5/4/2006 - Chamber Evening

Yesterday was Chamber Day in Southern California. Each year divers, dive shops and manufacturers donate their time and money to help the Catalina Island Hyperbaric Chamber. Many dive boats donate proceeds for a two-tank trip with a stop at the chamber to allow divers to see the operation. Later in the evening the action shifts to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach for dinner and prize awards. The chamber reached the $100,000 mark in donatioons for the first time. The evening is fun for so many reasons, but one of them is the fact that as divers, we can dress up or be grungy from a day of diving and still fit in at this function. Merry, Shanon(Divin' Smurf) and Drysuit Greg joined me for our "prom" last night. I talked with several divers I don't see often enough and walked around the aquarium during dinner. It's fun to play dress-up once in awhile, but I prefer suits that come with attached rubber boots. I'll get back in the water tomorrow morning.

Merry, Shanon and Greg

Mike Madden and Elaine Jobin, Chamber volunteers

Mike Gallagher, the Calamari Wrestler

Giant Pacific Octopus. It's hard to shoot through acrylic

Fleshy Seapens

Sarcastic Fringehead, Brittle stars and sand dollars

Shanon and Greg sharing some bubble gum

I need to dress up more often.