Welcome to Eco Dive Club of Los Angeles. Calling all divers!

ECO is happy to have Mr. Eric Chavez from National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) as our speaker in August. NMFS is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and is commonly referred to as "NOAA Fisheries Service".  The presentation will cover what NMFS does in general, with more specific information about the Habitat Conservation Division. NMFS is involved with managing fish stocks to support sustainable fisheries and safe seafood, protecting species listed under the Endangered Species Act (e.g., sea turtles, salmon), Marine Mammal Protection Act (e.g., dolphins, seals), and protecting and restoring marine and coastal habitats.  The Habitat Conservation Division uses SCUBA diving as a tool to support our habitat protection efforts by performing habitat surveys, restoration project monitoring and construction site inspections. 

Eric Chavez joined the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) as a contractor working with Geographic Information Systems for the Habitat Conservation Division (HCD) in the Southwest Region. After almost three years with HCD, he took a permanent position with the Sustainable Fisheries Division (SFD) dealing with ocean salmon fishery issues. During his time with SFD, he was involved with three fishery disaster relief requests (two of which he was appointed the lead), an overfishing review for Klamath River fall-run Chinook, and the initial design and implementation of a coastwide genetic stock identification project. In addition, he served as the NMFS representative on the Klamath Fishery Management Council, an advisory body to the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC).

Since rejoining HCD in May of 2008, Eric has been responsible for evaluating coastal development projects as they pertain to the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and the Essential Fish Habitat provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. In addition to these issues, Eric will be involved in habitat restoration projects in Orange and San Diego Counties. He will also build upon his previous experience working with the PFMC as a member of their Habitat Committee.

The meeting is sure to be fun, informative and a great time. Arrive around 6:45pm for food and a seat. Food and drinks will be served for all in attendance and a raffle will be held at the end of the meeting. Prizes: Oceanic dive computer, first aid kit, brass scuba buckle and ECO hat. Don't forget about the social hour at Joxer's, too!

ECO is excited to have Mr. Karl E. Huggins from USC Wrigley Marine Science Center- an extension of the LA County-USC Medical Center Department of Emergency Medicine, as our speaker in September. 

Huggins has been a diver for 31 years and has been active in diving instruction and safety for almost as long. He started diving in 1977 and became an instructor with NAUI in 1980.

In 1990, he received the association’s Leonard Greenstone Diving Safety Award. In 1993, he received the Diver of the Year award from the Divers Alert Network. In 2004, he received the Conrad Limbaugh Memorial Award for scientific diving leadership from the American Association of Underwater Sciences. Huggins is known for his work in decompression theory and physiology, and in 1981 he developed and published a set of no decompression dive tables through the Michigan Sea Grant program. In 1983, Huggins helped develop the first commercially viable underwater computer for divers.

Huggins enjoys educating divers about decompression and diving safety, and he has given hundreds of lectures, seminars and workshops as a featured speaker at conferences around the world. He has authored many articles and publications on decompression theory, including two books The Dynamics of Decompression Workbook and Dive Computers: A Consumer’s Guide to History, Theory and Performance. Huggins has a master’s of science in bioengineering from the University of Michigan, and he regularly tests dive computers in addition to running the USC chamber.

If you want to know more about the chamber, why it is SO important the chamber is available for divers or just want to get together with some fun dives buddies then be sure to come to September's dive club meeting. Food and drinks are available to all in attendance, free of charge. Afterwards we'll be heading to Joxer's for drinks and social hour. 

See you there!!

Come join us for July's ECO Dive Club Meeting with guest speaker Bill Wilson from California Wreck Divers (CWD) on TUesday, July 6 at 7pm. Bill will be speaking about the wrecks off the Southern California coast, with special emphasis on the wrecks in San Diego's world famous Wreck Alley.

Bill Wilson Started scuba diving in the 1950’s.  During that time he became a commercial diver and used his diving skills in the military. Bill became a certified diving instructor in the 1960’s and was a founding Charter Member of CWD in 1971. He has been past President and has held all offices of the corporation. Bill is an avid wreck diver not only on the California Coast but also around the world. It’s his love of history and preservation of the past that inspires him to keep diving.

CWD was founded in the spring of 1971 in order to provide greater opportunity for the members to explore California shipwrecks and to systematically research and seek out wrecks. To further the last objective, CWD incorporated as a not-for-profit organization with the State of California. The club maintains listings and information about wrecks, including wrecks known to lie in diveable waters.

If you are interested in learning more about local wrecks, are taking the Wreck Specialty being taught in July or are attending Wreck Weekend on July 17-18 then you do not want to miss this meeting!! As always, food and drinks are provided free of charge for all in attendance. The meeting will also end the the ever-popular raffle and social hour at Joxer's. Show up early for a good seat and for some time to catch up with dive buddies.

You're at 40' and all you hear is your heartbeat and the sounds of the ocean. No bubbles. No exhaust. The animals and creatures around you are not suspicious and have no concerns about your presence. Sounds pretty great, right? Come join the ECO Dive Club as Titan Dive Gear comes to speak about rebreathers/CCR.

A rebreather recirculates the gas a diver is breathing, allowing the diver to breath the same gas over and over again. The system removes the carbon dioxide generated by human metabolism, and adds oxygen and other gases to make up what is consumed. Because the gas is breathed over and over again, instead of being "thrown away" with every breath, a diver can remain underwater far longer on much less gas. In fact, for some dives, rebreathers can be as much as fifty times more efficient on gas consumption than standard scuba.

If you've ever been interested in rebreathers, want to get one for yourself or have no idea what a rebreather is then you should definitely come to the dive club! Food and drinks are provided free of charge for all in attendance. Don't forget about the raffle at the end of the meeting and social hour at Joxer's.