Kids visualize what they will wear in the water,” Walker said. Williams and Walker bring videos showing Black divers prepping for dives and exploring oceans, enabling children to imagine the world of scuba diving. There is a demand for marine science, marine biology, oceanography and environmental protection in the marine environment.” “You look at this planet, and it’s seven-tenths water. “I tell kids there’s a lot of opportunities related to scuba diving,” said Walker, a Hyattsville resident. Through their regional and local affiliates, NABS conducts programs that give children an appreciation for scuba diving while stimulating curiosity about underwater careers. Like Williams, Walker is a strong advocate for getting children into diving early. A native Washingtonian, Walker is a retired Air lieutenant colonel and retired from the D.C. Kim Walker, a certified diver and training instructor who also works at the dive shop, is president of Underwater Adventure Seekers (UAS), a 100-member D.C.-based dive club under NABS. Williams works part-time at Blue Planet Scuba, a training facility and dive shop in Adams Morgan. There are also jobs on dives searching for remnants of sunken vessels. The range of jobs includes marine life and ecosystems, ocean preservation, and seafloor geology. The Nature Conservancy, Ocean Conservancy, and Coral Restoration Foundation are scuba diver work settings in the private sector. Within the federal government, scuba divers work at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within the Department of Commerce, the National Park Service or the Environmental Protection Agency. Further, not many historically Black colleges and universities offer marine biology, one of the primary majors for scuba diving careers. Large technology universities may assume a Black student is not interested in oceanography, a notion rooted in negative perceptions about Blacks and swimming. In regard to STEM-related majors in college, Williams knows that studying the ocean seldom comes up when Black families review potential majors with their children. resident has worked on dives worldwide, exploring coral reefs, finding artifacts from a Tuskegee Airmen plane wreckage and discovering remnants from sunken ships.
With a national membership of 1,000, NABS spreads the word about dive projects, ocean research, changes in the ocean environment, search for historical artifacts and operating scuba equipment.Īndrea Williams, a certified diver and instructor, has been a member of NABS since 2009 and is now its national vice president. Scuba diving is an exciting STEM-related career, but many Blacks may think of it as a recreational activity.Įducating people about scuba diving careers is a top objective of the National Association of Black Scuba Divers (NABS).
0 kommentar(er)
