News
Wendy Benchley gets onboard with Beneath the Waves
Beneath the Waves announces the newest member of its Board of Directors, Wendy Benchley.
“Wendy is globally recognized as a leader in ocean and shark conservation, and her experience will be massively valuable to our growth plans,” Dr. Austin Gallagher, CEO and Chief Scientist, writes. “The word ‘shark’ is synonymous with the name ‘Benchley’.”
Benchley is a renowned global voice for protecting sharks and safeguarding our seas. Wife of the late Peter Benchley, the author of “Jaws” and a well-known voice for ocean conservation, Benchley has been a voice for sharks and the ocean since “Jaws” was released in the 1970s. As an avid scuba diver, she has witnessed dramatic changes to our ocean’s wildlife and its habitats. This has motivated her vigorous efforts to help shape smarter, stronger environmental and marine policies with government officials, NGOs and other civic leaders.
Benchley serves as a Board member for WildAid, where she plays a prominent leadership role and is actively involved in highly effective global work to reduce the demand for illegal wildlife products, including ivory, rhino horn, pangolin and shark fin. Benchley is on the Board of Blue Frontier, a leading national grassroots group – with links to 1,400 ocean organizations – that builds solution-oriented citizen engagement needed to protect our ocean, coasts, and the communities that depend on them.Benchley served as a trustee of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) throughout the 1980s and ‘90s; she is currently a Trustee on EDF’s Advisory Board.
Of her new Board position with Beneath the Waves, Benchley writes, “Austin and his team of advisors and research associates have built a first-class shark and marine research organization that is at the intersection of shark conservation and marine protected areas – a bullseye for the ocean work I am passionate about…They not only do the cutting-edge science, but it is directed to have impact immediately. Their work in the Bahamas so impressed other governments in the Caribbean, such that Beneath The Waves has been asked to help them assist with creating large MPAs to preserve sharks and their vulnerable marine environment.”
Beneath the Waves’ Board regularly evaluates its composition to ensure it includes the appropriate experience, perspectives, skills, and motivations necessary to drive growth – both within the non-profit and within ocean conservation. Benchley is an impressive addition, and is already making a large impact for the group’s work.
For more information about Beneath the Waves please visit their website by clicking here.
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Four opportunities to go pro in 2024 with Dive Friends Bonaire
Dive Friends teaches the Instructor Development Course (IDC) several times a year to students who are eager to share their passion for diving with the world.
Dive Friends is known for the personal approach throughout the course. Their in-house course director will lead the students through every essential step, mentoring them to achieve their fullest potential as a dive instructor.
Applications for the following IDC start dates are now open:
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Partnership with Casita Palma
If the student opts for the IDC-Deluxe or IDC-Supreme package, their accommodation will be arranged for them at Casita Palma. This small and quiet resort is within walking distance from Dive Friends Bonaire’s main dive shop location and has everything you need to relax after an intense day of IDC training. Breakfast is included, so the student will always be fuelled and ready for their day.
Contact Dive Friends Bonaire’s Course Director Eddy for more information: coursedirector@divefriendsbonaire.com.
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