Rocks, Reefs and Rips (3Rs) Beach Diving Workshop -Monastery Beach, Jan. 15
Rocks, Reefs and Rips program (3Rs) is a half-day course designed to familiarize divers with popular beach dive sites and improve their beach diving skills. A session will take place at Monastery Beach in Monterey County on January 15. Instructors will demonstrate and supervise proper surf entry and exit procedures, explain unique aspects of the dive site, and discuss dive condition assessment techniques. The session will be limited to the first 30 divers to sign up. Instructors and divemasters are welcome. Contact David Clayton at drc@ccnet.com or by calling (925) 689-8840.
The members of California Wreck Divers, Inc., one of the oldest organizations devoted to shipwreck research and exploration, will celebrate their 29th anniversary with a gala banquet on January 29, 2000 to be held at the Los Angeles headquarters of The Adventurers' Club.
California Wreck Divers began in 1970 from a relatively small group of divers who enjoyed exploring local shipwrecks. Today, many of the shipwrecks sport divers frequent were discovered and identified by C.W.D., and the group's dedication to public education is apparent in the lectures and slide presentations given free of charge, and through its mobile museum which can be seen at dive shows and exhibitions.
The organization's research and exploration efforts are ongoing. The most recent discoveries include a new wreck which has been identified as the Ace 1, a Navy ship sank in 1948 in 140 feet of water approximately six miles off the California coast.
The California Wreck Divers banquet will begin at 5 p.m. in The Adventurers' Club dining hall in Los Angeles. The festivities will feature legendary underwater explorer and author Willard Bascom as guest speaker. Bascom is best known for his deep-water work on ancient shipwrecks in the Mediterranean and for his book, Waves and Beaches, which was translated into six languages and widely used as an oceanography test. Bascom will offer a slide presentation on one of his recent projects, the discovery of the gold rush-era sidewheeler, Brother Jonathan. Tickets are $35 for a prime rib dinner, $30 for chicken and $15 for the program only. The evening will also feature a giant raffle. Information may be obtained by calling Steve Lawson at (949) 462-0462. As always, the public is cordially invited attesting to C.W.D.'s goal of, "... perpetuating the awareness of maritime history through organized exploration, research, restoration and display."
In preparation for the Spring 2000 kelp forest monitoring event, the Santa Monica BayKeeper's will be holding a comprehensive training session at the UCLA Ocean Discovery Center on February 9, 2000, from 7:00-9:30 p.m. Advanced divers looking for fun scientific diving opportunities are invited to participate. Participants will learn about fish, invertebrate and algae sampling techniques, and make new buddies. For details, please call 310-305-9645 ext. 3 or dolphin@smbaykeeper.org.
The 20th Annual Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup takes place on Saturday, February 26. The trash found in the bay is collected over the two-hour period in the morning and then sorted and recycled by volunteers. An awards presentation will follow that afternoon at Wrigley Plaza Stage in town. There will be a large number of prizes given away and awards given out for exemplary trash and stories.
The proceeds from the Underwater Clean-Up will benefit the Catalina Conservancy Divers and the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber. Advanced registration is required. Registration will not be allowed the day of the event. There is a registration fee that includes an air fill, door prize ticket, and a commemorative T-shirt. Call (310) 772-2321.
April 15 - 3Rs at Salt Point State Park, Sonoma County. (925) 689-8840.
May 3 - Catalina Chamber Day and Evening. (310) 652-4990.
May 6 - Sinking of the Yukon off San Diego.
June 3 & 4 - SCUBA Show 2000, Long Beach. (310) 792-2333.
