News
Women Divers Hall of Fame announces 2023 Grant and Scholarships Program
Applications are now open for the 2023 Women Divers Hall of Fame scholarships and grants program.
The deadline for receipt of applications is October 31, 2022, at 5:00 pm New York time.
(Exception: Undergraduate Marine Research Internship closes Jan 15, 2023 at 5:00 pm New York time.)
Applicants will be notified by Feb 1, 2023, and awards will be made in March, 2023.
SUMMARY OF SCHOLARSHIPS/GRANTS
Thirty-eight scholarships and training grants are offered this year. For some of the categories, more than one scholarship/grant is being offered. A summary of the scholarship/grant categories and award amounts is listed below. Full descriptions and sponsorship as well as application instructions can be found on the website at: https://wdhof.webflow.io/scholarships/scholarship-descriptions
SCHOLARSHIPS
Seventeen scholarships/fellowships/internships are offered this year in marine conservation (basic or applied research), marine biology, underwater archaeology, seagrass and coral rehabilitation, sea turtle conservation, extreme environment physiology, and journalism/graphic arts/photography/videography. They are intended to support independent research, field work, and conservation/rehabilitation activities, as specified in the descriptions. Scholarships/Fellowships/Internships are paid directly to the recipient.
Scholarships for women only (12 awards):
- Marine Conservation Scholarship – Graduate (4 awards – $2,000 each)
- Marine Conservation Scholarship – Undergraduate (1 award – 1 @ $1,500)
- Coral and Seagrass Rehabilitation Fellowships (4 awards – $2,500 each)
- Sea Turtle Conservation Grant (1 award – $2,000)
- Underwater Archaeology Scholarship – Graduate (1 award – $2,000)
- Journalism, Graphic Arts, Photography, or Videography Scholarship (1 award – $1,500)
Scholarships for women or men (5 awards):
- Marine Conservation Scholarship – Graduate (1 award – $2,000 each)
- Marine Conservation Scholarship – Undergraduate (1 award – 1 @ $1,500)
- Undergraduate Marine Research Internship (1 award – $1,000)
- Sea to Space Extreme Environment Physiology Grant (2 awards – $5,000 each)
TRAINING GRANTS
Fifteen training grants are offered this year. Training grants provide funding for diving and diving-related underwater training. WDHOF and our sponsors offer several dive training grants for both beginners to learn to dive and for certified divers to advance their skills. For training conducted in the U.S., funds are paid directly to the training facility upon WDHOF’s receipt of an invoice; the grant is NOT paid directly to the grantee. For training that is not conducted in the U.S., the grantee must submit an invoice, and funds will be transferred to the grantee’s bank account.
Training grants for women only (12 awards):
- Basic dive training (learn to dive) (6 awards – $1,000 each)
- Advanced dive training (6 awards – $1,000 each)
Training grants for women or men (5 awards):
- Basic dive training – learn to dive (1 award – $1,000)
- Advanced dive training (1 award – $1,000)
- Basic or advanced hard hat dive training (1 award – $1,000)
- Basic dive training for candidates in ROTC, JROTC, military academy, Sea Scout or Sea Cadet (1 award – $1,000)
- Disabled diver (beginner or advanced) or instructor to assist disabled to dive (1 award – $1,000)
SPECIALTY GRANTS
Specialty grants for women only (1 award):
- Instructor advanced education (1 award – $2,000)
Specialty grants for women or men (5 awards):
- Diving medical education or emergency medical responder grants (5 awards – $500 value each)
Thank you to all of the Scholarship & Training Grant Sponsors.
Find out more information here!
Source: www.divenewswire.com
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 3
Today we are diving one of the outer reefs from an inflatable. As we reach the bottom, a reef octopus eases its way into the cover of a small crack in the coral while displaying it’s incredible ability to change colour. They are arguably one of the most charismatic of reef dwellers and it is always exciting for me to simply hover and watch. I would have spent longer and waited for it to come and investigate me, but as dive time is limited we wanted to move on and find a turtle.
The waters around Somabay are well protected and hold a rich variety of marine life. The reef edges are thriving colonies of coral and shoaling fish, while nearer the sea bed plenty of wildlife is still to be found.
Then we located the turtles. They are very used to divers and so show little concern when slowly approached. In fact occasionally one will come over to see what you are doing. There is always huge excitement when diving with a turtle. The shear thrill of sharing a moment with another species.
What a fantastic way to finish a wonderful few days diving and I would like to thank SOMABAY, ORCA DIVING and THE BREAKERS for making my stay such a good one.
I had a great time, with diving everyday either on the house reef or on one of the offshore reefs by inflatable or larger day boat. Orca diving provided high quality equipment and facilities while the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. The Breakers was right on the coast with nice rooms, good food and once again friendly staff making the whole trip a real pleasure.
Soma Bay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds.
As well as scuba diving, Somabay caters for many other sports and activities, and so is perfect for families as well as individuals and/or groups. And of course there is always time to lay peacefully on the beach under the Egyptian sun.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 2
Day three of my trip to Somabay and we were spending the day on the Lady Christina and diving on the wreck of the Salem Express.
Diving wrecks for me is always one of mixed emotions. The excitement of diving a wreck is more than often tempered by the thought of loss of life when she sank. The Salem Express was a passenger ship and a roll-on/roll-off ferry travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt. Most passengers were of poor class travelling home from their holidays while around 150 people were returning home from their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ship struck a reef and sank within 20 minutes. Passengers were trapped below deck and the ship was filled with fear and panic.
The wreck area is strewn with personal belongings from the crew and passengers such as a transistor radio and a flat iron for clothes. A diver at sometime has put them in a prominent place to be seen.
Tragically only one life boat was launched while the others went down with the ship. More than 600 men, women and children lost their lives here.
It’s a stark reminder that the sea can be unforgiving and so when we dive on such wrecks we should do so with humble regard.
Returning to the surface, shoals of fish are gathered under our boat and seem to be welcoming us back into the light.
Back at the Breakers I sat in the dining area with a beer and a very good meal while my thoughts still remained with the day’s dive on the Salem Express.
Check in for part 3 tomorrow for Jeff’s last day of diving with Somabay on the off-shore reefs looking for turtles.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
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