Earn Up to 7 Specialty Certifications on Catalina with New “Specialty Weekend” Program
Orca Pros, a certified diving instruction and ocean touring company based in Newport Beach, announced today that it would offer a rapid certification program that provides divers with a new convenient way to earn up to seven PADI® certifications in only five days. Orca Pros’ Specialty Weekend is designed to accommodate divers with differing levels of experience. Open Water Divers can earn their Advanced Open Water certification plus four or five more specialties. Certification choices include: Underwater Photography, Deep Diver, Underwater Naturalist, Night Diver, Dry Suit Diver, and Multilevel Diver. Advanced Open Water Divers and Rescue Divers can choose from these same specialties, plus Underwater Navigator. Adding an optional Enriched Air specialty to the mix allows participants to get the most out of their five-day program.

For one low price, divers will receive round-trip transportation from Long Beach, three days’ and two nights’ accommodations, up to 11 training dives, plus all course materials and an Orca Pros book bag. Ken Heller, Master Scuba Diver and participant in the November Orca Pros Specialty Weekend, had this to say about his experience. “The weekends were a lot of fun. My instructors were great, the diving was terrific, and I finished my Master Scuba Diver rating in two weeks — not two or three months.”

All classes are taught by one of Orca Pros’ IDC Staff Instructors. The first weekend, February 9-10, is devoted to finishing knowledge reviews and completing two of the eleven dives. Divers may earn two certifications, Underwater Navigator and Enriched Air Diver, during the first two days. The following weekend — February 15-17 — participants jump-in at Casino Point and complete the nine remaining dives. Divers must provide their own gear and cover their own air fills and meals.

For more information or to register for the Specialty Weekend program, interested divers should contact Orca Pros at 949-759-1315, email info@orcapros.com or visit the Orca Pros Web site at http://www.orcapros.com.

Aquarium Docents Needed
Applications are now being accepted for volunteer Aquatic Nursery Docents at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. Volunteers are needed to participate in Cabrillo Marine Aquarium Aquatic Nursery. Docents work with Cabrillo Marine Aquarium researchers; learn about the husbandry of jellyfish, garibaldi, and other local marine species; and interpret the nursery activities to aquarium guests. An interest in the ocean and research methods; the desire for continued learning; a willingness to work with public; and a commitment to the aquarium consistently for one year. Prospective volunteers will be interviewed prior to acceptance. Training will be conducted Tuesday and Thursday, January 15 and 17, 2002; 2-5 p.m. each day. Applications are due by January 4, 2002.

Volunteers are asked to become a member of the Friends of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium at a reduced volunteer fee of $15 per year which entitles them to the full benefits of membership.

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is located at 3720 Stephen White Drive in San Pedro and is a facility of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. For more information , please contact Randi Abrams, Volunteer Coordinator at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, (310) 548-8398.

Sand Eaters Updated
The Sand Eaters beach diving group recently made some changes to make it easier for divers to get information and coordinate with one another for weekly dives. As a result, some of the group’s contact information has changed.

The group has switched its dive hotline, which provides dive times and locations, to (323) 402-1222 x2013. Divers can also leave messages at this number if they plan to attend a dive.

The Sand Eaters, whose membership now exceeds 200 divers, has also established its own address on the World Wide Web—http://www.sandeaters.org— where divers can find directions on subscribing to the mailing list as well as a schedule of dives, surf reports and other useful links.

Fish & Game Wardens Take Down Lobster Poacher
On June 27, 2001 California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) wardens removed a serious threat to the lobster resource off the San Diego coastline.

Based on an anonymous tip, Warden Eric Kord, the case officer headquartered out of San Diego, launched an investigation into the alleged poaching activity. A team of 15 game wardens, including undercover game wardens from DFG’s Special Operations Unit (SOU), set up surveillance for several days while Sosnowski went about his business. SOU wardens videotaped him suiting up to get the lobsters. Other undercover wardens were in place at the beach to observe him enter the water with a pole spear in hand. When he exited the water, concealed game wardens watched him stash his catch near the water while he changed into his clothes back at his vehicle, a common practice for experienced poachers. While he was changing into his clothes, Warden Adrian Foss snuck over to the hidden game bag and observed between 100 and 120 “tailed” lobsters. (Tailing a lobster is when the tail is ripped from the carapace underwater rendering it unable to be measured). Tailing also makes it easier to fit more into the bag. Foss observed that the majority of the females were carrying eggs.

Sosnowski returned to retrieve the lobsters never knowing that he was under constant observation. He was allowed to leave with the lobsters for the purpose of catching him in the act of selling. SOU wardens followed him to a parking lot and videotaped him selling the lobsters for profit. In the meantime, DFG’s Dive Team converged to search the water Sosnowski had just exited for the lobster carapaces. The team recovered 23 lobster carapaces, most with spear holes.

A search warrant was obtained for Sosnowski’s residence. All gear related to scuba diving and his illegal activity was seized. In addition to poaching the lobsters, Sosnowski also took an abalone, which is illegal south of San Francisco Bay.

On November 14, Sosnowski pleaded guilty to unlawfully selling spiny lobster, unlawfully taking abalone, and unlawfully possessing spiny lobsters for commercial purposes.
Sosnowski will serve 180 days in county jail on a work furlough program and will be fined $15,215. For three years he is required to stay away from the ocean or bay while in possession of any diving or fishing equipment and is prohibited from obtaining any fishing license. All of the dive gear seized has been permanently forfeited.

Lobster season opened September 29 and extends to March 20, 2002.