It is with profound sadness that we note today the passing of Armand Zigahn. Zig, the name the thousands of men and women his life touched knew him by, passed quietly. Zig leaves behind his wife JoAnn, his sons Michael and Scott, his daughters Kimberly, Kristen, Linda, Cheryl, and grandchildren Christian, Abigail, Alexandra, Mathew, Rachel, Joshua, Jonathan, and beloved niece and nephew Ashley and Christopher. Zig made his mark in the scuba diving sports community as the Founder and Executive Director of Beneath the Sea, the largest consumer ocean exposition, dive, and travel show in America ..read more

Over the past six years, the Sea of Change Foundation has supported both threatened species conservation projects and promoted ocean pollution awareness. This past summer, in partnership with the Science Exchange, the Foundation initiated an exciting new project that directly addresses both issues while promoting citizen science. The “Build A Better Box” Contest invited international students and the general public to propose improved designs for sea turtle eggs incubation boxes using affordable, easily obtainable, and sustainable materials to replace the Styrofoam® coolers currently used by ..read more

Aggressor Adventures’ Director of Conservation and Outreach, Samantha Whitcraft, has been recognized as DEMA’S 2020 Wave Maker during the annual DEMA awards ceremony. Whitcraft has extensive experience in pioneering environmental change through creating and executing successful sustainability efforts. “Aggressor’s core values and successes are a direct reflection of our employees, and this award shines a light on the time and energy Samantha spends leading many of Aggressor’s most impactful sustainability efforts,” said Aggressor Chairman and CEO Wayne Brown. “We could not be more ecstatic fo ..read more

Published courtesy of the Historical Diving Society. Dear Friends, It is with the greatest sadness that I report the passing of our friend and HDS USA Advisory Board member, Ernie Brooks, who passed away today, November 17, 2020. Ernie’s career spanned the full history of American recreational scuba diving, and he is loved and respected by many. Inspired by the work of his hero, Hans Hass, he established himself internationally as the world’s premier black and white underwater photographer. By way of giving back he established the Underwater Photography division of the Brooks Institute of Pho ..read more

Aggressor Thrives in a Time of Uncertainty and Shows No Signs of Slowing Down AUGUSTA, Ga. (Nov. 10, 2020) – Aggressor Adventures, a leading global adventure travel brand, is celebrating its 37th anniversary and looking back proudly on a strong year with gratitude for its loyal customers and staff. Despite the difficult circumstances, the company navigates around the pandemic, not resting on its laurels in 2020. Looking Back on an Eventful Year Aggressor Adventures tackled the COVID-19 pandemic with customer first practices. In an effort to provide a safe and healthy return to travel for both ..read more

FLORIDA KEYS — Divers can help preserve the Florida Keys’ native reef fish populations during the fun, socially distanced Reef Environmental Education Foundation 2020 Lionfish Derby. Scheduled Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 10-13, the derby challenges participants to capture and remove as many non-native lionfish as possible from Keys waters. This year, COVID-19 restrictions have forced organizers of the annual competition to modify the derby to minimize potential exposure to or spread of the virus. However, divers are to have two full days to capture lionfish and maximize their effectiveness ..read more

Colonia, Yap. May 9, 2020. Diving into the warm waters of a tropical island surrounded by gentle manta rays and colorful reef fish may sound like the makings of a sleep-inducing dream machine for frontline healthcare workers right now. But that dream will become reality for 20 deserving individuals when they head to the remote island of Yap for a weeklong, stress-free journey of a lifetime. Manta Ray Bay Resort & Yap Divers is inviting its past and current guests and Facebook followers to submit the names of people they know who have been working hard in the fight against COVID-19 for the ..read more

As the world isolates to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re all feeling like fish out of water. That’s why now, as we continue to observe social distancing guidelines, it’s important to fight #FODO – fear of drying out – in any way we can. We’re calling all divers to participate in the #FODOChallenge. Post a photo or video on social media using the hashtag #FODOChallenge. There’s no right way to fight FODO. You can spend time looking through dive photos, read your log book, enlist a friend to splash water on you, do a workout in dive gear…whatever floats your boat! The point is to find ..read more

The “Domino Effect,” or chain reaction, is the cumulative effect produced when one event sets off a chain of similar events. And so the story begins. In California in 2013 an unknown disease began killing millions of starfish of many different species, including the sunflower sea star. The sunflower sea star is the only real predator of a very hardy breed of echinoderm, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus or purple sea urchin. This sea urchin species, as the name suggests, is deep purple in color and lives in lower inter-tidal and nearshore sub-tidal communities. January, February and March functio ..read more

The Bahamas is open for business and still delivering the tropical getaway for which the country is known. Nassau and Paradise Island – This pair of islands, which are home to the country’s most extensive array of resorts, hotels, restaurants and tour operators, were not affected by Hurricane Dorian and are operating normally. With seasonal hotel incentives and increased airlift, it is easier than ever for travelers to visit this year. The Out Islands – The Out Islands are open and operating, with the exception of The Abacos which is still recovering. S ..read more