Catalina Connection Catalina Divers Supply Honored with Catalina Cares Award

The award re ects an ongoing commitment to conservation.

By: LOG STAFF

AVALON — Catalina Divers Supply (CDS), the island’s only full-service dive center, was recently honored with the Cares for Catalina Award. The Care for Catalina programs were developed to encourage dedication to conservation and sustainability e orts on Catalina Island to limit human impacts, protect the environment, and learn more about Catalina’s approach to sustainability and commitment to future generations.

The sustainable tourism award honors Catalina Divers Supply “for extraordinary contributions by a business to the furtherance of sustainable tourism” for managing the 2023 Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup. This was the event’s 41st year, where more than 600 divers and about 100 volunteers headed out to Avalon Harbor to groom the sea oor and collect an average of 3,000 pounds of debris. 2023 was the rst year CDS managed the respected event. The next Annu- al Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup will be held Feb. 24, 2024.

The Catalina Cares Award was distributed in July at the annual meeting of the Catalina Tourism Authority, known as LoveCatalina.

Catalina Divers Supply owner Christy Lins said hosting the underwater cleanup is part of the company’s environmental commitment. CDS is also a PADI Aware Partner (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), a designation that honors the company’s commitment to the dive agency’s ocean conservation programs. At CDS’s dive center located in the Catalina Casino, a signi cant portion of the retail space is dedicated to sustainable products, including re llable water bottles, reef-safe sunblock, and reusable home products.

“Everyone who works at CatalinaDivers Supply understands the importance of ocean conservation,” said Lins in a press release. “We are dedicated to not just reducing our impact on the environment but also helping our customers understand how their everyday activities can make a di erence.”

Catalina Divers Supply was founded in 1960 and is one of the oldest dive shops on the West Coast. Dedicated to helping adventurers explore Catalina’s underwater world, the shop o ers various scuba classes and experiences, gear sales, rentals, and repairs. Additionally, boat dives are available onboard the Scuba Cat

CALENDAR FEATURE

Upcoming Marine Flare Collection Events

By: LOG STAFF

Together, CalRecycle, California State Parks and Coastal Commission’s California Boating Clean and Green Program have partnered with Alameda County, Delta Diablo, Del Norte County, Contra Costa County, Marin County, the City of Oceanside, the Port of LA, and the California Product Stewardship Council to host a marine are collection event where boaters can bring expired ares and learn about marine are management safety, including the advantages of reusable distress signals like electronic visual distress signal device (eVDSD), that better protect California communities and the environment.

Residents and boaters berthing their boats in the above locations can take expired marine ares to their county’s designated marine are collection events this fall. Only expired marine ares from residents and boaters berthing their boats in the covered areas will be accepted. No marine ares from commercial craft, an organization, or other household hazardous waste

(HHW) will be accepted during the special event. Proof of residence or eligibility is required (i.e., license, registration, or slip fee).

Southern California

• City of Oceanside: Saturday, Sept. 9, from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. at 1850 Harbor Dr N, Oceanside, CA 92054

• Port of LA: Saturday, Sept. 9 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Cabrillo Way Marina - 2293 Miner St, San Pedro, CA 90731

Northern California

• East Contra Costa County: Aug. 17 - Sept. 16, during business hours at 2550 Pittsburg-Antioch Hwy, Pittsburg, CA 94565

• West Contra Costa County: Aug. 16 - Sept. 16, during business hours at 101 Pittsburg Avenue, Richmond, CA 94801

• Del Norte County: Saturday, Sept.

16, from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. at 1700 State Street, Crescent City, CA 95531. *Open to residents of Humboldt County

• Marin County: Sunday, Sept. 17, from 8 a.m. -12 p.m. at Clipper Yacht Harbor - 310 Harbor Drive, Sausalito, CA 94965

• Alameda County: Sunday, Sept. 17, by appointment only. Sign up for an appointment: www.stopwaste. org/marine ares_

The United States Coast Guard requires boaters to carry several unexpired visual distress signals on board, day and night. Pyrotechnic marine ares are the most common distress signals found onboard. Still, they are explosive and contain hazardous waste and toxic chemicals, like perchlorate, that are harmful to humans and the environment. Marine ares are single-use only, expire 36-42 months after manufacture, and can also fail to launch.

Managing single-use pyrotechnic marine ares is essential for safety and of

Catalina Divers Supply also o ers snorkeling tours as well as snorkeling gear sales and rentals. As a PADI Five Star Dive Center, Catalina Divers Supply has been instrumental in the development and continued success of the Casino Point Dive Park, one of North America’s most popular dive spots. The company’s central location is on the ground oor of the Catalina Casino; a second location lives on Avalon’s green Pleasure Pier.

For more information, please visit https://www.catalinadiverssupply. com/.

JULY 2023 AVALON HARBOR ACTIVITY:

AVERAGE TEMP – HIGH: 69

AVERAGE TEMP – LOW: 62

AVERAGE SEA TEMP: 69

RAIN (INCHES): 0

RAIN DAYS: 0

WEATHER WARNINGS: 0

PEOPLE ABOARD BOATS: 9980

VESSELS MOORED: 2495

VESSELS ANCHORED:288

MOORINGS SOLD/TRANSFERRED:2/0 CITATIONS ISSUED/DISCHARGES: 0/0

TOTAL CRUISE SHIPS/ PASSENGERS: 7/27,654 environmental reasons. Boaters should never throw ares overboard or in their household trash. However, California resident boaters do not have access to routine expired marine are disposal programs, and according to the California Expired Marine Flare Working Group, recreational vessels generate about 174,000 pyrotechnic marine ares yearly, an estimation from 2012.

In the absence of safe disposal options locally, the partners encourage resident boaters to consider switching to eVDSDs as a reusable distress signal alternative to the single-use pyrotechnic marine are. They are a one-time fee, last up to ten years, and have different colored light patterns that stand out against bright, chaotic cityscapes.

For more information about expired marine ares and the bene ts of using electronic distress signals, visit dbw. parks.ca.gov/marine ares.

ACROSS

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4. Grace word

12. Edible mushroom

13. “Belling the Cat” author

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15. They have Xings

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16. Come again

17. At all times, in verse

18. Aces

20. Look somewhere else

22. Angled joint

23. Contradicted

26. Betelgeuse’s constellation

28. Calendar span

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33. Oldies, shrunk a little

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35. Divination deck

37. Hurt

39. Corkwood

43. It may get into a jamb

44. Boardwalk diversion

45. Southern cadet school

47. Tree snake

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50. Recreational road system

51. Bacteria discovered by Theodor Escherich

52. Runs Ls

53. Dead language test

54. One may be taken to the cleaners

55. Second-in-command to L B J

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2. “Rigoletto” composer

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6. Bailout key

7. Keepsake

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10. A girl’s best friend?

11. Dungeons & Dragons game