Looking for a challenge? Then clear your winter schedule for the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department’s 2008 Underwater Instructor Certification Course (UICC). Started in 1954, UICC is the oldest and most respected instructor-training course in scuba today.

The current UICC program, the most thorough available in diving, is a 14-week course designed to challenge and prepare candidates to safely open the underwater world to new aqua-explorers. This singularly unique program features over 150 hours of intensive training. With over 90 hours of pool and ocean training, the program also features 60 hours of classroom lecture and training featuring top experts in the science and theory of diving.

The pre-test for 55 UICC will be held December 1st & 2nd, 2007 at Victoria Park Pool in Carson from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The formal program begins on January 5th at the prestigious Los Angeles Athletic Club in Downtown Los Angeles.

To register and get directions to the pre-test sites, contact Tiffani Fenderson at the L.A. County Underwater Unit at (310) 965 8258 or visit at www.lascuba.com. For specific course details, contact the UICC Course Director Bill Lidyoff at (323) 726-2155 or e-mail at blidyoff@pacbell.net.