Heal the Bay Fundraiser Dinner — June 2
For 20 years, the environmental non-profit organization Heal the Bay has worked to make Southern California waterways safe and healthy for people and marine life. To support its ongoing work with water quality challenges while celebrating its many accomplishments, Heal the Bay will be joined by celebrities, business leaders and the environmental community on Thursday, June 2 at its annual "Bring Back the Beach" fundraiser and dinner.

This year's dinner will be held at the beach in Santa Monica featuring live and silent auctions, performances by Hootie & The Blowfish and The Bangles and a dinner menu prepared by Joachim Splichal, chef and founder of the Patina Group. For information visit www.healthebay.org/events/bbb.

3Rs Workshops - June 4, 11, 25 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: June 11 at Deer Creek Road (south Ventura County), July 9 at Broad Beach Road, Malibu (Los Angeles County). Sessions in the San Diego area will take place: June 4 at La Jolla Cove, June 25 at Shell Beach, July 9 South Casa Cove and July 30 at Goldfish Point (La Jolla Caves). Additional workshops are planned through late summer and early fall.

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, email 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 http://www.sddivers.com/events.

Search & Rescue Academy — June 17 - Sept. 11
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue Dive Team announces the 2005 Underwater Academy. The academy is designed to recruit and train new members for the team. Skilled and reliable divers who are willing to make a commitment to the community are needed. Prospective members must attend the orientation Friday, June 17 at 7:00 p.m. at the Sheriff’s academy in Camarillo on the grounds of the Camarillo airport. A $200 donation is needed for materials to offset the training costs of the academy.

In order to be eligible for team membership, applicants must demonstrate mastery of advanced diving skill by successfully completing the entire academy running from June 17 to September 11. Training will be held on every Friday and Sunday, excluding the Fourth of July weekend and the Memorial Day weekend in September. Various prerequisites are required of applicants.

For more information, call Tim Coates at (805) 469-3122, Steve Giles at 805 388-4212 or visit the dive team’s website at www.vcsardive.org.

Catalina Tech Weekend — June 18-19
Rebreathers, dual cylinders, stage bottles, DPU’s, COM gear, cameras, computers, trimix, nitrox, oxygen, and mini booster pumps will be abundant aboard the King Neptune, June 18-19 during Scuba Luv’s Tech Weekend. Divers from all backgrounds will come out to “show and tell” their top tech gear. A few of the sites featured for this advanced trip will be Farnsworth Banks and Ship Rock. For further information, call (310) 510-2350.

Great Annual Fish Count — July
Volunteer divers are invited to participate in the Great Annual Fish Count (GAFC) during the month of July. GAFC is an event coordinated by the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF). The GAFC is coordinated by REEF with support from the National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP). Participants receive training in local fish identification in an easy to learn survey method developed by fish ecologists. By recording their observations in a standardized method, divers and snorkelers assist resource managers in identifying trends in fish populations and distributions, as well as heightening public awareness about these issues.

Since 1992, the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary have been primary focus areas for the event.

Although not necessary, participants are encouraged to attend advanced training sessions in fish identification methodology. A number of seminars are being offered in California and throughout the country. In addition, some official fish count dives are being staged. Some of the local dive charter operators are offering discounts on select trips to "fish counters."

Just a few of the scheduled events for California include:
• Basic Fish ID Seminar, Monday June 6 & Wednesday June 8, 7-9 p.m., at Diver Dan's in Santa Clara, led by Kari Larson
• Basic Fish ID Seminar, Saturday June 25, 3 p.m., Monterey Bay Aquarium, led by Gil Falcone (meet near Will-Call, to right of main entrance)
• Fish Count Dive/BBQ, Sat. July 9, 9 a.m., Coral St. Cove, Pacific Grove.
• Advanced Fish ID Seminar, Saturday July 9, NOAA Conference Room, 299 Foam Street, Monterey: 4:00pm "Juvenile Rockfish Identification" by Tom Laidig, 5:30 p.m. "The Less Usual Suspects" by Kawika Chetron and Clinton Bauder. Limited seating available.

If you plan to attend the June 6 & 8 seminar or the July 9 Coral Street group dive, please e-mail Kari Larson: larsonk@pacbell.net. If you plan to attend the June 25 Monterey Bay Aquarium seminar or the July 9 Advanced Fish ID seminar, please e-mail John Wolfe, wolfe@igc.org.

For complete information on the fish count, visit the web site www.fishcount.org.

Gold Star Dive — July 9
The 8th Annual Gold Star Dive on Catalina Island at the Casino Point Underwater Park will be held on July 9. The event is hosted by the Avalon Sheriff’s Station and sponsored by several dive shops, and companies associated with diving. This event will be a fund-raiser for the Avalon Sheriff’s Station’s S.T.A.R. (Success Through Awareness & Resistance) program and the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber.

Divers will search for stars in depths between 10 feet and 50 feet. The gold stars will measure approximately five inches by five inches, vacuum-packed, numbered, and made of solid chocolate. Divers will have an hour and a half to search for the gold stars. Participants who find them will return the number to the check-in table for a prize. All scuba divers must be certified and attend a pre-dive briefing at Casino Point prior to the event. T-shirts and food will be available for sale. For further information, call (310) 510-0174, or e-mail klclevel@lasd.org.

L.A. Co. Advanced Diver Program — begins July 10
Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Underwater Instructors Association, has announced dates for the 2005 Advanced Diver Program (ADP). Beginning July 10, local divers can take part in this wholly unique diving program that is designed specifically with California divers in mind. Participants will be exposed to the skills that will create a more confident and well-informed diver in a practical hands-on environment. With over 20 ocean dives planned and led by a staff of experienced instructors, the opportunity to have a great time and become better divers has never been easier. In addition, participants will meet with and learn from some of the most influential and respected people in diving today. Toss in a couple of barbecues, the best diving in Southern California, and the chance to make new diving buddies and you have the makings of something special. For more details and to sign-up, contact the LA County Underwater Unit at 310-965-828. For more information visit www.lascuba.com on the web.