Lobster Contests — October 1
So you think you can catch the biggest lobster? Prove it. Various dive stores are holding lobster contests for the season opener. The lobster season for 2005 opens at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday morning, October 1.

Prizes for the biggest lobsters vary but are often valued at hundreds of dollars. Rules also vary, but with some of the contests you have to pre-register although the cost is zero. Some stores also host refreshments and complementary air fills before and during the contests for registered participants. Check with each store for specifics.

Sport Chalet is holding a contests at five of their locations. Contact these participating stores for full information: Irvine 949-476-9555, Oxnard 909-335-3800, Point Loma 619-224-6777, Marina Del Rey 310-821-9400, and West Hills 818-710-0999.

Aloha Dive will also be sponsoring a contest with prizes of a Diveyak Scuba Kayak and a Xcel wetsuit. Call any of these locations for more information: Northridge 818-700-8134, Santa Clarita 661-250-9553, Simi Valley 805-581-3483.

And finally Dive N’ Surf of Redondo Beach will be having its classic Lobster Mobster contest. Call 310-372-8423.

3Rs Beach Diving Workshop — October 8
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. The next session for the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area will take place October 8 in Orange at Reef Point.

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.

San Diego Underwater Film Festival — October 14 and 15
The San Diego Underwater Film Festival is to be held on October 14 and 15, at the state-of-the-art, large-format digital theater at the San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park. Tickets are $10 and are available at almost all dive shops. For more information, e-mail Steve Douglas at steve-sharksdelight@cox.net.

Casino Point Scuba Trail — October 15
The Catalina Conservancy Divers are once again providing divers with the Casino Point Scuba Trail experience in Avalon’s Underwater Park October 15. Approximately 25 markers will be placed temporarily along the trail to identify various marine organisms. Depths of the trail average between 20 and 35 feet. In addition, trained CCD research divers will be on hand to answer questions and provide resource materials to help you learn more about the unique marine animals and plants that thrive around Catalina Island. The trail will be available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (weather permitting) and is free. For further details, visit the Catalina Conservancy web site at www.ccd.org

Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest — October 29
A classic since 1981, this contest at La Jolla Shores, San Diego, pits diving “artists” against each other for the prize of the best jack-o'-lantern created underwater. Advanced registration is required and their are rules. Call 858-565-6054. Here is a tip: pumpkins float! (You’ll need to weigh them down.)