Kelp Project Diving

Sharkbait Dive Club is proud to Host Ian Jacobson from L.A. Waterkeepers. Ian will be speaking to us about Kelp reforestation in So. Cal. 

AAUS Divers Wanted!
Our volunteer Kelp Project Divers work acre by acre off of the shores of Palos Verdes to progressively return the bleak urchin barrens into thriving kelp forest communities. This program is widely recognized for its sustained hands-on approach, in which volunteer scuba divers will work with our staff to restore this vital undersea habitat by thinning the sea urchin population. Since the projects inception thousands of hours have been donated by volunteer divers. The direct results of these efforts are the restoration of numerous acres of kelp forest, a better understanding of the status of the nearshore habitat of Santa Monica Bay and strong steps toward the widespread recovery of our coastal kelp forest. Learn more about our Kelp Project here.
Kelp Project Diver
We are looking for certified scientific divers who are comfortable working underwater in Southern California conditions off a 24 ft boat. The boat ride is free and you will gain hands-on experience with restoration and monitoring work as an AAUS scientific diver. Come out on our boat for a day, give back to your local reefs, learn kelp forest ecology, gain dive buddies, and get free air fills at local dive shops. All our divers maintain AAUS scientific diving standards to dive on the project. You can download a complete list of prerequisites here. The list is extensive but all of our divers have completed the requirements and maintain them year after year.

About the Lecturer:

Ian Jacobson- Kelp Project Coordinator

Ian is the Kelp Project Coordinator and the newest member of the LA Waterkeeper team. Born and raised in San Pedro, he spent his youth exploring the tide pools along the Palos Verdes Coastline and volunteering as a docent for the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. He earned his B.A. in Marine Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz where he tracked Sea Otters in Big Sur as a volunteer and spent three months working with a team of divers surveying seagrass beds in the Philippines. Ian also had the opportunity to study abroad at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia where he spent time at the Heron Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef.

Before joining LAW, Ian worked as an observer for the National Marine Fisheries Service aboard commercial fishing vessels in the Bering Sea. Upon moving back to Southern California, he had been a passionate volunteer for the Kelp Project restoring kelp forests along the same coastline where he grew up. He is dedicated to providing volunteers with the unique opportunity and experience to give back to the community by enhancing nearshore ecosystem health and protecting Southern California’s marine resources.