The meeting was first proposed by the National Park Service (NPS), then quickly supported by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Divers Alert Network (DAN), and the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS).

A number of key experts were involved in the Catalina Island event including Jeff Bozanic, Simon Mitchell and Richard Pyle.

Over the course of four days standards relating to practice, physiology, incidents and equipment evolution relevant to scientific diving with rebreathers were reviewed.