Seminar Type: Paid Seminars

Do you know the girls are hot and boys are cool? And no we aren’t talking about humans, we are talking about turtles and tortoise.

Did you know you do not have to go to a tropical destination to see a sea turtle?In this talk, biologists Jeff Erway and Mitch Wayman  will give you fascinating facts about turtles and tortoise, and where in California you may come in contact with these beautiful creatures. Join us and find out exactly why girls are hot, and boys are cool.

California divers think they are cold water divers, but come see what REALLY cold water diving is like! Jeff will take us to Svalbard, Greenland, Iceland, and Antarctica to visit water that may be as cold as 28 degrees F! Explore with us as we learn about fish that have antifreeze in their blood to keep them from freezing solid. Descend in holes through 23 feet of solid ice as we study life on Mars. Look at polar bears (from a distance), musk ox, snow hares, and reindeer. Visit remote islands where you’ll see over 250,000 penguins with a single glance. Reach out to icebergs as they bob up and down in the waves, and wander through shipwrecks frozen in ice and time. Learn how you, too, can visit the most remote polar regions on Earth.

Every underwater photographer hopes to capture images of marine life behavior, but getting great photos that fit the bill can be a challenge. This talk will discuss how shooters can best take advantage of these opportunities, both anticipated and unanticipated, including research, planning, and adjusting to unexpected situations.

The lecture covers risk management for the average to advanced diver when on liveaboards and in more remote locations, with or without access to a decompression chamber. The emphasis is on prevention, risk mitigation, recognizing hazards before they become problems or dangers, how to prevent decompression sickness, and what can and should be done when a diver suspects they might have issues. The speaker presents several real life examples of right and wrong decision making, and presents what can and cannot be done with a chamber.

Los Angeles County is in the Southern California Bight which offers a rich and diverse marine environment for SCUBA & Freediving. The best diving spots are often in areas with high turbulence potential with different turbulence profiles for each season.

This seminar will discuss how to identify and forecast favorable weather, tide, surf and tidal flow turbulence patterns for popular dive sites in Los Angeles County, utilizing current NOAA and CDIP forecasting tools. Concepts can be applied to other diving locales around the world. Recent updates to NOAA and CDIP tools will be covered as well as opportunities for ocean conditions forecasting and acclimation training applying these concepts.  Selected recent weather events will be covered to illustrate concepts presented.

Since unfavorable turbulence patterns and tidal flows are key factors in poor visibility, also covered will be the forecast of the 2024 summer and fall turbulence patterns for the Southern California Bight.

This presentation will clarify the operation principles of rebreathers and their benefits for serious videographers/photographers and technical divers, including the introduction of the first production rebreather in 1995. We will cover the many rebreather designs available today and explain the pros and cons, discuss the best applications for diving a rebreather, what to look for when purchasing a rebreather, and the required training. Some extreme dives are only practical on a rebreather, with big cost savings!

Andy and Allison are passionate advocates for California diving and have spent thousands of hours exploring and photographing the incredible marine life off our coast.  In this presentation, they’ll show some of their favorite California underwater images and tell the stories behind each, including the photographic challenges we experience in our local waters, such as dark water, poor visibility, and seasonal fluctuations.

You’ve bought all of the best equipment. You’re ready to go with maximum safety. But are you really? 41 percent of fatalities on a DAN research study listed “Out of Air” as a cause. Certainly those divers ‘knew better’ and prepared properly… right? Learn what you can do to maximize your real safety by diving into real cases and tried and true tips from the aviation industry’s extensive history with human factors. Explore why humans are so error-prone and find out why accidents really happen. Then you can explore the ocean with the knowledge and confidence to help you avoid being ‘that story.’

Many of us want to share our underwater world with others — and what better way than through photos and videos? But where to begin? This session will provide a list of resources and then explore the types of equipment, from phone cases to action cameras to point-and-shoots to DSLR and mirrorless cameras in housings. Finally, we’ll compare shooting above and below the water and review the basics of settings, and what works — and what doesn’t work — underwater

During WWII the South Pacific campaign was characterized by fierce air battles with heavy losses on both sides. Many aircraft were shot down; others suffered mechanical failures or got lost and ran out of fuel. Join the Stayers as they explore several of these underwater planes, unlocking each one’s special stories while sharing a divers insight into these tragedies. The program features dives on seven WWII plane wrecks; two Japanese Zero, two Petes, and a Kate, along with an Australian Catalina. The program highlights two American B-25s with their incredible tales; one in the jungle and one in crocodile infested waters.

I have been making underwater photographs for almost 50 years and teaching for 45 years. Over that time, I have learned a lot about what to do and common pitfalls that we all confront. This seminar is about techniques and thinking accomplished shooters benefit from along with things underwater shooters, collectively speaking, can do to improve their work while avoiding numerous pitfalls. In short, I believe I can help a lot of underwater shooters get more out of their efforts and improve their work. Bring an open mind and a smile.

Excellent diving conditions in clear life-filled waters aren’t just found in far-flung places requiring a flight. Excellent diving is in our backyard at the California Channel Islands. Five of the islands form a National Park. Anacapa is a mere 11 miles from the mainland; the furthest is remote San Nicolas Island at 57 miles out; and of course, the island of romance, Santa Catalina. Each island is different: Different marine life, underwater topographies and diving opportunities. Colorful walls and pinnacles, the fun antics of sea lions, and of course the famous beauty of the giant kelp forests. With over 70 years of combined diving experience in California waters, authors Dale and Kim Sheckler will lead you on a tour of the wonderful Channel Islands.

Explore the latest fitness trends for SCUBA diving. This motivational presentation shares innovative ways to stay fit with fun adaptations to proven methods, encouragement to try something new, crossover sports activities, and tips for advancing to the next FitDiver level. Discussion includes the purposeful use of apps and wearable technology for fitness and underwater enthusiasts. Discover tips to help identify what works best for the individual diver of any age and ability. Attendees receive sample workouts, may enter a drawing for free fitness and wellness prizes, and participate in dynamic Q&A  intervals throughout the seminar.

When there is a scuba fatality in Los Angeles County, the Office of Medical Examiner-Corner is charged with finding out why. Sometimes it’s medically related, many times it is diver error, but all are thoroughly investigated to determine what went wrong. This very popular 90 minute panel discussion is the annual review of actual scuba fatalities from L.A. County that occurred during calendar year 2023. The actual cases will all be presented, covering the accident, the attempted treatment of the victim at the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber, what the accident analysis discovered, and what the takeaway lessons are. So by coming and listening to what is presented from the actual cases, people might pick up some pointers and safety ideas that will prevent them from being one of the subjects in our 2025 presentation.

Are you interested in traveling the world and exploring some of the most beautiful dive destinations on the planet? If so, liveaboard diving may be for you.

Liveaboard diving provides easy access to bucket-list dive sites all while allowing you to live by the mantra of “eat, sleep, dive, repeat.” This presentation will cover how to choose the right liveaboard and destination, how liveaboards work, tips for planning and preparing for your upcoming adventure, and health and safety considerations to ensure you have an amazing dive vacation.

Technical diving is scuba diving beyond the recreational scuba diving limits, meaning deeper than 130′ (40M) and requiring decompression mostly for the purpose of diving wrecks and caves. This seminar will go over where and when technical diving got started, as well as the required training steps and required equipment to become a certified technical diver at depths up to 330′ (100M) for diving on wrecks, deep reefs and caves. It will go into detail about the required equipment and training for each discipline. The primary reason for the training is not only to dive deep, but how to safely get back to the surface at zero feet!

Some of the world’s most incredible and bizarre marine life lives in sandy or mucky environments, and divers travel all over the world to view and photograph these creatures.  Creating great images from these encounters, however, can be difficult due to poor visibility or unattractive negative space.  This talk will cover both macro and wide-angle scenarios, discussing ways to optimize opportunities, as well as how to apply special techniques and gear that will help you execute your vision flawlessly.

Encountering a giant sea bass is an exhilarating experience when diving in California and Mexico. However, little is known about their current population size, their spatial patterns, and ecology. Marine scientists at the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory at UC Santa Barbara are hoping to answer critically important research questions about these charismatic fish through the Spotting Giant Sea Bass Project – a community science effort that uses divers’ photographs to identify and track individual giant sea bass. Join us to hear about our updates and how you can contribute to important research on a critically endangered species!

Capturing the image has always been just the first step for photographers. Ansel Adams had his darkroom, and today we have digital tools to improve the quality and convey the mood. Even with the “perfect” composition, between backscatter, light absorption and surge (to name a few), our challenges underwater are great. Not a deep dive for professionals, we’ll explore 15 Lightroom tools and shortcuts that will quickly turn any mediocre image into a good one. And then we’ll look at the power of Topaz’s AI editing tools (Just a user – not affiliated with Adobe or Topaz).

The lecture covers risk management for the average to advanced diver when on liveaboards and in more remote locations, with or without access to a decompression chamber. The emphasis is on prevention, risk mitigation, recognizing hazards before they become problems or dangers, how to prevent decompression sickness, and what can and should be done when a diver suspects they might have issues. The speaker presents several real life examples of right and wrong decision making, and presents what can and cannot be done with a chamber.

Los Angeles County is in the Southern California Bight which offers a rich and diverse marine environment for SCUBA & Freediving. The best diving spots are often in areas with high turbulence potential with different turbulence profiles for each season.

This seminar will discuss how to identify and forecast favorable weather, tide, surf and tidal flow turbulence patterns for popular dive sites in Los Angeles County, utilizing current NOAA and CDIP forecasting tools. Concepts can be applied to other diving locales around the world. Recent updates to NOAA and CDIP tools will be covered as well as opportunities for ocean conditions forecasting and acclimation training applying these concepts.  Selected recent weather events will be covered to illustrate concepts presented.

Since unfavorable turbulence patterns and tidal flows are key factors in poor visibility, also covered will be the forecast of the 2023 summer and fall turbulence patterns for the Southern California Bight.

Well-known videographers Jim and Pat Stayer, working with several experts around the world, have compiled a comprehensive video library of marine animal behavior.  Topics include approaching animals, cleaning stations, peculiar behaviors & rituals. They will share how to recognize animals mating, laying, bearing, and protecting eggs. This information will give you a better understanding of the underwater world and allow you to get the shots of your dreams.

Video is in demand!  Every diver should be shooting video.  Viral video companies are paying for videos that hold our attention, and every diver (no matter your experience) can capture something never seen before, share it online, and influence the worlds’ perception of the life in our oceans.  In this seminar you will learn the basics for underwater video (resolution, frame rates, color loss, white balance, and ambient light vs video light), simple editing tricks for social media, how to submit/license your videos to viral video companies, music rights, and social media video output settings that streamline quality.

The deep sea is the largest habitat on our planet. What creatures live there? How do marine biologists study ecosystems that are far beyond the reach of scuba? Explore deep-sea biology research at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, including recent discoveries of many new species in California’s deep “backyard”. Meet some preserved deep-sea specimens. Learn about submersibles, remotely operated vehicles, life on a research ship, and how you can participate in livestreamed oceanographic expeditions.

When you’re diving, just about anything can happen to anyone at any time, regardless of how experienced you are. This presentation will provide an overview of the 12 most common diving injuries and problems that you can encounter — and how to prevent them from happening.

These include:

1. Sunburn
2. Stings & bites
3. Bruised toes & heels from fin chafing
4. Bruised legs from giant strides
5. Lower back pain
6. Sore ribs from your BCD
7. Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ)
8. Barotrauma
9. Mask / nose squeeze
10. Broken blood vessels in your eyes
11. Nitrogen narcosis
12. “The Bends”

For many underwater photographers, consistently acquiring proper exposures is one of the bigger obstacles they confront. But mastering exposures when making still photographs is not nearly as complicated as many people make it out to be. There are four, and only four, basic exposure scenarios that underwater shooters need to recognize. Know which of those scenarios you are in at any given instant, and you can use proven techniques to consistently acquire proper exposures. In this seminar, I’ll cover the four scenarios and what you need to do in each one to consistently acquire proper exposures.

You’ve bought all of the best equipment. You’re ready to go with maximum safety. But are you really? 41 percent of fatalities on a DAN research study listed “Out of Air” as a cause. Certainly those divers ‘knew better’ and prepared properly… right? Learn what you can do to maximize your real safety by diving into real cases and tried and true tips from the aviation industry’s extensive history with human factors. Explore why humans are so error-prone and find out why accidents really happen. Then you can explore the ocean with the knowledge and confidence to help you avoid being ‘that story.’

You took time to learn to dive. Don’t you want to learn what you’re seeing?

Divers rarely take time to learn how to identify the fish that they see. Knowing what you’re seeing not only enhances the dive experience, but it makes it more likely to notice unusual fish sightings. In this talk, Ken Kurtis will give you the basics on how to ID fish and figure out who they are. This easy-to-follow system is easy to learn and works in all waters of the world, so instead of asking “What was that fish” you’ll be able to say “Wait until you hear what I saw!”

Beach diving along the Southern California Coast line is fun and easy. And you can avoid the crowds (both divers and non-divers if you know where to go). This seminar, given by the authors of the popular book Southern California’s Best Beach Dives, will touch upon some of these hidden treasures. The popular seminar will include what you can expect above and below the water, marine life encounters, and tips on how to make your beach dives as enjoyable as possible.