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NOR CAL SKIN DIVERS - CENCAL
 Pinole, CA 94564 $15 per year
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Northern California Skin Divers Club is commonly referred to as NOR CAL. We are one of the oldest dive clubs in California. In 1951 NOR CAL was formally chartered by a group of Mare Island employees. They started diving before the wet suit was even available, and then when you had to buy the material, pattern and make it yourself! We have since grown with our sport. Now over fifty years old, the club meets and dives the California North Coast year round. We still have a charter member on our roster and a number of our members have been with the club for over 20 years.
Since 1950 we have traveled to the coast to enjoy the ocean and we have no intention of stopping now. We actively dive the coast all year long and sponsor both club competitions and CENCAL competitions. We are mostly freedivers collecting abalone and spearing fish. We do however encourage scuba divers and novice freedivers to join us. Our club competition events are scored to encourage all ranges of diving experience and to give all members a chance to compete on an even basis.
Our club is a charter member of the CENTRAL CALIFORNIA COUNCIL OF DIVING CLUBS. We supplied the first CEN CAL President, many officers and board members since. We currently have members active in Cen Cal’s Board and other activities. We feel this is an important part of our history and are proud of CEN CAL’s many accomplishments.
Nor Cal has about 40 members ranging in age from 18 to over sixty, with most members in the 25-50 year age group. We are a diversified club and since the closing of Mare Island we have had no shortage of new and interested divers join our club. Our main interests revolve around freediving, spearing fish and taking abalone. Our members also scuba dive,
usually on multi-day boat trips to the Channel Islands for all day scuba diving as well as free diving.