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Channel Islands Divers

Recreational Scuba Club
BRIEFINGS: everything CID


7/15/26: Karl Huggins, USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber: Understanding Scuba Injuries & DCS
PRESENTATION TOPIC Discover the story behind the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber and its lifesaving role in our diving community. This engaging presentation will cover common scuba injuries, with a special focus on Air Embolism and Decompression Sickness—how they happen, how they’re treated, and most importantly, how to prevent them. Through real case examples and practical safety tips, you’ll gain valuable knowledge to make every dive safer and more confident. SPEAKER BI
6 hours ago


Newsletter: June 2026
Topics: Speaker: Jaclyn Mann from Reef Check, on Long-Term Kelp Forest Monitoring Member Dive Reports: 5/23 Spectre trip to the front side of Anacapa by Rob Marion 5/30 Veterans Park, Redondo Beach, by Rob Johnson Scuba Show 2026 Wrap-up report, by Dan Perdue Baja Travel Tips, by Steve Peterson Club Business: Upcoming Board Elections
Jun 14


Bottom Times: June 2026
Greetings and salutations, amigos! Every year we go through this June Gloom weather. It is like Mother Nature is threatening us with a storm, but zilch... it has not poured yet. What is pouring is the enthusiasm from your beloved board members. What an amazing group of people we have helping to keep the good ship Channel Islands Divers afloat. This club has been active since 1992, and 34 years later, the CID Board gathered once again, just as it has for all those years, to co
Jun 13


6/17/26: Jaclyn Mann, Reef Foundation SoCal Director, on the Kelp Monitoring Program
Topic: The Kelp Monitoring Program Jaclyn will discuss Reef Check’s long-term kelp forest monitoring program. She'll detail the training and experience needed to become a volunteer diver and look at some of the ways in which data collected by our citizen scientists is used in the scientific community. Speaker Bio: Jaclyn grew up in Ventura, California where she discovered at a young age that she had an interest and a passion for studying marine biology. She earned her bachel
May 25


Newsletter: May 2026
Topics Speaker: Josh Dykman of Scuba Solutions on gear checks and maintenance Member Dive Reports: Pt. Dume and Deer Creek Book of the Month: "Dirtbag Billionaire: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave It All Away" Upcoming Activities/Events: Scuba Show and Veteran's Park Dive (May), Chamber Ride at the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber (July), Ensenada Trip (August), Catalina Veteran's Day Weekend (Nov)
May 19


Bottom Times: May 2026
Greetings & Salutations, Amigos! May is shaping up to be one heck of a month for the club! You all are an incredibly active group. It is nice to see how much you all like having fun. This is spectacular and we are not even half way into the year. The good news is that Cozumel is officially sold out!! New member (April) Tad Dawson snagged the last spot, bringing us to 20 divers and 2 non-divers joining us on this EPIC adventure. Huge win!! Brining the cost down to the lowest
May 18


5/20/26: Josh Dykman of Scuba Solutions - Gear Checks and Maintainance Tips
Josh will go over how we should check our gear before a dive, what we should be doing to maintain our equipment after a dive, and when we should bring it to him for service. Speaker Bio: Scuba Solutions, specializing in scuba diving gear repair, was founded by Josh Dykman. A technician with over 15 years in the dive industry, Josh’s training spans intensive technician study in Thailand, scientific diving in Maryland, and high-volume repairs in California and Maui. He is an
May 3


Let's Go to the Scuba Show!
Put it on your calendar - the 2026 Scuba Show is May 30 & 31, at the Long Beach Convention Center. New this year, all tickets are all-access to seminars, workshops and the exhibition hall. So, check out the exhibitor list , the speakers and get your tickets ! (discount code: trident_30) Two of our favorite club speakers from 2025 are presenting again: Todd Korte on action cameras, and Mark Strickland on how to approach marine life, including dolphins and whales. Rob J. wi
Apr 16


Newsletter: April 2026
Topics: Speaker: Darvil McBride “Tips and Tales from a World-Champion Spearfisher” EGGStravaganza report Member dive report: Butterfly Beach by Rob Johnson Book of the month “Sea Caves of Santa Cruz Island” by David Bunnell Announcement for November 2026 Catalina Veterans Day Club trip
Apr 12


Special discounts on gear from Darvil & American Diving Co.
SPECIAL OFFER FOR CID MEMBERS ONLY! Darvil & American Dive Co. have generously offered discounts on gear ordered before Darvil comes to speak next week. 30% off all gear at americandiveco.com 50% off Beuchat fins and wetsuits! Send your order to Del by April 12th Pick up orders & pay at the meeting April 15th. Not sure something will fit? No problem - order it and try, no obligation.
Apr 11


Bottom Times: April 2026
Greetings and salutations! Spring is here and the club is firing on all cylinders. Last month was a blast—21 divers hit Carpinteria for the underwater Easter Egg Hunt, and somehow… we still left eggs for the fish. If you missed it, you missed a good one. And yes… we even made the news ! April is stacked! Starting off with our April Speaker Darvil Mcbride . I have been in contact with Darvil for almost two years, and I am genuinely excited that he is finally making it out to o
Apr 11


4/15/26: Darvil McBride "Tips & Tales From a World Champion Spearfisher"
SPEAKER’S BIO Darvil McBride is a seasoned spearfisherman, educator, and industry leader with global experience across nearly every style of underwater hunting. He currently serves as the Director of Sales for American Dive Co., the largest distributor of spearfishing and freediving equipment world-wide, representing iconic European brands such as Pathos, Picasso, Cetma, Alchemy, Epsealon, and Beuchat, as well as the American brand SpearPro. Each summer, Darvil runs a maj
Apr 8


CID's EGGstravaganza made the news!
Woohoo - the club made the evening news on KEYT ! Alissa Orozco, community content producer, did a great job highlighting the 2026 EGGstravaganza at Carpinteria State Beach on March 28th. Check it out!
Mar 29


3/19/26: Eric Taylor & Laura Forsyth - Safari & Diving in Tanzania
Our Intrepid Adventurers SAFARI (noun). Origins: 1885–90; < Swahili < Arabic safar “journey". A. a journey or expedition, for hunting, exploration, or investigation, especially in eastern Africa. B. the hunters, guides, vehicles, equipment, etc., forming such an expedition. C. any long or adventurous journey or expedition. In October 2025, CID members Eric Taylor and Laura Forsyth set off on a month-long safari of a lifetime in East Africa. Laura insists that Eric got compl
Mar 17


Newsletter: March 2026
Topics Speakers: Eric Taylor and Laura Forsyth, "Safari and Diving in Tanzania, Oct 2025" EGGstravaganza 3/28 Member dive reports: Eric Taylor on the Baja Baleeners, Storm Thurston-Keller on Exploring Thailand, Mike & Teresa Cunningham on Lionfish in Bonaire
Mar 16


Bottom Times: March 2026
Those 7:00 PM sunsets are a gift. It means something special — the chance to finish a day’s work and still chase the ocean before nightfall.
Mar 15


2/18/26: Neail Holland - Public Safety Training for Divers
SPEAKER’S BIO Neail Holland has been scuba diving since 1989. After moving to California in 1991, he became truly passionate about scuba diving. Over the years, he sought additional training while diving the California Channel Islands regularly. In 2005, he became a Divemaster and following became a Technical diver, diving a closed circuit rebreather and cave diving, which increased his knowledge and safety awareness. In 2007, Neail became a NAUI Instructor and started Rec2
Feb 18


Newsletter: February 2026
Topics Speaker: Neail Holland on Public Safety Diving Divemaster Dan's report on hunting at County Line Book of the Month - "The Outlaw Ocean: Crime and Survival in the Last Untamed Frontier" by Ian Urbina
Feb 16


Bottom Times: February 2026
Greetings, fellow members, Well, the most anticipated day of the month is here! Your very own newsletter, packed with all the happenings of your favorite diving celebrities caught in action and juicy topics. Hot off the press and delivered with priority mail straight to your inbox. And it gets better. This is also the most anticipated issue of the year because the 2026 CID club agenda is inside. Yes, you read that right. Our full schedule of fun under the sun, in the water, a
Feb 15


1/15/2026: Ken McAlpine - “Islands Apart: A Year on the Edge of Civilization”
January Speaker - Ventura Author Ken McAlpine I will be discussing my book “Islands Apart: A Year on the Edge of Civilization”. The idea behind the book was simple. It’s a fast-paced world we live in, and I felt that I was missing something in all the rush, something that mattered. So I spent a week camping on each of the five islands of Channel Islands National Park, in an attempt to better understand our world and how we spend our precious time here (I did things on the mai
Jan 15
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