THE Diving Event of the Year™ is bigger and better than ever! There is no better place to plan all your underwater adventures, meet old dive buddies or make new ones. Make your vacation plans and dive trip reservations for the summer. SCUBA Show 2000 is the largest dive expo in the western U.S. If you have any interest in the underwater world, you simply must go.

EXPANDED EXHIBIT HALL

The exhibit hall at the SCUBA Show has never been more exciting, extensive and innovative. Primary reason for moving the SCUBA Show from the Queen Mary to the massive Long Beach Convention Center was to expand the exhibit area with more new dive gear, dive travel representatives, scuba experts and more.

New and revolutionary dive gear will be introduced at SCUBA Show 2000 than any show previously. There will be several new models of fins, including versions of the increasingly popular split-fin design. Check out the new Mares Volo fin. Oceanic has a new ultra-light, ultra-high performance regulator. And B.C. designs have taken a giant leap forward with several new models being shown at expo. Masks have shown perhaps the biggest leap forward. Take a look at Cressi-Sub's "Big Eyes," or best of all, HydroOptix mask that promises to revolutionize mask design with its insect-looking ultra-wide view lenses. Participants will be given the opportunity to actually try this mask in the water. And this mentions just a few of the revolutionary items of dive gear to debut at the SCUBA Show.

DEMO/TRIAL TANK

All new to the SCUBA Show exhibit hall is the Demo and Trial Tank. With such a venue, the SCUBA Show exhibitors can now offer show attendees a variety of in-water experiences, including free introductory scuba courses, SASY diving experiences for kids, and several wet equipment trials. At the SCUBA Show, you will get to try, in the water, the absolute latest in dive gear.

3-D VIRTUAL DIVE

Attendees to the dive show can experience the fun and excitement of the underwater world without getting their feet wet. Thanks to the Oceanic scuba equipment company, show attendees can take part in a "virtual dive" in the warm waters of the Bahamas. The 10-minute journey includes some up-close and personal encounters with sharks, colorful reefs, and a variety of "local" residents. This 3-D Virtual Dive experience is located adjacent to the Demo Tank area of the exhibit hall.

SPECIAL EXHIBITS

Nick Icorn's Museum of Diving History is the largest collection of antique dive gear in the country, perhaps the world. Nick will bring a large portion of his collection to the SCUBA Show and will be on hand to regale you with his many stories, many humorous, some tragic, on how diving and dive gear has evolved over the decades.

Recognized as the authorities in shipwreck diving along the California coastline, the California Wreck Divers will be displaying some of their most prize-restored shipwreck artifacts from around the world. Their members will be on hand to offer their expertise.

SPECIAL GUEST MARINE ARTIST WYLAND

The largest mural in the world surrounds the Arena portion of the Convention Center and depicts the underwater realm of the nearby Pacific. This Wyland Wall is his crowning achievement. Wyland is noted worldwide for his spectacular and moving paintings and murals of the underwater world. As a special guest on Sunday of the SCUBA Show, Wyland will be in the exhibit hall painting, signing art and his newly released book.

DOOR PRIZES

Spectacular prizes are a part of SCUBA Show 2000. All paid general admission attendees are eligible for four drawings.

Saturday's door prizes include a Concept II Pro Buoyancy Compensator from Zeagle Systems. The Concept B.C. breaks new ground when it comes to versatility, comfort and custom-sizing options. Also to be given away Saturday is a seven-night trip aboard the luxury live-aboard dive vessel Star Dancer in Papua New Guinea, courtesy of Peter Hughes Diving, Inc., "First and Foremost in Luxury Liveaboard Adventure."

Sunday's Door Prizes include an Aeris 300G Console with compass. This ergonomic console is nitrox programmable, PC down-loadable with features like an oxygen bar graph, back-lighting, audible alarms and more.

Grand Prize for the SCUBA Show will be drawn on Sunday afternoon. All paid attendees from both days are eligible for this drawing but need not be present to win. The winner will receive a seven-night trip aboard the luxury dive yacht Solomons Aggressor courtesy of Aggressor Fleet, "The Ultimate In Live-Aboards®," and airfare to Fiji provided by Air Pacific, Fiji's International Airlines with non-stop service to many points in the Western U.S. (Various restrictions apply to the drawings and prizes.)

In addition, many exhibitors will hold drawings for various prizes through their booths at SCUBA Show 2000. Various restrictions apply to each drawing.

CASINO PARTY BENEFIT

Social highlight of the weekend is the Casino Party on Saturday evening. The party benefits the Catalina Conservancy Divers (CCD), a dedicated group of volunteer divers working to protect and preserve the Catalina Island marine environment. Eighty-six percent of Catalina Island is under the private non-profit protection of the Catalina Conservancy. The CCD is the marine environment branch of this important group.

Participants in the Casino Party will enjoy "gaming" into the night, using "funny-money" to play black-jack, roulette, craps and more. Cashing out at the end of the evening, the high-rollers will then turn in chips for opportunity tickets with the chance to win thousands of dollars in prizes, including dive gear, travel and more. Also, during the evening will be a silent auction where participants can bid on gear, trips, etc. with all the proceeds benefiting the important projects of the Catalina Conservancy Divers. Major contributions have been made by Cochran Undersea Technology, Zeagle and California Diving News, official sponsors of the event. Additional items have been contributed by Submersible Systems, Catalina Scuba Luv, Sport Chalet, Seaport Village Inn, Aquavit, Inc., Waves Jewelry, Buddyboats™, Tortuga Scuba, Pacific Wilderness and many others.

CALIFORNIA SCUBA SERVICE AWARD

Climax of the Casino Party is the presenting of the California Scuba Service Award (CSSA). This award was commissioned by Saint Brendan Corporation, parent company of the SCUBA Show and California Diving News, to recognize those who have made significant, long-term positive contributions to the California diving community.

The recipient of the 2000 CSSA is Jim Hall. Jim's positive influence on the diving community extends decades and deep within the dive business itself. Jim has been diving since the 1950s and is a long time instructor. His accomplishments include work with PADI developing standards for the 5-Star Training Facility, including strict air fill standards; writing for Skin Diver magazine with an instrumental article bringing forth the concept of "octopus" regulators; and the organizing and running of the first DEMA trade shows. Working with the Philippine government, he developed an economic rationale for preserving reefs, a model for preservationists throughout the world to help governments see the value in tourism by preserving pristine reefs.

Jim's local conservation battles include getting Catalina Island closed to the take of marine life by the aquarium collecting trade, the declaring of garibaldi as the California State Marine Fish, affording it special protection, and helping to get threatened abalone closed in Southern and Central California. Jim is currently president of the Catalina Conservancy Divers and is "working to establish a protective bubble over Catalina that will push away all commercial fishing and make the waters a safe haven for sport diving and sport fishing."

SCUBA Show 2000 will take place June 3 and 4 at the Long Beach Convention Center. Hours for the show are Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For complete details click here.