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This past November, NAUI members from around the globe gathered and made their presence known at DEMA Show 2017 in Orlando, Florida. DEMA is an international organization dedicated to the promotion and growth of the recreational scuba diving and snorkeling industry. With more than 1,400 member companies worldwide, this nonprofit, global organization promotes scuba diving through many initiatives, including consumer awareness programs, media campaigns like GoDiveNow.com, and sponsorship of DEMA Show. Occupying 1,200 square feet of prime show space, NAUI’s booth traffic was both heavy and inviting. NAUI’s prime booth location on the show floor resulted in a large audience eager to learn about and join NAUI in its role as “The Definition of Diving.” Over the four-day event, representatives, volunteers, board members and headquarters staff kept busy at the…

GDI CLEANUP EVENTS As part of September’s National Day celebration of Saudi Arabia, a group of Alsalam volunteers teamed up with NAUI Instructor Saud Almalki (NAUI 58923) to initiate an ocean cleanup at Red Sea Beach. They removed more than 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) of debris that included many food and beverage items, a tire and a large plastic chair. In September, with support from the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Affairs, members of the Oman Dive Team conducted a reef cleanup campaign in the Ad Dimaniyat Islands, a protected area and nature reserve in Oman. The Gulf of Mexico beach under the Venice Fishing Pier is cleaner thanks to the work of the Suncoast Reef Rovers of Venice, Florida, and their many friends, including Florida Underwater Sports, Sarasota…

Many years ago, Bruno Fetelian got in touch with me to ask if I would prepare and qualify him to be a NAUI Instructor. He was my first-ever NAUI Instructor candidate. I was a newly certified NAUI Course Director, and we both worked very hard to achieve his goal of the highest level of practice and competency. More than 15 years later, his son, Alexandre, who had already completed a NAUI Divemaster course with me, took his Instructor Training Course with me too. In April 2017, Alexandre flew over to Tenerife, where I now live, and spent 10 days working as hard as his father had to achieve the level demanded to receive NAUI Instructor certification. However, we could not fulfill all the requirements before circumstances required him to return…

On Oct. 11, 2017, the Hillsborough County Soil and Water Conservation District honored the GaspOur Beads of Tampa Bay Survey and Clean-Up project with its Hillsborough 100 Conservation Challenge Outstanding Project of the Year award. The award ceremony was part of the 2018 Hillsborough 100 Conservation Challenge Kickoff Luncheon held at the Florida Strawberry Growers Association and attended by representatives from various regional public, private and nonprofit organizations. Project representatives attending the awards ceremony included Angie Cowan on behalf of the NAUI Green Diver Initiative (GDI), Dylan Carney representing the Center for Open Exploration (C4OE) and St. Pete Makers, and Chris Harris from Brandon Scuba. “We were delighted to have the NAUI Green Diver Initiative and Center for Ocean Exploration as partners. The objectives of the GaspOur Beads project aligned…

Living and diving around Long Island, New York, provides for a wide variety of diving opportunities. The “normal” dive season is about seven months long for the average drysuit diver, but most divers really only utilize the warmest four or five months of the year. Then there’s the other side of the coin: divers who want to be able to get out and dive locally all year-round. Fortunately, we can do just that — not just when the water gets cold, but even when the water gets REALLY cold. Every year that we have suitable ice, I try to conduct at least one NAUI Recreational Ice Diver course. 2015 was the last winter we had significant ice, and it was a good one; Lake Ronkonkoma was covered in nearly 0.6…

It’s no wonder scuba diving is a popular sport in Finland. Despite Finland’s northern location and cool temperatures, the hardy Fins take to the water regardless of the season, and with a seemingly infinite number of lakes spread throughout this Nordic country, dive enthusiasts are always able to find a nearby spot to get wet. But that’s not all. Scattered in the numerous lakes and the Baltic Sea, there are over 1,100 documented wrecks, many of which are protected by law. Due to their depth, cold temperatures and limited visibility, the Baltic wrecks tend to be advanced or technical dives. This has created a large and active technical diving community that not only enjoys the plethora of wrecks, but also a unique form of technical diving widespread in Finland: mine…

One of my favorite movies is Caddyshack. Ty Cobb (Chevy Chase) gives Danny the “be the ball” advice. This is how I feel about the ocean. I dive in warm water in a Lycra suit so that I can feel the water, “be the water.” When I can actually feel the water, I am one with the water. I have not donned a wetsuit in over 30 years — my “Rule of 80 Degrees,” and I am not alone. Training in wetsuits is not required for NAUI Scuba Diver, Advanced or Master. Mine is also a plan that can help you make additional money. A good friend of mine, a respected member of the dive industry, told me several years ago that she felt the industry was placing too much…

There are real underwater forests in the Mediterranean Sea. Dense meadows of Posidonia (Posidonia oceanica) or Neptune grass, provide habitat, breeding and nursery grounds for many species. Moreover, they are an important food source. Their exceptional importance is also in maintaining coastal equilibrium by stabilizing the sea bottom, reducing beach erosion and producing up to 14 liters (half a cubic foot) of oxygen per square meter (square yard) per day. Posidonia is a flowering plant, not an alga (algae do not have flowers and fruit). It grows very slowly — only 1 centimeter (0.4 inch) per year. It is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, where it can be found growing in clean, unpolluted waters from near the surface to depths of about 35 meters (115 feet). It is a very…

T he telephone rang again, this day at 8:00 a.m. For some reason throughout the month of September, I felt being picked on with multimarketing calls. “You have won a trip to the Caribbean....” Fed up with these calls, I answered the phone in a mean tone. “Hello, why are you calling this early? I am not awake.” Then I heard a pleasant lady’s voice say something. I heard NAUI in something. “Please call again later. I will be awake.” After an hour, the young lady called. Wow! I was embarrassed to know who it was and why she was calling. “My apologies for sounding so mean when you called earlier,” I told her. “You mentioned NAUI. What may I do for you?” “Zale, this is Christy Wideman. I represent…

NAUI is more than the sum of its members, programs and officers. As the consummate dive-training organization, it has influenced and set de facto standards of achievement for every dive-training organization. Unlike other diving organization publications, Sources is devoted to NAUI’s mission: how to educate students safely. There is little or no equipment marketing. It was the exceptional instructors who encouraged me to progress through NAUI courses, to one day join. NAUI is the instructors who spend the extra time — uncompensated — to ensure every student’s preparation. Tom, my first NAUI Instructor, patiently reviewed our pool skills, long forgotten, in preparation for our beach dives. In the first class, he asked us for a self-assessment of our diving skills. I told him I would be his worst nightmare, but…

Excitement, enthusiasm and energy could all be used to describe the atmosphere among NAUI members in Asia. The growth and development of NAUI in this region continues to lead the Association and is both infectious and encouraging. To gain a better understanding of NAUI’s needs and opportunities in the region, Executive Director Dallas Edmiston and Director of Marketing and International Operations Derik Crotts recently joined the managers of the NAUI Asia-Pacific Service Center, William and Michael Tong, for the Dive Resort and Travel (DRT) Expo and a series of meetings and sessions with NAUI members and business leaders. The DRT Expo in Hong Kong is still a relatively new but growing location for this series of dive consumer shows. Promoted as one of the largest diving expo networks in the…

“Campers! How do you feel?” “We feel good, oh we feel so good! Yeah!” This is the familiar call during the summer of Catalina Sea Camp that calls all the campers to attention before they head off for incredible adventures like hiking, photography, sailing and, of course, scuba diving. Today, Morgan and I, both newly certified NAUI Instructors, will be teaching NAUI Try Scuba to a duo of seventh-graders eager to breathe underwater for the first time. As they arrive at the Sea Camp facility on Catalina Island in California, I can tell their excitement to learn and to adventure is just as obvious as mine and Morgan’s. It’s going to be an amazing experience for all of us. As we explain to them the importance of equalization, how to…

Frothy cough when coming up from a dive might mean lung over-expansion injury occurred on the way up. What about a strange cough at the bottom? Or with no dive at all? Pulmonary edema is usually heard about in climbers at elevation and sometimes swimmers in races or hard training. There are cases known in marathon runners, bicyclists and rugby players. It is also something scuba divers need to know. One of my readers, Katharine, sent me this question: “I am an Ironman triathlete and have recently experienced symptoms of Swimming Induced Pulmonary Edema (SIPE) on two occasions this year and am trying to find as much information about this condition as possible. ... In both instances, my breathing became labored and fluid built up in my lungs during the…

The year was 1989, and two divers, each experienced in his own right but new to Antarctic diving, descended in the frigid water through a cylinder of ice 3 meters (10 feet) deep and 1.2 meters (4 feet) in diameter, the entrance to a magical world below. As soon as they exited the vertical tube on the underside of the ice, an incredible vista opened up to them. The bottom of the ocean was clearly visible below, and incredible views of upside-down ice sculptures on the underside of the ice’s surface extended as far as the eye could see in every direction. Diver Jeff Bozanic (NAUI 5334) spotted an ice stalactite that appeared to be a mere 15 meters (50 feet) away. He decided to check it out, so he…

Hey, dive pros! Welcome to the Sources edition of “Beyond the Standard.” Are you interested in having more students in your classes? Or selling more gear, or having more group sales for your trips and travel? If so, you need to be a power influencer. Today, I’m sharing with you what it means to be a power influencer, how you achieve it and why it’s so important. Let’s start with a story. Back in the early 2000s, the Vail Ski and Snowboard School had a decline in their training, which was for beginners all the way into continuing education. This decline in their training programs also led to a decline in excursions such as heliskiing and cross-country skiing. It also suppressed gear sales, gear rentals, demo packages and more. As…

Dan Semrad participated in the first NAUI/PFI Freediver Instructor Workshop and continues to help build the NAUI Freediving program. A high school science teacher, he holds a bachelor’s in biology and a master’s in education and runs the Oregon Freediving Company, oregonfreediving.com/. Inhale … Pause, Pause … No matter where you are in the world, there is nothing quite like freediving. For me, a good drop opens the door to the most peaceful meditation I have ever experienced. Once I take that peak inhale, bend, leg, pull, kick, all conscious thought goes away, and I am a part of the marine environment. I still love scuba diving, and I still train scuba divers on occasion, but it is far different to be underwater without all the gear and noise associated…

Sea Dragon Charters is a NAUI Dream Destination in West Vancouver, British Columbia. They are uniquely located on Howe Sound, one of the most beautiful locations on earth, where the diving offers walls, pinnacles, canyons, unique sponge bioherms and beautiful rocky reefs. Watch a sampling of the diving in Howe Sound at youtu.be/Nw9cEm2yG_o Sea Dragon also offers wreck diving. In April 2015, the 112-meter (366-foot) destroyer HMCS Annapolis was sunk as an artificial reef in Howe Sound. It lies at 35 meters (115 feet) and is one of the best-prepared artificial reefs in the world, with multiple diver access holes all along the side. A video of the sinking of the Atlantis is at youtu.be/mQSnMB1Rgy8 Sea Dragon Charters has been operating professional boat dive charters in the Pacific Northwest for…

So, now you’re a NAUI Instructor. You successfully completed your demanding instructor course — not everyone does. Congratulations to you! It gives you a real sense of accomplishment, doesn’t it? You may now be instructing through a local dive center or a nearby school or college, and it is likely that you are using a pool that is relatively small. That was my concern when I was a new NAUI Instructor back in 1969. But first, how did I get there? I was living in Alaska in the mid-1950s when I picked up a copy of Skin Diver magazine. I shared that magazine with four of my friends, and we all decided to give scuba diving a try. There was no formal training in Alaska in those days, but how…

FOR OVER 23 YEARS, NAUI AFFILIATE Venice Dive Center in Nokomis, Florida, has been a popular destination for NAUI members and divers, not only for those who call the area home, but also those visiting Florida from around the globe. The center is located near Venice Beach and Casey Key along the Gulf Coast. The diving is straightforward, and conditions are appropriate for beginner and expert alike. So, what is so appealing about this particular dive destination? The underwater search for prehistoric fossils, including manatee rib bones and teeth from various species of sharks, including the megalodon, is what lures divers here! Venice Dive Center strives to be a place for divers, snorkelers and people who enjoy the ocean to share their interests. Its staff works hard to provide exceptional…

Continuing a long tradition, NAUI Brazil held its 21st annual Encontro de Líderes NAUI in Jundiaí. São Paolo, Brazil, on August 14 through 20. The conference was a great success, with more than 130 NAUI members attending. Monday through Friday were filled with qualifying courses such as First Aid Instructor, Sidemount Diver and Instructor, Public Safety Diver and Instructor, and a commercial diving experience program. Friday was an intense day, with practical and academic activities. Workshops included adaptive diving, diving rescue requalification of lifeguards, and a rebreather workshop with the Combat Diving Group of the Brazilian Navy. The water work was conducted in the swimming pool of the School of Physical Education of Jundiaí. In classrooms, participants were able to share information on NAUI Technical Equipment Configuration, NAUI leadership training…

“There is no such thing as being cold, just inappropriate clothing!” This simple adage normally works in most cases topside because we have a good idea about what is going on with our bodies in terms of heat loss. We know that we need to keep our core warm and protect the extremities to prevent discomfort or more serious injuries, such as frostnip, frostbite and hypothermia, but how well do we know the human factors issues when it comes to cold water diving? In this article, I am going cover a number of physical, physiological and cognitive risks associated with cold water diving and how an understanding of these can increase enjoyment and reduce risk. While many of these are directly relevant to the individual, instructors and/ or supervisors should…

My Coast Guard captain’s license has retired, but I haven’t. It was 40 years old, young for someone’s retirement — me, not so much. It got me around the world a number of times. Sometimes, I even went places I wanted to see, but again, not so much. Do I miss it? At times I do, but I haven’t retired from boating so much as I’ve retired from the long and rigorous periods away from home. On my last license renewal, I had about 900 days at sea over five years, not counting travel time to and from various ship assignments. Enough! Now, when my work phone rings, it’s to invite me out on boats or ask if I might be able to help with getting a friend or relative…

Jeff Bozanic recommends you check out the work of two gentlemen who hold the job of diving supervisor at McMurdo — an extension of the dive locker technician job that Jeff held in 1989. Rob Robbins and Steve Rupp created a 360-degree HD video documenting a dive under Antarctic ice as part of a New York Times Antarctica Series. You won’t be able to take your eyes off of this video! Get the full experience here: tinyurl.com/antarctica360.…

Each day’s work started as would any day at dive stations around the world, but for our dive team working Mosul Dam’s Bottom Outlet Rehabilitation Project, most days also included watching planes, helicopters and drones buzzing overhead, hearing distant explosions, and seeing billowing black smoke framing battles between Iraqi-led forces and the Islamic State (ISIS) in nearby Mosul City. I was working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), serving as the Mosul Dam Task Force Dive Safety Officer. We were part of a multinational dive and construction effort to repair Mosul Dam. I was deployed to Mosul from November 2016 through June 2017. The Mosul Dam Bottom Outlet Rehabilitation Project was a collaborative effort between four Italian-based international companies: Drafinsub of Genoa and its Venetian joint-venture partner Nautilus,…

The first thought that many divers have when contemplating cold water diving is: “Brrrrr! Why would anyone want to do that?” The short answer: AMAZING diving. Colder water tends to have more nutrients, and typically more nutrients equal more life. The sheer amount of diverse biota in colder waters is absolutely stunning. A diver could have thousands of dives in a given region of cold water and on every single dive see some never-before-seen species or behavior — not to mention encounters with species that cannot thrive, let alone survive, in warmer waters. Cold water is not limited to wintertime diving. In some locations, such as the Pacific Northwest or in the North Sea, summertime water temperatures may only reach 13 to 15 degrees Celsius (55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit).…

The 2017 Category 4 Hurricane Irma gave the Vandenberg a mighty push, but our Grand Lady remains as great a multidive site as it has always been. What Happened? On Sept. 10, 2017, Hurricane Irma struck the Florida Keys with maximum sustained winds of 113 knots (209 kph/130 mph), leaving devastation and destruction in its wake. Key West, home of the famed artificial reef Vandenberg sunk in 2009, was in the westernmost quadrant of the eye of the hurricane. Key West suffered tornados and winds in excess of 160 kph (100 mph). Despite Vandy’s size and bulk — 159.36 meters (522 feet 10 inches) and 13,000 tons with a bottom depth of some 44 meters (145 feet) — the grand lady was seriously moved some 60 to 90 meters (200…

Nobody paid much attention to anything in Key West in 1972. The town was at the end of the world. That’s when Pat Clyne met Mel Fisher. Fisher was hunting for treasure in his quest for the fabled Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha and its fortune in gold and silver, jewels and treasure. Clyne was fishing for sharks. They met in the Bull and Whistle Bar, and it took only moments for Clyne to accept Fisher’s invitation to join him in the adventure that would become the fulfillment of their dreams years later when the Atocha and her convoy mate the Santa Margarita were discovered in the waters south of Key West. Fisher didn’t put young Clyne to work diving right away. Clyne was set to work caulking the…