What? You haven’t done 3Rs yet?
Wednesday, May 14th, 20083R’s - Rocks, Rips, & Reefs
GLACD and LA County Department of Parks and Recreation Underwater Unit
Brings you… Rocks, Rips, & Reefs 2008
The Greater Los Angeles Council of Divers (GLACD) and the Los Angeles County Underwater Instructors Association (LA Co. UIA) have joined forces to produce an entire series of courses designed to safely introduce divers to popular, local dive sites.
Conducted by certified Scuba instructors, the Rocks, Rips, and Reefs course includes a short educational seminar covering safe beach diving skills, certain aspects of the local marine environment, and other valuable, site-specific information. Conditions permitting, the seminar is followed by an in-water demonstration and practice session that includes a skin diving tour of the actual dive site.
Topics and skills covered in the course include:
Choosing appropriate entry and exit points, and safe entry and exit skills
Identifying, anticipating, and navigating hidden obstacles in the surf zone
How to use the ocean’s natural wave motion to your advantage
How to plan your dive by reading the ocean’s surface and using tide tables
How to find interesting stuff at each location.
Participants are required to wear a full wetsuit, mask, snorkel, and fins. A weight belt with no more than half the normal diving weight is optional. Tanks and regulators are not allowed during the program, but may be brought along if you plan to make a dive after the class is over.
After completing the in-water practice, we finish the session with a noon time get-together and social, so bring along a picnic lunch and plan on socializing afterwards.
SCUBA certification is not required in order to participate in 3R’s courses! New divers welcomed!
When and where are you diving?
Schedule: Classes start at 8am and usually go through 11am. Arrive and register at 7:30am.
2008 Schedule:
May 17 - Leo Carrillo South
3500 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265
More info here
June 14 - Nicholas Canyon
33850 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265
More info here
July 12 - Malaga Cove ~ Rat Beach
389 Paseo Del Mar, Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA 90274
More info here
August 9 - Point Dume
7200 Westward Beach Rd., Malibu, CA 90265
More info here
September 13 - White Point
1800 Paseo Del Mar, San Pedro, CA 90732
More info here
October 11 - Leo Carrillo North
3500 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265
More info here
Why should I take this?
Our goal is to support you in becoming a better, safer diver through education. This includes teaching the dive community about beach diving conditions such as:
Identifying, anticipating, and navigating hidden obstacles in the surf zone
How to use the ocean’s natural wave motion to your advantage and conserve energy
Using tide tables to plan your dive
How to pick a dive site and plan your dive day there
How to find cool stuff at a dive location such as marine life
Choosing an appropriate entry and exit point
Most of all: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
Will I get to go scuba diving afterwards?
Absolutely! Our main focus of the 3R’s is advancing your knowledge of the ocean/beach environment. Once 3R’s is finished, you are free to dive with your buddy. Unfortunately, liability reasons do not allow us to scuba dive as part of the 3R’s program.
What do I need to bring?
Full Skin Gear (FSG) for 3R’s, and Full Ocean Gear (FOG) if you plan to scuba dive afterwards. Full Skin Gear is full wetsuit, mask, booties, fins, snorkel, and a weightbel! t with half the normal weight used for diving. There is a $5.00 suggested tax deductible donation to help fund the program. Fee is waived for GLACD members. GLACD membership is $15 and includes all 3R’s sessions. GLACD is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
You can also get more information and register in advance by emailing mail@glacd.org or visit www.glacd.org.
You do not need to be SCUBA certified to take this course. It is useful for the entire family, friends, and anyone going into the water.
At special times, we often get the opportunity for the lifeguards to come out and do a talk on the surf conditions and the type of beach. After completing the in-water practice, we finish the session with a noon time Bar-B-Que, so bring along a picnic lunch and plan on socializing afterwards!