Dear Dive & Travel Expo,

I want to start by saying thanks and this is a big surprise – I got the call about the award just a short time ago.

To set the record straight I don’t work by myself.

1. I’m just the front man for a group of service-minded individuals who volunteer to be stewards of the Edmonds Underwater Park.
2. The cast has migrated over time as our chores have migrates and individual’s lives have turned new chapters.
3. So I accept this award on behave a long line of people who have pitched in to keep the Park a safe and enjoyable place to dive.

But enough about me and the Edmonds Underwater Park

1. Let’s cut to the chase – The Expo – Rick Stratton, his great staff, the Expo exhibitors, and speakers share a common thread.
2. They are serious about Recreational Diving and they want you to be excited about it.
3. I’ve been excited about diving for years and have invested as they have in the future. This award is about looking forward to a fantastic future of diving here in the North Pacific.
4. I interpret this as a call to action to not just do more diving but to act as a community to both get involved and stay involved in the diving community.

Divers need to remember that this is a three-legged stool.

1. One leg would be the divers and their participation in the recreation.
2. One leg would be the industry that supports all the recreation – like the exhibitors and speakers.
3. One leg would be the resource managers who provide access to the aquatic setting – marine and freshwater sites – that we so enjoy.
4. This event has been a chance for industry to connect with us participants.
5. We need to show our support back by supporting them.
6. As you can tell by all the exhibits, this is a varied recreation with something for everyone.
7. The reality is that with the recent Earth Day – for this group Ocean Day – we are reminded of opportunities to cooperate with the resource manager leg.
8. We need to show our support to the resource managers – whether it is State Parks or the City of Mukilteo that we can help them. Or we can pitch in on REEF fish counts or on invasive species clean-ups.

The future is up to all of us.

1. I get tired of yakking – though some of my dive buddies relish that I finally get underwater and are quite – and have chosen to take action wit ha long standing commitment to one Park and tried to inspire others.
2. There are lots of ways to take action and leverage your talents.
3. I can’t pick the best way for you but I can say diving has lots of niches to fill.
4. The other neat thing about recreational diving is that you can morph over time for one focus to another and still have a great time.

So if your fit is not working try another, opportunities abound.

Thank you all.
Invest in diving’s future
Bruce Higgins