Posted by on April 23, 2005 at 08:32:55:
SALEM - Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program today announced open enrollment for two programs teaching scuba diving and spearfishing off the Oregon Coast this summer.
The course is a pilot program of ODFW's Becoming an Outdoors Woman Program. Participants will earn basic open-water scuba certification, and take lessons in a specialized, National Geographic-designed diving course that focuses on Oregon marine identification and diving challenges specific to exploring Oregon's underwater resources.
Graduates of this program, held in Salem, are invited to join other certified divers for a spearfishing training session July 30 at a freshwater, high-mountain lake, and an Aug. 27 spearfishing adventure at Cape Lookout.
Participants can choose between a seven-week course, which begins April 30 and meets on Saturdays, and a five-week class which begins May 10 and meets on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Each certification class is limited to ten participants. The fishing courses are limited to 30 participants, all of whom must be scuba certified.
"This is a whole new direction for the BOW program, and we are excited to introduce women to the challenge of exploring and fishing Oregon's freshwater and marine habitats," said Outdoor Skills and Natural Resources Education Coordinator Paula Booth. "Diving in Oregon is one of the best-kept secrets of the Pacific Northwest."