As divers we all travel. For some of us it's as near as a giant stride off our own dock, for others it's a day trip to our favorite site, a weekend trip further afield, a special, well-planned vacation, or a specialty course at our local dive shop. Some of us work in or around water, as commercial divers, dive center operators, fishermen, rescue and military personnel, biologists, naturalists, photographers or artists. For many, our trips-between-trips are spent as armchair divers, pouring over dive magazines, watching underwater videos, reading a dive mystery, visiting our museums or public aquariums, checking our equipment. We are newbies and seasoned, on the coast or far inland, in tropics or in frigid climates, in fresh or salt water. Yet we all share the same thing ó we have a passion for being in the water and for all things related to it. 

This is an interactive site, so we invite your articles and photos, suggestions, and comments. Although our primary interest is scuba, we recognize our roots in freediving and snorkeling, as well as our potential to advance and specialize. Our mission is:

• to educate the public and our members in diving in all its forms; free diving, snorkeling, scuba, commercial, scientific, and specialty
  
  
• to promote diving activities that foster environmental balance, civic responsibility, diving safety, and personal growth and satisfaction
  
  
• to provide a forum for and among individual sport divers, shop owners, clubs, and other groups with interests in dive site development, special projects, travel, products, and educational programs
  to encourage others to join our ranks through education and mentoring.

ABOUT US

Rhonda F. Waters, PhD-- I'm a city kid, who never really thought she would enjoy being in the water let alone be a scuba diver. While I have always enjoyed boating, I never learned to swim very well and thought actually being on and in the water was beyond my capabilities. I was an armchair diver though, avidly watching anything that involved diving or water sports on television.

One trip to Hawaii 7 years ago changed my life. I learned to snorkel, and loved it! I nearly drowned myself until I figured out how to control my smiling under water and keep my snorkel dry. The next two years led me deeper into the water and into scuba certification.

In my non-scuba life I am a consultant, trainer and professional speaker, specializing in organizational development and motivation. (www.mutaregroup.com)

Bonnie Jackson, MS, PT -- I grew up in southern NH, where summers were spent boating and fishing off the Maine and Massachusetts coasts. My first job was as an aquatic fisheries biologist for New York State, where I worked for ten years. I trained in commercial diving in California, and worked for a time tending hardhat divers. I have been scuba diving since 1978, primarily while living in the Caribbean. My hats in recreational scuba include operating a diving resort, a dive shop, and serving as divemaster and licensed captain. I again find myself in New England, now president of Genesis Therapies, an organization specializing in movement and mind-body interactions on Cape Cod. Still, I find myself irresistibly drawn to the water.

©2003 DiversTravel.com