Blog

Los Angeles, CA – February 6, 2016 - Southern California’s reputation as a surfing destination has been around for decades, first cemented in Hollywood movies like 1959’s Gidget and Beach Blanket Bingo, and with bands like The Beach Boys’ whose first three albums in the 1960s - Surfin Safari, Surfin’ USA and Surfer Girl, became synonymous with California’s youth lifestyle. 

But as I recently discovered during a scuba trip to Anacapa Island with PADI scuba diving store Malibu Divers, not only are the waves amazing, but also what lies beneath them. 

Full disclosure: I’m embarrassed to admit I didn’t know there were islands off Southern California.  To me, islands conjure up images of the Caribbean or French Polynesia.  Clearly I had a lot to learn. 

Los Angeles, CA – April 26, 2015 - As temperatures rise and kids prepare for spring break and summer vacations, families are heading out on the water for fun in the sun as the season begins.  It is so easy in these first, warmer days, to become casual about water safety, and perhaps not be as alert or mindful. 

Sadly, drownings often occur in large groups of people, where victims perish within sight of onlookers, such as the recent drowning of a 3 year old boy left unattended at a backyard pool in Valencia.  According to the WHO, World Health Organization, drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths. 
There are an estimated 372,000 annual drowning deaths worldwide.  In a recent Slate article, former Coast Guard rescue swimmer Mario Vittone said these kinds of drownings occur because most people have no idea what drowning actually looks like. 

It is not the violent thrashing we see on television.  A drowning victim cannot always yell or wave his arms to signal that he is in trouble.  In fact, a swimmer on the verge of going under may even look deceptively calm. 

Los Angeles, CA – April 4, 2015 - How’s the above-water world treating you lately?  From the blare of your alarm clock in the morning, to traffic with its noise and frustration, the news tearing at you, your cell phone ringing. .  .and that’s all before your work day even begins. 

Even when we “get away”, these days, it’s hard to get away.  We are always connected to our phones, computers, and the pressures that come with life.  There is one place though, where very little of the surface world can touch us.  It’s under the sea. 

Los Angeles, CA – March 20, 2015 - You've splashed off the Oil platforms Eureka, Elly and Ellen, explored the wreck of the A.C.E. drum seiner, and dived Casino Point at Catalina Island so many times you're more use to kelp than trees.  Whether you do most of your dives near home, or save it for Cabo, you've seen a little bit of everything by now.  New dive sites just aren't the challenge they were when you started; so now it's time to go a little further - train to become a Rescue Diver.  It's a challenging, demanding course, but there isn't a single certified Rescue Diver who regrets having taken the course. 

Los Angeles, CA – January 30, 2015 - January morning in Malibu’s Paradise Cove, windless and sunny, I was packed into seven-millimeter thick neoprene, geared up for a beach dive.  It was my first ever on the southern California coast and my first step toward becoming a dive instructor, though I’ve been certified advanced open water since I graduated high school.  You’ll have to guess when that was.  I’m not telling.  It’s been that long and, for me, too long to wait to take my diving to a professional level. 

Los Angeles, CA – May 23, 2014 - The tween and teen years are some of the toughest for family vacations; the kids are too young for toys and to stay home alone, but too cool for the attractions-based vacations that used to work, and let's face it... not too many people are begging to keep your tween(s) or teen(s) for a week or so while you take off on vacation. 

Los Angeles, CA – May 9, 2014 - The feeling of gliding through a new world, one both older than the one you left behind on land and yet still new.  The feeling of slow motion flying, the sights of colorful schools of fish, or the mystery of the darkness of night underwater.  Feelings that few people know, but many wish to know. 

Los Angeles, CA – April 26, 2014 - The term SCUBA is an acronym for self contained underwater breathing apparatus.  Scuba diving is underwater exploration while carrying the scuba gear like a backpack for the purpose of breathing underwater.  Scuba diving is one of several ways of being underwater, but is the most convenient method.  Scuba diving allows greater freedom when underwater and allows the diver to swim without restrictions.