Many years ago when I attended my first Cen Cal (Central California Council of Diving Clubs) Board Meeting I was struck by the relatively small size of the gathering. When discussion revolved around the topic, “How to get more divers involved with Cen Cal and organized diving,” one board member said something I have never forgotten, “The problem with divers is, they are too busy diving.”

Think about that. How many divers go to the ocean, complain about new restrictions on access, fees, regulation then go home to wash their gear and forget about their concerns... until the next time they go diving? No, not all divers behave this way, but too many do.

There are, however, groups of divers throughout the state who have become more involved. In California there is a Conference of California Councils. It is made up of:
- Central California Council of Diving Clubs (www.cencal.org)
- Greater L.A. Council of Divers (www.glacd.org)
- San Diego Council of Divers (www.sddivers.com)
- Channel Isls. Council of Divers (no link)
- National level: Underwater Society of America, (www.underwater-society.org)

Each of these councils has a multitude of dive clubs, events, and interests. What they don’t have is enough diver participation. The members of the councils have worked tirelessly for years representing the interests of divers in legislative, access, game regulation, education, and safety issues. But they are a small core group and they need your help.

No, there is not a seat for every diver on each MPA Area Working Group, the NFMP Advisory Committee or the Abalone Advisory Committee, but the people who hold those seats are your representatives. If you want these dedicated people to “represent” your interests, you need to contact them.

There are more diver interest issues at hand than just the MLMPA. In fact the MPA Area Working Groups are currently on hold due to the state funding crisis. If you have interests and concerns about recreational diving or marine resources, you need to find who represents you, contact them and discuss the issues. A good way to start is with a local club or your area council

At a Fish and Game Commission meeting, August, 2002, Commissioner Sam Schuchat commented, “We all know the data we have is inaccurate, but the data we have is the data we have and it’s the only data we have. We’re going to have to live with it.” There are a lot of divers who aren’t happy with this concept. The Catalina Conservancy of Divers, the Kelp Forest Coalition and EcoTracking and other groups are working on data collection by sport divers. Soon the Cooperative Research and Assessment of Nearshore Ecosystems (CRANE) hopes to have a program using sport divers for data collection around the new Channel Islands reserves. Cen Cal is piloting a sport diver data collection program, Divers Count, in northern California.

Last year I attended the California and the Worlds Oceans 2002 (CWO-02). I came away knowing one thing over all, “The time of California and America’s Endless Abundance is rapidly drawing to a close. If we don’t set into place and practice Conscientious Stewardship now, there will be nothing to protect in the future.” If you want to be more than a diver who is too busy diving, get involved. There is more to diving than just your time in the water. Learn and enjoy the total experience.

David Whittington
Area Vice President & Divers Count,
CenCal
www.cencal.org

Where For So. CA Dive Conditions?
Dear CDN,
I’ve looked almost everywhere on the web and can’t find any local dive conditions.

Do you know either a website or phone number to check daily swell, water visibility and water temp from Malibu to Laguna Beach? I have a number for the Zuma Beach surf report that’s recorded twice per day but can’t find anything like that south of there.

Mark Navas
via e-mail

Hi Mark,

Because dive conditions can vary considerably just a few miles down the coast, and hour by hour, they are difficult to forecast. Here are the resources I have found to be best: For wave models (including forecast and swell direction) — http://cdip.ucsd.edu/cdip_htmls/quick.shtml; Laguna Beach dive conditions—http://www.scuba-superstore.com/store/conditions/conditions.asp; Surf and dive report for San Pedro and nearby Palos Verdes — 310-832-1130.

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