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Discovery Deep
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 2, 2016
Media Contact:
Alex Stopa
Communications Director
astopa@discoverydeep.com
703.395.2377
Discovery Deep Announces Citizen Science Courses Under PADI and NAUI
Great Falls, VA - Discovery Deep is excited to announce that our citizen science diver courses, the Artificial Reef Survey Course under the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) and the North Carolina Citizen Science Diver Distinctive Specialty Course under the Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI), two leading associations in the dive industry, have been approved. This signals the launch of our work to train divers to collect research data for the University of North Carolina's Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City, NC as it studies the impact of artificial reefs in adding habitat to the marine environment.
Frank Stopa, CEO and Co-Founder of Discovery Deep said, "There are a lot people, from marine researchers to course designers to divers to dive instructors, and even volunteers, in and out of Discovery Deep, who've worked diligently and selflessly to bring this project to this point. Now we'd love to encourage divers to take the training and support the research work."
We’d especially like to thank Kristina Soderquist, Discovery Deep's Director of Education and Outreach and a PADI Course Director, who spent countless hours managing this process and designing the course materials, and Dillon Waters, a NAUI Dive Instructor and Assistant Manager of the Rum Runner Dive Shop in Winterville, NC, who designed the NAUI version of the course.
Many of our strongest partners have been instrumental in the success of this project, including Dr. Charles "Pete" Peterson, Avery Paxton and Claire Rosemond from the University of North Carolina’s Institute of Marine Sciences; Robert Purifoy, Owner-Operator of the Olympus Dive Center in Morehead City, NC; and Carolyn Bostock Wagner and Dillon Waters of the Rum Runner Dive Shop in Winterville, NC,
Finally, we'd also like to thank Ocean Sanctuaries (OS) of San Diego, CA, in particular Barbara Lloyd and Michael Bear, for their input and support in helping Discovery Deep develop this citizen science project based on their HMCS Yukon Artificial Reef Citizen Science Program.
For updates and charter information, check the Discovery Deep Facebook page and discoverydeep.org
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Discovery Deep provides data and sample collection support to scientific and academic organizations and select commercial interests. All of this is focused on furthering humankind’s understanding, knowledge and appreciation of the world’s oceans, seas and waterways.