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The Winners

$5000 Winner - Kyle Schlunegger from Mission Viejo, CA
$3000 Winner - Not found (Proceeds donated by Aqua Lung on behalf of Sport Chalet)
$1000 Winner - Travis Lofthouse from Dammeron Valley, UT

Interview with Travis Lofthouse, the $1000 Treasure Bar Winner

$1000 Treasure Bar Winner Travis Lofthouse and Sport Chalet Henderson Manager

How long have you been diving?
This was a trip of "firsts" for me. I just barely got certified as an Open Water Diver in order to take a group of Venture Scouts on a diving trip to the CA coast. This was my first dive as a newly certified diver, my first time to the CA coast, my first time to swim in the ocean, and the first time I have heard of the Sport Chalet!

How did you hear about the Treasure Hunt?
I found the treasure and asked a local diver, Keith Sagray, if he knew what it was. He had been in La Jolla Cove for five days specifically searching for it. He pulled a list of clues out of his pocket and told me about the hunt. He was heart broken but very gracious about it.

What was the best part of the Treasure Hunt?
Meeting fellow diver, Keith. Unbeknownst to me, Keith had actually gone diving with a couple of people from our group and had been telling them all about the treasure hunt. He recruited their help and they dove together looking for it. When I got to shore, I saw him taking a break near the rest room and, recognizing him as a diver from seeing him with dive gear earlier, I went to ask him what the Sport Chalet was and if he knew anything about a treasure hunt. That's when he pulled a list of clues from his pocket and told me what was up. He then went to Rick and told him some guy had found the treasure. Rick asked "what guy?" Keith pointed me out and Rick was completely shocked... "Travis???"

Please tell us your best dive story relating to the Treasure Hunt. My dive partner, Russ, was having a hard time staying down, as he didn't have quite enough weight on. When I found the ten pound T-weight, we surfaced and put that in his BCD pocket. He had no problem getting to the bottom after that! Thanks Sports Chalet! We had a great trip and finding the treasure made it an unforgettable experience for me and the group of 15 other Venture scouts, leaders, and dive masters that I was with.

Interview with Kyle Schlunegger, the $5000 Treasure Bar Winner

How long have you been diving?
My wife and I got certified through Naui in 1991. We dove hundreds of times all over California. We had to stop for a while to raise our two children, but we started diving again about a year ago when my son started showing interest in the sport. He is 13 and just got certified. We dive because it's a blast and now we can start to share it with the kids. We like to dive Catalina and Laguna and hope to do a lot more diving this year.

How many dives did you go on to find one of the treasures?
We started diving around Laguna to find the treasures (obviously not the right place). Two dives in Laguna (Crescent and Moss), then a snorkel in Trestles lifeguard thought I was nuts when I told him I think there is a treasure out there), and finally tree dives at Swamis. We also spent all weekend driving up and down the coast counting the steps to just about every beach from Newport to Encinitas, along with a couple of snorkels to cool off from all of the stair climbing.

How did you determine the site, relating to the clues?
Once we counted the 137 stairs, we knew we were close. I then found the three palm trees in the picture posted to Face Book to confirm. Swamis is also in the Beach Boys song (another clue). The problem was that one clue said "between the wooden stairs and the lifeguard tower". There are two sets of wooden stairs. We dove the correct spot the first time at 6AM Tuesday morning, but not far enough out. The second time we went to Swamis we talked to other divers and together decided that the clue must mean the steps right next to the lifeguard tower, so we went out and dove there (wrong steps!). While driving home, the clue with the GPS coordinates came out, and we realized that it was the white steps about an eighth of a mile to the north of the lifeguard tower; where we dove the first time. We quickly got our tanks refilled, suited up, and started the swim again.

How are you going to use your gift card?
Our current equipment is from 1992. My wife and I will be buying new regs and BCs. It will be so nice to dive without a weight belt and use regs that don't feel like you are breathing through a coffee stirrer. We will definitely be buying AquaLung, Tusa, and Mares equipment. They helped sponsor the treasure hunt, so without them I would be stuck with my old equipment.

What was the best part of the Treasure Hunt?
The best part was the moment that I saw the treasure LOL. The hunt itself was great. It was all I could think of for three weeks. We did some crazy fun diving that we would have never done without the motivation of the treasure hunt. I can wait until next year.

How long have you been diving?
This was a trip of "firsts" for me. I just barely got certified as an Open Water Diver in order to take a group of Venture Scouts on a diving trip to the CA coast. This was my first dive as a newly certified diver, my first time to the CA coast, my first time to swim in the ocean, and the first time I have heard of the Sport Chalet!

How did you hear about the Treasure Hunt?
I found the treasure and asked a local diver, Keith Sagray, if he knew what it was. He had been in La Jolla Cove for five days specifically searching for it. He pulled a list of clues out of his pocket and told me about the hunt. He was heart broken but very gracious about it.

What was the best part of the Treasure Hunt?
Meeting fellow diver, Keith. Unbeknownst to me, Keith had actually gone diving with a couple of people from our group and had been telling them all about the treasure hunt. He recruited their help and they dove together looking for it. When I got to shore, I saw him taking a break near the rest room and, recognizing him as a diver from seeing him with dive gear earlier, I went to ask him what the Sport Chalet was and if he knew anything about a treasure hunt. That's when he pulled a list of clues from his pocket and told me what was up. He then went to Rick and told him some guy had found the treasure. Rick asked "what guy?" Keith pointed me out and Rick was completely shocked... "Travis???"

Please tell us your best dive story relating to the Treasure Hunt. My dive partner, Russ, was having a hard time staying down, as he didn't have quite enough weight on. When I found the ten pound T-weight, we surfaced and put that in his BCD pocket. He had no problem getting to the bottom after that! Thanks Sports Chalet! We had a great trip and finding the treasure made it an unforgettable experience for me and the group of 15 other Venture scouts, leaders, and dive masters that I was with.

FINAL UPDATE

July 30 - Sport Chalet would like to extend a huge thank you to all Treasure Hunters whom participated in this event. Since the $3,000 gold bar was never redeemed the winning proceeds will be donated to charity. The proceeds will be donated by Aqua Lung on behalf of Sport Chalet. Thank you all for making this new annual event so much fun! Stayed tuned for new clues, new prizes and a Treasure Hunt in 2011.

JULY 26 UPDATE!

The 1st Annual Treasure Hunt contest has officially come to a close. Sport Chalet would like to thank everyone whom participated in this contest. The feedback we got from the Treasure Hunters was amazing. We hope you saw some wonderful new dive sites, made new friends and had a great adventure!

JULY 23 UPDATE!

The $5000 Treasure Hunt Gold Bar has been found! Scuba Treasure Hunters - the $5000 treasure has been found!!! Don't fret there is still one left and we will continue helping you find it! Good luck all!

JULY 20 UPDATE!

The $1000 Treasure Hunt Gold Bar has been found! The gold bar was found in La Jolla Cove nearest the Park. There were many clues that led to this bar, the most specific clue came out on Friday, July 16th. The clue stated, "If you find this treasure on a Sunday you can catch a concert in the park as well. The concert is by the Sea."

Clue Answer: Every Sunday from July 11 - September 5, 2010, La Jolla Concerts by the Sea puts on free concerts at Ellen Browning Scripps Park. The easiest entry point was adjacent to the park and down just past the lifeguard station.

There are still 2 treasure bars left to be found...
Happy Diving!

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Contest begins 7/12/2010 and ends 7/25/2010.

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