Last weekend, April 28-29 I attended the DUI DEMO TOUR event at Beaver Lake, Arkansas. This was the 11th year and it was an incredible success.  There was great weather, lots of divers and positive attitudes combined to create a fun mix at this year’s event.

This was my first visit to Northwest Arkansas and I was unprepared for the spectacular beauty of the area. Nestled in the Ozark Mountains, Beaver Lake, completed by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1966, is incredibly beautiful and packed with scuba divers. In fact, I was amazed at how many divers attended the DUI and also packed the lake at other location. I estimate that there were 300-400 divers on the lake that weekend alone. A staggering fact considering its remote location from large population centers.

The large lake (nearly 30,000 acres) offers plenty of access for recreation with great infrastructure of facilities; paved roads, boat ramps, campgrounds, bathrooms, electrical power, etc. – great for camping or day trips. With 487 miles of shoreline highlighted by limestone bluffs, Beaver Lake offers a world of recreational opportunities including boating, fishing and scuba diving. I was absolutely amazed at how big it was there.

The DUI DEMO TOUR was very successful. Focusing on bringing divers and DUI retailers together to learn more about drysuit diving and DUI equipment, the event invariably turns into a divers Woodstock. Attendees came out for the weekend, camping or staying at hotel or resorts for the weekend event. The participating divers came from locations as far as Kansas City for the event.

Held at the North Dam Site, this event had plenty to offer. There were 11 participating dive shops and nearly 50 volunteers. On Friday, the army of volunteers arrived at the site and helped setup the two large circus tents that would house all of the dive equipment that weekend. They made quick work of the setup, completing the task in about 2 hours. Breaking for the day, it was time for the DUI staff, Michael Mino, Alan Rogers and Southeast and Southern Sales Rep, Michael Paquette, to finish the setup, and pickup DUI President Susan Long and little o’me at the airport in Bentonville or better known as Walmart Central (Home city for Walmart).

We arrived at the hotel, a nice Comfort Inn, located about 10 miles from the lake. The area is incredibly beautiful and packed with tourists on the weekends (mostly on motorcycles). On Saturday morning we arrived at the site about 7:30am and were greeted by a small army of about 40 volunteers. I was amazed by the local support.  It was obvious these divers had done this before and their experience was evident. They quickly assigned roles and responsibilities and took over the operations. The morning briefing was scarcely needed as they seemed to anticipate every need. They quickly setup the tent with all the DUI demo equipment including undergarments (insulation), drysuits, zip seals and gloves. Divers began to show up at 9am. They were greeted by the arrival staff who checked them in, made sure that they filled out all the proper waiver forms and presented their C-cards. They were ushered through various station where a drysuit hose was installed on their regulator, sized for neck and wrist ZipSeals, drysuit insulation and finally a drysuit that they would get to dive.  While the volunteers were experienced, most of the demo divers were first timers for drysuits. They were unfamiliar with the DUI brand and products. The DUI staff and volunteers did a lot of explaining the various materials and their features and how to put on the garments. Each diver was taken on a guided tour by a local dive instructor or dive master who explained the basics on how to use the suit and to ensure a safe and positive experience.

I choose my job at the event carefully.  Because I am not an instructor or even a dive master I do not belong guiding dives so I choose to be the grill master. I love to cook and consider myself a pretty good cook. So, I manned the grill the entire weekend. It gave me a great way to interact with almost everyone and something that I could do well. I cooked burgers and dogs – over 300 of them - and I was assisted by Denton and Christine. Denton was from a little town in Arkansas and was as laid back as I could imagine. He was happy to help and provided lot of assistance to the grill master. Thanks Denton!

While I was serving burgers and hot dogs I introduced myself to the attendees, learning their names (as much as I could remember) and asking them how many times they had attended the event. Kevin from Kansas City has attended 10 times! It was a great way to interact with all the participants.

On Saturday night we had a party and BBQ at the Big Red Barn located on Holiday Island - about 10 miles away.  I was surprised at how many attended the event. We had more than 120 attendees for dinner and entertainment by the DUI staff. Michael MC'd the event and did a great job keeping the energy up. They had a slide show with pictures and music from the days event, and presentation about the Top 10 ways that DUI divers love their suits. I won’t spoil it – you will have to see it for yourself!

On Sunday, the crowds were lighter but still interested in diving and burgers. It was a great way to end the weekend. Lead by truck driver and pack-master Alan, the experienced staff had us all packed up by 3pm. All in all it was a fantastic introduction to diving in Arkansas. It is awesome! We will be doing a feature on Arkansas diving in our June edition of Midwest Dive News.

The Annual DEMA Show *Orlando Version* was a blast! We had a lot of fun, met lots of old friends and made some new connections.

We had a blast at this year’s DEMA convention in Orlando Florida held November 2 – 5, 2011. The Annual Trade and Convention was a great time as well as an opportunity to learn new skills (we did), see old friends (did that) and make new connections (yep – did that too!). Overall, it was a blast!

Beginning on Tuesday I attended the Annual PADI LIVE and Awards Ceremony. Each year PADI invites me to their annual retailer seminar and awards presentations. It is a great opportunity for me to learn more about PADI and its policies. Emcee Kristin Valette, VP of Marketing and Communications, coordinated the day’s events and presentations. Dr. Drew Richardson, President and COO of PADI Worldwide, explored industry trends and polled  the audience to get real-time answers dive professionals could  use to help make better financial and business plans for 2012.

For the Awards portion of the event, great retailers and charter companies were recognized for superior achievements. Here is a snapshot of winners…Southeast Dive Retailer,  Bill Cole from Sea Experience, was recognized for the Diver Acquisition Award. Ken Powell of Deep Blue Divers North in Ft. Wayne Indiana was recognized for their great Retention Program. The Utila Dive Center in Honduras was recognized for having one of the best instructor Development Centers.  Maui Dreams Dive Co. from Hawaii, was recognized for outstanding environment consciousness and earned the Project Aware Marine Environmental Award, and Jack’s Diving Locker in Kailua Hawaii received the Outstanding Dive Business Award – good friends of mine, they certainly deserved it!

After the annual presentations, PADI offered us a great wrap up with a keynote presentation by Motivational Speaker and Presenter Garrison Wynn.

 

He provided us with a fantastic presentation on various business topics in a humorous and straightforward way. With a positive outlook and attitude you could use to set yourself up for success or failure – It’s your choice!

Later that evening, PADI continued their traditional social element by providing free beer for the retailers at the PADI Social. So began our week of alcohol, networking, joke telling and business in Orlando.

On Wednesday morning we finished our booth set up. This year we have expanded to 5 regional magazines:  Northwest, Northeast, Midwest, Southeast and our newest Southwest Dive News Magazine.

As our magazines have expanded so has our need for additional booth space – we stretched out to a cozy 10X20. Since we had a little extra room, we hosted several “friends of Rick” at the booth.

Earl Lowe from Abyssal Dive Charters manned our booth the entire week. Earl is a great guy! He runs Abyssal Dive Charters located in Campbell River British Columbia for the last 15 years. Earl did not find a warm reception for cold water diving in Orlando. Nearly no-one was interested in freezing their buns off! Earl called them a bunch of “warm water woosies” and focused his energies on selling ads and directory listings for us. Thanks Earl!!!

Another guest to our booth was Beverly Factor. She is a good friend of mine and has just recently written and published a new children’s book. Beverly’s book is terrific! Reagan, our ten year old son, loves the book and has worked out a “deal” with Beverly to represent her conservation efforts in Seattle. Not sure exactly what that means yet but Reagan has “world domination” on his mind … so anything is possible!

At 10 am the Show floor opened and we were flooded by the “crowds” – well, not really a crowd, more of a steady trickle but at least there were some retailers. The booths that we stopped by seemed disappointed at the numbers of attendees but pleased that those people who did attend seemed serious. That dissipated as the week progressed.

Selene took the time to talk with Beqa Laggon, but our favorite part were the musicians. They made us long to see those Fijian sunsets!

We encountered many new products – some great highlights included:

Bare unveiled its new Elastek System:  BARE ELASTEK suits offer anatomically correct patterning for a 3-D shape that delivers industry leading comfort and fit.

Cetatek launched its new Aquabionic Fin: The aquabionic fin design uses biomimicry to harness biomechanical designs found naturally in some marine mammals in order to produce the most comfortable and powerful fin ever developed.

Dive Alert by Ideations showed the improved Nautilus Lifeline:  The Nautilus Lifeline is a Scuba Diver VHF Radio and GPS, No base unit requirement, Waterproof to 120 metres, CE certified.

On Wednesday evening we attended the DIVER’S BASH  hosted by Dive Training, DAN and SSI. A great time…I think. I don’t really remember it so I must have had a great time!

Thursday the show started with a bang!  We attended the DEMA members update meeting. DEMA Executive Director Tom Ingram gave a status report on DEMA programs including a “shocking” announcement. DEMA will launch a new consumer dive show and watersports festival in April 2013 billed as the “Be a Diver Adventure Sports Festival”. This new show will be held in Fort Lauderdale Florida and will have  non-dive elements and events. Should be interesting!

After the meeting we attacked the show floor going booth to booth seeing who was exhibiting and what they had to offer. There were too many stories to tell.  Check out Mike Hughes’ videos online, he is our Southwest Editor and recent humorist. Mike captured about 104 booths on his videos  and offers a “tell all” account on all of them.  Literally sharing who is who in the zoo. His playlist of videos is below and they are an exclusive expose on DEMA exhibitors.

Thursday night we attended a cocktail party hosted by Aggressor Fleet. A fun event with delicious appetizers and an open bar…We networked with lots of Aggressor Fleet customers and friends. Thanks to Ann and Wayne Hasson and Wayne Brown for inviting us.

During the party, Doug McNeese awarded the SSI Platinum Pro Award to Wayne Brown for logging 2500 dives in just 5 years which is an amazing accomplishment for such a busy man. Congrats Wayne!

On Friday we were getting tired. The late nights and early mornings were beginning to catch up with us. We dragged ourselves from booth to booth visiting with old friends and trying to remember the names of new friends. Selene found some energy to dance with the Tobago/Trinidad booth though.

Friday night we attended the DEMA Awards Ceremony and Banquet at the Rosen Center Hotel. It was a really nice event. Hosted by Tom Ingram, DEMA recognized the exemplary efforts of his staff for producing the DEMA Show and all their efforts for the past 10 years.  Good job guys!! DEMA also recognized the two Reaching Out Award recipients – Fraser Bathgate and Peter Hughes.

Fraser Bathgate was recognized for his amazing contributions to disabled divers for the last 30 years. Today, Fraser Bathgate is one of the world’s leading consultants on access for disabled people to major outdoor events.

Peter Hughes was recognized for his contributions to improving the dive Liveaboard experience and making diving more accessible to upscale (gentile) clients. Both were honored to be recognized.

After the Awards Ceremony we retired to the Rosen Center Bar – the center of social networking – for several hours.  We cannot remember who we talked to…we are negotiating for the pictures, and honestly aren't sure we could post them on our site!

On Saturday it was time for last minute deals. We received a special announcement on Saturday from Clay McCardell, President of Explorer Ventures.  They have agreed to sponsor the 2012 Dive & Travel Expo “Dive for a Cure” t-shirts.

The Dive for a Cure organization is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to educate and raise money for breast cancer awareness and hopes for a cure. All proceeds from money raised from Dive for a Cure are donated to the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute for breast cancer research and education.

We have teamed up this coming year to work with Dive for Cure to assist them in accomplishing their mission. By purchasing the t-shirts and donating to Dive for a Cure, we are hoping to raise $5000-$8000 for a great charity program benefiting and hopefully finding a cure someday.

In all we had a fantastic time. While attendance was probably down our business was up. We launched our newest magazine at the show: Southwest Edition. This new magazine will reach out to the active divers of CA, AZ, NM, TX, CO, UT and NV. We re-connected with many friends and made new friends as the week progressed. It truly was a great year! We look forward to the Dive Industry’s continued success and wish all our friends a renewed spirit for continued success in 2012.

The other day I heard an interesting story … a fellow diver turned in his tanks after 20 years of active diving in our community due to some personal changes in his life. His love of the water continued; however, as he picked up the sport of white water rafting. This was a sport he related to and loved but missed his Scuba!  Of course, in true diver form, turned to his local dive shop for rafting boots. He could have gone to the big brand sports stores but knew from experience that his local dive shop would have the gear he needed.

And the story continues … our retired diver friend went to his local dive shop to get his boots. When asked by the store employee where he planned on diving, he explained that now having retired from the sport he is venturing into white water rafting. The employee seemed surprised and irritated with him, questioning why he would not have gone to a sports store that catered to white water rafting. This story was amazing and honestly disappointing!

The time has come for the dive industry to step back and take a look at how we do business. We have taken a beating this past year due to the slack in the economy … but listen folks … we need to think outside the business dynamic and infuse our business models with some fresh solutions and incorporate other water sports.  After 15 years in the magazine business, I have had the opportunity to watch the small business markets in the dive industry repeatedly refuse to welcome a partnership with our water sports brethren.  Now is the time to change this logic. The Dive News Network is putting our opinions in action by welcoming watersports vendors both Dive & Travel Expos in Tacoma, WA and Santa Clara, CA.

Let’s face it … we all have our love of water  in common and whether we are diving, rafting, kayaking or simply playing in it … we all have similar needs for gear and training, so why not provide for those needs and bring in new business?

The economy is challenging and with those challenges come greater responsibilities to work harder and smarter to maintain and grow our respective businesses. With that in mind, our retired diver should be welcomed with a smile and handshake, and a promise to meets his needs. It is time for change!

~Rick

The Dive News Network continues to build on our premise to Encourage, Educate and Inspire divers and non-divers to stay active, learn about, and discover the amazing world of diving. Through our shared passion, we can build a stronger community and hopefully inspire others. Sharing your stories will foster a healthy, active dive family. Help us build this community – Share your passion!

Divers are passionate…passionate about their diving, their equipment, their environment, their pictures, their stories. With that passion is the desire to share those stories, those adventures, photos, videos, lessons learned and boasting rights.

We harness the magnitude of the internet and the power of print to tell your stories by providing you a simple forum where you can submit your passion. Our website is no ordinary site; it is filled with interactive pages, videos of dive sites, incredible glossy photos and amazing articles.

But that is not all, we invite YOU to submit your experiences. We have unlimited space online to share what you have to say about dive events, dive site and gear reviews, adventures, upcoming activities, and club meetings. We can share your story with the dive community. Share your best stories, videos and photos and you may find yourself published in print! That’s right, we take the best and publish those stories in our printed magazines!
Visit us online www.divenewsnetwork.com. We want you to send us your news, events, stories, photos, videos and announcements and we will do the rest. Share your best with the dive community!

This is really about passion and sharing our collective experiences. We want to share your stories and become part of your community. Help us build, foster and encourage other divers and non-divers to share these experiences and drive the desire to become an active dive member.

The feel of a dive shop can make all the difference when it comes to whether or not it is successful. There is a clear line that runs right down the middle between positive and negative attitudes that one can feel when traveling around to dive centers.  When you walk into a dive center you can gage how the owner is dealing with the many issues that come up when trying to run a success dive shop as soon as you walk in the door.

Some dive centers have a lot of negativity. The owner will tell you he is tired, he will complain that divers don’t come in like they used to and he’ll even go so far as to wonder out loud why in the world he ever got into the dive business in the first place.

And then there are the positive guys…the folks that greet you as you come in the door, have an answer for the questions you ask and frequently can be heard saying that, yes, times are hard but they aren’t going to give up.
If the positive vibe is coming from the owner you will also notice that the staff is positive as well.

That’s because each of these emotions often builds on each other and spread like a virus, good or bad. The people who say that they aren’t making as much money as they used to, the divers aren’t coming in and just complain about everything, rub off on their staff as well and soon the entire staff has the same attitude. It seems to me to be clear cut; if you want a successful dive shop you have to have a positive attitude. Case in point….

I am friends with an incredible diver named Dr. Sam Miller. Sam is an amazing man as well as a Legend of Diving. He has contributed so much to the dive industry that most divers recognize his name immediately. I go out to Pismo Beach to visit him every year and a few years ago he took me around to one of the local dive shops. He introduced me to a guy named Tony who ran the shop. This young man had a nice little dive shop but it was obvious that he was discouraged. He complained that the divers weren’t coming in and the money wasn’t there so I tried to give him some ideas including explaining our newsletter.

I explained that the newsletter consisted of tips and some columns from local divers and mapped out some of the local happenings as well as showcased some item from around the store that was on sale. I explained to him that we put this newsletter together and then sent it out to 5000 divers. I told him that it seems to help us and suggested he also try it. Tony said he could try it but he wasn’t too excited.

About 8 months later I talked to Sam again and he said that the young guy was getting response and was excited about it. A year later I went back down there and the shop is making money and the feel in the air was excitement. Young Tony even had some ideas that I could try. He was offering pre-trip inspections for free and had gotten a heck of a response. Stepping into Tony’s dive shop the atmosphere had obviously changed. His excitement was oozing as was his staffs making all the difference in the world to how the guy who walks in off the street feels.

So if your shop isn’t doing so well, do an attitude check and see if the energy that you are giving off is positive or negative. Trust me…your customers will feel it.

These days nearly every business is looking for ways to reinvent themselves. Looking at the gloomy economic forecast, and rapidly changing technology everyone is attempting to create a new business model that will bring more customers to their door. Here at Dive News Network, we are no different.

Magazines and newspapers have suffered a more severe fate than most business over the past three years. According to current statistics, scores of magazines and newspapers have closed over the past three years. One of the problems magazines are facing is the changing technology. The availability of information online is not at the extent that nearly everyone is claiming that print is dead! Well, the rumor of prints demise is greatly exaggerated - print is NOT dead. In fact, according to amazon.com 94 percent of the books sold last year were in print. Still despite the statistics print has certainly taken a beating and our advertising sales people can tell you that at times it can be hard to sell!

As a result, we too are forced to re-invent ourselves; dive head-first into change. We are no longer just a magazine business! We are in the content business. We produce our content for our print and online editions. We also build partnerships with other businesses and key leaders in our respective dive communities. All of the articles (100 percent) from our magazine is reproduced as new, html pages (SEO Friendly) and posted online giving our advertisers more bang for their buck.

Once the content is up on our site, we send a link to the businesses that helped us generate that content, folks like the local dive shop, charters, large companies etc. that we interviewed for the story or talked about. And then comes the cool part, these business can use our content on their site. In exchange for supporting us (advertising in our magazine) they get to use this content directly at least 5 ways:

1. Facebook it – send it as a Facebook message out to your friends/fans to check out the article on our website.
2. Twitter it – similar to Facebook – now connect real time with your followers and have something to share with them
3. Post it on your website - available only to our advertisers their content licensing (brand new) they have access to our content to use on their site as if it were theirs.
4. E-newsletter it to your email list as a bonus value to your clients – send out a content rich e-blast that is well written, respected and well read!
5. Printed Newsletter – are you still printing a newsletter, now you have added content that you don’t have to take the time to edit/write for it

As our technology improves, access to information and the amount of information/content is expanding rapidly but the quality of the information is what’s important. We offer a professional writing and editorial staff who are dedicated to promoting the sport of diving and an active diving lifestyle locally – where it really matters!  Take a fresh look at the Dive News Network and see how you can benefit. We promise you won’t be disappointed.

The Space Age brought an unexpected side effect. The 15-square-mile security zone surrounding the rocket launching pads created an unintentional marine protected area that has not only brought about a repopulation of sealife in the area, but increased oceanographic interest. Literally an untapped bit of the underwater world, we are only now discovering the amazing benefits a marine protected area has to offer.

Marine biologists have documented a resurgence of sea life in closed areas in the Florida Keys and on New England's Georges Bank. Other studies have found signs of similar recoveries in marine reserves off New Zealand and South Africa, in the Philippines and the Caribbean. In a survey of 89 scientific papers, UC Santa Barbara researchers found that 90% of marine reserves around the world had more fish, 84% had much larger fish and shellfish and 59% had a far greater variety of marine life than did adjacent waters.

Oddly enough, it’s not just divers who are craving to get into those waters. These protected areas are being sought after by fishermen looking to take advantage of what’s been called a “spillover effect”.

Clever fishermen long ago learned how to parlay a forbidden zone into a bonanza: If an area is set off-limits, the fishing on the perimeter can be extraordinary. The remarkable abundance of fish in the protected waters surrounding the Kennedy Space Center beckons the avid angler. Scientists more recently discovered the same thing, carefully recording the remarkable abundance of fish in the protected waters surrounding the Kennedy Space Center and the cluster of trophy fish caught just outside the boundary.

This case study of both the “spillover effect” and the return to pristine ecological marine balance has surfaced as a prime argument for establishing similar no-fishing zones in other areas both state side and world-wide.

California State officials were planning a network of no-take zones around the Channel Islands. Government officials who regulate fishing say they had little choice but to set up the ocean equivalent of wilderness areas to protect disappearing wildlife. Fish stocks have fallen too low. Traditional measures, such as limiting catches or limiting the size of fish taken, failed to halt the slide.

Without establishing safe havens for breeding stock, regulators say, there will be little left for future generations to catch.

James Bohnsack, a research biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service in Miami, said these fully protected areas function like natural hatcheries, spilling out offspring and adults to restock surrounding areas.

One study of which he was co-author shows that the marine reserve around the Kennedy Space Center is teeming with two to 12 times as many fish as the adjacent waters, depending on the species, and that the fish are much older and larger.

A follow-up study shows that the best anglers have learned to turn this protected bounty to their advantage by working the edges. The number of world record catches of redfish, black drum, spotted sea trout and common snook are higher in the waters adjacent to Cape Canaveral than anywhere else.

"The data was collected by recreational fishermen themselves," said Bohnsack, who is weary of debates over marine reserves. "If I collected it, they would say I'm biased and I made it up. Their own data shows the benefits."

Biologists know that some species rebound quickly, while others take time. In New England, the collapse of the cod fishery prompted sweeping closures in 1994 on the Georges Bank. Eight years later, cod and other ground fish there continue to struggle. But the sea scallop population showed a 14-fold increase in the first four years, and individual animals were much larger.

Size matters for fish. Both fish and shellfish produce far more eggs as they grow older and larger. That's why scientists are so intrigued by creating safe harbors for fish, so they have a chance to mature and repopulate.

More than 160 prominent marine scientists threw their support last year behind reserves to reduce the possibility of extinction for marine life and to rebuild depleted fisheries. Not only are reserves good for fish, scientists concluded, but they are good for divers and fishermen too.

There is concern that fish might not stay in a marine protected area. Robert Shipp, chairman of marine sciences at the University of South Alabama, concluded in his study that marine reserves would not help 98% of 350 different types of fish he examined because they would simply swim out of protected waters. .

Other scientists agree that reserves will not conserve highly migratory fish, such as tuna or salmon.

That's one of the reasons that the waters inside Kennedy Space Center's security zone have long intrigued scientists. Redfish, which often swim long distances, have tended to stay put, apparently because the surrounding barrier islands don't make it easy for them to migrate into the open ocean.

It wasn't until the space shuttle Challenger blew up in 1986 that marine scientists got NASA's permission to take a peek. With the space program on hold, biologists were permitted to do a fish census.

They were astounded by what they found. "Nowhere else have I seen that kind of density," Bohnsack said. "It's an incredible concentration of fish."

8.9 Earthquake in Japan –Hope and Human Compassion within the Devastation

On Friday at approximately 2:46 p.m. a large earthquake struck off the coast of Japan wreaking havoc throughout the country of Japan as well as throughout the Pacific Rim.  The earthquake itself caused enormous damage but the 23-foot (7-meter) tsunami that followed cascaded far inland over fields, smashing everything in its path. Rescue efforts are now underway throughout Japan and countries from all over the world are sending rescue workers to help…among those rescue workers, seasoned divers who will help in the efforts to reach anyone who is trapped but also in efforts to recover the bodies of those killed in this massive natural event. This is where we can really step up as divers,. Our dive network is currently working to ensure that our dive community can help in any way that we can. We are currently communicating with dive shops throughout the reason to determine how we can best be of help.” I am especially proud to hear on local and international news that divers were a big part of the rescue efforts. You don’t really grasp the importance of the dive community until you see something as devastating as this take place. It makes me very proud to be a part of the dive community as a whole.
As of Saturday morning the official death toll stood at 413 with 784 people confirmed missing and thousands injured. These numbers are conservative since many areas in the northern part of Japan are still unreachable. In perhaps one of the most sobering examples of the damage done were 200 to 300 bodies found along the coast in Sendai, the city nearest the quake's epicenter.
The quake, prompted tsunami warnings for at least 50 countries and territories around the Pacific Ring of Fire, from Japan to the coast of the United States. Areas along the coast of Oregon and California sustained damage and at least one man in Northern California was swept out to sea and is believed to be dead.
According to reports from the USGS the landmass that is Japan has moved 8 feet and the quake shifted the Earth on its axis by as much as 4 inches. Scientists speculate that it may be months before all of the damage can be assessed and it can be determined what the shifts in the earth mean. For divers there will be a consorted effort to explore the area once the cleanup has begun in order to determine the effects on the local marine life as well as the changes, if any in the local ocean environment. In the meantime rescue efforts will continue and divers will continue to do all they can to assist the Japanese government. For its part the Dive News Network is offering to be a base from which dive shops, charters as well as individual divers can communicate. We want to do our part. The human compassion that has been exhibited throughout this tragedy has been inspiring. We will continue to do all that we can to support those who need it in the Far East.

This week I attended a Content Marketing Conference in Langley, Washington. Organized by Russell Sparkman and the Center for New Media, the two day event focused on creating awareness on how important content is in marketing web sites. The conference showed us different focuses of content strategy and how to think like a publisher in order to create valuable content that brings respect and readers.

Content marketing is a marketing technique. It involves creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience - with the objective of driving profitable customer action. It goes by many names; custom publishing, custom media, customer media, customer publishing and branded media.

Wow, that sounds bad – driving customer action...maybe you don't want to keep reading. Maybe you are wondering 'what exactly is Rick trying to do here, sell me something'? I am trying to sell you something – the sport of diving. My entire mission is to convince you (our readers) to go diving and have an active diving lifestyle. We do that by creating a local diving magazine and website that help you become more active in the sport, locally; where it really matters.

Our sport/industry is really struggling. In fact, I have never seen it worse. Many businesses are just holding on, hoping for better times ahead. It is like heading out to sea in a storm. You may think there is safety in just trying to avoid the rocks, but I recommend a safe harbor or heading in a safe direction at the very least. This recession has forced many to close their business or drastically cut back their marketing plans. Cutting your marketing is like taking off your watch to save time. It does little to save it and gives you a false sense of security, all the while – eroding your real security.

As a small business owner, I am acutely aware of the needs and responsibilities of today's business environment. In order to compete against other businesses and activities, we need to offer more VALUE to our customers – that is where content marketing comes back in. Content marketing allows me, the publisher, to custom design content in our website and magazine that provides value to our readers.

Last month we re-launched our website, www.divenewsnetwork.com. The new site will utilize the content of our magazine, user contributions and custom publishing to increase your experience online. You can see all the content from each month's magazine in easy to read (easily searched) web page formats or in the cool new PDF magazine reader that we installed. It looks and acts like an online magazine because – it is... Even better, all the stories and ads are linked.

You can suggest or contribute articles, photos and video directly to us, at the click of a button. If you did not see your favorite dive site listed in our last article, submit what you know and help us update all of the great places folks can dive. We proudly work hard to provide the best content, but if we get it wrong – let's fix it. Simply by sending your suggestions to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it you can be an active part in our magazine...how cool is that? By doing this we are living up to our claim, "your regions only local dive magazine, by local divers – for local divers".

At the Dive News Network we are preparing for a nice Christmas break and coming back to work on January 3rd for a hard charging 2011.  We have big plans for 2011 and want you to have a chance to participate with us, should your time or budget allow.

We just launched our NEW website. www.divenewsnetwork.com  Now all the magazines are incorporated into one site that utilizes all the content from the magazines. Now our advertisers get 2 for 1.  They get both print and online for one low price – pretty cool!

In January we are going to our first show of the year.  We are attending and co-sponsoring the 12th annual Divers’ Weekend in Vancouver, British Columbia.  This event is BC’s only consumer dive show and what makes it special is the incredible numbers of non-divers that attend.  We expect to hand our special “Divers’ Weekend” edition to 4000-5000 attendees! 

In February, our show season kicks into high gear and we are on the road nearly every weekend for the next three months.  Here are some of the highlights! 

If you are like most of us, you can’t afford the time, or money to be at every show. We are going to nearly all of them.  There is more!! Advertise with us and be at EVERY show!  

I am very grateful for a successful 2010. The recession has been hard on all of us small businesses.  We have worked hard and pulled together with other win-win minded business owners who see things positively.  Because of our win-win, cooperative approach we have been able to grow throughout the recession. It has been hard but rewarding too.  I look forward to 2011 as a time where our hard work pays off and benefits those who have supported us all along.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

January 22-23 Divers’ Weekend Vancouver Aquarium Vancouver, British Columbia www.vanaqua.org BC’s only dive show. There are a small number of booths (30+) but lot’s of non-divers.  We are a co-sponsor and have a special edition of NWDN to hand to all attendees!
January 29 – 30 Adventures in Travel Expo Donald E. Stephens Convention Center Chicago, IL www.adventureexpo.com
February 18 – 20 Our World Underwater - 41st annual Rosemont, IL Donald E. Stephens Convention Center www.ourworldunderwater.com The midwest’s largest consumer dive show with nearly 300 exhibit booths and 10,000+ attendees. We are a sponsor, have a large booth and will hand out our Special “Our World Underwater” edition to the expect 10,000+ divers!
February 22-24 Underwater Intervention New Orleans, LA Morial Convention Center www.underwaterintervention.com This is a trade only professional diving event.
February 26 The 9th Annual “Chicago Maritime Festival” Chicago, IL Historical Museum www.chicagomaritimefestival.org
February 25-27 Toronto Outdoor Show (Scuba World) Toronto, ON International Centre www.outdooradventureshow.ca Canada's largest adventure show for the newest outdoor gear and amazing travel destinations. We have a large booth and special edition for this show..
February 26 The Boston Scuba Show, 59th Edition Marlboro, Mass. Holiday Inn & Resort www.easy-diver.com/BostonScubaShow2011.htm Boston’s oldest continually running dive show with a lineup of professional speakers and presenters. We have a booth and are a sponsor. As a sponsor, they will hand out our magazine to all attendees.
February 26 Upper Midwest Scuba and Adventure Travel Show Minneapolis, MN 7025 Northland Drive North www.glsps.clubexpress.com The State of Minnesota’s one and only dive show. The 12th annual show is bigger, brighter, and better, than ever before! We have a booth and are a sponsor. As a sponsor, they will hand out our magazine to all attendees.
March 4-6 57th Annual Boston Sea Rovers Clinic Danvers, MA Crowne Plaza Boston North Shore Hotel www.bostonsearovers.com Completely new and revised show. The show has a new venue – Crowne Plaza and increases exhibit floor space. We have a booth and are a sponsor. As a sponsor, they will hand out our magazine to all attendees.
March 5 The Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival Arranged by the Ford Sea Horses Dive Club Detroit, MI www.shipwreckfestival.org The 30th Anniversary Show will be held at Washtenaw Community College's Morris Lawrence Building at 4800 East Huron River Drive, Ann Arbor, Michigan. We have a booth and are a sponsor. As a sponsor, they will hand out our magazine to all attendees.
March 18-20 Ohio ScubaFest 2011 and 52nd Annual OCSDI Banquet Ball North Columbus, Ohio Crowne Plaza Hotel www.scubafest.org Ohio’s largest consumer dive show, presented by the Ohio Council of Skin and Scuba Divers. We have a booth and are a sponsor. As a sponsor, they will hand out our magazine to all attendees.
March 25-26 12th Annual Ghost Ships Festival Milwaukee, WI Wyndham Milwaukee Airport and Convention Center www.ghost-ships.org The Ghost Ships Festival is Wisconsin's largest trade show devoted to Scuba Diving and Great Lakes Maritime History. We have a booth and are a sponsor. As a sponsor, they will hand out our magazine to all attendees.
March 12-13 Adventures in Travel Expo Washington D.C. Washington Convention Center www.adventureexpo.com
March 25-27 Beneath the Sea Secaucus, NJ New Jersey Meadowlands Expo Center www.beneaththesea.org BTS is North America’s largest consumer dive show. Nearly 400 exhibit booths and 12,000+ attendees. The granddaddy of all the dive shows! We have a booth and will be handing out a “special edition” to all the attendees.
April 8-10, 2011 Dive & Travel Expo Tacoma, Washington www.diveandtravelexpo.com The Pacific Northwest largest and only consumer dive show. Physically large, nearly 300 booths, it has great dive retailer support and is growing rapidly. We are the show producers – so we love this one!! We will create a special show magazine and give it to all attendees!
June 4-5, 2011 Scuba Show Long Beach, CA www.scubashow.com California’s largest consumer dive show now in the 23rd year. A great show with over 11,000 attendees. We will have a booth and be handing out our NEW magazine – Southwest Dive News – at the show!

This month is the beginning of a new year for us and I have many reasons to feel joyous and hopeful for our new year. I have recently returned from DEMA Show in Las Vegas. This year’s show was like a breath of fresh air. The show had a fun, feel good, positive vibe that increased throughout the week.  This was, by far, the most positive DEMA Show over the last three years, as was evidenced by more laughter and smiles than tears.

We went to nearly every booth at the show and asked almost everyone, “How’s it going” and asked them what their plans were for the coming year. Overwhelmingly, the response was positive. Many people told us that they were having an awesome show and were making plans for a more prosperous new year – WOW, it’s about time!

For us, we had a great show too – our best ever. The many retailers and instructors who stopped by our booth seemed genuine in their respect and appreciation for our magazine. They liked the glossy cover and improved look of the magazine. Our only negative comment came from those folks who said, “Where is MY magazine?” referencing SWDN and SEDN.

Well, I have good news! We are starting two more magazines this year. In March we will launch Southwest Dive News. Southwest will be based in CA, AZ, MN, TX, OK, KS, NB, CO, UT and NV. Like our other magazines it will promote local diving and the local diving community. In April or May we will launch Southeast Dive News.  We will base it in LA, MS, AL, GA, Fl and SC. This magazine will focus on diving in the Southeast.

It seems crazy to introduce new print publications at a time when others are struggling to stay in business but we have found that print is not dead – in fact it is the preferred reading experience of most people, including younger audiences ages 18-25. The younger folks are embracing print as well as online experiences and so are we. Every article and photo we print is also online. We are business of helping the dive community make the connections they need to enhance the dive experience for everyone. Online, print or on your iPad, we deliver the message.

So bring on the New Year – it is going to be amazing!

This time of year the North American diving industry is very busy. Like squirrels gathering nuts for winter - we too are engaged - preparing for the DEMA show in Las Vegas. Here at the Dive News Network, we are like the little squirrels, busily preparing for our own winter annual extravaganza "DEMA".

For those that know me, you know that I have been an outspoken advocate for a reformed DEMA show. As an industry veteran of 15 years (or so), I truly like the annual show, but am disappointed that so few dive retailers seem to want to make the effort or budget the expense to attend the show.

DEMA is a great opportunity for retailers, manufacturers, dive industry professionals, and divers to come together with like mind and common interest. They can check out new products, meet other professionals and exchange industry information.  This is also an ideal platform to discuss the environmental issues that threaten our precious marine environment. However; with all this said, the show still fails to attract a number of retailers. Clearly, the show must offer more value to increase attendance.

This morning, I had the pleasure of speaking with my friend via skype, journalist Roz Lunn, from the UK.  She expressed how excited she is to attend DEMA this year. When asked why she was so excited, I was surprised with her answer. She said she was looking forward to talking to the engineers who design the products - both new and revised. It struck me funny that somebody would be looking forward to talking with an engineer!?

Roz said that she likes having a deeper understand of how the products are made and how they work. She looks forward to sharing ideas and discussing these topics with the engineering folks that build them... go figure!

I too am looking forward to attending DEMA. As our industry's only National Show, it is like the stock market exchange.  Like the thousands of brokers converging on the stock exchange floor, you can literally find thousands of buyers and sellers at DEMA. If you are looking for something, you will likely find it at DEMA.

 I too will be there in Las Vegas, walking the isles, seeing old friends and hopefully making new ones.

 See you there....

BTW: If you are looking for a dynamite PR/Journalist in the UK and European Dive market, contact Rosemary Lunn at the Underwater Marketing Company. Her email is: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

_________________________________________________

I am in the process of connecting with you and others and we will continue to do that utilizing a variety of methods including laptop, desktop, mobile devices, etc....

So follow us here at the Dive News Network as we connect the dots and help you become more successful.

We have all heard it broadcasted by the media telling us that print is dead and that everything is going online.  Most of us believe it because we generally believe what the media is telling us. Like most statements, it is only true from a certain perspective. If you broadcast a lie long and loud enough, people will believe it.

I found an article this morning - online - but before reading it, printed it out (I do not like reading this stuff online).  The article written by the publisher of the Dallas Morning News had the topic headline:"Newspaper companies that will survive will not consider themselves newspaper companies"

In the article, the Publisher, Jim Romenesko, addresses the headline and the statement that print is dead. He paints the changing situation accurately stating what we can all clearly see - our world IS changing and his business - PRINT is changing as well. But in the message, he challenges the assertion that print is indeed dead.

I quote him, "What the hell happened? How did the statement 'Newspapers are dead' become 'tell me something I don't already know?' Frankly, I don't know how the death of newspapers could have been any more exaggerated, especially in stories we in the newspaper business wrote about our own industry." He goes on to say, "I'll say this: we gave it all we got. And we did a great job. Everyone bought into the imminent death of newspapers. WE managed to convince consumers, sell the notion to advertisers and scare away investors. It's enough to make you wonder why we were writing that newspapers were no longer effective way to communicate."

It is amazing to read his words- the newspaper proclaimed their imminent death so powerfully that people believed them very effectively. However, Romenesko goes on to say that print is not dead it is in decline with the rest of the economy, while some newspapers are experiencing health and growth.

Last week I was returning from a long trip and was watching airport television. The program profiled a small town newspaper that was purchased at a bargain price by a down on his luck journalist. The journalist was able to reconnect with his readers, and now 3 years later, is experiencing success and growth. What he has, is what Romenesko wants - Relationships and Relevency!

He is creating positive relationships with his readers by having relevant copy and stories in his publication.

Again, reading this morning, I read author Tim Ferriss' headline, "The death of traditional publishing". Ferriss gives the facts despite the assertions of the sensational headlines. Despite heavy hype, he states, "In my last royalty statement, December 2009, digital book sales (all formats, including Kindle) totaled.... ready?... a mere 1.6% of total units sold".

What both authors site as the future of printing and publishing is the written word, regardless of how it is communicated - laptop, ipad and/or mobile device - that writers are connecting to content hungry audiences.

I am in the process of connecting with you and others and we will continue to do that utilizing a variety of methods including laptop, desktop, mobile devices, etc....

So follow us here at the Dive News Network as we connect the dots and help you become more successful.