Dive-A-Thon—August
Make any excuse to go diving in August to win prizes worth thousands of dollars and raise funds to support the San Diego Oceans Foundation, a non-profit organization that has been promoting ocean stewardship for 22 years. One program, Ships 2 Reefs, is seeking to sink more ships all along the California Coast and several points northward.

The tax-deductible registration fee is $25 and includes a FREE event T-shirt. Online registration is simple and takes less than five minutes.

Similar to a walk-a-thon, Dive-a-Thon participants set a personal diving goal for the month of August and seek financial pledges from friends and family. But instead of treading along a dry, hot road to raise money for a cause, divers get to explore the magical world of our oceans to support marine-based programs.

Prizes are awarded based on points: $1 raised earns you 2 points; 1 minute logged earns you 1 point.

Visit www.sdoceans.org to learn more about the event and to register.

“Wet Tech” for Youths at CMA—August 7-11
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium’s summer marine technology workshop “Wet Tech” gives 7th-9th graders a chance to explore oceanography and marine biology at an advanced level. Participants will care for and keep data on a selected animal for the week. They will also build and test an underwater remotely operated vehicle, discover the many sounds found underwater, and much more.

This session is offered Monday through Friday, August 7 through August 11, 2006, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. The cost is $85 ($77 Friends member).

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is located at 3720 Stephen M. White Drive in San Pedro, and is a facility of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. The aquarium is open to the public on weekends from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from 12 noon – 5 p.m.

For reservations, further information or to receive a calendar of events, please call (310)548-7562 or visit our website at www.cabrilloaq.org.

3Rs Beach Diving Workshops — August 12, September 9 and more
Rocks, Reefs and Rips program (3Rs) is a mini-course designed to familiarize divers with popular beach dive sites and improve their beach diving skills. Sessions in the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area will take place: August 12 at Point Dume (Northwest Los Angeles County), September 9 at White Point (Palos Verdes Peninsula) and October 14 at Reef Point on the southern Orange County coastline.

Sessions are also being planned for the San Diego area.

Instructors will demonstrate and supervise proper surf entry and exit procedures, explain unique aspects of the dive site, and discuss dive condition assessment techniques. Participants are then led on a snorkeling tour of the dive site. (Participants are to wear full wetsuit, mask, fins, snorkel, and a weight belt with half of the normal weight they use for diving. Tanks and regulators are not allowed.) All classes begin at 8 a.m. but participants should arrive at 7:45 for registration. There may be a fee depending on the session (visit the appropriate web site as indicated below).

The Los Angeles area workshops are organized and conducted by the L.A. County Underwater Instructors Association in cooperation with the Greater Los Angeles Council of Divers (GLACD). For more info on the L.A. County workshops, e-mail 3rs@glacd.org, call 310-344-3250 visit online www.lascuba.com/3rs.html. The San Diego sessions are hosted by the San Diego Council of Divers and various dive clubs. For more information on the San Diego 3Rs, visit www.sddivers.com/events.

Northern/Central CA Marine Biology Course—Aug. 21 thru Dec. 18
City College of San Francisco will offer a semester course in marine biology for divers. The class focuses on the marine life in Northern California with special emphasis on plant and animal identification and life histories. Students will also be introduced to common methods used in underwater research. The class meets every Monday evening, 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM, August 21 - December 18, 2006 at City College of San Francisco, 50 Phelan Ave., Science Building, Room 311, San Francisco. There will be four weekend dive trips (11 dives) to various sites including Monterey (September 23-24), Salt Point SP (October 21-22), Russian Gulch Cove (November 18-19), and Point Lobos (December 8). All the dives are optional and not under the jurisdiction of City College. Divers completing the course may qualify for Underwater Naturalist and Research Diver specialty certifications. Students can register online at www.ccsf.edu. Register for BIO 32, CRN # 75400, Section 501. Tuition for the three unit course is $96. There is an separate fee for all divers of $155 for the weekend dive trips. For more information, call the instructor, James Grass, Ph.D. at (415) 239-3609. E-mail: jgrass@ccsf.edu

OceanVisions Imaging Festival—Sept. 6-12
H2O Photo Pros and UWDV.COM are announcing the first imaging competition for both video and still cameras. Taking place in La Paz, Mexico, the first annual Ocean Visions Underwater Imaging Festival promises to be a truly unique event as the sun sets on summer. September is considered one of the best times of the year to dive in the Sea of Cortez and in addition to the imaging contest itself, seminars relating to both shooting still and video will be held. The competition has a wealth of prizes ranging from video editing software, high definition video housings and the grand prize of live-aboard dive excursion. The competition includes: entry into the video and photo contest; 4 days of video and photo seminars; 6 nights accommodations at Marina Costabaja Resort; and 8 tank dives with weights and tanks provided. This will culminate into a BBQ Celebration and imaging show.

For more information, call 541-870-8938 or 818-535-3251 or visit the website at www.h2ophotopros.com/oceanvisions.php