out there. Spend your life being afraid of what won't happen if you don't get out there?
SEPTEMBER 7, 2009
Catalina Island was great. It was a lot of work chumming up these sharks. More work then I expected, but in the end, we had smiling guests and they all went home with footage. I am sure they all wanted more footage, but with pelagics, you get what you can get, when you can get it. We tallied up a total of 8 makos and one blue shark, and that was with one day of getting skunked. Something I have never had happen before? I hope it is not a trend???
2009 Mako trip report coming this week.
But I do have to say in my defense that it was the freakiest day on the water I have ever experienced. It was flat calm, and I mean flat. No swells, no wind, and more importantly, NO CURRENT. It was a boaters dream, but a shark diver's nightmare. Terrible conditions. Give me four foot swells, give me fast currents, give me wind to push my chum out to sea. But don't EVER give me perfect flat calm seas.
...unless I am after whale and basking sharks! Then its ok.
It all worked out, everyone had a blast and I have a solid spot for next season when we return to find makos. Next season we are changing it up though. Catalina has so much insane diving with a variety of bottom dwelling sharks, that it is a shame not to get some diving in. So when we return next season, we will be adding in a one tank dive looking for angel sharks, or horn sharks, or leopard sharks, or the very hard to find soupfin sharks. (Soupfins, thats a pretty hardcore shark. Its huge on my must find list.) Then after our morning dive, we will head out to sea, and spend the rest of the day chumming for sharks. I learned so much on this seasons trip that I know next years adventure will be full on crazy, with a new record number of pelagics that visit our boat, and after next seasons results the Catalina trip will be a keeper.
So on to issue 21 news, well again no surprise we are behind schedule, this issue is dedicated to my good friend Andy Murch and his 4 month North American Shark Diving Road trip. The first leg of his adventure is finally over, and he is taking a break, working on a few projects before he figures out where he is going next. We do have a couple of things planned together for 2010, one is searching for basking sharks, the other is oceanics. That is one shark that has eluded both of us, and I think this is the year we make it happen. I will keep you posted on that.
Anyway back to the mag. We have been tackling his journey one article at a time, and with all the crazy adventures Andy was on, it is a long process of penning it all down. He has his blog notes to go on, but I am asking him for more details. I have already gotten the first story from him, with the next one coming in a day or two. The following 4 stories will be right after that. And all I am willing to say is it is going to be an awesome journey for people to follow. And well worth the wait.
The first story was incredible and with some of his images to compliment it, you all will be sucked in for one hell of a ride. Oh don't worry I still have other articles I have been working on while I wait for Andys stuff. I got Nathan Meadows Salmon shark article I have been laying out. Proud that this is the first salmon shark diving article we have ever published. And our cookie cutter article as well, what a kick ass shark. I do have a couple other articles that are going in so it is going to be a fun issue with so much in store for you all. I will be writing in the mag blog about it so you all can follow along with me as I create it. I am very sure you all will be surprised when the brown envelope hits your box late this year. I do promise way more activity on our web also. I have been neglecting our blogs and I appologize. It is just that I have got so much going on and my time is so short. And it is only going to get crazier. But that's what being a shark diver is all about, a crazy cool life, with crazy cool friends.
I'll see you out there!
