Aqua Tutus was founded in 1955 and became a non-profit organization in 1958. Aqua Tutus has always remained true to its Latin name (water safety) by providing scuba diving instruction to those in the public who want to gain advanced diving certification and knowledge of first aid and marine-related accident prevention and initial treatment procedures. Through its monthly general meeting, Aqua Tutus also provides education to the public about the marine environment.

The diving specific training classes sponsored by Aqua Tutus improve students’ diving knowledge and skills. Education opportunities are also provided to those who seek certification in Red Cross and Diver Alert Network (DAN) first aid courses. The instruction is provided throughout the year to the public on an as-requested basis. All these classes increase student safety in and near the water and lower the likelihood of public safety services being called on to provide rescue and medical treatment in marine accidents.

Aqua Tutus generally holds three activities each month: a general meeting, a board of directors meeting, and a scuba dive or snorkel. The organization’s website also provides the public links to marine agencies, state parks, diving clubs and organizations, and other marine-related websites. All of Aqua Tutus’ officers and instructional staff are volunteers. They give their time, energy, and knowledge to advance the organization’s goal of increasing water safety.

Aqua Tutus schedules a monthly dive on dates picked by the board of directors. The dives are usually held at ocean dive sites along Monterey or Sonoma County in California. Each dive is organized by an Aqua Tutus officer or volunteer member. Scuba diving can be a dangerous, even life-threatening activity if done incorrectly. Divers need to regularly dive in order to maintain their skills at a safe level. Aqua Tutus dives provide members and the general public with local opportunities to dive safely and inexpensively in the challenging water conditions found along the central and northern California coast. These regularly scheduled dives offer members and the public the incentive and opportunity to expand and maintain their diving skills and safety.

Dives and other activities for the coming month(s) are planned and discussed at the monthly club meetings, announced in the club newsletter, The Aqua Tooter, appear on the event calendar, and posted on our Meetup group.

Most weekend dives take place in the Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel area. A few times a year dives are scheduled for Salt Point. There are also a number of opportunities to dive with club members in other states and countries.

Personal costs incurred through participation in this activity are paid by the individual.

General Club Meeting

First Thursday of Every Month (except December)

Meeting starts at 7:00 pm

Members go to Event Calendar for the Zoom link to join the meetings.

Non-members please contact the Membership Chairperson for the Zoom link.

The meeting is led by Aqua Tutus’ president or vice-president if the president is absent. Meetings generally start with an "entertainment" presentation:

• about a dive location, for example scuba diving in the Philippine Islands
• about a local environmental protection group or marine research organization, for example the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Foundation
• workshop on how to care for and maintain recreational scuba diving equipment

Two or three times a year, the presenters are Aqua Tutus members themselves talking about diving

locations they have visited and displaying photographs or videos they have created about the flora and fauna at those locations.

Other activities in this meeting include the organization’s officers giving brief updates on their areas of responsibility to meeting attendees, members reporting on their diving experiences, planning for educational instruction and future dives, and the opportunity for members and the public to introduce suggestions or concerns they have for discussion and resolution on diving matters.

The purpose of this meeting is to educate Aqua Tutus members and the general public on aspects of

the marine environment. These aspects include

• Making meeting attendees aware of potential dive locations they might enjoy visiting
• Enabling non-profit, marine-focused environmental organizations to introduce their programs to the public and members and to give updates on their activities
• Attendees sharing tips and suggestions to enable all to become safer, more knowledgeable and capable scuba divers

This activity and the speaker’s fees are funded through Aqua Tutus’ annual membership fee.

Personal costs incurred through participation in this activity are paid by the individual.

Advanced Scuba Diving Training

Advanced scuba diving training is offered by Aqua Tutus through its Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI)-certified instructors. This training includes Advanced Open Water, Rescue, and a variety of recreational diving certifications. General and marine-specific first aid, CPR, oxygen provider, and other certification courses are also offered through the organization’s DAN-certified instructors. These training classes provide members of the public the opportunity to grow their diving and first aid skills to become safer divers and safer members of the communities in which they live and work. The training generally takes place in the Director of Training’s home in Newark, California and on-site at diving locations generally in California.

This activity is partially funded by Aqua Tutus through its collection of an annual membership fee.

Personal costs incurred through participation in this activity are paid by the individual.

Courses Offered

Aqua Tutus offers SCUBA training beyond the Basic Open Water level as well as First Aid, CPR, and other emergency procedures for dive-related injuries.

Contact the Director of Training for more information on the courses listed below.

• Advanced Open Water
• Rescue Diver Course
• Divemaster Course
• Altitude Diver
• Boat Diver
• Deep Diver
• Drift Diver
• Dry Suit Diver
• Emergency First Responder
• Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox)
• Master SCUBA Diver
• Night Diver
• Peak Performance Buoyancy
• Search & Rescue Diver
• Underwater Naturalist
• Underwater Navigator
• Wreck Diver

• Basic Life Support (CPR & First Aid)
• Diving Medicine for Divers
• Emergency 02 for SCUBA Diver Injuries
• First Aid for Hazardous Marin Life Injuries
• Neurological Asses