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Great Annual Fish Count—thru July
Throughout the month of July, divers will survey fish for the Great Annual Fish Count. Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) coordinates the Great Annual Fish Count along with the support from NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuaries Program and other entities such as area dive clubs and councils.
The GAFC began in 1992 when a small group of recreational divers and marine biologists conducted a visual fish count in the Channel Islands National Park. The effort was modeled after the Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count and has grown into an international event.
Due to the exponential growth the GAFC had last year, the National Marine Sanctuary Program and REEF decided to change the official name from the Great American Fish Count to the Great Annual Fish Count. The Great Annual Fish Count (GAFC) will become an international event and will invite other countries to recruit volunteers to take fish surveys in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, South America and Canada. Fish have no nationality and cannot distinguish between country lines or regions. Many migrate between countries and spawn in different areas. GAFC educates divers and snorkelers as stewards and protectors of the marine environment.
The GAFC serves to introduce and inspire recreational divers and snorkelers to participate in year round volunteer fish monitoring programs, raise awareness among both the diving community and the public at large regarding marine environments and trends in fish populations, and provide researchers, marine resource managers and policy makers with valuable information when making decisions regarding our marine resources. The GAFC also helps promote fish surveys within the nation’s National Marine Sanctuaries and to educate divers and snorkelers on the value the resources within each sanctuary site.
Throughout all the U.S., Caribbean, Gulf of California, and Canada, divers are invited to attend free fish ID seminars during July to learn how to identify local fishes and conduct surveys. After training, divers will conduct fish surveys during the month of July as part of the Great Annual Fish Count event. Fish are surveyed using the roving diver technique. The goal is to find as many fish species as possible so divers are encouraged to look under ledges, and up in the water column. Any sea turtle species seen during your dive are also recorded. The fish counts are done by assigning each recorded species an abundance category based on about how many were seen throughout the dive [single (1); few (2-10), many (11-100), and abundant (>100)].
All that is necessary to participate is an underwater slate, computer survey scan forms (available from your local GAFC organizer) and a comprehensive fish identification book.
For complete information visit http://www.fishcount.org online, e-mail GAFC@reef.org, or call Alex Score, GAFC Coordinator at 305-852-0030.
3Rs Beach Diving Workshops - July 6, 13, 27 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: July 13, Reef Point (Orange County); 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: July 6 - North Bird Rock, July 27 - Goldfish Point/The Clam, 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).
Emergency Dive Accident Management Training — July 7-12
The staff of the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber will be offering a course in Emergency Dive Accident Management (EDAM) in 2002. The courses are open to anyone who is interested in learning more about the medical aspects of diving and how dive accidents are treated. Diving instructors and guides, search and rescue personnel, and emergency medical personnel will find the course of particular interest.
The course includes information on the types of equipment, events and circumstances that lead to diving accidents. Detailed information on decompression, lung over-pressure injuries, dive computers, narcosis, and technical diving issues are covered during the exciting 38-hour course. Also included are the field evaluation of dive accidents, communication procedures, and hyperbaric chamber treatment. Demonstrations are provided (weather permitting) by the L.A. County Baywatch Lifeguards and the U.S. Coast Guard helicopter rescue team.
Lecturers during the course include:
• Karl Huggins, Program manager for the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber
• Dr. Jeff Sipsey, M.D., Medical director USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber
• Mark Tulin, Ph.D., Supervisor USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber
• Captain Kevin Marble, Lifeguard/Paramedic - Los Angeles County Fire Dept.
The course is offered only at the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber located at the Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island. The 2002 EDAM courses are being offered during the week of July 7-12. Tuition for the course is $600 including tuition, books, room and board. Participation is limited to 30 students. Early sign-up is highly recommended.
For more information, or to enroll in the course, check out the chamber’s web site at http://wrigley.usc.edu/hyperbaric/chamber or call (310) 510-4020.
LA County Advanced Diver Program (ADP) - Starts July 13
The need to provide a continuing education and training program for the recreational scuba diver in the Southern California area, the Los Angeles County Underwater Instructors Association, in conjunction with the Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation, established the Advanced Diver Program in 1964.
The program objective is to improve diving skills and expand diving knowledge, with an emphasis on the Southern California diving environment.
Combining lectures from experts in their field with pool and ocean labs, the candidates are provided with a learning environment to increase the students’ safety and enjoyment in our local ocean surroundings.
The ADP program is conducted annually with participants receiving over 100 hours of training including a minimum of 14 open water dives.
This year’s ADP programs starts July 13 and culminates with a graduation banquet in September. For more information, call L.A. County Underwater Instructor Association Vice President Pat Burke at (818) 525-0225 or the LA County Underwater Unit at (310) 965-8258. More information is available on the UIA website at www.LASCUBA.com.
Gold Star Dive — July 13
The 5th Annual Gold Star Dive on Catalina Island at the Casino Point Underwater Park will be held on July 13. The event is hosted by the Avalon Sheriff’s Station and sponsored by several dive shops, and companies associated with diving. This event will be a fund-raiser for the Avalon Sheriff’s Station’s S.T.A.R. (Success Through Awareness & Resistance) program and the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber.
Scuba divers and skin divers will search for the Gold Stars in depths between 10 feet and 50 feet. The Gold Stars measure approximately five inches by five inches, vacuum-packed, numbered, and made of solid chocolate. The Stars will be placed among the rocks in the Casino Dive Park. Divers will have an hour and a half to search for the Stars. Participants who find a Gold Star will return the number to the check-in table for a prize.
Participants and donors will pay a fee of $25 until June 13, 2001, $35 thereafter. The first 150 persons will each receive a free commemorative T-shirt the day of the event at Wrigley Plaza in downtown Avalon. All scuba divers must be certified and attend a pre-dive briefing at Casino Point prior to the event. T-shirts, hot dogs, and sodas will be available for sale. For further information, call (310) 510-0174, or e-mail klclevel@lasd.org.
Hands-on Digital Underwater Photography Class — July 13-14
The wave of digital underwater photography is here. Now is the perfect time to learn first hand how to integrate digital photography into the underwater world. Instant feedback is reason enough for photographers to make the change from film to digital imaging. But where and how is the best place to start?
Mike Brock Photography has the answer, by offering a new interactive digital imaging class. This introductory course will cut through all the hype and give you the hands-on experience and knowledge you need to set-up a digital camera and begin shooting underwater. Thanks to generous sponsors, several different cameras, housings, and strobes will be available for student use.
The first day-and-a-half course will be held in July in Torrance, in addition to other classes available in San Diego, Los Angeles and Catalina throughout the year. Classes will be limited to eight students so reservations are required. Dates, locations, and prices of classes are available at http://www.mikebrock.com or by calling 562-598-5267.
Human Powered Submarine Competition — July 17-21
Student engineers from as far as Quebec and as near as San Diego gather on July 17th at San Diego for an attempt at breaking the Guinness record of fastest human-powered submarine speed. This exciting event, Human Powered Submarine Contest 2002, is hosted by American Society of Mechanical Engineers, San Diego section, to enhance the engineering curriculum at many engineering schools, recognizing that completing such a complex project will also increase teamwork and professionalism.
The races will be held in Offshore Model Basin, a freshwater tank 15' deep x 48' wide x 400' long which is normally used to test model ships. Underwater cameras will be used to time the submarines and to observe the competition.
The competition is in two categories: submarines with propellers and non-propeller submarines. During the competition, the kayak-sized submarines will be flooded completely in the water, with the pilots typically pedaling with their feet to rotate propellers and steering with their hands. The non-propellers and steering with their hands. The non-propeller submarines will use fins, water jets, etc.
During HPS2000, the University of California at San Diego broke the world speed record for non-propeller submarines by a substantial margin with their fishtail powered submarine.
The speed trials will be from 8am - 5pm, July 18-21 at The Offshore Model Bay at 578 Enterprise St., Escondido. For more information, please call (626) 378-4614 or visit http://www.members.tripod.com/asme_sd/HPS2002/HPS2002.htm.
Performance Freediving Clinic — July 27-30
A performance freediving clinic has been scheduled for July 27-30. Kirk Krack and Mandy Cruickshank will be running the clinic.
Mandy is the current no-limits world record holder and just recently broke the world record for static apnea at 6 minutes and 16 seconds. Static apnea is holding your breath face down in a pool.
Kirk has been coaching world champions in freediving for five years. He trains Mandy. He has trained past champions Brett LeMaster and Tanya.
The course consists of in-depth knowledge development. All skills are learned and practiced in the pool first. You will see results after one day of work. Then participants will spend time freediving in Catalina.
Participants should have a basic knowledge of freediving. You should be able to dive to 20 or 30 feet. If you are rusty or do not know if you are able to dive to 20 feet, we will be doing some basic work with people prior to the clinic.
Each participant should have a suitable wetsuit to feel comfortable in Catalina waters for an hour to an hour and a half at a time. Most people are using 5 mm suits. You will want a low volume mask, the smaller the better. You will want a good freediving snorkel and a set of long bladed fins. Most people prefer fullfoot fins with neoprene socks and rubber fin retainers. You will need a weight belt and weights. Most people are using rubber weight belts that will contract as the wetsuit sinks at depth. You will want a good hood and most people wear gloves of some kind.
Contact makog@aol.com for information and details. There is a tuition for the clinic but spots can be held with a deposit.
Monterey Harbor Clean-up—August 3 (rescheduled from June 8)
The Harbor Master of Monterey, the City of Monterey, and the dive shop community are sponsoring another Monterey Harbor Clean-up Dive. This year’s dive is on August 3. Diver’s should meet at the base of Wharf II to check in at 8:30 a.m., dive at 9:30 a.m. Please pre-register by sending an email to David Clayton at drc@astound.net.