Reports are in that people are spending much less on travel these days, and so it would follow that other leisure activities would suffer.  The SCUBA schools in the Los Angeles area seized upon a brilliant marketing tool when they teamed up with the Be a Diver traveling SCUBA pool that made its appearance at last month’s LA Times Travel Expo at the Convention Center.

This intrepid blogger made her way to the show to gather up information, fill an eco-friendly reusable tote bag with non-eco-friendly brochures and travel guides, and enter a few hundred giveaways.  As I made my way through the back end of the huge convention space, a woman from Malibu Divers accosted me.  What caught my eye was their booth display about SCUBA parties for children, but then the woman gestured off to my left.

And then I saw it.

Be a Diver Pool

The enormous 5-ft deep pool sat like a grounded whale in the corner and it was filled with otherwise ordinary people in wetsuits and masks, waiting for their turns to be taught how to use SCUBA gear from volunteer instructors.  “Would you like to try?” said the woman from Malibu Divers.

It was the end of the weekend-long travel show.  That pool and its festering warm water had been host to hundreds of would-be divers.  The wetsuits had been used over and over again, as were the mouthpieces of the breathing apparati.  I was alone and toting a Canon Rebel XT Digital SLR along with my purse, phone, and wallet.  But what the heck?  I heard my inner muse tell me to go for it.  I told him to be quiet (yes, my muse is male).  He would not.  He said “Do it for your readers, Kim.”  And so I did.

Let me first say that I have snorkeled in beautiful waters and enjoyed every moment.  Distant opportunities to learn to SCUBA dive have come up in my past but this is the first time the chance was so immediate.  And it was FREE.

Still, I felt like an idiot as the poor guy whose job it was to hand you a wetsuit looked me over and tried to figure out my size.  He handed me a smelly short suit and directed me to the changing tents.  My personal belongings were guarded by another volunteer.  Then I was given a mask and fins and I waited in line outside the pool for a spot to open up within.  It was chilly in the wet wetsuit, so the attendant invited me to wait in the heated water.

Changing Tent: Caution: Piso VERY Mojado!

I didn’t wait long, and my instructor, a tall guy in what he called a “dry suit” that looked like SWAT gear for the water, dragged my apparatus through the water and fastened it to my back.  He explained that in a real class I would also be given weights to keep me down in the water, but as it was I struggled a bit to stay down because the whole shebang was buoyant.  He showed me how to put my mouth around the breather, and told me that the number one rule, the only real instruction, was “Breathe.”

So I got underwater.

And I breathed.

Just breathe.

Keep swimming!

Who cares if you look like a dork? The fish don't care.

And I kept breathing!  And it was good!  And I was swimming and I didn’t have to hold my breath or go to the surface to get more air.  My first thought was “Why have I never done this before?!” I have traveled to many places where SCUBA diving would have been a wonderful activity.  Look at all I missed.

Save your children the heartbreak of a SCUBA-less life.  Check out the local dive schools below, and discover the joys of swimming with the fishes.  If you live in one of the cities that the Be a Diver Pool will visit in the coming months, I highly recommend trying the free lesson.  I got to swim around in the murky pool to my heart’s content.  Here’s a quick shout-out to Jeff, the volunteer who gamely shot pictures of all participants that were available for free download from the Be a Diver Pool website a few days after the event.

I didn’t even get scabies from the wetsuit.

Converted.

SCUBA Schools of America in Montclair has a special program for kids 8-11: SCUBA Rangers which is fully supervised in a pool.  Kids age 10 and up can take a special class to learn how to dive in the ocean.

Malibu Divers has a family program that kids 8 and up can take with Mom and Dad.  Open water diving starts after age 10.  This is the company that advertises a 2-hour SCUBA birthday party .  How cool is that?  Why just for kids, anyway…?

Aqua Adventures Unlimited in Burbank also advertises the SCUBA birthday parties but for a slightly higher price.  (They might want to rethink their skull and crossbones logo, however.  I’m just sayin.’)

Even kids can do it!

It’s not true that nobody walks in L.A.  Sure, the city is spread out over an area bigger than some small states, but best way to see it is to find a popular spot and get out of the car.  You can’t get the sounds, smells, and sense of a city from inside a metal box.  Luckily, you don’t have to go it alone, wandering the city aimlessly.  Several companies and organizations offer guided walking tours of notable places in Los Angeles.  If you take one of them, you’ll learn more than Joe Tourist cruising down Sunset in his rented Chrysler Sebring Convertible, inevitably stuck in traffic, watching as you stroll by.

Get right down to the source at El Pueblo De Los Angeles – the place where the city was founded in 1779.  Docents will take you on a free 50 minute tour in the heart of the city, close to Union Station and Walt Disney Concert Hall.  Tours run Tuesday through Saturday at 10AM and noon, a good way to kill time in between other sightseeing stops.

Founder’s Plaque [photo courtesy of El Pueblo de los Angeles]

So yeah, yeah, I know you’re not headed to Los Angeles just for the history, you’re headed to HOLLYWOOD, baby!  There’s a few walking tours for that too.

The Backpacker Behind the Scenes Walking Tour takes only 1 hour and 15 minutes, brings you inside some of the more iconic Hollywood sites like Grauman’s Chinese Theater and Hollywood and Highland (home of the Academy Awards ceremony and the American Idol finals), and features wireless headsets so you can hear the tour guide over the din of the masses and the inevitable traffic.  Tours operate several times daily and prices start at $21.99 for adults, less for children 9-15, and infants are free.

Hollywood & Highland [photo courtesy of The Backpacker]

Backpacker’s Rival, the Redline Tour, offers a similar “Behind the Scenes” tour with the same hot spots and wireless headsets, but this one touts “legendary gossip” and an adult price tag that is $2 cheaper.

Grauman’s Chinese Theater [photo courtesy of redlinetours.com]

For a closer look at modern Hollywood, the one that’s all about business, take the NBC Studios tour in Burbank.  This tour is just over an hour and takes you around the stages where the television shows are taped, and kids can see themselves flying in a Superman scene.  This website also tells you how to get tickets to an NBC show taping.

For an all-day immersive Hollywood experience splurge on the Sony Pictures Studios Hollywood Walking Tour With LA & Beverly Hills Movie Stars’ Homes Tour (Minibus/Walking) from All Los Angeles Tours.  That title must be why the price tag is so high.  Oh, and the fact that you are on this tour for 8 hours (bring snacks!) and you also get to rest on the bus.  Operates Monday through Friday with courtesy pickups from most major LA area hotels.  The tour includes a mozy around the Sony studio lot, a drive-by of major stars’ homes, an hour at Grauman’s Chinese Theater and a chance to grab some lunch (not included) and then the basic Hollywood walking tour as offered by the other vendors above.  I hope you get a good tour guide, because you’ll be spending all day with that person!  Tickets are $74.99 for adults, and this tour is not recommended for very young children.

[photo courtesy of sony studios . com]

But you went on vacation to get away from the television, right?  The Los Angeles Conservancy offers a family-friendly walking tour of Union Station.  It is 45 minutes long and geared toward children 7-11, but does NOT include running amok on a train.  Rats.  Fourth Saturday of the month at 11:00 AM, tickets are $5 and $10.  The Conservancy also offers several other walking tours around downtown Los Angeles.

Union Station [photo courtesy of iNeTours.com]

If you’re getting familiar with downtown, check out this interactive guide to downtown Los Angeles by the University of Southern California.  Click on an area of the map and it gives you more detail with major landmarks, and click on one of those for a gorgeous photo.  Use this as a study guide before your trip and you’ll recognize the landmarks when you get there.

Walt Disney Concert Hall [photo courtesy of J. Mapes]

For the baseball fans, Dodgers Stadium offers an inside look for only $10 and $15.  The 90-minute tour takes you onto the field, into the Dodger dugout and The Dugout Club, the training center, and the press box.  This is something you wouldn’t get by just attending a baseball game.

[photo courtesy of dodgers.com]