Tacoma scuba diving shops offer a range of services for divers. They also offer supplies and training, and specialize classes. Local scuba diving activities, such as Earth Day cleanups, are also available. If you are interested in diving and want to learn more, check out Buzzing Scuba Dive Shop, a great place to get started. Buzzing Scuba Dive Shop offers many services.
Earth Day underwater cleanup
Volunteers are coming together from the Tacoma dive community to support the environment this Earth Day. The cleanup will be held at Point Defiance Boathouse in Tacoma. The cleanup removed 810 pounds worth of trash from the waters last year. This effort is ongoing to preserve marine life and the environment. Scuba diving is an enjoyable hobby that can be promoted and shared with others.
The organizers are hoping to get kayakers as well as scuba divers working together to clean up the Tacoma waterfront. Once the net is removed, divers will use a boat elevator to haul it out of the water. Wounded Warriors can help participants remove large quantities of trash and other debris. Organizers are hoping the cleanup will help preserve our waters and provide a unique experience for the community.
Rockfish survey
Scuba divers can help save threatened rockfish species by participating in a community-based rockfish survey at Tacoma SCUBA. This dive is part the Harbor WildWatch citizen science partnership with the NOAA. Participation in the survey is open to all divers, with no experience required. The training is done during the dive brief. Participation in night dives requires certification.
In 1998, WDFW started a multiyear mark-recapture program 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.
Easy exit with only a few pounds trash
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, fishing net, and glass bottles made up the majority of the garbage. The Marine Science and Technology Center of Highline Community College (MaST) organized the clean-up. A MaST cleanup previously removed hundreds and thousands of pounds from the water around Des Moines.
Observation on wounded bull sea-lion
Tacoma, Washington dive group had the opportunity to witness an amazing sight while scuba diving. Scuba divers were stunned to see a bull sea lion wounded by an arrow. According to reports, the shark bite had left the animal blind and had left a scar. Bjorn was rescued and taken to the Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles. The sea lion is now named Bjorn, after a character in the popular TV show "Vikings." This mighty creature weighs nearly 400 pounds and is now residing at the Tacoma Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.
A Tacoma dive group experienced this spectacular sight in October. It was the first time that the group had ever seen a sea lion on a dive, and they were so excited about it that they gathered in groups with other scuba divers to watch the creatures in action. The lions' playful nature is also apparent during the observation. Sea lion pups are more likely to play in the water with divers of similar age and group together. They also enjoy playing with divers, jumping in the water and giving them toys as well as interacting with bubble stream.