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Open Ocean Plankton Expedition — October 5
Join Cabrillo Marine Aquarium’s Exhibits Director, Mike Schaadt, in learning about unusual planktonic animals from deep water between the mainland and Catalina Island. This class will feature a lecture and fieldwork.
Learn about the largest habitat on the planet as a large plankton net is sent over 1000 feet below the surface to sample the strange inhabitants of the open ocean midwater. Krill, squid, lanternfish, hatchetfish, arrow worms, swimming snails, comb jellies, siphonophores, sea jellies and many other animals will show their bizarre adaptations to an environment with tremendous pressure, no sunlight, and no place to hide.
Participants will meet at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium on Saturday, October 5, 2002 at 4:00 p.m. for the class followed by an orientation on field techniques. Then we will board a vessel for fieldwork, returning to the aquarium about 10 p.m.
Space is limited to 30, ages 12 through adult. Cost for the class is $30 per person ($27 aquarium FRIENDS). Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is located at 3720 Stephen White Drive, San Pedro, and is a facility of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.
For additional information, reservations, or a calendar of events, call 310-548-7562 or visit the web site http://www.cabrilloaq.org.
Aquarium Hands-On Discovery Lab — Wednesdays and Saturday, October 5
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium’s Education staff and volunteers are on hand every Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, October 5, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. to answer questions and involve students of all ages in exploring local marine life in the hands-on Discovery Lab. The marine lab is open with a different theme each session. Drop by the Discovery Lab for activities including using microscopes, examining specimens, creating an art project, delving into books, playing games, exploring coastal habitats and much more. Shark teeth, baleen, birds, bones, shells, and live marine invertebrates are among the specimens available for examination.
This program is free to all participants due to generous donations from the Norris Foundation and members of FRIENDS of CMA. Groups are asked to make reservations.
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is located at 3720 Stephen White Drive, San Pedro, and is a facility of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.
For additional information or to receive a calendar of events, call 310-548-7562 or visit the web site at http://www.cabrilloaq.org.
Research Diver Training Course — starts October 6
The Catalina Conservancy Divers (CCD) has announced their fall Research Diver Training Program. Classes involve training in fish, algae and invertebrate species identification in addition to research data collection. Program commences with a slide presentation and lecture by Dr. Bob Given (open to anyone interested), followed by a guided tour of the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (CMA). The training, for those interested in obtaining a research diver certification from CCD, concludes with two days of check out dives at Casino Point. The dates are October 6 (11:00 to 3:00 at CMA); October 12 (12:30 to 3:00 at CMA); October 13 (9:30 to 3:00 at Casino Point); October 26 (9:30 to 3:00 at Casino Point). Full details are posted in the Training and Calendar pages of the CCD website, http://www.ccd.org. To reserve a spot, or obtain more information, contact Mike Doran at mddesq@earthlink.net, or call (310) 962-2042.
Children’s Sea Club — October 7 - 28
3rd through 6th grade students with an interest in marine life will have an opportunity to explore the local marine environment by enrolling in Cabrillo Marine Aquarium’s after-school SEA Club on Monday afternoons from October 7th through October 28th.
For four consecutive Mondays from 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m., students will be guided by education staff as they study the surrounding coastal habitats of Cabrillo Beach, observe animal behavior, examine various marine specimens under microscopes and acquire knowledge of various marine related vocations. The aquarium’s live animals, preserved specimen collections (shells, fish, fossils, bones, etc.), lab and field equipment, and library will be available for use. The aquarium will be the base station for ocean exploration.
The cost for four weekly sessions is $28 ($25 Aquarium FRIENDS members) and includes a SEA Club t-shirt. Financial assistance is available.
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is located at 3720 Stephen White Drive, San Pedro and is a facility of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.
For more information, reservations, or to receive a calendar of events, please call (310) 548-7562 or visit the web site http://www.cabrilloaq.org.
3Rs Beach Diving Workshops - October 12
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.
A Los Angeles County session will take place October 12 at White Point at the end of Western Ave. on the Palos Verdes Penninsula.
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.
This workshop is organized and conducted by the L.A. County Underwater Instructors Association in cooperation with the Greater Los Angeles Council of Divers (GLACD). For more information, visit the GLACD web site at http://www.glacd.org or call (310) 379-5681 (evening).
Aquarium Keeping Workshop — October 12
ABC’s of Aquarium Keeping is a one-day workshop geared for beginners who want a saltwater aquarium at home, in the classroom, or at the office. The workshop is being offered by Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (CMA) on Saturday, October 12, 2002, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants will learn about such topics as filtration methods, equipment selection, water chemistry, feeding, and troubleshooting for fish diseases.
This workshop is for those 13 years old and up and is offered only once a year. Instructors will be CMA Chief Aquarist Jeff Landesman and Aquarist Darryl Deleske. Cost is $18 per person (Aquarium FRIENDS members $16). Reservations are required.
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is located at 3720 Stephen White Drive in San Pedro and is a facility of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.
For information, reservations, or a calendar of events call (310) 548-7562 or visit the web site http://www.cabrilloaq.org.
Historical Diving Society Conference — October 18, 19
The Historical Diving Society will hold its 10th Anniversary Conference in Santa Barbara, CA on Oct. 18-20 at Santa Barbara City College. The conference features presentations on international diving history by Skin Diver Magazine co-founder Chuck Blakeslee, HDS Russia Director Dr. Alexander Sledkov, HDS Italy Director Giancarlo Bartoli and HDS Pacific Director Bob Ramsay.
The conference at Santa Barbara City College and banquet at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum will take place on the 19th. Historical equipment displays and diving exhibitions will be held on the 20th. For tickets and information call 805-692-0072, or email HDS@HDS.ORG or go to http://www.hds.org.
Autumn Sea Fair — October 20
The richness and diversity of the sea combined with fun-in-the-sun games and hometown spirit can all be found at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium’s Autumn Sea Fair on Sunday, October 20.
The uniqueness of this Fair is that many of the games and exhibits are hand-created by Aquarium staff, and the emphasis of Sea Fair 02' is not its “splashiness,” but the tender, loving care with which each activity is designed and created with the community in mind. Among the highlighted events are the sixth annual “Queen of the Sea” contest where beauty and grace are not requirements. Contestants, either male or female, will compete to win 1st, 2nd or 3rd place trophies and gift certificates for their overall best “Sea Queen” look. Contestants are judged on their originality, creativity, costume design, and adherence to the marine theme.
In addition, the Fair includes complimentary face-painting, 25-cent educational carnival style games, a dunking booth, origami, puppet shows and a sand sculpting contest. Sandcastle builders spend much of the day perfecting their sandy masterpieces which are all designed with a marine theme in mind.
Adventurous pirates of all ages can participate in the Great Buried Treasure Hunt, led by real pirates, the Brethren of the Coast. Two pirate chests are buried deep beneath the sands of Cabrillo Beach and treasure maps are passed out which will lead the most diligent to the buried treasure.
A spectacular water show presented by the Los Angeles City Fireboat team will take place off the coast of Cabrillo Beach in the mid-afternoon, and nearly two dozen ocean-related organizations will be present to share information.
The Sea Fair is co-sponsored by Worldport L.A. and the FRIENDS of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. This annual community event, which is free to the public, begins at 10 a.m. and runs until 4:30 p.m. Free parking is available at 22nd and Miner Streets, with a complimentary shuttle in both directions. Limited parking at Cabrillo Beach is $7 per car.
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is located at 3720 Stephen White Drive, San Pedro, and is a facility of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.
For further information or a calendar of events, call Cabrillo Marine Aquarium at 310-548-7562 or visit the web site http://www.cabrilloaq.org
Pacific Cup of Freediving — Oct. 28 - Nov. 4
The volunteers and Board members of International Association for the Development of Apnea (A.I.D.A. USA), the United States Freediving Team-Apnea USA and the Island of Hawaii YMCA, are pleased to announce The 2002 Pacific Cup of Freediving to be held in Kona, Hawaii from October 28 to November 4, 2002. This event represents the first international freediving competition to be held in the United States. It creates an exciting opportunity for international competitors in the sport to visit the United States and share in the culture, beauty and aloha of the Hawaiian Islands.
This year’s event is being dedicated to freediving legend, humanitarian and scholar, Jacques Mayol. Jacques, who was immortalized by the popular movie “The Big Blue”, was an enthusiastic supporter of the US Freediving Team. Participants from over 20 countries are anticipated.
This event will also be filmed by Bob Talbot who recently completed his production of the IMAX film “Oceanmen.” In addition, ABC Sports has expressed interest in documenting the competition ( See list below).
There are 17 teams including Venezuela, Bulgaria, Canada, France, United Kingdom, Sweden, Monaco, Switzerland, Czech Freediving, Belgium, Brazil, Japan, Portugal, South Africa, Morocco, Cayman Islands, and the United States.
For more information contact Glennon T. Gingo, President, A.I.D.A. USA, email: Glennon@aidausa.org, web site http://www.aidausa.org.