U.S. West Coast Scuba Diving Pioneers To Be Honored At 2010 International Legends Of Diving - Cozumel

BOWLING GREEN, OHIO, October 14, 2009 – The Portage Quarry of Bowling Green, Ohio is pleased to announce the second offshore event for the LEGENDS OF DIVING. Held annually in Bowling Green since 2006, Jeff Rice, Managing Director of the Portage Quarry has attracted notable American diving legends such as Zale Parry, Dr. Sam Miller, Dr. A. Jose Jones, Robert Croft and Dottie Frazier.

In April 2009 the first offshore program was held in Lucaya, Grand Bahama Island, The Bahamas. More than 120 divers and non-divers attended the highly successful event. The event has garnered attention from popular dive destinations in the Caribbean who were interested in hosting this prestigious event. According to Rice, “I am delighted to formally announce that the International Legends of Diving event will be held on the island of Cozumel April 12-19, 2010. This is our second off shore program and we are excited about bringing the event to Mexico to enjoy the superb diving, genuine hospitality and culture of the country.”

The official host hotel and dive operator for the 2010 ILD is the Wyndham Cozumel Resort and Spa and Sand Dollar Sports. These companies are thrilled to host the event and look forward to a spectacular dive program for the destination. Jorge Ortiz, Group Sales Manager for the Wyndham states, “On behalf of the staff and management of the Wyndham Cozumel we are very excited to work with Jeff Rice on hosting the legends of diving and guests at one of Cozumel’s top all-inclusive resorts.”

Cozumel’s premier dive operator Sand Dollar Sports showed a strong interest to work with Rice and his staff after receiving a proposal outlining the history of the event. In order for the dive operator to better understand the concept of the program, Rice asked the company to review the pictures and comments posted on the ILD web site from the April 2009 event. For Matias Garrido, Sales Manager of SDS it was an easy decision to make, “Once I visited the web site for the Legends of Diving I knew that our company would make a great partner for this worthwhile program. We look forward to welcoming the group in April 2010.”

Two outstanding legends of diving have been chosen to attend the historic event and recognized for their achievements in scuba diving – Bob Meistrell, Founder and Owner of Body Glove and James Stewart, Scientist and Diving Officer Emeritus with Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Both of these legends reside in Southern California where the initial roots of scuba diving instruction began in the 1950’s. These men will be honored at an awards ceremony where they will receive the one of a kind “ILD Award” – a uniquely hand crafted glass diver positioned in a giant stride.

Bob Meistrell along with his twin brother Bill (deceased) founded Dive N’ Surf in 1957, one of the first dive shops to open in California. The Meistrells were known for experimenting with various materials and methods to delay the onset of hypothermia during free dives and while surfing. The Meistrells working with other diving legends solved the problem with the introduction of a “wetsuit”. From there they went on to develop neoprene wet suits for surfers, and to serve the growing interest in recreational diving which led to the formation of Body Glove, known around the world as the leader in watersports clothing and wet suits.

James Stewart love for the ocean began in 1941 when he put on a scuba mask and took his first free dive into the cold Pacific Ocean. In 1952 Stewart began his long and productive association with Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Conrad (Connie) Limbaugh and Dr. Andreas (Andy) Rechnitzer developed the diving instructor program at Scripps. Limbaugh recruited Stewart as a volunteer in the Scripps program where he assisted in research and diver training. The Scripps dive training program was developed just to train scientific divers in the proper use of scuba gear. It was this dive training program that paved the way for many sport and scientific diver training courses to be started around the world.

On hand will be Dan Orr, President and CEO of Divers Alert Network (DAN) who will serve as the master of ceremonies for the 2010 ILD Award Ceremony. DAN is a proud sponsor of the International Legends of Diving. All divers and those interested are invited to attend this historic event honoring two of scuba diving’s great legends.

James Stewart

\ Bob Meistrell

Dan Orr

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Cozumel is known worldwide as a premier diving destination. The warm, clear, turquoise waters and abundance of coral reefs and sea life attract divers from around the world. The major dive sites in the surrounding waters include: Barracuda, Cardona, Chankanaab, Chun Chancaab, Colombia, La Francesa, Los Atolones, Maracaibo, Palancar, Paraiso, Paso del Cedral, Punta Sur, San Francisco Wall, Santa Rosa Wall and Yucab. Besides diving, Cozumel offers many other water sports for marine enthusiasts, including snorkeling, kayaking, fishing, windsurfing and parasailing.

For land lovers and avid golfers, Cozumel boasts a one-of-a-kind championship 18-hole, Nicklaus-design, eco-friendly golf course. In 2006, the Cozumel Country Club achieved designation as a "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary" by the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System (ACSS), making it the first golf course in Mexico to hold this prestigious honor. While driving through the eco-friendly course players can witness animals and plant life native to the area.

In addition, the island offers other popular recreational land activities such as horseback riding, tennis, hiking and exciting ATV and jeep tours.

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The Portage Quarry Recreation Club is a premier dive training facility located in Bowling Green, Ohio - home of the Legends of Diving held annually in August, has hosted some of the most interesting men and women dive pioneers who gave unselfishly of their time and took enormous risks with their lives to improve the recreational sport of scuba diving.