 |
 |
SCUBA Show 2001 — June 2, 3
The largest dive expo in the western U.S. At the Long Beach Convention Center June 2-3. For more information click here or call (310) 792-2333.
3Rs Beach Diving Workshops - June 9, June 23, and more
Rocks, Reefs and Rips program (3Rs) is a mini-course designed to familiarize divers with popular beach dive sites and improve their beach diving skills.
Los Angeles and Orange county sessions will take place: June 9, Cabrillo Beach (San Pedro with afternoon Great American Fish Count presentation at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium); July 7, Reef Point (Orange County); August 11, Point Dume (Los Angeles County); September 8, Long Point (Los Angeles County); October 6, White Point (Los Angeles County).
In addition, a series of seven 3Rs courses will be staged in San Diego County. They are: June 9 at La Jolla Caves (The Clam/Goldfish Point), June 23 at Shell Beach (Seal Rock), July 7 at North Bird Rock, August 4 at Marine Room, August 25 at Alligator Head (La Jolla Cove), September 8 at South Casa (Children’s Pool).
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.)
The courses are staged in the morning beginning 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 Steve Haynes at (619) 222-7866 or on the web at www.groups.yahoo.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 visit the GLACD exhibit booth at SCUBA Show 2001, June 2-3 at the Long Beach Convention Center.
Casino Point Underwater Nature Trail - June 10
Volunteer research divers from the non-profit Catalina Conservancy Divers will once again set up a temporary underwater naturalist trail within the Casino Point Marine Park (Avalon). This is done to help educate the diving community to the dynamics of the unique kelp forest ecosystem. The “trail” is indicated with markers that correlate to a guide to individual animals, mini-habitats, and living situations.
The trail’s mission is to educate the scuba diving public that there are real individual living things underwater and that all humans that venture in and around the ocean are guests and are obligated to show their marine hosts much respect and care.
The next scuba trail will be staged Sunday, June 10. Additional dates for 2001 include August 19, October 14, and December 9. All trail dates are weather permitting.
For more information visit the Catalina Conservancy Divers website at www.ccd.org.
CA Beach Dive Photo Competition - June 23-24
The Northern California Underwater Photographic Society will host its 20th annual California Beach Dive Photo Competition in Monterey on June 23 and 24. There will be over $15,000 in prizes.
Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday when entrants will be given a 36-exposure roll of Kodak E100VS film. The exposed roll must be returned no later than 4:00 p.m. Only beach entry is allowed in and around the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. There will be Novice, Amateur, and Open categories. Subjects will be Macro, Marine Life, Diver, and Wide-Angle. Entrants will select their best slides during the Saturday evening dinner party. Judging will take place Sunday morning and prizes for the best photos will be awarded at the awards ceremony beginning 11:00 a.m.
For detailed information and to download entry form, go to www.ncups.org and visit the Beach Dive Competition, or contact Clark Miller at 415-456-8468.
LA County Advanced Diver Program (ADP) - Starts July 7
The need to provide a 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 improve diving skills and expand 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 learning environment 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 7 and culminates with a graduation banquet in September. For more information, call L.A. County Underwater Instructor Association Vice President Pat Burke at (818) 525-0225. More information is available on the UIA website at www.LASCUBA.com. You can also visit the LA County Underwater Instructor Association exhibit booth #541 at SCUBA Show 2001, June 2-3 at the Long Beach Convention Center.
Great American Fish Count - Seminar June 9, Count July 1-14
Volunteer divers are invited to participate in the Great American Fish Count (GAFC) the first two weeks of July. Participants receive training in local fish identification in an easy to learn survey method developed by fish ecologists. By recording their observations in a standardized method, divers and snorkelers assist resource managers in identifying trends in fish populations and distributions, as well as heightening public awareness about these issues.
Since 1992, the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary have been the primary focus areas for the event.
The GAFC is a cooperative effort between NOAA, the Channel Islands National Park and a number of non-profit organizations including REEF (Reef Environmental Educational Foundation), Marine Conservation Network, and American Oceans Campaign.
Participants are encouraged to attend advanced training sessions in fish identification methodology. A number of seminars are being offered in communities around the country in June and July to prepare divers for the GAFC. On June 9th a training seminar will be held at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, San Pedro, CA, at 1 p.m. For information on this training seminar, call (310) 379-5681 or visit www.glacd.org on the web.
For complete information, on the fish count, call 800-8ocean0 or visit the web site www.fishcount.org.
Gold Star Dive — July 14
The Fourth Annual Gold Star Dive on Catalina Island at the Casino Point Underwater Park will be held on July 14. This event is sponsored by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Athletic Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, several dive shops, and companies associated with diving. This event will be a fund-raiser for the Avalon Sheriff’s Station’s S.T.A.R. (Success Through Awareness & Resistance) program and the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber.
The Gold Stars are hidden underwater and made of solid chocolate. Participants who find a Gold Star will return the number to check-in table for a prize. Those numbers not found will be raffled off, along with non-diver prizes.
Participants and donors will pay a fee of $25 until June 14, 2001, $35 thereafter. The first 150 persons will each receive a free commemorative T-shirt the day of the event at Wrigley Plaza in downtown Avalon. T-shirts, hot dogs, and sodas will be available for sale. For further information, call (310) 510-0174, or e-mail klclevel@lasd.org.
