Latest news with #scuba
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Associated Press
Mother Ocean Fund Launches a Purpose-Driven App for All Scuba Divers
06/03/2025, Key Largo, Florida // PRODIGY: Feature Story // Joe Gonzalez, also known as Scuba Joe, founder of Mother Ocean Fund, has officially announced the launch of Aquatic Tribe, a powerful new marketplace app designed to connect divers with curated dive opportunities while fueling global ocean conservation efforts. More than just a tool for booking dives, Aquatic Tribe is scuba for a purpose, a platform that puts the planet before profit. 'We didn't just build an app,' said Gonzalez. 'We built a movement. Aquatic Tribe is about giving divers everywhere the ability to explore the ocean and protect it while they do. What we're doing is building a movement to make ocean conversation cool and easy.' Aquatic Tribe allows users to search, vet, and book dive trips in seconds, cutting through the time-consuming and confusing process divers often face. Whether one's wondering where they can go for a dive for the weekend or which dive shop has open spots on the same day, Aquatic Tribe delivers fast, tailored answers. Divers can filter listings by location, date, price, difficulty level, reef name, dive type, and more. Every diver is pre-vetted before they can even book, ensuring safety and confidence for both divers and dive operators. Dive shops and charters can list their offerings for free. A 10% convenience fee is added to bookings, and a significant portion of that fee is funneled directly into the Mother Ocean Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to ecological restoration and adaptive diving programs. At the heart of the app is a simple but powerful mission: to fund and facilitate ocean conservation efforts through scuba diving. Proceeds from Aquatic Tribe support initiatives like coral reef restoration dives, adaptive diver programs for people with disabilities, reef and pier clean-up excursions, shark conservation, and environmental awareness dives. Ultimately, Aquatic Tribe aims to get more fins in the water for free, offering no-cost ecological dives paid for by accumulated funds from the app and events like Ecopalooza, Mother Ocean Fund's music festival fundraiser. After a successful first event, organizers are now scouting locations in San Diego, Galveston, and South Florida for the next iteration. Aquatic Tribe offers more than convenience. It is a commitment to ocean stewardship and community building across party lines. By making diving accessible, traceable, and impactful, Joe Gonzalez and the Mother Ocean Fund are inviting the world to dive with purpose. 'This app isn't just for divers,' Gonzalez added. 'It's for anyone who cares about our oceans. Whether you're a beginner or a dive master, if you're part of the tribe, you're part of the solution. In a world filled with hate and ignorance, we're using love and brilliance to show people another way.' Media Contact Name: Kara Biery Email: [email protected] Source published by Submit Press Release >> Mother Ocean Fund Launches a Purpose-Driven App for All Scuba Divers
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
People are only just realising what 'scuba' stands for
For more than 70 years it's been a word closely intertwined with the act of diving underwater. 'Scuba' refers to a portable breathing equipment for free-swimming divers as they explore the ocean's depths. The word was coined in the early 1950s by a military doctor from New Jersey. However, people are only just realizing what 'scuba' stands for. On X (Twitter), one person posted: 'Wow this is the very first time I'm seeing the meaning to scuba.' Another person said: 'It was originally a technical term used by the military and engineers, but it became so widely used that it evolved into a regular word.' If you think 'scuba' was originally a brand name, guess again! So, can you work it out? Despite the word being coined in the early 1950s, people are still only just realizing what 'scuba' stands for. Pictured, a scuba diver in the late 1960s Although many people don't know it, the word 'scuba' is an acronym. An acronym is simply an abbreviation consisting of the first letters of other words, pronounced as a single word. 'Scuba' stands for 'Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus', which is a source of breathing gas used for underwater diving which is carried by the diver. Originally, the acronym was coined in the 1952 by Major Christian J. Lambertsen, a medical researcher from Westfield, New Jersey. Major Lambertsen – who served served in the US Army Medical Corps – had patented his breathing apparatus as 'SCUBA'. Before this he had called it, somewhat less memorably, 'Laru', which was an acronym for Lambertsen Amphibious Respiratory Unit'. As we know, 'SCUBA' became the generic English word for autonomous breathing equipment for underwater diving. Only later did it start to generally refer to the activity using the equipment. 'Scuba' is an acronym - an abbreviation consisting of the first letters of other words, pronounced as a single word 'SCUBA' became the generic English word for autonomous breathing equipment for underwater diving Another word that is a surprising acronym is 'laser' (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) Examples of its use in everyday conversation may be – 'I'm going to get my scuba license' or 'My dad's a scuba instructor'. Initially, it was written out in caps as 'SCUBA' as the rules of grammar dictate, before dropping to lower case, typical of acronyms today. It's for this reason many people don't realise certain commonly-used words are acronyms – not just 'scuba' but also 'laser', 'spam' and 'gif'. Other acronyms are 'captcha', 'taser', 'gulag', 'radar' and more modern examples deriving from internet speak including 'lol' and 'fomo'. As another example, 'Nasa' referring to the US space agency is commonly written out with lower case letters and said as a two-syllable word. This is despite it being an acronym for 'National Aeronautics and Space Administration'. Another surprising acronym is 'laser', which stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Curiously, 'scuba' is pronounced with a long 'oo' sound ('scooba') even though its spelling dictates it should have an 'uh' sound ('scubba'). It's thought this deliberate mispronunciation made the word more memorable or pleasurable to the ear. Only recently did some people learn what Durex – the British brand of condoms and lubricants – actually stands for. It's a portmanteau – a made-up word coined from a combination of the words of other words (in this case, durable, reliable and excellence). Online, people have been shocked to learn the truth; one person on Instagram said: 'I thought it was an acronym for DURing sEX'. Even some experts were unaware, with Helen Ward, a professor of public health at Imperial College London, adding: 'I didn't know that Durex stands for DUrability, Reliability, EXcellence.' The language map of Britain: Chart reveals the most popular words across the UK - including 'knob' in Welsh, 'cheese' in Wiltshire, and 'freak' in Essex While the UK is only home to around 69 million people, there are dozens of regional languages and dialects spoken across the British Isles. From Cornish to Scottish Gaelic, Manx, and Welsh, each region has its own interests, tastes, and obsessions. Now, data published by Charles Kemp, a professor in psychology at the University of Melbourne, reveals the most popular words in each region. According to his research, Old English has 'hedge' at the top, marking a very long-standing English preoccupation with hedgerows and gardens. Meanwhile, the Sussex dictionary has more mentions of 'flint' than any other word – perhaps a reference to the important Neolithic flint mines around the county. And although it may sound like a stereotype, the Scots dictionary has 'oatmeal' as its most-mentioned word, reflecting the highland love for the breakfast dish.
Washington Post
10-05-2025
- Washington Post
6 hacks for flying with snowboards, bikes and other sports gear
Jay Clue coughed up a $280 overweight-bag fee because of a single mistake that he will never make again. As a globe-trotting photographer and diving instructor, Clue finds himself on the road often. In 2024, he logged more than 160,000 air miles. His preflight packing routine has become almost second nature: carefully 'Tetris-ing' camera and scuba equipment into two checked suitcases and a carry-on.
