Bottom Times: September 2026

Greetings and salutations, Amigos!

What a great time to be a Channel Islands Diver! Our club continues to grow, and we are now 115 members strong! Even better than the number itself is the participation we’re seeing. Our trips are filling up, members are showing up to our monthly meetings and our events, and there is a lot of enthusiasm. We are absolutely killing it on participation, and there is still so much more to come!

Our Ensenada trip last month was an absolute blast. It was one of those trips that reminded me why I enjoy being part of this club so much. Great diving, a few unexpected Baja adventures, and most importantly, a really fun group of people to share it all with. If you haven’t read the trip report in this issue yet, grab a cup of coffee {or maybe a tequila 😆}, because I got a little carried away with that one! Even more info and pix on our Facebook page.

We, as a club, are not slowing down anytime soon. Our Refugio BBQ is September 19, Cozumel in October, Catalina and Santa Cruz Island in November, and our Holiday Party in December!

Our Baja adventure for 2027 is already picking up momentum…and giving our members even more reasons to get out there and dive together.

I want to mention something that may not always get a lot of attention: our club is doing great financially! CID is now in a position where we can independently put up the deposits and upfront costs for our trips. We have built a healthy financial cushion that allows us to plan ahead, secure trips early, even sometimes renting an entire dive boat, and making things happen without having to wait for all the money to come in first. That is a really nice position for our club to be in.

We didn’t get there overnight. That financial stability is the result of current and past board members slowly and steadily putting money away, being responsible with club funds, and always keeping the future of CID in mind.

I especially want to recognize our current and past treasurers, because they deserve a huge amount of the credit. They are the ones behind the scenes keeping an eye on every dollar, tracking everything coming in and going out, keeping the board informed, and occasionally reminding the rest of us that we can’t spend money just because Del has another great idea. 😆

Seriously, that job takes a lot of time and responsibility, and the financial position we are in today is a reflection of years of good stewardship. So, a big round of applause to our treasurers, and to all of our past and current board members who helped build that cushion one year at a time. 👏👏 Today, our entire club is benefiting from it. 

Since our current treasurer Stormy Thurston-Keller is stepping down, now’s a great time to get involved with your club!! Stormy and other previous treasurers will happily teach you all the tricks of the trade so you won’t be left to founder on the rocks.

I’m really excited about what the rest of this year—and especially 2027—has in store for CID. We’ve built some great momentum, and from where I’m sitting, this club is just getting better. Of course, 2027 will be a little different for me because I will not be a board member.

Yep, this will be my final Bottom Times as President. The next one will be written by your new president. 

A few people have asked me why I’m stepping down. Is everything okay? Did something happen? Nope. Everything is good. I’ve always believed that about two years is a good amount of time for a club president. Leadership changes are healthy. A new president brings new energy, different ideas and maybe even a few adventures that the rest of us haven’t thought of yet. To me, that’s exciting. The club shouldn’t belong to one president or one board—it belongs to all of us.

So, to any current or former board member who has thought about stepping into the President position, I really encourage you to consider it. I can tell you from experience that it is worth doing. You get an opportunity to help shape the direction of the club, work with a great group of board members and, occasionally, convince a bunch of divers to follow you across the Mexican border😆

It truly has been my pleasure serving on this board and as your president. I’m taking with me a lot of great memories. What makes those memories special is that we created them together. The dives, road trips, meetings, dinners, laughs, friendships and even the occasional chaos…that’s what makes CID what it is.

And I’m not going anywhere! I’ll just be sitting on the other side of the room as a regular member and looking forward to continue diving with you all😂.

Del Stewart 

Soon-to-be- Past President, Channel Islands Diver