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3Rs Beach Diving Workshops - June 14, 21 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 14 at White Point (Los Angeles County), July 12 at Point Dume (Los Angeles County), August 9 at Deer Creek Road (Ventura County), September 13 at Reef Point (Orange County) and October 11 at Broad Beach (Los Angeles County).
In addition, a series of 3Rs courses will be staged in San Diego County. Dates and locations are: June 21 at South Casa Cove, July 12 at Shell Beach (Seal Rock), July 26 at North Bird Rock, August 9 at Marine Street, August 23 at Goldfish Point (La Jolla Caves) and September 13 at Hospital Point. Visit www.groups.yahoo.com/group/rocks-rips-reefs on the web for further details for the San Diego 3Rs.
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 (evening). You can also visit the GLACD exhibit booth at SCUBA Show 2003, June 21-22 at the Long Beach Convention Center.
SCUBA Show 2003 — June 21-22
The largest dive expo in the Western U.S. will take place at the Long Beach Convention Center the weekend of June 21-22 with exhibits, seminars, continuous film festival and more. For a detailed look, see the preview article (click here) or visit the web page http://www.saintbrendan.com/attend03_info/info03.html.
Ventura Co. Search & Rescue Dive Team Training — orientation June 27
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue Dive Team will be holding a training academy to qualify selected divers for membership onto the Search And Rescue (SAR) Dive Team. Highly skilled, certified divers, 21 years of age or older, who possess all personal full ocean diving equipment, are invited to the Academy orientation on June 27, 7 p.m. at the Sheriff’s Academy, 425 Durley Ave, (corner of Eubanks and Durley, Camarillo airport.) Team membership is voluntary, and candidates who complete the training academy and probationary period are expected to respond to the needed commitment of time to the community, as well as monthly training sessions.
Applicants accepted into the program must pass a Sheriff’s Department background check, live and/or work in Ventura County or immediate vicinity, have personal transportation and a valid CA divers’ license.
This is not a recreational dive program. Costs associated with the program will be discussed at the orientation. For more information please go to the team’s website: www.vcsardive.org or contact Tim Coates at (818) 292-0426, or Steve Giles at (805) 383-4811.
GAFC/GLACD Fish ID Seminar — June 28
The Greater Los Angeles Council of Divers (GLACD) will hold its fourth annual Great Annual Fish Count (GAFC) presentation Saturday June 28th at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro. This informative lecture will train divers, snorkelers, and marine enthusiasts how to identify the common species of fish found in California waters. In addition, it provides opportunities for divers to participate in obtaining important information about the health of local marine ecosystems. The GAFC is a program put together by Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF), and is one of many volunteer efforts to monitor the health of our oceans. The GAFC mobilizes and trains volunteer divers and snorkelers to identify and document fish diversity and population trends in marine sanctuaries and other REEF Project regions. This annual event got its start in California in 1992 and has spread to become an international celebration. The lecture is free, however there is a fee to park at the Cabrillo Aquarium. More information is available on-line at www.glacd.org, www.fishcount.org, www.reef.org or www.cabrilloaq.org
The lecture will start at 12 noon, followed by a tour of the aquarium so that participants can practice newly learned fish identification skills. If you have any questions, you can contact GLACD at (310) 379-5681. The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is located at 3720 Stephen White Drive, San Pedro, California 90731, and can be contacted at (310) 548-7562.
LA Co. Advanced Diver Program — begins July 12
Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Underwater Instructors Association, has announced dates for the 2003 Advanced Diver Program (ADP). Beginning July 12, local divers can take part in this wholly unique diving program that is designed specifically with California divers in mind. Participants will be exposed to the skills that will create a more confident and well-informed diver in a practical hands-on environment. Over 20 ocean dives are planned. In addition, participants will meet with and learn from some of the most influential and respected people in diving today, including Dale Sheckler, Dr. Glen Egstrom, and Jeff Bozanik. For more details and to sign-up, contact the LA County Underwater Unit at 310-965-828 or e-mail adpinfo@lascuba.com. For more information visit http://www.lascuba.com on the web.
Gold Star Dive — July 12
The 6th Annual Gold Star Dive on Catalina Island at the Casino Point Underwater Park will be held on July 12. The event is hosted by the Avalon Sheriff’s Station and sponsored by 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.
Scuba divers and skin divers will search for the Gold Stars in depths between 10 feet and 50 feet. The Gold Stars will measure approximately five inches by five inches, vacuum-packed, numbered, and made of solid chocolate. The Gold Stars will be placed among the rock formations in the Casino Dive Park. Divers will have an hour and a half to search for the Gold Stars. Participants who find a Gold Star will return the number to the check-in table for a prize. Those numbers not found will be raffled off, along with non-diver prizes.
All scuba divers must be certified and attend a pre-dive briefing at Casino Point prior to the event. T-shirts, hot dogs, and sodas will be available for sale. For further information, call (310) 510-0174, or e-mail klclevel@lasd.org.