Wounded vets experience scuba diving
DEMA's Scuba Tour works with local dive retailers to bring scuba diving to severely injured US soldiers and Marines
The Diving Equipment & Marketing Association's (DEMA) 2006 Scuba Tour made a special stop in Rockaway Point, New York July 6-9 at the Disabled Sports USA 2006 Adaptive Water Sports Festival as part of their nationwide Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project. The Festival provided the opportunity for U.S. Soldiers and Marines severely injured in Iraq and Afghanistan to experience scuba diving and other water sports like sailing and water skiing.
Over the course of the four-day event twenty-four injured U.S. Soldiers and Marines, many with single and multiple amputations, along with their family members were introduced to adaptive scuba diving in the comfort of the Scuba Tour's 30-foot by 20-foot, four-foot deep, 17,000-gallon pool. The Scuba Tour staff joined with multiple dive shops and organizations, specially trained volunteers from Disabled Sports USA, and firefighters from the New York City Fire Department including many heroes from September 11th to teach the sport to these service men and women.
On hand to film the Wounded Warriors learning how to scuba dive in DEMA's Scuba Tour pool were Reporter Brett Larson and crew from CBS' "The Early Show" as well as news crews from five local TV stations including WABC-7, WCBS-2, WNYW-5, WPIX-11 and New York One. As a result, DEMA's Scuba Tour and the participating local dive shops received over 4 full minutes of coverage nationally as well as more than 12 minutes locally for a total of nearly 17 minutes of air time worth more than $1.86 million dollars in PR Value. Additionally, an article on the event appeared in the New York Daily News, the second most read newspaper in the New York City area with nearly 2.5 million impressions each day. The PR Value of the article was $37,215.
A number of volunteers from local dive centers and dive-related associations also donated their time to take part in this worthy event. They included Don Brown from Ski & Scuba Connection; Lynn and Tom Davis from NEMO; Stewart Snyder III from the Handicapped Scuba Association; Jeff Salgo from Aqua Rock Productions; Bob Marks from Divers Two Inc.; and Mia Interrante from Kings County Divers.
"Being part of an event like this provides us with a wonderful way to give something back to the service men and women who have risked their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan and introduce them to a sport that can help them maintain a healthy, active lifestyle," said Tom Ingram, Executive Director of DEMA. "Offering people with physical disabilities the chance to participate in an adventure sport like scuba diving demonstrates that there is no limit to what they can achieve. I'm deeply pleased that many of the Wounded Warriors and their family members have expressed interest in pursuing Scuba certification from the participating dive shops, thereby benefiting both themselves and the retailers."
DEMA's Scuba Tour is a proud sponsor of the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project. To find out more about the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org or call 1-800-404-2898.
Introducing people to the fun and exciting sport of scuba diving while obtaining media exposure for the sport of diving and DEMA members, the Scuba Tour schedules stops throughout the year at various consumer travel, outdoor activity and adventure shows across the U.S. and provides the opportunity for any show attendee age 10 and over to discover scuba diving FREE in its large, comfortably heated pool and to test some of the latest scuba equipment. Staffed by professionals from local dive stores, each person who gets in the Scuba Tour pool also receives a free photo of themselves taken underwater. More information on the Scuba Tour can be found by visiting www.thescubatour.com.
DEMA, the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association, is an international organization dedicated to the promotion and growth of the recreational scuba diving and snorkeling industry. With more than 1,200 members, this non-profit, global organization promotes scuba diving through many initiatives including consumer awareness programs, media campaigns and sponsorship of DEMA Show, a trade event open only to companies doing business in the scuba diving, action water sports and adventure/dive travel industries. The 30th annual DEMA Show will take place November 8 - 11, 2006 in Orlando, FL. For more information on DEMA, call 858-616-6408 or visit www.dema.org.
DEMA's Scuba Tour works with local dive retailers to bring scuba diving to severely injured US soldiers and Marines
The Diving Equipment & Marketing Association's (DEMA) 2006 Scuba Tour made a special stop in Rockaway Point, New York July 6-9 at the Disabled Sports USA 2006 Adaptive Water Sports Festival as part of their nationwide Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project. The Festival provided the opportunity for U.S. Soldiers and Marines severely injured in Iraq and Afghanistan to experience scuba diving and other water sports like sailing and water skiing.
Over the course of the four-day event twenty-four injured U.S. Soldiers and Marines, many with single and multiple amputations, along with their family members were introduced to adaptive scuba diving in the comfort of the Scuba Tour's 30-foot by 20-foot, four-foot deep, 17,000-gallon pool. The Scuba Tour staff joined with multiple dive shops and organizations, specially trained volunteers from Disabled Sports USA, and firefighters from the New York City Fire Department including many heroes from September 11th to teach the sport to these service men and women.
On hand to film the Wounded Warriors learning how to scuba dive in DEMA's Scuba Tour pool were Reporter Brett Larson and crew from CBS' "The Early Show" as well as news crews from five local TV stations including WABC-7, WCBS-2, WNYW-5, WPIX-11 and New York One. As a result, DEMA's Scuba Tour and the participating local dive shops received over 4 full minutes of coverage nationally as well as more than 12 minutes locally for a total of nearly 17 minutes of air time worth more than $1.86 million dollars in PR Value. Additionally, an article on the event appeared in the New York Daily News, the second most read newspaper in the New York City area with nearly 2.5 million impressions each day. The PR Value of the article was $37,215.
A number of volunteers from local dive centers and dive-related associations also donated their time to take part in this worthy event. They included Don Brown from Ski & Scuba Connection; Lynn and Tom Davis from NEMO; Stewart Snyder III from the Handicapped Scuba Association; Jeff Salgo from Aqua Rock Productions; Bob Marks from Divers Two Inc.; and Mia Interrante from Kings County Divers.
"Being part of an event like this provides us with a wonderful way to give something back to the service men and women who have risked their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan and introduce them to a sport that can help them maintain a healthy, active lifestyle," said Tom Ingram, Executive Director of DEMA. "Offering people with physical disabilities the chance to participate in an adventure sport like scuba diving demonstrates that there is no limit to what they can achieve. I'm deeply pleased that many of the Wounded Warriors and their family members have expressed interest in pursuing Scuba certification from the participating dive shops, thereby benefiting both themselves and the retailers."
DEMA's Scuba Tour is a proud sponsor of the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project. To find out more about the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org or call 1-800-404-2898.
Introducing people to the fun and exciting sport of scuba diving while obtaining media exposure for the sport of diving and DEMA members, the Scuba Tour schedules stops throughout the year at various consumer travel, outdoor activity and adventure shows across the U.S. and provides the opportunity for any show attendee age 10 and over to discover scuba diving FREE in its large, comfortably heated pool and to test some of the latest scuba equipment. Staffed by professionals from local dive stores, each person who gets in the Scuba Tour pool also receives a free photo of themselves taken underwater. More information on the Scuba Tour can be found by visiting www.thescubatour.com.
DEMA, the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association, is an international organization dedicated to the promotion and growth of the recreational scuba diving and snorkeling industry. With more than 1,200 members, this non-profit, global organization promotes scuba diving through many initiatives including consumer awareness programs, media campaigns and sponsorship of DEMA Show, a trade event open only to companies doing business in the scuba diving, action water sports and adventure/dive travel industries. The 30th annual DEMA Show will take place November 8 - 11, 2006 in Orlando, FL. For more information on DEMA, call 858-616-6408 or visit www.dema.org.
