SCUBA Show 2000 - June 3, 4
The largest dive expo in the Western U.S. Call (310) 792-2333 or visit www.saintbrendan.com on the web.
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium's Education staff and volunteers will be on hand to answer questions and involve students of all ages in exploring local marine life in the hands-on Discovery SEA Lab. The marine lab is open every Wednesday from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. with a different theme each week. Planned activities include using microscopes, examining specimens, creating an art project, delving into books, playing games, exploring the coastal habitats and much more. Live invertebrates, shark teeth, baleen, birds, bones and shells are among the specimens available for examination.
This afternoon program is free to participants. Groups are requested to call ahead. The Discovery SEA Lab is underwritten by a generous grant from the Norris Foundation.
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium has free admission, is located at 3720 Stephen White Drive, San Pedro, and is a facility of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. For additional information, please call (310) 548-7562.
Scuba diving enthusiasts across the globe are counting down to the 2nd annual International Dive-In Day on June 11, 2000, when divers throughout the world will attempt to set a new world record in the largest group dive. The event will take place simultaneously at 8 a.m. PST in cities everywhere, from California to Japan, and will be a major component of National Scuba Month.
"The purpose of Dive-In Day and National Scuba Month is to unite divers of all walks of life by giving them an opportunity to celebrate scuba diving - an activity enjoyed by millions of people worldwide each year," says Regina Franklin, executive director of the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA).
The month of June has been declared National Scuba Month as it is the time of the year when scuba diving season is in full swing. The month is filled with several dive-related events in addition to Dive-In Day, including many of the industry's consumer dive shows and diver retailer promotions.
DEMA's international organization of divers, the HammerHeads will once again be leading the charge into the water on Dive-In Day, as each chapter officially hosts and coordinates the participating dives. The HammerHeads are a group of scuba diving enthusiasts who get together to explore their local waters, and are sponsored in part by DEMA. There are 40 HammerHeads chapters internationally that organize a variety of fun events and activities including monthly group dives, theme parties, contests and prizes.
Divers participating in Dive-In Day will also be encouraged to take part in a photo scavenger hunt, a contest sponsored by Kodak/Sea & Sea Products, Ltd.
For more information about the HammerHeads or to find out where the Dive-Ins will be taking place, call (619) 234-0345 or check out the HammerHeads website at www.h-heads.com.
The 8th Annual Redondo Beach King Harbor Underwater Cleanup will take place Sunday morning, June 11. The event is sponsored by the Sea Divers dive club. There is a registration fee (in advance only, deadline June 3). All proceeds benefit the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber. All registered participants will receive a commemorative Wyland shirt. That afternoon, numerous awards will be presented. A door-prize drawing will also be held. Those interested in participating should contact Allen Parker at (310) 813-2955, or visit the Sea Divers web page at www.seadivers.org.
GLACD has arranged for the use of the Cabrillo Aquarium Amphitheater in San Pedro for a lecture by Dr. Roy Houston on local fish identification in preparation for the Great American Fish Count (GAFC) to take place the first two weeks in July. The lecture will take place June 17 at 2 p.m. A tour of the aquarium will follow the lecture. Preceding the lecture, at 8 a.m. will be a 3Rs (Reefs, Rocks and Rips) beach diving workshop at nearby Cabrillo Beach. For more information, check the message board at www.glacd.org, as more information will be posted.
For more information on GAFC, go to www.fishcount.org.
Rocks, Reefs and Rips program (3Rs) is a half-day course designed to familiarize divers with popular beach dive sites and improve their beach diving skills.
Sessions will take place June 17 at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro (Los Angeles County) and Hospital Point (San Diego County); July 8 at La Jolla Caves (San Diego County); July 15 at Reef Point (Orange County); July 22 at Marine Street (San Diego County); August 12 at Point Dume (Los Angeles County); August 19 at La Jolla Cove (San Diego County); September 9 at Old Marineland (Los Angeles County); September 16 at Hospital Point (San Diego County); October 14 at White Point (Los Angeles County).
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.)
For each of the events, registration and briefing is 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 John Gibbins at (619) 584-0278 or Steve Haynes at (619) 222-7866 or on the web at www.egroups.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. You can also visit the GLACD exhibit booth #237 at SCUBA Show 2000, June 3-4 at the Long Beach Convention Center.
On June 24 and 25 the Northern California Underwater Photographic Society will be holding its 19th annual beach dive photo competition in Monterey. This event, always well known, is now attracting even more attention with over $15,000 in prizes.
One of the most unique aspects of the competition is the one prize, one entry rule. This rule eliminates a single entry from walking away with many of the best prizes. Prizes will be awarded on a weighted point system in Wide-Angle, Diver, Marine Life, and Macro in the Novice, Intermediate, and Open categories. As prizes there will be at least six dive trips, strobes, a video housing, local dive boat trips, photo backpacks, light meters, arm and tray systems, and much more. Kodak Professional will provide the new E100-VS for the competition.
Entrants register at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday morning to pick up their film. Photographers may dive only from the beach within the Monterey Marine Sanctuary. Developed film must be turned in no later than 4:30 p.m. that same day. Following the day's event will be an evening dinner.
On Sunday entrants arrive to pick up their developed film to select their best photos. Entrants may submit up to five photos. Judges will consist of three professional underwater photographers who will evaluate and select the winning photos. The award ceremony is held early afternoon with the winning photos being shown and prizes distributed to the winners.
There is a $35 entry fee which includes dinner. Detailed information including the entry form are available on the NCUPS website at www.ncups.org. Other inquiries may be directed to Clark L. Miller at divewell@yahoo.com.
Recognizing the need to provide a comprehensive 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 provide participants with an opportunity to improve diving skills and expand their 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 comprehensive learning environment. The main objective of the training is 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 8th and culminates with a graduation banquet on September 16th. Contact the LA County Underwater Unit, Tyrone Brown, (310) 965-8258 or LA County Underwater Instructors Association President, David Golden (714) 992-2156 or Bill Lidyoff (323) 726-2155. You can also visit the LA County Underwater Instructor Association exhibit booth #535 at SCUBA Show 2000, June 3-4 at the Long Beach Convention Center.
July 1 thru 14 - Great American Fish Count. See www.fishcount.org on on the web for sites, dives and prep seminars.
July 15 - NEW DATE - Sinking of the Yukon off San Diego. (619) 523-1903. or at www.hmcs-yukon.org.
July 15 - Gold Star Dive, Avalon, Catalina Island. (310)
510-0174.
