Sharks Up At Roca, 2010 Schedule

ed. note: Our 2010 Schedule is included in this eNEWS, but we've got some good news to share with you first...

The Solmar V recently completed the last voyage of our Spring 2008 season cruising the Socorro Islands.
Guests and crew raved about the amount of sharks they saw at one of our most popular diving areas, Roca Partida.

" Split Rock" in English, this tiny "islet" barely pokes it head above the waves. But undersea it's a cathedral for marine life, and this trip saw spectacular shark activity. Divers were reporting seeing more than 100 silkies on a single dive. Plus Hammerheads, Galapagos Sharks, and Silver Tips were far more numerous than usual (and that's saying a lot). The giant school of tuna that was hanging around was probably responsible for some of the increased action, but there's another factor...The Mexican authorities and the live-aboard dive operators visiting these islands have come up with a good plan for monitoring any illegal fishing activity throughout the entire area, and we're seeing the results with increased numbers of sharks. That's great news for the future!

For the balance of 2008, The Solmar V will be:

• Hosting our 2008 Baja Nature Cruises in the Sea of Cortes this month. These cruises will be repeated in both 2009 and 2010.
• In July, we will haul out to "Boatyard" for our annual maintenance and safety checks.
• In August and September, some fabulous encounters with Great White Sharks (cage diving) off the island of Guadalupe. 
• In October, we feature two regular live-aboard dive trips in the Sea of Cortez,
• On October 31st, we'll have our season opener and return the Socorro Islands.

Click here to see our 2010 schedule

The 2008 YouTube VIDEO CONTEST

This year we're also sponsoring a  YouTube Video Contest, and the winner gets a free trip to Socorro.
The 2007 Video Contest was a great hit, so we'd like to do it again. All you have to do is create a video (using pictures or video footage taken on the Solmar V) and post it to the popular YouTube Website. Remember, you can create a "video" using still photos, titles, and captions as well as regular video clips. There's more complete info on exactly how to do this on our web site.

Please make sure to mention Solmar V in the YouTube title and description so that viewers will be able to find and vote on your video. After all the videos are posted, the public will then vote on their favorites and decide the winner. The contest will run thoughout 2008, and we'll be posting updates regularly.  
Click here for more complete details, and see to videos already entered for this year.

DEADLINE APPROACHING: 2007/2008 PHOTO CONTEST

The theme of the 2007 / 2008 Solmar V Digital Photo contest will be: "Wilderness Is The Ultimate Luxury"
You may select any picture (up to three pics per person) to submit via email for the contest. These images should describe "wilderness" as you find it on our Solmar Cruises. Could be a breaching Humpback, a Whale Shark, Sea Lions at Los Islotes, mantas at Socorro, or great whites in Guadalupe. Topside or underwater. The Deadline for the 2007 / 2008 Photo Contest will be June 30th, 2008. This will allow all of our Socorro Spring 2008 passengers to participate as well. You may send in your digital pics at any time during this year until the 2008 deadline.

1. Digital Images should be 450 x 300 (or 300 x 450) pixels and sent to solmar5@waterpath.com.
2. Limit 2 pics per person, per destination (Socorro, Sea of Cortez, Guadalupe)
3. If you don't know how to "size" your digital images just send them to us and we'll do it for you.  

SOLMAR V
P.O. Box 529, Topanga, CA 90290
Toll Free: 1-866-591-4906, CA and Int: (310)455-3600
(Office Hours are Mon - Fri, 9-5, West Coast U.S.Time)
Contact us by email

ABOUT SOLMAR V eNews: This is an educational and news service provided by Solmar V. It is sent only by permission to those divers who have requested it via the services of WaterPath Electronic Publishing.

ALL EMAIL RECIPIENTS ARE AUTOMATICALLY ELIGIBLE FOR AN ANNUAL GRAND PRIZE OF A FREE WEEK ABOARD THE SOLMAR V ON A SEA OF CORTEZ TRIP.
The drawing takes place in December 2007 and the winner will be notified by email.
All email addresses and names are strictly confidential.

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