Club 25 Profile – SEACAM

April 3, 2019

A passionate photographer, diver and skillful craftsman for many years, Harald Hordosch started taking interest in underwater photography while diving in the fresh water lakes in Europe. Not satisfied with the two film camera housing brands available in the market back then, he decided to invent his own and eventually founds SEACAM as a small business in Austria.

The first housings created by SEACAM in 1989

Ever since 1989, SEACAM has been developing underwater camera housings designed to achieve maximum image quality, reliability and flexibility. The first designs for housings were based on the futuristic study by a famous German underwater photographer and were then adapted for practical use in the first SEACAM housing model. The first serial production was made of simple aluminum cast housings, together with accessories for Canon, Minolta and Nikon AF-single lens reflex cameras.

Harold_Hordosch — SEACAM Founder Harold Hordosch (Photo courtesy of SEACAM)

By 1991 SEACAM had developed the MINICAM – an ergonomic and user-friendly new housing concept featuring mechanical transmission elements with a high quality interchangeable port system featuring optically cut flat and dome glasses. SEACAM also released the MINIFLASH – the world’s first system flash housing with an integrated pilot light. The following year saw a wide expansion of its range with eight different camera and flash housings added. The SEAFLASH, an underwater flash device, is introduced with Germany’s Subtronic electronic system. The Galilei viewfinder is also adapted and introduced for the first time in an underwater housing which dramatically improves the viewfinder in the housing. By 1993, SEACAM’s product range has 13 different special housings for cameras, system flash housings and underwater flash devices. In 1995, the FLASHARM, a patented, strong and flexible arm system was introduced to great fanfare.

In 1997, SEACAM introduced its revolutionary silver underwater housing surface technology which allows for a completely varnishing-free housing surface. Constructed out of a saltwater-proof, high-strength light-metal alloy, the alloy parts undergo thermal treatment to achieve an even higher firmness and form stability. The housings for the Canon EOS 1N, Minolta DYNAX 700si/9xi are the first to appear in this new design. The SPORTSFINDER, the world’s first rotatable 45-degree viewfinder, is also introduced – a game-changing innovation in all areas of underwater photography.

S45_viewfinder — SEACAM's unique 45 degree viewfinder

In the trendsetting year of 2001, SEACAM takes the plunge from analogue to digital and launches its first professional housing for digital cameras – the Nikon D1/D1X/D1H. And in 2003, SEACAM began designing the housing of the Nikon D100 entirely on a computer, milling the housing from a single massive block of aluminum. The precision and quality of this method is widely acknowledged to be superior to conventional molding technology.

Another milestone marks the introduction of a fully digital underwater flash device with a removable battery pack. Over the years, SEACAM also advances and expands their port range with innovations such as the brilliant Superdome port, the conically shaped Macro Port and other adaptations to the ever changing needs and challenges of underwater photographers. In 2011, SEACAM launches the prelude line for amateur and entry-level underwater photographers and further expands the range with the introduction of the SEACAM compact series for mirrorless cameras in 2016.

D850_1 — SEACAM's completely varnishing-free housing surface is handmade by a single technician

Through all these years, one SEACAM principle has remained steadfast – every SEACAM silver housing is a handmade and unique specimen assembled by a single technician in order to ensure that customers get the perfect quality. Pressure and temperature tests help ensure that your SEACAM system continues to perform even in the deepest of depths.

SEACAM works with countless professional, semi-professionals and amateur photographers all around the world to help them get the best out of their photo equipment. Listening to the photographer’s needs, questions and feedback is vital to developing for the future and getting ready for new developments and innovations heading our way.

And while always keeping the focus on innovation and further development of the product catalogue, SEACAM never stops there and also steps into other areas, such as publishing with the SEACAM magazine as well as online webinars in the form of an Underwater Photo Academy with underwater photographer Kurt Amsler.

Now after 30 years in the industry, Harald Hordosch still leads the company today with a demand for precise craftsmanship, his innovative spirit and untiring commitment. The small team consisting of dedicated professionals and a local production and sourcing of high quality materials ensure that underwater photographers can enjoy their equipment for years and years to come – and take pictures that awe, move and inspire people.

Club 25 Profile – Scuba Schools International (SSI)

April 3, 2019

Founded by Robert Clark in 1970, the origin story of Scuba Schools International is an interesting tale of kismet between the National Association of Scuba Diving Stores (NASDS) and Scuba Schools International (SSI). A diver since he was seven, Clark started scuba diving in 1960 as a hobby in the days before there was any real opportunity to have formal classes. After opening his first store selling scuba diving equipment in 1965 in Sidney, Nebraska (the scuba capital of the world), a friend connected him to John Gaffney and Clark began working with Gaffney in 1966 to develop the National Association of Scuba Diving stores (NASDS). It was a parting of ways in 1970 between NASDS and Clark that prompted Clark to found SSI with several colleagues who had been working together to develop NASDS.

After assuming control and ownership of SSI in 1974, Clark was able to develop the teaching syllabus around his philosophy on scuba instruction by creating the first integrated instructional system in diving at SSI. This commitment to cutting edge instructional systems remains the touchstone of SSI’s success and is widely admired and copied by scuba agencies around the world. SSI was the first to use full motion video in a complete training programme with its diving courses.

For more than 45 years, SSI has provided training, scuba diving certification and educational resources for divers, diver instructors, dive centres and resorts around the world. SSI has more than 30 service centres and is represented in more than 110 countries around the world at over 2,800 international locations with materials available in more than 30 languages. Since June 1 2010, SSI has qualified for Global ISO Certification with seven SSI programmes (Five for divers, two for instructors). SSI scuba certifications are recognised around the world.

In 1999, SSI merged with NASDS reuniting the two organisations under the same umbrella again. SSI was acquired by MARES in 2014.

The SSI International Global Network is one of the greatest strengths of SSI as an organisation. The SSI Headquarters at Fort Collins, Colorado, in the United States, is where the standardisation of SSI diving certification and education, training standards and the creation of skills and techniques for SSI programmes occurs. As opposed to other dive training organisations, SSI instructors can only teach at SSI Dive Centres or SSI accredited dive clubs that “adopt a franchise-like concept”.Educational materials are produced at SSI Headquarters and translated there into many languages with the help of SSI Service Centres.

SSI Service Centres oversee and service SSI Dive Centres, Dive Resorts and Dive Professionals of the assigned area. SSI Dive Centres and Dive Resorts serve as an extensive network of professional businesses which operate as scuba diving or freediving schools for diver and diver professional training. They provide a variety of diving destinations for SSI customers.

Club 25 Profile – Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI)

April 3, 2019

A Shared Passion and Vision Between Two Friends

Renowned as the world’s largest scuba diving training organisation, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) was dreamt up by two friends concerned about the state of the scuba diving industry some 53 years ago in the state of Illinois, USA.

Some 13 years after the invention of the aqualung had made scuba diving a reality, the certification of scuba divers was still not top notch with many scuba certification agencies providing instructions which were not up to date. Good friends John Cronin, a scuba equipment salesman for U.S Divers and Ralph Erickson, an educator, university water polo coach, champion swimmer, lifeguard and waterman, were suitably concerned about the future of the sport as they felt that scuba diving instructors needed better support to facilitate an easier learning process for people interested in learning how to breathe underwater.

One fateful night in 1966, while chatting in Erickson’s Illinois apartment in Morton Grove over Cronin’s favourite bottle, the duo finally decided to bring their vision for scuba diving to life. They would start a scuba training association which would provide professional support services to dive instructors with professional standards and professionally certified curriculum for diving instructors. With certified, relevant and instructionally valid scuba diving training, more people will be able to get easier access to enjoy the underwater world, thereby raising the numbers of confident scuba divers who dive regularly. With John insisting on the word “professional” for their new moniker and Ralph asserting the need for an “association of diving instructors”, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) was born.

Humble Beginnings

The first few start-up meetings for their new venture took place in “several restaurants in Morton Grove and Niles, Illinois”. Within a few months, however, the duo had established the first PADI headquarters in the basement of Cronin’s home on Main Street in Niles. They even hired Cronin’s next-door neighbour to stand in as a part-time secretary for PADI.

How PADI Got Its Diver’s Torch Logo

Inspired by The Silent World, Jacques Cousteau’s groundbreaking book on scuba diving, Erickson had come up with the idea of a diver with a torch in his hand in a globe after Cronin had mentioned that he wanted PADI’s logo to be something classy like National Geographic’s. Although they were essentially just a two-person operation, Cronin’s comments changed Erickson’s view of the company. Now, he could envision big things for PADI. After spotting a photo of French divers descending into the water with burning torches in hand, Erickson came up with the first PADI logo. This photo can still be seen hanging in the PADI Worldwide global office in California.

The Growth of PADI

The growth of PADI was organic in the early years. Instead of going with the military-structured “know it all entry level course” that most agencies were using at the time to “weed people out”, Erickson wanted PADI to have a “continuing educational course structure”. PADI introduced its first advanced diver course in 1967 along with its first specialty diver programmes. Although growth was slow, PADI had about 400 members by the late 1960s.

PADI’s first strategic move that aided its eventual success was the introduction of the “first positive identification certification card” that had the diver’s photograph on it. This idea for a photo on your certificate was suggested by Paul Tzimoulis, who eventually became editor of Skin Diver magazine, when Cronin first met him at a large National Sporting Goods Association show in New York City.

Still working at U.S. Divers, John Cronin was promoted to Sales Manager at his job and had moved with his family to Huntington Beach, California while maintaining his board position at PADI. Ralph Erickson also continued to pursue his career as a water polo coach at Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois and continued to serve as a PADI board member, consulting with PADI staff, helping to expand PADI’s “continuing education offerings” for divers. The PADI office moved to California in 1970 with key operational staff making the move as well.

An active diver and instructor, Erickson continued to help develop standards and courses at PADI by working with PADI’s early training managers. The PADI Open Water Diver certification was launched in 1972 as the preferred entry-level rating. Divers now needed to complete two times the number of open water dives as previous courses.

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, PADI had revolutionised scuba training by creating modular scuba training programmes with original integrated multimedia student and instructor educational materials. By the first half of the 1980s, PADI had successfully filled its ranks with the industry’s most experienced and professionally credentialed diving talent. Their expertise in instructional design, marketing, international business and development of educational systems, retail and resort programmes further established PADI’s leading status in the diving industry. PADI’s extensive scientific study in hyperbaric diver table research in the late 1980s led to the development of the Recreational Diver Planner.

When John Cronin retired as CEO of US. Divers/Aqualung and took the reins of PADI as CEO in 1986, PADI had become the leading scuba diving training organisation in the world. As the leading educator in underwater training, everyone at PADI felt the responsibility of educating the public on marine conservation.

“We want to feel that our children, their children and generations to come will be able to enjoy the underwater world that has given us so much,” said John Cronin. “There are so many significant problems facing mankind, but as divers this is truly our cause. If scuba divers do not take an active role in preserving the aquatic realm, who will?”

With marine conservation in mind, PADI initiated Project AWARE as an environmental ethic in the late 1980s and the Project AWARE philosophy was integrated into PADI Diver training courses. [Project AWARE (Aquatic World Awareness Responsibility and Education) is a global movement for ocean protecting powered by a community of adventurers. It engages snorkelers and divers in activities such as beach clean-ups and establishing marine parks and marine protected areas]. Eventually, in 1992, the Project AWARE Foundation was established as a non-profit organisation in the United States.

PADI Today

John Cronin passed away in 2003 with his friend and PADI co-founder, Ralph Erickson, following suit three years later.

Led by Dr. Drew Richardson, President and CEO, PADI remains the world’s largest recreational diver training organization with more than 6,600 dive centers and resorts and 137,000 professional members worldwide. Issuing 1 million certifications each year, PADI continues to make underwater exploration, travel and adventure accessible to people around the world while maintaining the highest industry standards for dive training, safety and customer service.

PADI is committed to being best in and for the world, supporting social and environmental efforts through its Pillars of Change^SM, empowering divers with information to get involved with causes they care about in a tangible way.

“PADI is committed to be a force for good,” says Richardson. “We’re privileged to have a powerful legacy to inspire us. By empowering divers and connecting them to the PADI family and global issues relevant to the dive industry, we can help make the world a better place and become an even more powerful catalyst for change. By engaging divers more effectively at the local level globally, global change is inevitable.”