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Joe Porter, Wreck Diving Magazine, Heidi Porter, Rosemary E Lunn, Roz Lunn, EUROTEK Award Winner, scuba diving news, XRay Mag, X-Ray Magazine, scuba diving death
Joe Porter pictured at 2016 Beneath the Sea Dive Show

Joe Porter - Founder of Wreck Diving Magazine - dies

He passed away on the evening of Monday 6 September 2021, after fighting a battle with Covid-19.

Joe, and his ground-breaking USA publication, were much admired around the globe. In 2008, the magazine won the inaugural EUROTEK Media Award because it had educated, inspired and influenced many divers in a positive manner. 

Wreck Diving Magazine is dedicated to the men, women and children who lost their lives in the tragedies contained within our publication and website. 

In Lieu of Flowers

Heidi Porter has requested that if you wish to send flowers at this time, please chose a charity that means something special to you, and make a donation in Joe Porter's name. 

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It didn't matter who Eric Grove was talking to, he was an engaged and animated speaker. He had a unique, passionate presentation style and distinctive voice

Eric Grove: Influential, Inspirational Maritime Historian, dies

Probably Britain's leading authority today on British Naval History with an encyclopaedic knowledge of contemporary warfare. Martin Edmonds

Update

Rear Admiral Iain Lower, Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff, spoke at Eric Grove's funeral on 11 May 2021. His office kindly sent me Rear Admiral Lower's eulogy. 

Survey for instructors

Scubanomics is conducting research into the 'economics' of being a dive instructor. They are therefore asking active and non-active dive instructors - scuba diving and freediving instructors, instructor trainers, and course directors - to take part in a survey.

This should take approximately ten minutes to complete, and it is believed it is the first of its kind. 

The resulting data will be published, in order that the dive industry benefits from it. 

Click here to participate in the study.

Interview with Bruce Partridge: Founder of Shearwater Research

Bruce Partridge, founder of Shearwater Research. Photo courtesy of Bruce Partridge.
Bruce Partridge, founder of Shearwater Research. Photo courtesy of Bruce Partridge.

Bruce Partridge is the founder of Shearwater Research, which makes high-quality dive computers, trimix computers and electronic control systems for rebreathers, with simple and intuitive user interfaces and a reputation for being reliable, user-friendly and easy to read underwater.

GUE diver Nico Lurot

TOP 10 Scuba Diving Pioneers - Global Underwater Explorers

Who are the Top 10 Scuba Diving Pioneers? It doesn't matter if you're a cave diver, wreck diver, deep diver, or none of the above. If Scuba Diving is your passion/profession, you owe a debt of gratitude to the pioneers that came before you, those that shaped the industry.

In this video, GUE diver Nico Lurot is going to count down the TOP 10 Scuba Diving Pioneers whom he believes had (some of) the biggest influences on the industry and sport we love.

John Kendall getting ready to dive the 'Mars the Magnificent' wreck in July 2018

John Kendall earns top GUE CCR instructor rating

For those unfamiliar with this training agency, the qualification is the highest GUE closed-circuit rebreather (CCR) rating, ie advanced Trimix.

This means that John Kendall is able to teach both GUE's CCR courses: CCR Diver Level 1 and CCR Diver Level 2. John now joins the nine other GUE instructors in the world, capable of teaching this course.

Currently there are only 10 GUE CCR2 instructors in the world. Global Underwater Explorers

Lad Handelman in his Santa Barbara, CA home. Photo courtesy of Historical Diving Society

Celebrating Lad Handelman

I was greatly saddened by the loss of Lad Handelman, who passed away as a result of a heart attack on the evening of October 26, 2020. Though most people knew him as one of the larger-than-life giants and pioneers of commercial oilfield diving, few knew that he was a key advisor for my magazine aquaCORPS: The Journal for Technical Diving and the tek.Conferences in the early 1990s.

 

 

Rob Stewart (December 28, 1979 – January 31, 2017) was a Canadian photographer, filmmaker and conservationist. He was best known for making and directing the documentary films Sharkwater and Revolution. He died at the age of 37 in a scuba diving incident while in Florida filming Sharkwater Extinction.

Who was really responsible for the death of Rob Stewart?

Many will recall that Stewart died tragically in an accident in January 2017 while completing the third dive of the day to below 60 meters. He and his partner, Peter Sotis, surfaced, but Sotis passed out on the boat after climbing aboard and Stewart vanished from the surface. His body was recovered several days later. The world mourned Stewart’s passing, many suggesting that he had almost single handed brought the issue of shark finning to the world’s attention and as a result had a major handing in saving an entire species.

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Peter Sotis explaining rebreather

Peter Sotis being interviewed by Robert Osborne for a TV documentary about the circumstances under which charismatic Canadian filmmaker and conservationist Rob Stewart drowned.

Respected diving researcher Dr Richard D Vann served in Vietnam as a US Navy Seal
Respected diving researcher Dr Richard D Vann served in Vietnam as a US Navy Seal

World renowned diving researcher Dick Vann dies

He had been battling multiple myeloma since 2010.

The family of Dr Richard Vann wishes to thank everyone for their tremendous outpouring of love for such a wonderful man.

Dick was a beloved husband, father, colleague and friend and we will all miss him dearly

Dick Vann's family have confirmed that in accordance with his wishes, his ashes will be scattered in Maine, where his parents and grandparents are interred.

Professor Doctor Franz Brümmer (right), former President of the Association of German Sports Divers (VDST) was honoured on 7 December 2019, when he received the DOSB Badge of Honor from DOSB President Alfons Hörmann (left)

Franz Brümmer to receive EUF Lavanchy Award At Boot 2020

The EUF Lavanchy Award is presented annually to an individual whom EUF members feel "has made a significant and sustained contribution towards the responsible development of the European diving community."

This year, Franz Brümmer, a 63-year-old diver and German scientist, who has always been keen to introduce marine biology to a broad audience (with the aim of encouraging wide and active environmental protection) will receive the Lavanchy Award.

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EUF Lavanchy Award Winners