Host Inaugural Sea Safety Summit

BY BREEANA GREENBERG

Looking to promote sea safety for all who enjoy local waters, the Ocean Institute is partnering with RIFFE International Spearguns to host its inaugural Sea Safety Summit on Aug. 18.

Noah Mayne, Sea Safety Summit event coordinator for RIFFE, explained that while the company had been looking to coordinate a safety event for the local community, the idea for the event came after one of their own experienced a spearfishing accident.

total. So, we’re very excited about that.”

Moyer added that the fuel efficiency of hybrid vehicles will also help to reduce the nonprofit’s operating costs, as well as the decreased need for additional maintenance as they replace older vans.

Moyer added that each of Age Well’s vehicles serves roughly 1,200 medical trips annually, with the fleet currently accommodating more than 27,000 trips a year. Moyer anticipates with the fleet expansion that Age Well will be able to accommodate roughly 32,000 trips annually.

“The clients that we have that utilize our services are ones that do not have transportation to and from medical appointments and they are definitely in need,” Moyer said. “This is a door-to-door service we provide.”

“We pick them up at their home and transport them to their appointments, and then once their appointment’s finished, we transport them back home,” Moyer continued. “I don’t know what these individuals would be able to do without this. This service is a safety net in their life, and we recognize that.”

South County’s senior population is growing, Moyer added.

“With that comes more and more demands, needs to be met. These vans really help us to be able to keep up with the demand,” he said, adding: “This is a service that we want to continue to be able to provide to enrich their life, which

Shortly after Christy Culp, a charge nurse in the trauma unit at Mission Hospital, reached out to RIFFE to host a basic trauma treatment presentation, RIFFE diver Austin Derry experienced an accident while spearfishing 50 miles off the coast.

“He has over 20 years’ experience on the water, spearfishing, and guiding trips all (over) the world, but it only took one instance that put his life in danger,” Mayne said in an email. “Thankfully, his crew was able to assess his wound and safely get him to land.”

“It was a scary situation for everyone involved, but served as an important reminder that anything can happen at any time,” Mayne continued.

Ocean Institute Marketing Coordinator Kaitlyn Davidson explained that is the overall mission of Age Well Senior Services.”

State Sen. Catherine Blakespear attributes her advocacy for investing in her district to many community projects receiving state funding this year.

In a media release, Blakespear highlighted projects within her district “that address housing and homelessness, transit and transportation, the environment and social services” as receiving funding from the state budget.

“These are critically important projects in my district,” Blakespear said in the media release. “I’m tremendously grateful that my advocacy for these projects was effective in getting the projects funded.”

Blakespear noted that with state revenues lower than last year, it was a tough budget year, “which motivated me to advocate even harder for state investment in important local initiatives. These projects would not be moving forward this year without this crucial funding.” the marine education nonprofit feels “it is our responsibility to make sure that we are educating the public on how to protect themselves on and in the water, just as we educate the community to protect the ocean from ourselves.”

“Unfortunately, when things go wrong out there, they can go from bad to worse rather quickly,” Davidson continued.

Through the event, the Ocean Institute and RIFFE aim to help attendees prepare for emergencies out on the water.

In addition to a talk from Culp and Derry, the Sea Safety Summit will feature educational booths from Westwind Sailing, CA Lifeguards, RIFFE, Lost Winds Dive Shop and more. Beer, wine and light snacks will also be available for purchase during the event.

In addition to the funding granted to Age Well of Orange County for hybrid transportation vehicles, the City of Vista received $5 million for interim and permanent supportive housing, Encinitas received $3.09 million to complete the Santa Fe Drive Corridor improvement project, and $1.4 million was allocated to complete a connecting segment of the Coast to Crest Trail.

“Sen. Blakespear, who made this happen, is really incredible, just a godsend for us to receive something of this magnitude,” Moyer added.

“Out of all of the critical programs that she was looking at, that this money could have been spent on, for her to select Age Well and what we do, this vehicle project, we’re honored and appreciative,” Moyer said.

Seniors and mobility-challenged individuals can apply for non-emergency transportation on Age Well’s website at agewellseniorservices.org.

“We are excited to partner with RIFFE International and their amazing team, who are just as passionate as we are about the ocean and ocean safety,” Davidson said in an email. “When you join us for our first annual Sea Safety Summit, you can join hands-on activities on how to activate during a potentially serious situation in the water.”

Davidson added that the importance of understanding water safety “has only become a more prominent issue as more and more people head to the beach and to the ocean.”

The event is free to Ocean Institute members and students, and cost is $10 per person for the public.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the talk begins at 6 p.m.

PUBLISHER’S LETTER | By Picket Fence Media Founder Norb Garrett

his team as they absorb Picket Fence Media and our amazing staff into his organization (which owns hyper-local newspapers and magazines in the greater Los Angeles area and Arizona).

I’m thrilled to announce that as of Aug. 1, Picket Fence Media’s newspapers are now part of the Times Media Group.

After launching and running our hyper-local media group since 2006, we’ve reached a point where we felt it was important to join forces with an independent (non-corporate, non-private equity) publisher who shared our editorial values and principles.

We also wanted to find a person/company who could leverage their resources to help PFM’s publications grow while embracing new opportunities and adapting to changing and challenging market conditions.

TMG President Steve Strickbine is the perfect person with whom to trust “our baby.” He and his wife also started a local paper from scratch in Arizona, so he also “bleeds black ink” and shares my passion and belief in the critical role local community journalism plays in informing and celebrating our special communities of San Clemente, Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano.

I’ve gotten to know Steve well over the past eight months or so and have come to respect and like him very much.

My wife, Alyssa (who, as our general manager, has been keeping business cranking since its inception), and I are 100% committed to helping Steve and