Bruce Bearfeld

My love affair with diving began when I was 12 in the summer of 1973 and spent my first of 6 summers at Emerald Bay Boy Scout Camp on Catalina Island in Southern California. In addition to the outstanding snorkeling there, they had a floating dock with a hand pump and an old diving helmet. You swam out to the dock in trunks and tennis shoes. You turned your head sideways, the helmet went on, and you were handed a rope. One tug meant more air, two less air, and three that you wanted to come up. Your buddy started the hand crank to give you air, you were told to hold the bottom flange of the helmet with your hands on ascent so it wouldn’t drag you up by the chin or head, and over the side you went. 10m in 15-20ft. What a blast.

By 1980 I’d taken my first open water course at Cal State Northridge. I worked as a TA there until 1984 and passed the 31st L.A. County Underwater Instructors Course in 1985. Still the toughest Instructor Course in the Country and the forbear of both NAUI and PADI. I cross certified with both PADI/NAUI that same year.

I landed my first job as a Field Rep in 1986 and began A Blue Fantasy Diving Instruction that same year. I taught Openwater and Advanced Courses independently and for the odd LA area dive store for the next 17 years.

I have dove Southern California and Baja extensively. Quite a bit in Northern California as well. The last few years I’ve spent a lot of time diving in the US Northwest and Canada.

I’m particularly proud of the fact that I always try to dive the local waters that my clients dive in. I’ve been in Flaming Gorge UT/WY, Lake Chelan and the Spokane River in WA, Lake Mead in NV, Lake Tahoe, Early Hole on the Smith River in Nor Cal, and the Colorado River below Hoover Dam to name a few.

If you want to hear all my dive stories, like the fact that I am the only person I know who has been zapped by Pacific Electric Rays 3 times, we’ll have to go out for a beer or glass of red wine.

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