ADDING TO THE CHAMBER POT EVENTS RAISE MONEY FOR COUNTY AND USC'S DIVING-SAFETY DEVICE.

Byline: Keith Lair Staff Writer

Football players do not routinely ask to see an emergency room before a game. So why do scuba divers make annual trips to the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber?

``I've been diving for 25 years and, knock on wood, I have never had an accident,'' said Covina's Norm Hopkins, who was to be one of more than 300 divers who took part in the 13th annual Chamber Day event Wednesday.

``Even though I've never had an accident, or have never seen one, knowing that the chamber is there for our safety is a very, very positive thing. I'm 100 percent behind it.''

The event takes place on the the campus of the Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies at Big Fisherman's Cove at the west end of Catalina Island.

Chamber Day and Chamber Night, which was Tuesday at the Long Beach Aquarium, raise more than $75,000 for the chamber, which is operated by the county of Los Angeles and USC. The county provided $102,000 this year for the chamber's $180,000 annual operation budget.

On Chamber Day, divers throughout Southern California make two or three dives off Catalina, then tour the chamber, where they are dropped a foot or two in depth and visit with Baywatch lifeguards and Coast Guard officials. The 12 dive-boat operators participating donate all proceeds to the chamber.

``Divers have a lot of differences, but this is one day the entire diving community can come together and make something positive happen,'' said Ken Kurtis, the Chamber Day chairman and owner of Reef Seekers Dive Co. in Beverly Hills.

``Doing this makes a difference. Knowing the system is in place makes a difference. If I'm working on an injured diver, knowing that I have a support team behind makes all the difference. I think that's why this is so successful.''

Hopkins has participated in 12 Chamber Day trips. He says he missed the first one.

``This is a matter of satisfaction and gives you a very positive feeling,'' he said. ``You're diving for charity and it's diving for 100 percent safety.''

Hopkins says he rarely tours the facility anymore.

``It doesn't change,'' he said. ``I stay on the boat and eat hamburgers.''

Twice, he was at the chamber after an accident victim had been admitted.

``It was ugly,'' he recalled.

The chamber, which opened in 1974, has treated 520 people, director Karl Huggins said. It compresses pressures to as great as 165 feet and pumps high-pressure air past the sealed doors. The patient then breathes gas containing a high percentage of oxygen. The combination of high pressure and increased oxygen levels treats decompression illness and embolisms. It even has enabled a person to regain a pulse.

Huggins is the only full-time employee. He relies on volunteers to staff the 24-hour facility.

``It's something that would be interesting to do from the medical and diving standpoint,'' says Alan LaBounty, a Diamond Bar diver who is considering working in the chamber this year. ``You'd rather visit it under these circumstances. Chamber Day is a day to go diving and to show your concern for safety.''

Because the event falls on a weekday and only a limited number of divers can participate because of other commitments and the number of boats participating, Kurtis said the event was only able to raise $15,000. He added Chamber Night to the mix three years ago. The $75,000 raised this year is more than 40 percent of the chamber's budget.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) The USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber costs $180,000 a year to keep in operation - and that depends on lots of volunteer help.

(2) Divers are sometimes divided over issues, but they all - including these recent visitors - seem steadfast in their support of the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber, which is located at Big Fisherman's Cove on the west end of Santa Catalina Island. The chamber is operated by the university and Los Angeles County.