Pacific Paddling Symposium

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT - CANCELLATION OF PPS Paddling friends, we have chosen to cancel the Pacific Paddling Symposium on May 29-31, 2020. We have given it careful consideration, reviewed the current guidelines for Risk-informed decision-making for mass gatherings during the COVID-19 global outbreak, and factored in today's announcement of a ban of public gatherings of more than 250 people in British Columbia. The health and safety of our community is always our top priority.... The intimate nature of our multi-day event with shared housing, washroom facilities, and meals provides a unique experience. These characteristics also leave our event vulnerable to risks that we cannot entirely mitigate. We are a destination event, and 90% of this year's participants are traveling to Vancouver Island for our event. The majority of our travelers would be from the Pacific Northwest United States, leaving people vulnerable to the exposure of international travel, including ferries and air travel. With what is known about COVID-19 its long incubation period and the ability for transmission without symptoms, we believe that proceeding with caution is our responsibility. We do not make this decision lightly out of fear or panic. We desire to care for all members of our communities and to protect those who are vulnerable. We also hope to do our part to help reduce the disease caseload at any given time potentially, and to help keep our healthcare system from becoming overwhelmed. We want to acknowledge all the hard work our volunteers, coaches, partners, and sponsors have put in. We understand that many of you will be disappointed. We are too. We are also sad that we won't be able to gather in the spirit of our mission to learn, connect, and play. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We do, however, believe this is the best course of action. We will be contacting our participants and providing them with a full refund. If you have any questions please PM us. We wish you all a healthy, safe, and fun paddling season. Janette GalanEvent Director, and the PPS Team

Yep - there's actually a fish called the sarcastic fringehead.

It's OCTOber 8th. Of course it's World Octopus Day. Below are lessons learned from octopuses from a blog of mine from 2018. Because yes, octopuses most cert...ainly are teachers and, thankfully, there now appears to be a human awakening to this*. What essential life lessons have I learned from them? 1. Do not fear what may look "other" for it is perfection; 2. Respect alternative intelligences; 3. If necessary, blend in to escape detection; 4. When you know what you want, hold on tight; 5. Trust in your ability to squeeze through tight spaces and come out okay on the other side; 6. Ink out the negative in your life and jet away, leaving it behind you; 7. Know your home and keep the garbage outside; and 8. Be big-hearted (octopuses have three), guard the next generation, and use your beak when needed! For more on octopuses from how they poo, to how they shed suckers and so much more, see https://themarinedetective.com//marine-invertebra/octopus/. Do something extra special for the Ocean to celebrate today? That's possible no matter how far you are from her shores. *This statement is, in part, referencing the recent movie "My Octopus Teacher". The female Giant Pacific Octopus in this image lives near Port Hardy. How to know she is female? She does not have the hectocotylus on the tip of the 3rd are on the right = contains spermatophores. Jackie Hildering; The Marine Detective #WorldOctopusDay

Someone stole my white current designs vision 150 off my car between 1-5:30 today! From downtown Victoria, Please keep a look out, and please share this far and wide!