Free intro scuba courses offered in exhibit hall pool.

Marine artist "Rogest"

SeaQuest Balance BC

A winner at past Casino Party.

Lorraine Sadler

EXHIBITS
The biggest attraction of the SCUBA Show is the Exhibit Hall. It is 57,065 square feet of diving excitement, knowledge and stimulation. You can learn a lot here, save a lot here, and just have plain fun talking to people about diving.

The demo tank/pool area has been completely reconfigured. The pool is much larger for unobstructed trials and demos of dive gear. Non-divers can jump into the heated demo pool and try scuba themselves—free. Free introductory scuba lessons will be given periodically throughout show hours. Older boys and girls can try, too. And for the little fish they can try SASY, a genuine scuba rig for surface breathing. It gives the small kids children a real taste of what scuba diving is all about.

On the leading edge of the diving season, the SCUBA Show is when many manufacturers introduce new products to the public for the first time. This is your first chance to touch and handle these often revolutionary products. More importantly, you can meet face to face with designers direct from the factory to get advice, tips, and even give your feedback.

The second largest group represented in the exhibit hall is dive travel representatives. Their exhibit booths are often galleries of spectacular underwater photography from their destination. They come from around the globe. Many are natives and know their particular locales better than any body. Other individuals have traveled to dozens of locations and can tell you the destination that is right for you. But perhaps most important are the travel bargains offered at the show. Most offer “Show Specials” available only at the SCUBA Show. You can save hundreds, even thousands, planning your next vacation or two at the SCUBA Show.

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.

The SCUBA Show will have on hand a special guest marine artist, Rogest (Ron Stevens). This artist first gain notoriety in diving, working for one of Australia’s largest dive operators. He now paints the underwater critters from the thousands of exceptional dives experienced world wide but primarily on the Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, and Papua New Guinea. His paintings are in the unusual Australian Aboriginal style of dot painting. “I like to think of myself as a ‘PIRARTIST,’ a combination of artist and diving pirate,” says Rogest. His art has been featured in many dive magazines.

And finally, dazzling displays of underwater photography will be provided by the Orange County and Los Angeles Underwater Photographic Society. These underwater photo displays feature images from around the world, many award winning.

DOOR PRIZES
All paid general admission attendees are eligible for the door prizes to be drawn at the SCUBA Show. Saturday’s door prize is a SeaQuest Balance buoyancy compensator. This weight integrated BC features three-dimensional buoyancy bag design (low profile), integral Weight Holster™ release system, utilizing up to 20 pounds of releasable weight, back-mounted buoyancy keeping drag to a minimum, innovative swivel buckle at shoulder strap for maximum mobility and optimum strap placement (A Sea Quest exclusive), two non-releasable rear buckled locked weight pockets holding five pounds each, revolutionary triangular load distribution system in shoulder strap attachment for ultimate comfort in the water and on land, and a rolled neoprene collar for added diver comfort.

Want to dive with Manta Rays and across fantastic coral reefs? Sunday’s prize is a diving and resort package at the Manta Ray Bay Hotel in Yap that includes seven nights accommodations for one and ten dives with Yap Divers. Approximate value of this package is $1,290. (Various restrictions apply to the drawings and prizes.)

In addition, many exhibitors will hold drawings for various prizes at their booths at SCUBA Show 2001. Various restrictions apply to each drawing.

CASINO PARTY BENEFIT
Social highlight of the weekend is the Casino Party on Saturday evening. The party will begin immediately following the close of the show at 6 p.m. in the M.V.P. Lounge. 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-eight 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. Contributors and sponsors to the Casino Party include Atomic Aquatics, Best Western Catalina Canyon Hotel, Beverly Factor Photography

Buddyboats, Catalina Cylinders, Cramer - Decker Industries (Genesis and Sherwood), Dive N’ Surf, Horizon Charters, Ikelite Underwater Systems, Pacific Wilderness, Prescription Dive Masks, Scuba Schools Intl., Sea & Sea , SeaSigns, Subsalve USA, Torgny Design, Tortugascuba, Trident Diving Accessories, Truth Aquatics, TUSA, California Diving News, and others.

Entrance to the Casino Party is $20 and includes funny-money (more if you purchase your ticket in advance) and a raffle ticket. Food and drinks will be available for purchase at an additional charge.

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 contributions to the California diving community.

The recipient of the 2001 CSSA is Lorraine Sadler. Lorraine Sadler has been diving since 1960. She is a pioneer in diving education and women in diving issues. Lorraine became a junior frogman instructor in a special L.A. Co. Parks and Recreation program. She has been very active in the L.A. Co. Underwater Unit and the Underwater Instructors Association, participating and leading various educational programs. From 1980-86 she served on the board of directors, with duties including organizing safety seminars, educational programs such as the L.A. Co. Advanced Diver Program, the Underwater Instructor Certification Course and writing the L.A. Co. Instructor’s Manual. She is a SSI Platinum Pro Diver. Lorraine is currently an instructor evaluator with Scuba Schools International (SSI). In 1989 she was awarded the Outstanding Instructor of the Year. She is a free-lance writer for several publications including Sport Diver Magazine and Rodale’s Scuba Diving in which she is part of their testing team. She currently works at the University of Southern California, teaching marine sciences. She has put in countless volunteer hours with the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber and is now Certified Hyperbaric Technologist for the chamber. Research Biology is one of her specialties, and she has worked extensively with behavioral aspects of moray eels and taxonomy of sea cucumbers. Most Southern California divers know her from her seminars at the SCUBA Show and extensive volunteer work for many years at the annual Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup. She has been inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame.

UPDATES
There have been some minor changes to the seminar schedule. Seminar #M1, “Disaster Proof Your Dive Trip” will be similar in content but given by Ken Kurtis. Seminar #SM12 will be a new seminar to be announced.

Unfortunately, the World’s Largest Traveling Aquarium will not be at the SCUBA Show simply because it will not fit through the door.

SCUBA Show 2001 will take place June 2 and 3 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, including a complete list of exhibitors, see http://www.saintbrendan.com/attend01_info/info01.html.