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3Rs Beach Diving Workshops - Aug. 10, Sept. 7, Sept. 14, 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.
Los Angeles and Orange county sessions will take place: August 10, Point Dume (Los Angeles County); September 14, Long Point (Los Angeles County); October 12, White Point (Los Angeles County).
In addition, a series of 3Rs courses will be staged in San Diego County. Dates and locations are: August 10 - Marine Street, September 7 - Hospital Point. Visit www.groups.yahoo.com/group/rocks-rips-reefs on the web for further details for the San Diego 3Rs.
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.)
The courses are staged in the morning beginning at 8 a.m. A donation is suggested. The San Diego 3Rs are staged by the San Diego Council of Divers, San Diego Lifeguards, and various area dive clubs. For information on the San Diego workshops, contact Steve Haynes at (619) 222-7866 or on the web at www.groups.yahoo.com/group/rocks-rips-reefs. For last minute changes in the San Diego schedule and/or locations, call (619) 221-8824.
The Los Angeles and Orange County 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, visit the GLACD web site at www.glacd.org or call (310) 379-5681 (evening).
Central and Northern California Marine Biology Course — Begins August 19
City College of San Francisco will offer a semester course in marine biology for divers and non-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, data collection and analysis.
The class meets every Monday evening, 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM, August 19 - December 9, 2002 at City College of San Francisco, 50 Phelan Ave., Science Building, Room 314, San Francisco.
There will be four weekend dive trips (11 dives) to various sites including Monterey Bay, Pt. Lobos, Gerstle Cove, and Russian Gulch Cove. 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 http://www.ccsf.edu. Register for BIO 32, CRN # 75400, Section 501. Tuition for the three unit course is $33. There is an additional fee for all divers of $155 for the weekend dive trips.
A Marine Biology Laboratory course, BIO 32L (CRN #75401), may be taken concurrently. This course meets Wed. evenings 6:30-9:30 PM. The course includes laboratory activities, and field trips.
For more information, call the instructor, James Grass, Ph.D. at (510) 841-1512, email: jgrass@ccsf.edu.
Cabrillo Chocolate Lobster Dive - Sept. 21
Snorkelers and scuba divers, ages 12 and above, are invited to dive into the waters of Cabrillo Beach at 8 a.m. on Saturday, September 21, 2002 to take part in Cabrillo Marine Aquarium’s 5th Annual Chocolate Lobster Dive, an activity-filled fundraising event devoted to those ocean enthusiasts with a “sweet tooth.” This playful and unusual underwater event is limited to 500 participants who will be searching for hundreds of solid milk chocolate lobsters. Last year participants received prizes worth over $35,000, as they searched for the specially-tagged crustacean confections. Among the prizes offered this year is an 8-day, 7-night, live-aboard dive trip on the Big Blue Explorer in Palau valued up to $1899, donated by Island Cruise and Adventures. Another major prize is a Cobra “Play” kayak courtesy of Cobra. Many, many additional prizes are offered. Proceeds from the event benefit the Aquarium’s School Tours program, which educates thousands of children about the marine environment. Save money by pre-registering before September 6, 2002 for $30, which includes beach parking and lunch; registering after September 6th until the day of the event: $35+ $6.50 parking. For further information and/or registration form, call 310/548-7562, x9039, check with local dive shops and dive clubs or link to the Chocolate Lobster website http://members.cox.net/chocolatelobster/.
Historical Diving Society Conference — October 18, 19
The Historical Diving Society will hold its 10th Anniversary Conference in Santa Barbara, CA on Oct. 18-20 at Santa Barbara City College. The conference features presentations on international diving history by Skin Diver Magazine co-founder Chuck Blakeslee, HDS Russia Director Dr. Alexander Sledkov, HDS Italy Director Giancarlo Bartoli and HDS Pacific Director Bob Ramsay.
The conference at Santa Barbara City College and banquet at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum will take place on the 19th. Historical equipment displays and diving exhibitions will be held on the 20th. For tickets and information call 805-692-0072, or email HDS@HDS.ORG or go to http://www.hds.org.