PADI

(Dive Travel Business News - May 3, 2012) -- Dive and fitness instructors alike can now become certified to teach fitness to divers.  The Padi ScubaFit® course was developed by Gretchen M. Ashton, a certified fitness trainer and Stephen Mendel, a multi agency scuba instructor.

The PADI ScubaFit® Diver Distinctive Specialty Course offers new opportunities for instructors and dive shop owners to improve the health, performance and safety of their diving clients and increase diving participation.  Divers who are fit are much more likely to enjoy their diving experience and to dive more often. ScubaFit's first three students have successfully completed the course, and more classes are filling now.  read more »

(Dive Travel Business News - April 23, 2012) -- The first Utila Dive Festival, to be held August 18-25, 2012, is a week-long schedule of events above and below the water with diving, dancing, dining and discovering the tiny diving Mecca of Utila, one of The Bay Islands located in the Western Caribbean just South of Belize.

Underwater highlights include themed daily dives, and specialized diving activities held throughout the week including a photography competition, advanced buoyancy workshops, reef ecology and whale shark talks, tec and sidemount try dives including closed circuit rebreathers. Topside, there are social events, opening and closing beach parties,  Taste of Utila food fair, and prize giveaways. read more »

Dive Travel Business News - April 21, 2012) -- Located in Montreal, Canada, Total Diving, has become the first dive centre in the world to join 1% for the Planet, Total Diving will generously donate 1% of their revenue to ocean protection. 
 
“As the first dive center in the world to join 1% for the Planet, we are breaking new ground for businesses whose survival and profitability depend on the wellbeing of the oceans,” said Darcy Kieran, owner of Total Diving.

Says Kieran, "It's not just about preserving scuba diving sites around the world, it’s a great fit and it’s a good feeling to know we are working together to ensure our underwater playground is protected for future generations.” read more »

(DIve Travel Business News- April 16, 2012) -- This Earth Day and throughout April, Project AWARE and divers worldwide call on local communities to rally support for the protection of the world’s most vulnerable shark species by signing and organizing petition signatures to protect heavily traded species. Nearly 100,000 concerned divers and shark advocates have already signed their support for Project AWARE’s shark petition. But additional support is needed to ensure the voices of global shark advocates are heard.

Project AWARE Foundation and its global movement of divers are also producing the Big Shark Shout Out.  Big Shark Shout Out events will span the globe and include shark petition rallies, education events and seminars. read more »

(Dive Travel Business News - March 19, 2012) -- Experts from around the world are gathering in Orlando, Florida on May 18-20, 2012 to examine the state of rebreather use and to develop protocols and recommendations to improve user safety. Co-sponsored in part by DAN, PADI and the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS), the Rebreather Forum 3 is a three-day program featuring rebreather specialists, experts, manufacturers, training and education leaders, scientists and dive safety researchers.

Over the course of the three-day program, participants will have the chance to hear presentations on topics such as the state of recreational rebreather technology, a review of the available data for accident analysis, a review of the training and operational protocols, and an examination of the considerations for conducting extreme exposure dives. read more »

(Dive Travel Business News - March 30, 2012) -- Sunset House, Grand Cayman’s Hotel for Divers, by Divers, has become one of the first dual International Yacht Training (IYT)/Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) Training Centers in the world. International Yacht Training is a fully approved training company by the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG) amongst others. This allows Sunset Divers (Sunset House’s elite Dive Center) not only to train dive professionals as Diveboat captains, but are authorized to train and certify non-dive related candidates, IYT/MCA nautical qualifications through their new IYT instructors Robert Hopwood and Peter Foster-Smith .

All Sunset Divers’ captains have been certified as PADI/IYT Diveboat Coxswains. Sunset Divers has become one of the first dive operators to certify to the new, high standard to training and certification for Diveboat operators.

The program:
• PADI/IYT Diveboat Mate – qualified Diveboat crew and captain in training read more »

(Dive Travel Business - January 28, 2012) -- Kids Sea Camp has announced its Family Dive Adventure destinations for 2012: The list includes eight family-friendly dive holidays in Yap, Palau, Costa Rica, Grand Cayman, Galapagos, Bonaire, Utila and St. Vincent.

Kids Sea Camp gets kids excited about the ocean when they are young. Established by Dive Travel Pro Margo Peyton in 2001, the objective of Kids Sea Camp is to promote an awareness of marine related issues, with a strong focus on conservation. During Kids Sea Camp, students enjoy multiple activities and the enthusiasm of a staff dedicated to teaching new and fun things about the oceans with both education in a classroom environment as well as hands-on programs that teach age appropriate curriculum.

The Kids Sea Camp Line-Up for 2012 is: read more »

(Dive Travel Business News - May 4, 2010) -- Fiji’s Dive Tropex Tokoriki was awarded an Asia Pacific Environmental Achievement Award for operating in an environmentally responsible manner and demonstrating a commitment to conserving underwater environments through education, advocacy and action by the Project AWARE Foundation. The organization honors dive operators around the world who display commitment and excellence in their efforts to protect underwater environments within business operations and their community.

It is the third year in a row that Dive Tropex has been recognized for their commitment to conserving the environment having collected a Project AWARE Environmental Achievement Award in 2007 and 2008. Their work in regenerating the Giant Clam population around Tokoriki, participating in Project AWARE Dive into Earth clean ups on a yearly basis and various other environmental projects contributing to their recognition as a leading environmental crusader in Fiji. read more »