Happy Birthday to the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber!!!

This October, our Chamber turns 35. So we thought it would be appropriate this year to turn Chamber Day into a Chamber Birthday Bash. And we're happy to say that registration is now open for the 21st annual Chamber Day, to be held on Wednesday, May 6, 2009. (In case you’re not aware of it, Chamber Day is a fund-raiser for our Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber, and is the largest single-day scuba charity event in the United States.)

As you may or may not know, the Catalina Chamber is dedicated strictly to the treatment of diving accidents on a 24/7/365 basis. Although we hope you’ll never need it, having the Chamber available gives divers a vital safety net in the event something should go wrong with your dive. Although there is a grant from LA County, and the Chamber gets income from some outside activities, Chamber Day provides a significant portion (close to 50%) of the Chamber’s annual budget.

The great thing about this event is that ALL the monies raised goes to the Chamber. No administrative fees are deducted from the proceeds, the local SoCal boats donate their time and services, the manufacturers donate gear for raffle prizes, the Aquarium of the Pacific donates their facility for the evening event, hundreds of volunteers donate their time, and you (hopefully) donate your money. Last year we raised over $120,000 and we know - especially with the economy - that that's going to be tough to top this year. But, with your help, we're going to give it our best shot. Here's what's happening:

• • • The main event is Chamber Day, a full day of diving (two dives) at Catalina plus a walking tour of the Chamber at the Isthmus. Cost for this is $90 (plus $30 for food & airfills) which gets you the diving, the tour, a t-shirt, and five raffle tickets.

• • • For those who can’t take a day off but would still like to participate we have the Flying Dutchman, a mythical boat but a big part of Chamber Day as it’s the perfect place for those who can’t do the event. Those who choose to “dive” the Dutchman get a special limited-edition t-shirt (available ONLY to those who sign up for the Dutchman) as well as raffle tickets.

• • • There’s also the Chamber Challenge, where the diving community is “challenged” to raise extra funds for our Chamber, through specific donations (usually $100, but also $500 and $1000), which then hopefully challenge your friends to match your generosity.

• • • And this year - as part of the Challenge - we're including the "Chamber Birthday Cake" where you can sponsor a candle which will not only help our Chamber, but which will also get you invited to a special Chamber Birthday Party that will include cake and a chamber dive to 165'. (More on that in a moment.)

• • • We've got plenty of tickets for the daytime raffle (you need not be present to win) whether you’re going on a boat or just want a chance at winning some fabulous prizes.

• • • Chamber Evening is the cap to everything and is co-sponsored by the Aquarium of the Pacific. It features full access to the Aquarium, a sit-down dinner in the Great Hall (underneath the life-sized model of a Blue Whale), some awards, a separate raffle, and the presentation of the final check to Karl Huggins, Director of the Chamber.

Full information on this great event can be found of the web at “www.chamberday.org.” You can even sign up via the web and our secure server, or by calling 310/652-4990.

But no matter how you do it, we really hope you’ll get involved with Chamber Day & Chamber Evening this year.

Ken Kurtis
Chairman, Chamber Day/Eve 2009