Anyone Can Be A Scuba Ambassador
by Gene Muchanski, Editor
The Dive Industry Professional

The future of the diving industry is in the hands of divers who are hyper active in the recreation and naturally motivate people to go diving with them.  They are at the center of their own circle of influence and local diving activity revolves around them.  At DIVE LOCAL we call these people Ambassadors.  They are also referred to as Opinion Leaders or Scuba Evangelists.  They are the ones who get people excited about scuba diving and the industry needs more people like them.

When Scuba Diving was just getting popular in the 1960’s, those of us who were totally turned on by scuba diving got in the water every chance we got.  We scraped together every nickle we had to buy our gear or we made it ourselves.  If we didn’t have a buddy to dive with, we taught our friends and lent them equipment from our collection.  Those of us who loved diving so much, became Instructors and the Instructors who really caught the scuba bug became Dive Shop Owners.  Other hyper active Divers became Sales Reps, Manufacturers, Photography Experts or Travel Bugs.  It seems that the industry grew up around us.  Over the last fifty years, these Diving Pioneers have gotten older and slower and less energetic.  Many of us still dive actively, it’s just not with the same intensity and motivation.  It’s time to pass the baton of the industry to the next generation of diving enthusiasts – our Scuba Ambassadors of the future.

Anyone can be a Scuba Ambassador and there are many ways you can fulfill your passion for diving.  Becoming a scuba instructor and teaching people to dive is still a favorite way to log a lot of dives and meet a lot of people.  Getting actively involved in a scuba club and organizing dive trips to the local dive site will fill your social calendar.   Writing travel articles about your diving adventures and looking for media outlets to publish your articles and photographs could be the beginning of a new photo-journalistic career in a recreation that you love.  A great way to meet new divers is to ask your local Dive Show if they have a volunteer program.  SeaSpace in Houston, Texas had a great volunteer program and Beneath the Sea in Secaucus, New Jersey has a volunteer program that is now second to none.  And last but not least is to volunteer with non-profit organizations like Diveheart, that specialize in using scuba diving as a therapy for people with limited abilities.  Why not give something back while expanding your diving experiences?

The diving industry is looking for new talent and you could be just what we are looking for.  For more information on Volunteering with DIVE LOCAL, click on our blog website at www.divelocal.wordpress.com/about/volunteers/