Registration is now underway for the 23rd annual Chamber Day (to be held on Wednesday, May 4th this year). Chamber Day is a fund-raiser for the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber, and is the largest single-day scuba charity event in the United States.
The Catalina Chamber is dedicated strictly to the treatment of diving accidents on a continual basis. 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 L.A. County, and the chamber gets income from some outside activities, Chamber Day provides a significant portion (close to 50 percent) of the chamber’s annual budget.
All the money raised goes to the chamber. No administrative fees are deducted from the proceeds, the local Southern California 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 and hundreds of volunteers donate their time. The event has many facets and there are multiple ways for you to get involved.
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 and air fills) and that gets you the diving, the tour, a commemorative t-shirt, and five raffle tickets.
For those who can’t take a day off but would still like to participate, there is the Flying Dutchman, a mythical boat but a big part of Chamber Day, as it’s the perfect place for those who can’t physically attend the event. Those who choose to “dive” the Dutchman get a special limited edition commemorative 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.
Raffle tickets can be purchased 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 (13th Annual) 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, a separate raffle, and the presentation of the final check to Karl Huggins, Director of the Chamber.
Full information on this event can be found on the web at www.chamberday.org. You can even sign up via the web and a secure server, or by calling 310-652-4990.
