Non-Profit Marine Orgs

Industry Pro's New Position Encourages Responsible Travel and Adaptive Adventure Programs

(Dive Travel Business News - November 8, 2011) -- After seven years of business, and twice being recognized as one of the 100 Fastest Growing Businesses in the Philadelphia area, Indian Valley Scuba is changing leadership. Founder David Valaika recently announced his decision to turn over the reigns of the Northeast’s leading dive center to the team he built.

The change will allow Valaika to focus on projects closer to his heart, especially his altruistic work in developing Adaptive Diving Programs through the non-profit charity he founded in 2006, IAHD-Americas (www.iahd-americas.org). read more »

Why Miss Scuba takes At-Risk Children SCUBA Diving

(Dive Travel Business News - October 1, 2011) -- As a California based stunt woman and scuba instructor, Szilvia Gogh has worked on exciting movie sets with actors like Drew Barrymore, boss around LAPD Dive Team Leaders during training and swim with sharks in remote reefs around the world. Yet one of her favorite activities is the Chance for Children Summer Camp.

A bit of history here. In the early 90's Greg Bonann, a Los Angeles County lifeguard and creator of the world famous television series Baywatch, talked about the concept of having a "Baywatch theme related camp”. A year after hearing him talk about the idea, Tai Collins a freelance writer for the show, spoke up. She asked Bonann if he was serious about the summer camp and he was. read more »

Women Divers Hall of Fame Annual Event at DEMA 2011

Annual Event brings Diving Luminaries and Dive Travel together

(Dive Travel Business News - September 14, 2011) -- The Women Divers Hall of Fame (WDHOF) is once again hosting its annual "must be there" Auction and Evening with Diving Luminaries in conjunction with DEMA Show 2011 in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday, November 2nd from 7 to 10 pm at the Rosen Center Hotel.

Each year this popular WDHOF event brings together key members of the diving industry in an upbeat, casual setting and is a major fundraiser for WDHOF causes including many Scholarships and Training Grants that offer financial and/or educational assistance to individuals of all ages, particularly those who are preparing for professional careers that involve scuba diving.

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ReefId is Building the Largest User Friendly Online Critter Database

ReefId helps identify our oceans inhabitants.

(Dive Travel Business News - Sept 1, 2011) -- A unique resource is being built to help curious ocean adventurers identify the inhabitants they encounter. Everyone from the advanced SCUBA diver and underwater photographer to the occasional snorkeler is helping build the largest user friendly online database of our ocean's inhabitants to date. By utilizing the power of the public, everyone from the professional ocean adventurer to the casual aquatic vacationer can quickly and easily identify a chance encounter with one of our world's ocean inhabitants. read more »

Make Every Day World Oceans Day!

(Dive Travel Business News - June 8, 2011) -- Today is World Oceans Day - a time to celebrate our earth's most beautiful blue resource, and to take a moment to consider how we are taking care of it. World Oceans Day, which had been unofficially celebrated every June 8 since its original proposal in 1992 by Canada at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The day was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008. Since then it has been coordinated internationally by The Ocean Project and the World Ocean Network with greater success and global participation each year. read more »

Palau Focuses on Eco-friendly Practices

(Dive Travel Business News - March 10, 2011) -- Palau is taking strides to preserve its natural resources, including sharks, whales, jelly fish, dolphins, agriculture, aquaculture and coral reefs. Eco-friendly practices are indigenous to the local culture and traditions and are now becoming a springboard for the island nation as several Palauan entities are enhancing their practices.

Palau’s former president, Tommy E. Remengesau, a key supporter of Shark Sanctuary, signed into law on Sept. 5, 2003, some of the world toughest shark protection legislation with heavy penalty of up to $250,000 per incident for violation. The ground-breaking legislation remains the law in Palau today, despite recent efforts to overturn. In January 2004, Palau received international recognition from Shark Project as a recipient of their first Shark Guardian of the year for passage of such tough shark protection law. read more »

Aquarium of the Bay Rescues Another Pacific Octopus

(Dive Travel Business News - March 25, 2011) -- Connecting visitors with one of the most intelligent and fascinating inhabitants of San Francisco Bay, Aquarium of the Bay today welcomed a new Giant Pacific Octopus, Octopus dofleini. Like others of its kind, the animal came to the Aquarium in a roundabout fashion, by way of a local crab fisherman.

Giant Pacific Octopuses have a particular hankering for crabs as well as den-like enclosures, and often mistake crabber's nets as a hunting and hiding ground, where they can be accidentally caught. If the octopus kills and eats the crabber's catch, many fishermen respond by killing the octopus. Aquarium of the Bay works with local fishermen to change this behavior by purchasing the octopuses for exhibit, where they help strengthen visitors' connection to the animals. The Aquarium's Husbandry team posts fliers around local piers and tackle stores, alerting crabbers of this opportunity.

"Aquarium of the Bay is always happy to provide a safe haven for octopuses that would otherwise meet a hasty demise," says Christina J. Slager, Director of Husbandry for Aquarium of the Bay. read more »

"Divers' Palate" to be Launched at Beneath The Sea Dive & Travel Expo

(Dive Travel Business News - March 24, 2011) -- As part of its extensive fundraising efforts that help support Women Divers Hall of Fame™ (WDHOF) scholarships and training grants, WDHOF will be launching a new cookbook at the Beneath The Sea Dive & Travel Expo in Secaucus New Jersey, March 25-27, 2011 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center.

"Divers' Palate: A Collection of Recipes and Stories from WDHOF and Friends" is a 4-color, 3-ring binder with a stunning cover by marine artist Robert Lyn Nelson. Compiled and produced by WDHOF members Julianne Ziefle and Bonnie Toth, the 300+page cookbook features recipes, photos and stories contributed by WDHOF members, friends and diving luminaries. This is a limited edition print run with only 300 copies available. read more »

Ten Outstanding Women Honored at Beneath The Sea Dive & Travel Expo

(Dive Travel Business News - March 23, 2011) --- Dedicated to recognizing and honoring the contributions of women divers, the Women Divers Hall of Fame™ (WDHOF) is an international, non-profit, professional honor society whose member contributions span a wide variety of fields including: The Arts, Science, Medicine, Exploration & Technology, Marine Archeology, Business, Media, Training & Education, Safety, Commercial & Military Diving, Free Diving, and Underwater Sports.

The Women Divers hall of Fame recently announced the selection of ten new Members who will be inducted into the Hall at the Beneath The Sea Dive & Travel Expo Awards Banquet at the Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel in Secaucus, New Jersey on Saturday March 26, 2011 (). These outstanding professionals will constitute the WDHOF Class of 2011: read more »

Legendary Scuba Diving Pioneer and Underwater Photographer Passes

"Fishy Dan" Wagner was founder of Mother Ocean Foundation

(Dive Travel Business News - December 13, 2010) -- On December 7, 2010, the creatures of the sea lost a great friend when the founder of the "Mother Ocean Foundation" passed away. Dan Wagner, who was more commonly known as "Fishy Dan" by area school children in Florida, was a legendary scuba diving pioneer and underwater photographer.

Dan Wagner's first open-water scuba experience began in the Chicago suburbs in 1954 after he saw the movie "The Frogmen". A local diver lent him some of his own scuba equipment in the YMCA pool and after only five minutes underwater Dan was hooked on scuba diving.

Dan started his career with Dan's Diving Den outside Chicago in 1958. He became one of the first 25 nationally certified YMCA Instructors in the United States. A well-respected instructor of scuba diving Dan certified more than 5,000 divers. read more »