Sources First Quarter 2017

Why are you still diving? We know that scuba diving is a wonderful activity and a passport to visit a unique and wondrous world. When we dive, we enter a place where we temporarily free ourselves from the restraints of gravity, maneuver smoothly like a fish, hover motionless, see amazing and strange new creatures, and set aside the cares of the world. For many whom we teach to dive, this is enough. They are casual divers who go diving for a change of pace vacation. You will find them underwater once a year, or every other year, gazing at brightly colored reef denizens. But eventually, they will probably fade, having sufficiently filled another bucket on their life list. Wouldn’t it be better if they became divers who were committed to…

Let me begin by acknowledging the 2016 NAUI Award recipients who were recognized during the Annual General Membership meeting on Nov. 17 in Las Vegas, Nevada, during the DEMA Show. Their service is an inspiration and a testament to the quality of NAUI leaders. On behalf of the Association, thank you! Since 1960, NAUI Instructors and dive leaders have been recognized for being exceptional, and every NAUI member rightfully feels proud of his or her accomplishment. Notice I did not claim NAUI is the best, since any such claim is arguable and, no doubt, members of other organizations would make similar claims. For me, the question is not about who is the best, but rather how we define the values and benefits of NAUI training. The NAUI training progression is…

This is my farewell report to you as I leave the NAUI Board of Directors in good hands. Our new Board will take on the tasks from here. Welcome back Dave Ochs (NAUI 15918) after a year off the Board. Welcome Lonnie Sharp (NAUI 18314) to a second term and welcome Gary Kulisek (NAUI 11023). I’m pleased with the progress we made this past year. At the start of the year, we focused on clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the NAUI Board and the NSG Board. Keith Wrisley, Chairman of the NSG Board, spent a day with the NAUI Board at headquarters in Tampa, Florida, and outlined how the two Boards must work in harmony. That led us to concentrate on the projects that fit into the individual committees.…

NAUI Worldwide remains a true membership association. Our standards, policies and ethics are governed by the association’s Board of Directors, who are members themselves. The Board of Directors are elected through a democratic election process — each eligible member gets a vote in his or her association. This year’s voting was again performed online and with paper ballots available upon request. The third-party host website Votenet (eBallot) was prepared with the candidates’ information, biosketch and answers to common questions posed to all of the candidates. During the voting period, members accessed an eBallot through Votenet to cast their votes. A total of 7,968 NAUI members were eligible to vote in the 2016 Board of Directors election. A total of 913 members cast ballots. The tally of votes in the election…

After 22 years at NAUI Headquarters, Randy Shaw (NAUI 9102) retired as NAUI Director of Training on Jan. 31, 2017. Randy began working at NAUI in 1995, when NAUI Headquarters was still in California, and he was a key enabler in the 1997 move of NAUI Headquarters from Montclair, California,to Tampa,Florida.Although Randy has worn many hats in his NAUI career, training has always been a central facet of his responsibilities. Like many others in the late 1950s, Randy was first attracted to scuba diving from watching Lloyd Bridges (a.k.a. Mike Nelson) on TV’s “Sea Hunt.” He had his first “dive” in 1959 — a Try Scuba experience at a boat show in his native Oklahoma. He was certified as a diver in a YMCA course in 1960 (months before NAUI…

In December 2016, NAUI Headquarters announced that Terrence Tysall had assumed the role of Assistant Director of Training and would then transition to the position of Director of Training, effective Feb. 1, 2017. After more than 22 years at NAUI Headquarters, Randy Shaw (NAUI 9102) retired, effective Jan. 31, 2017. Shaw’s service was an invaluable part of NAUI’s defining role in diving over the past two decades. During his tenure, NAUI witnessed many innovations in training from recreational to technical diving. His dedicated oversight and leadership will be missed, but he will remain with NAUI in a consulting position for a short time after his retirement to ensure a smooth and effective transition. “It’s an opportunity of a lifetime to not only follow in Randy’s footsteps, but to work in…