California Diving News

Ocean Sports Adventures (OSA) has proudly announced the newest addition to its fleet, the live-aboard dive vessel Iron Eagle. The Iron Eagle is now the largest and most full-featured dive vessel serving the California Channel Islands.

Because of its large size, many unique features can be found on board. Twin five-ton davits on the back deck serve to launch and recover a myriad of ocean “toys” available to the water enthusiast. On board the Iron Eagle are Jet Skis, Kayaks, WaveRunners, and, of particular interest to the diver, underwater propulsion vehicles including Farrallons, Dolphins and the ultra-fast K10 Hydrospeeder.

In addition to its complement of “toys”, the Iron Eagle carries a 26-foot dive “panga” support boat for specialty excursions from the mothership of six divers or less.

The partially covered main deck of the Iron Eagle is 50 feet long and 26 feet wide and seats up to 36 divers, with storage for dive gear at the individual dive stations. Large tables give passengers room to spread out gear. Nitrox fills up to 50 percent mixes are also available for specialty and technical divers, and re-breathers are welcome. A full galley serves complete meals right at the dive deck and for after the diving, the boat has a Jacuzzi and full cocktail bar on board.

Bunks come in a variety of configurations including doubles, singles, and staterooms, and are equipped with reading lights and TV/VCR combos. There is a total of four heads aboard and three indoor showers, as well as a hot, on deck freshwater shower. OSA begins its operations on June 7th, 2001, with trips slated for Catalina, Santa Barbara and San Clemente Islands. Iron Eagle’s summer itinerary will include weekend “Party Boat” trips, featuring a two island dive trip with Saturday night lay-over visits to Avalon.

Ocean Sports Adventures, formed in 1998, also offers U-rent dive and fishing Boats, six-pak charter yachts, and a full menu of services for the Southern California water sports enthusiast. The Iron Eagle is based out of Pierpoint Landing, Rainbow Harbor, in front of the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. For more information on the Iron Eagle, contact your local dive store, call Ocean Sports Adventures at (949) 699-6145, or visit the website at www.oceansportsadventures.com or www.diveironeagle.com.

White Seabass Conservation Project

Most divers consider white seabass (WSB) the premiere California game fish. In the spring these fish magically appear in the kelp forests along our coast and offshore islands. Because of their secretive ways, recreation divers seldom see these furtive fish. Only freedivers, with a near manic obsession, learn the ways of this mysterious and elusive croaker.

In 1994, proposition 132 banned near shore gill nets. Where a diver might take a few WSB from a school during an entire season, net boats often wiped out entire schools of hundreds of fish in a single night. Divers are now seeing increasing numbers of WSB.

Under the slogan of White Seabass Forever!, the Freedivers’ White Seabass Conservation Project aims to replace their catch with fish raised in hatcheries. Scientists are now successfully reproducing juvenile fish from wild brood stock donated by anglers. Fingerlings are sent to grow-out pens in 10 harbors along the Southern California coast, where they are tenderly nurtured by a coalition of anglers and divers. The cost to raise a single fish for release is $20.

The White Seabass Conservation Project is asking freedivers to contribute $10 to $20 for each fish they take. Along with their donation they will include a detailed description of the particulars of the encounter, location, size, water temperature (etc.), designed to increase our knowledge of this mysterious game fish.

Data received in award applications and independent sightings from non-hunters should help scientists and fisheries management personnel learn more about the WSB, their habits, range and numbers. Only very observant divers will be able to shed some light on this fish’s natural history.

Anyone who sights or takes a WSB is encouraged to share their experiences with and help conserve these challenging game fish. The web site, www.freedive.net/wsb, features an encounter information form for non-hunters that automatically updates a database. You will also find award applications, and some superb photos of wild WSB suitable for computer backgrounds or screensavers. A speaker’s page lists divers near you who will be glad to present a short video about the project.

Chamber Day/Evening a Resounding Success

Chamber Day and Evening for 2001 was a resounding success raising over $85,000 for the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber—a new record.

The Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber stands ready in the heart of Southern California diving activity to treat divers in the unlikely event of a diving accident. In order for the chamber to be available on a 24-hour a day, 7-day a-week basis, donated funds are necessary. The event is the largest fund raiser for the chamber.

All the participating dive boats, donating their vessels for the day, were full. There were 342 boat passengers at Chamber Day (including 23 on the phantom boat Flying Dutchman). Over 300 diners participated in Chamber Evening at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Almost $23,000 was raised in the Michael Kane $10K Chamber Challenge. And a lot of raffle tickets were purchased (sold out at Chamber Evening).

Thousands of hours were put in by hundreds of volunteers to make the event the best ever. The entire diving community — boats, stores, dive leaders, manufacturers, training agencies, the Aquarium of the Pacific, publications — all pulled together to contribute to the event. For more information, visit www.chamberday.org on the web.