California Dive Center Awarded National Geographic Rating
California Dive Center of San Bruno, California has been awarded the National Geographic Dive Center designation by PADI and the National Geographic Society. California Dive Center is the first in the Bay Area to meet the stringent requirements sent forth by these organizations.

The National Geographic Diver Program will give individuals the opportunity to experience the world of diving and become a certified National Geographic diver. The program is designed to promote underwater exploration, marine conservation and underwater photography.

“California Dive Center continues to be strongly dedicated to the environment,” said Bill Oakes, president, California Dive Center, Inc. “The National Geographic Dive Program produces divers that have a better understanding of our fragile marine world.”

California Dive Center is a PADI 5-Star Dive Center, 5-Star Instructor Development Center. California Dive Center provides dive equipment, travel, kayak and swim accessories, as well as a revolutionary way to learn to dive. California Dive Center is based in San Bruno, California, and can be reached at (877)5-CALDIVE or online at www.cadive.com.

PADI Supports Recompression Chambers
PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) has created the PADI Chamber Endowment Fund to assist recompression chamber facilities with the rising costs associated with building, maintaining and staffing. The Chamber Endowment Fund’s primary goal is to provide financial support to recompression facilities serving the recreational scuba diving community.
Scuba divers take precautions to avoid getting decompression illness, but if it happens it’s good to know there is a medical facility available with a recompression chamber to provide proper treatment. Many divers assume there is always access to this facility at their dive destination; however, this is not always the situation. Through this program financial assistance will be available to offset costs associated with building new facilities in needed areas throughout the world and maintaining existing facilities.

PADI’s Chamber Endowment Fund is supported by a $2 US donation from the purchase of every Diver Protection Program insurance policy. The PADI endorsed Diver Protection Program, offered by Vicencia & Buckley, is a comprehensive diver medical insurance plan that provides coverage for everything from ear injuries to recompression therapy.

For more information about the PADI Chamber Endowment Fund or the Diver Protection Program, visit padi.com, diveinsurance.com or call PADI at 800.729.7234 ext 2368 (US and Canada), or +1.949.858.7234, ext. 2368.
— from Divenewswire.com

Xtreme Scuba Opens
Xtreme Scuba opened in Ventura this summer. Owner Richard Graff states that his store will specialize in service to the technical diver. Xtreme Scuba is located at 3923 Market Street in Ventura and can be reached by calling 805-642-0477 or by e-mail at info@xtremescuba.com. Xtreme Scuba is open 7 days a week and offers standard air fills, as well as nitrox, trimix, oxygen and argon fills. They teach all forms of advanced diving from standard nitrox all the way to rebreather diving, as well as diving in overhead environments such as decompression diving and all levels of wreck and cave diving.

42nd International U/W Photographic Competition
The Los Angeles Underwater Photographic Society invites you to enter their 42nd Annual International Underwater Photographic Competition in any or all of the eleven categories of slide, print and video. Prizes include live-aboard and land-based dive vacations, photo and video equipment and dive gear. The competition is open to all amateur photographers. For more information and to download an entry form, visit www.LAUPS.org online. Deadline for entries is September 24, 2004.

Oceanic Inflators Recalled
Oceanic has been informed by its supplier that they have received isolated reports of BC Inflator mechanisms exhibiting continual flow of air into the BC after release of the power inflation button.
Affected are Oceanic Reliant model Inflators that are fitted on various models of Oceanic’s BCs that were sold between February 1, 2004, and June 24, 2004. BCs sold prior to February 1, 2004, do not have these Inflators and are not affected.

Testing and evaluation has shown that the Power Inflator Button may stick in the depressed position. Engineers have designed new replacement parts that will prevent the Button from sticking.
Oceanic asks that all owners of Oceanic BCs that have Reliant Inflators return them to an Authorized Oceanic Dealer for a retrofit at no charge.

Do not continue use of the BC or attempt to disassemble any components of the Inflator. Take the BC with Inflator to your nearest Authorized Oceanic Dealer for inspection and service. Only Authorized Oceanic Dealers and their trained service technicians must perform this retrofit. Non-authorized personnel who attempt the retrofit procedure risk voiding the products warranty and rendering the product dangerously unsafe for normal SCUBA use.
For more details, go to www.oceanicww.com/2004/pdf/OCE_Consumer_Notice_062404.pdf online or contact your Oceanic sales representative.
— from Divenewswire.com

Online Assistance for Assessing Bends
The USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber announces the posting of a Rapid Neurological Examination Video online at: http://wrigley.usc.edu/hyperbaric/neuro/neuro.htm

Information from a Neurological Examination conducted at the dive site can help determine the presence of a problem and can be of assistance to the physicians who treat the diver. This video and the associated page were designed for the average diver (non-medical professional). They provide basic information to help you perform a quick neurological examination if you suspect someone may be suffering from the bends (decompression sickness), air embolism, or other medical problems following diving.

Copies of the video in a larger 640x480 format can be obtained from the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber by sending a blank 700 Mb CD-R disk with a self addressed stamped disk mailer to: USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber, P.O. Box 5069, Avalon, CA 90704.