Get to know our local Inshore Fishes

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Free REEF Fish Identification Class taught by our own Power Scuba guru Herb Gruenhagen!

VERY IMPORTANT: Herb's classes are excellent and fun - and they generate big waiting lists. No-shows are not appreciated! You MUST commit to attending the class, and, if you find you can't make the class, you MUST change your RSVP in time for a wait-listed member to attend. If you think work or family situations might make you cancel at the last minute, DO NOT SIGN UP. Not showing up (and thereby depriving others of a chance to take the class) is neither considerate nor fair to your fellow divers.

Become a 'Citizen Scientist' and find out who's living in the neighborhood!

WHERE: Ocean Enterprises, 7710 Balboa Ave, SD 92121 (small upstairs classroom)

COST: ZERO! You commit your attendance, time and effort. No monetary fee.

Snorkelers and SCUBA divers, do you want to know more about our fish? Are you curious about the REEF Monitoring Project? Want to contribute to science by surveying our local marine life?

You can do all of the above by attending the San Diego Oceans Foundation's REEF identification training program. You'll learn a lot more about what's happening beyond the surf zone!

Whether you're a newly-minted Open Water diver, an avid snorkeler, or an experienced diver wanting to expand your marine knowledge, this class will give you a ton of interesting facts about our underwater world...and it doesn't stop there! Once you've finished this fascinating course, you'll be able to perform REEF surveys and record your observations online for scientists to use and analyze. It's fun, it's easy, it's FREE - and best of all, REEF surveyors help add to a big marine-life database used by scientists in several ways.

If you can't make this class, upcoming classes will be held the 3rd Wednesday of each month:
Fish ID classes (2014: Sept, Nov)
Invertebrates & Algae ID (2014: Oct, Dec)

SUPER IMPORTANT: I’ll say it again: you must commit to the class! There's always a waiting list. If there’s a true emergency and you must cancel, please do so in time to allow others to sign up. Please be on time - there's a lot of material to cover in 3 hours. If you're late, you'll miss some of the good stuff. If you RSVP “YES” and you fail to attend without a timely cancellation or the excuse of a serious emergency, you won't be allowed to attend the next class.

VERY IMPORTANT: By taking this class plus the invertebrates and algae class, and then registering at REEF's website, you automatically become a REEF Level 1 surveyor. To achieve Level 2, you must receive an 80% score on the end-of-class quizes. We strongly suggest to study beforehand, since there are nearly sixty fish to learn. You'll need to know both the common name and family (for instance, Garibaldi/Damselfish family). Here are a number of online study aids for you to use:

http://sdof.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Fish-ID-Level-21.pdf .
This is the complete slide show of all the fish taught in Herb's class.

http://www.pnwscuba.com/critterwatchers/studyresources.htm
Scroll down to "California Resources". The Flashcard Machine, Flashcard app, study list and "Photos of fish taught in basic course" are a big help.