Port of Los Angeles Lobster Festival - Oct. 5-7
The Lobster Festival features a children’s Lobster Calling Contest, A LobsterDog Pet Parade and an art show all weekend long. There will be cooking demonstrations and free tastings throughout the weekend. Tons of fresh cooked Maine lobsters will be served in addition to chowder, ribs, chicken, Thai and Mexican food and desserts along with beer, wine and flavored drinks. Craft booths, games and rides, arts and crafts and other activities for kids will be available. Continuous live entertainment including jazz, rock and roll and swing dancing will round out the event. Families attending will be able to try scuba diving for free at the Scuba Tour’s 25,000 gallon, heated diving pool. Festival goers will be provided all gear and towels at no charge. Discount coupons are widely available. Conveniently located at the end of the 110 Harbor Freeway, parking is free. For more information visit the web site at www.lobsterfest.com.

GLACD Town Hall Meeting on Marine Protected Areas - Oct. 7
The Greater Los Angeles Council of Divers (GLACD) wants your input on proposed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). GLACD will be holding a series of meetings concerning MPAs. The intent of these meetings is to solicit input from the diving community on the MPAs that are proposed for implementation along California’s Coastline. These meetings are not intended to be for or against this implementation, but rather are intended to disseminate information about the MPAs, and survey the diving community about their concerns of divers in Southern California.

These meetings will focus on the areas between Point Conception and the Mexican Border as this is the area where divers from the greater Los Angeles area (including Orange County, San Bernardino County, and Riverside County) spend most of their time diving. GLACD will collaborate with the other three Councils in California and provide input to the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG).

The first meeting is scheduled for Sunday, October 7, 3 p.m., check the GLACD web site for location. This is an opportunity for divers to learn about the MPA process and it is specifically an opportunity for divers to voice their opinions and have their concerns be heard. Other meetings that have been previously held have been dominated by other special interest groups, and this meeting is the first one scheduled in Los Angeles that will specifically focus on the interests of freedivers and scuba divers. Additional meetings will be held throughout the year to address the progress of the MPA implementation and to keep an open avenue of communication between divers and the political process. Information will be posted on the GLACD web site at www.glacd.org.

The initial agenda for the meeting includes discussion on what MPAs are and their proposed locations, and what options we have for voicing our opinion on what we want and do not want. We strongly encourage all divers to attend, and especially encourage dive clubs in Southern California to send a representative to this meeting to learn the issues and to take information back to their club. GLACD needs input from as wide a range of the diving community as possible. The other councils are also slating meetings in their own areas regarding the Marine Life Protection Act and the MPAs. More information about the Central California Council of Divers is available at www.cencal.org. Information about the Channel Islands Council of Divers is available at www.venturaweb.com/cicd/home.htm. Information about the San Diego Council of Divers is available at www.diegoweb.com/diving/sannews.html.

San Diego DeepSea Film Exhibition - Oct. 20
The San Diego DeepSea Film Exhibition will take place 7 p.m., Saturday, October 20 at the new theatre at the San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park. This new state of the art theatre features the ultimate in a large-format digital projection technology. The program will include 15 or more short films of the undersea world, submitted by both accomplished professional and aspiring amateur film makers.
Seating is limited and tickets are $10. For more info, contact the Diving Locker in Pacific Beach, 858-272-1120.

LAUPS 39th Annual U/W Photo Competition — deadline Oct. 20
The 39th Annual International Underwater Photographic Competition, sponsored by the Los Angeles Underwater Photographic Society (LAUPS), is underway. Entries are being accepted in 14 print, slide and video categories.
The deadline for entry is October 20, 2001.

Best of show and 1st place awards include live-aboard and land-based vacations from generous sponsors such as Naia Cruises, Bilikiki Cruises, Sipidan Water Village Resort, Peter Hughes Diving, MV Chertan, Exotic Caye Beach Resort, Malaysia Tourism Board, Clavella Adventures and the Aggressor Fleet.

Entry forms, rules, information and a sponsor list are available from the website at www.laups.org. Additional information can be obtained by e-mail to info@LAUPS.org or write to LAUPS, P.O. Box 2401, Culver City, CA 90231.

Kelp Restoration Volunteer Diver Training - Oct. 22 & 24
On October 22 and 24 BayKeepers will hold their fourth set of volunteer dive training from 7-9pm at the UCLA Ocean Discovery Center. This is an opportunity for divers to learn more about the BayKeepers kelp bed monitoring restoration efforts in the Santa Monica Bay. This training will focus on the different restoration and survey techniques employed and how you can become part of the “Kelp Krusader” team. This is a great way to help out the environment and have fun too. To learn more about the BayKeepers kelp project, check www.smbaykeeper.org or call (310) 305-9645.

Laguna Beach Photo Shoot-Out - Oct. 28
Join Laguna Sea Sports and Sea & Sea for the “Beach Photo Shoot Out” on Sunday October 28. All divers are invited to participate in Sea & Sea workshops on underwater photography; and try your skill in the photo contest, which includes great prizes. Sea & Sea cameras will be available, as well as film and processing which are provided for the shoot out. After 3pm you will have the opportunity to meet Wyland, the “Who’s Who in American Art” environmental artist. For pre-registration call (949) 494-6965.

Wreck Divers Host an Evening with Zale Parry - Oct. 25
The Adventurers’ Club and California Wreck Divers, Inc. will host special guest Zale Parry at the club’s October 25 meeting in Los Angeles.

Parry is considered to be the first lady of skin and scuba diving and is best known for her work as an actress and stuntwoman on early television programs such as Sea Hunt, Kingdom of the Sea and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. However, her accomplishments far exceed television. Zale is a premier underwater photographer and the co-founder of the International Underwater Film Festival. She is the third female scuba instructor in the world, has served as an experimental diver pioneering early scuba equipment, and set the woman’s deep diving record in 1954. Her recent accomplishments include co-writing the new book, Scuba America, which documents the human history of sport diving.

Zale will bring a plethora of diving stories, slides and videos to complete the evening’s program. The event will be held at The Adventurers’ Club headquarters located at 2433 N. Broadway, Los Angeles. There is no charge for the evening’s entertainment which will begin promptly at 8 p.m. The public is also invited to enjoy dinner prior to the show which will be served in The Adventurer’s Club dining room at 7 p.m. Cost of the dinner is $12 and reservations must be made at least three days in advance by calling 323-223-3948. More information may be obtained by logging-on to www.cawreckdivers.org or www.adventurersclub.org.

Salmon Snorkel - November 17
For a truly unusual dive, try snorkeling the American River gliding along with the salmon. The Dolphin Divers of Sacramento dive club will be doing their annual salmon snorkel on November 17. They will meet at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery (upstream from Sacramento) at 9 a.m., snorkel the American River for 3 miles (I’m assuming down current). Lunch will follow. For more information contact Brooke Hudson at 916-421-5060 or email brookehudson@earthlink.net.