Ken Kurtis of Reef Seekers Dive Co. (l) presents one of the new dry suits to Aquarist Kimberly Stone (center) and Dive Safety Officer Pete Pehl, at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA.

Reef Seekers Donates Dry Suits to Aquarium
Reef Seekers Dive Co. of Beverly Hills, California recently donated a number Zeagle women’s dry suits to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA. Ken Kurtis, one of the partners in the store, made the presentation to Aquarium Dive Safety Officer Peter Pehl and Aquarist Kimberly Stone.

The dry suits will be used in various aspects of aquarium operation, especially in maintaining the cold water exhibits and the marine creatures that inhabit them.

Pehl, who manages the entire Aquarium dive program and is both a diving instructor and active diver, notes that the dry suits will be put to good use, especially considering the low temperatures of the Northern Pacific Gallery, including its Diving Bird habitat. Pehl trains the volunteers who must complete six 4-hour classes and must be rescue certified before assisting the aquarium staff. He notes that Zeagle dry suits are an important part of their diving program.

“Without the volunteer divers, we just couldn’t do all of the things that need to be done. They help maintain more than 12,000 animals and their habitats and enable us to share with our guests the beauty and wonder of the Pacific Ocean and the importance of its conservation,” notes Pehl.

Both Kurtis and his partner, Billy Wright have been actively involved in the Aquarium on a regular basis since 1998. Kurtis donates a half a day of his time each week participating in the aquarium’s dive program. He is also a presentation diver offering Aquarium guests daily underwater presentations through the use of a special communications system that includes a full-face, microphone dive mask.

Wright is heavily involved in the procurement of dive gear for the nearly two hundred aquarium volunteer divers. He has been instrumental in getting diving equipment manufacturers, such as Zeagle, to donate gear to the Aquarium.

Both Kurtis and Wright see the aquarium as an excellent vehicle to promote conservation in the ocean environment and to spread the word about the wonders of the underwater world. The aquarium’s mission of ocean education and conservation is a highlight of the underwater dive presentations, which reach more than one million visitors each year.

Reef Seekers Dive Co. is the largest independent dive store located in the Los Angeles area and has been in business since 1988. The store is located at 8612 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills, CA. For more information call 310-652-4990 or visit their web site at www.reefseekers.com. In addition to Kurtis and Wright, Reef Seekers encourages its divemasters and instructors to also volunteer.

The Aquarium of the Pacific celebrates our planet’s largest and most diverse body of water-the Pacific Ocean. Located on Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach, the Aquarium is open every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., except December 25 and during the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 12-14, 2003. For more information on the Aquarium of the Pacific, visit www.aquariumofpacific.org or call 562-437-FISH.

Oceanic CDX Regulator Recall
In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Oceanic USA, of San Leandro, Calif., is voluntarily recalling all Oceanic CDX first-stage regulators used for scuba diving. Extreme vibration, a high oscillation of the internal components, can occur for an unknown reason within these CDX regulators, which can cause an air leakage underwater. Divers could run out of air and drown.

Oceanic has received reports of noise or vibration accompanied by air leakage. No injuries have been reported.

Oceanic CDX first stage regulators subject to the recall have serial numbers ranging from 9200001 to 9205622, 0200001 to 0213294, 0D0001 to 0D3046, 9800013 to 9801711, or 9D0001 to 9D3273. The serial number is stamped into the side of the body. These CDX regulators were sold with various second stage regulators, including the Alpha 7, Delta 3, Gamma 2, and Zeta. This voluntary recall does not apply to the CDX5 or any other Oceanic regulator.

Authorized Oceanic dealers sold these regulator sets worldwide from May 1999 through October 2002 for between $330 to $640, depending on the second stage.

Consumers should stop using the recalled CDX regulators immediately and take them to any Authorized Oceanic Dealer for a retrofit that consists of replacement of one part and the addition of another.

Should you have any questions, please contact Oceanic’s toll-free CDX Helpline at 866-723-2642 or 510-562-1535 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday Pacific Time, by emailing service@oceanicusa.com, or by writing to Oceanic USA, 2002 Davis Street, San Leandro, CA 94577, USA. - from DiveNewsWire.com