Tacoma's dive shops offer divers a variety services. They also offer supplies and training, and specialize classes. Participating in local scuba diving activities such as Earth Day clean-ups is possible. Buzzing Scuba Dive Shop is an excellent place to start scuba diving. Learn more about Buzzing Scuba Dive Shop’s services.
Earth Day underwater cleanup
Volunteers are coming together from the Tacoma dive community to support the environment this Earth Day. The cleanup takes place at the Point Defiance Boathouse in Tacoma. 810 pounds of trash were removed from the waterways last year. This cleanup continues to help marine life and conserve the environment. It's a great way of promoting your business and meeting other people who enjoy diving.
To remove fishing gear from Tacoma's waterfront, organizers plan to get kayakers and divers together. Divers will lift the net out of the water using a boat elevator once it is removed. Wounded Warriors will allow some participants to take large pieces of trash or other waste off the water. Organizers are hoping the cleanup will help preserve our waters and provide a unique experience for the community.
Rockfish survey
Participating in a Tacoma SCUBA community-based rockfish survey can help to save endangered rockfish species. This dive is part Harbor WildWatch citizen science collaboration with NOAA. The survey is open for all divers. No experience or qualification required. Training takes place during the dive brief. Participants must be certified to dive at night.
In 1998, WDFW initiated a multi-year mark capture study near Westport (Washington). The monitoring system of sport fishery tag-recovery monitoring involves five annual releases. These fish were released in pinnacles of the Westport charter boat fishing fleet. This survey involves the placing of two wire tags in the opercular muculature of these fish in order for them to be identified after capture.
You can get rid of a lot of trash in one go
Commencement Bay is a good place to go diving in the greater Tacoma Area. Earth Day saw 47 pounds of garbage collected by volunteer divers. Octopuses and fishing line were also included in the trash. The Marine Science and Technology Center, part of Highline Community College, organized the clean-up. A MaST cleanup in the past removed hundreds upon thousands of pounds of trash around Des Moines.
Observation of the wounded bull sea lion
Tacoma's dive group witnessed an amazing sight while scubadiving. A bull sea-lion had been shot with an arrow by scuba divers. The animal sustained a shark bite wound and was blind. Bjorn, who was blind from the shark bite, was taken to Los Angeles' Marine Mammal Care Center where rescuers assisted him in gaining weight. The sea lion is now named Bjorn, after a character in the popular TV show "Vikings." This mighty creature is almost 400 pounds in weight and is currently residing at Tacoma Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.
This spectacular sight was witnessed by a Tacoma group of scuba divers in October. The group was astonished to see a sea lion in action for the first time. Observations of the sea lions reveal their playful nature. Sea lion pups often form groups with similar ages and play with divers in water. The pups also like to play with the divers, jumping into the water to give them toys and interacting with bubble streams.