Sources Fourth Quarter 2016

Scuba has always been an equipment-intensive activity. When we dive, we are, after all, in a lethal environment. The current record for static apnea (without a pre-dive boost of oxygen) is just shy of 12 minutes. I suggest you “don’t do this at home.” As instructors and leaders, we do a lot of diving, and we become so accustomed to the burden and operation of our gear that wearing it and using it feels fully normal. We pay careful attention to it during setup and pre-dive buddy checks, and then for most of the dive, it is just there, working as surely as always, not drawing our attention. If something untoward happens with it, we immediately see, feel or sense the change, and act appropriately to resolve the issue or…

You receive Sources as a free benefit of your NAUI membership. Since we began publishing the new digital Sources with the second quarter 2016, you have been receiving both the digital edition and the paper version. In 2017, this will be changing. As a NAUI member, you will continue to receive the digital edition at no charge. We will continue to print a limited run of the paper edition for special purposes but will stop mailing the printed magazine to the entire membership. However, you can subscribe to the print version if you wish to continue receiving it. The subscription cost for NAUI members will be $29 per year. (Non-NAUI member subscription price is $39.) Your 2017 NAUI membership-renewal form will have a prominent checkbox that you can mark to…

The New Oxford American Dictionary describes the word “technical” as “of or relating to a particular subject, art, or craft, or its techniques.” A closely related term is “technology”: “the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.” In this issue of Sources, we focus on the technical aspects of diving. For some, like inventors, engineers and manufacturers, there is a focus on the development of new tools and equipment to allow us to adapt to the underwater world. As professional educators and dive leaders, members of NAUI focus on the identification of scientifically validated knowledge and techniques that form the basis for the information and skills we teach our students. Since 1960, NAUI leaders and instructors have been among the first to apply emerging technologies to shape our professional practice.…

The major board events this fall are our annual board election and the DEMA Show in Las Vegas, from November 16 through 19. I will be there for the entire show, and I welcome the opportunity to visit with you. Check the schedules for NAUI presentations, and make certain that you attend the NAUI Annual General Membership Meeting and awards ceremony. I want to thank board members Danny Grizzard and Karen Kayser for their due diligence this year with the election committee. Thanks also to committee members Jeff Heim and Will Irvin for serving on the committee and assisting with the selection process. Each year, we strive to improve the election process and select the best candidates for whom you, our NAUI members, will vote. One of the election committee’s…

Each year, NAUI’s members have the opportunity and the responsibility to select those of your fellow members who will serve you on our Board of Directors. NAUI is unique among training agencies in this respect. You have a voice in your association and its future through our Board of Directors, whose members have been placed in their position of responsibility by your vote. Nine candidates are running for three available seats in the 2016 election. The two candidates with the most votes will be seated for four-year terms on the NAUI Board of Directors, and the candidate with the third highest vote total will be seated for the final one year of a four-year term based on a resignation late last year. All of the candidates are asked by the…

In 1969, NAUI launched the International Conference on Underwater Education (ICUE, or simply IQ). The conference became a yearly diving event, predating the DEMA Show by several years. All divers and instructors were invited, and IQ became so popular that registration finally had to be limited. The location was usually a large hotel that could accommodate the crowds. The overall purpose of the conferences was “making diving safer.” Each IQ lasted for several days that were filled with presentations and seminars on all aspects of diving and the business of diving: the latest ideas and developments in educational theory and practice, diving sciences, equipment improvements, diving medicine, retail and travel. Papers on topics such as emergency skills, first aid, teaching techniques, team teaching, physics and physiology, younger students and special-needs…