Southern
California Dive Jargon
"This S.O.B. went to Nic to grab this Bug. This is no Bull."
Attention, you new divers! If you want to fit in, you've got to learn to speak the lingo! The dialect has been developing for decades. Among experienced, hard-core Southern California divers "diver-speak" is firmly entrenched. Learn this list and toss around some jargon at the next dive club meeting, and next thing you'll know you'll be invited to "Catch a Truth boat to Nic to poke a some flatties and grab bugs. Just don't be an S.O.B."
Bug: Lobster
Bull, Toad: Big lobster
Flattie: Halibut
Barn Door: A very large halibut
Urchin Barren: An area of rocky bottom overrun by urchins that probably used to be covered with kelp.
Overtown: How residents of Catalina Island refer to the local mainland.
Wreck Alley: An area off Mission Beach, San Diego, where a number of vessels have been intentionally sunk.
Outer Islands: San Nicolas, San Clemente, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel of the Channel Islands
Cortes: Short for Cortes Bank, a shallow area far offshore beyond San Nicolas Island
S.O.B.: A poor practice of diving with a partner in which a fellow diver is considered a buddy as long as they're in the same ocean (Same Ocean Buddy).
The Queen Mary Show: Annual Consumer dive show and convention aboard the Queen Mary known as theSCUBA Show held in late June.
South Bay: Refers to the south portion of the Santa Monica Bay (as opposed to the South Bay that refers to the southern portion of San Francisco Bay).
Scripps: Short for Scripps Institute of Oceanography in San Diego
Wrigley: Short for Wrigley Marine Science Center at the Isthmus on Catalina Island
CIMI: Pronounced See-Mee; short for Catalina Island Marine Institute
SCMI: Southern California Marine Institute (located on Terminal Island in San Pedro)
22nd Street: Short for 22nd Street Landing in San Pedro where many dive charter boats are located.
Calico: Short for calico bass, also known as a kelp bass.
Ghost: White sea bass
3Rs: An in-the-water workshop on beach diving, originating in San Diego and now practiced also in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. (Stands for Reefs, Rocks and Rips).
UIA: Underwater Instructors Association referring to the Los Angeles County UIA.
ADP: The Los Angeles County run Advanced Diver Program
GLACD: Greater Los Angeles Council of Divers
Chamber Day: Annual fund raiser for the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber, located on Catalina Island.
RAT Beach: A dive spot at the extreme south end of the Santa Monica Bay. The name is an acronym, standing for Right After Torrance.
Sea Cliff: An underwater feature off Point Loma, San Diego
CCD: Catalina Conservancy Divers
PCUPC: (pronounced Pee-Cup-See) Pacific Coast Underwater Photographic Championships held every August in San Diego
Wreck Divers: Short for California Wreck Divers, a long time dive club based in Los Angeles
Nic: Short for San Nicolas Island in the southern group of the Channel Islands. Other Islands frequently have their name shortened also.
Talcott: The large reef area known as Talcott Shoals, off the northwest end of Santa Rosa Island. Popular with lobster hunters.
PV: Palos Verdes Peninsula
Truth boats: The popular Truth Aquatics live-aboard dive boats (Truth, Conception, Vision), based in Santa Barbara.
Backside: The side of the island facing away from the mainland and out to sea.
Santa Ana Winds: The condition when the winds move from the land out to sea, usually occurring in the late fall and winter. It creates ideal diving conditions along the coast, but can wreak havoc with Catalina Island. Also known as Offshore Winds.
