With the 2016/2017 CA Spiny Lobster Season Approaching, DEMA’s PSA Materials Aim to Keep Divers Safe

California’s 2016/2017 Spiny Lobster Season begins on October 1, 2016. In an effort to increase diver safety and prepare divers in advance of the season, DEMA is circulating its California Spiny Lobster Season Public Service Announcement(PSA) and printable visual aid. The PSA materials are part of DEMA’s ongoing efforts to encourage divers to refresh their training and maintain their equipment prior to getting back in the water. DEMA Members are encouraged to share the visual reminders with their customers and community to spread this important and timely message.

The video PSA is available in English and Spanish, as well as in 30-second and 15-second formats.  All four versions of the PSA can be viewed online here. In addition to the video PSAs, DEMA’s California Spiny Lobster Season printable visual aid is available to be viewed, shared and downloaded to encourage safe diving. DEMA Members are asked to print the California Spiny Lobster Season visual aid and display it in the store, distribute it to their customers, and share it electronically, along with the video PSAs, with their own online community. The video PSA and printable visual aids will also be promoted via the DEMA and Go Dive Now social media pages to encourage divers to refresh their training and maintain their equipment prior to start of the season.

Complete information and regulations for the 2016/2017 California Spiny Lobster Season are available on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife website.

2017 Board Member Election Slate Announced - Deadline to Petition for a Write-In Candidate is October 21st

The candidates for the 2017-2019 Board Member Election are:

A1: Mike Hollis, Aqua Lung

A2: Dallas Edmiston, NAUI

A3: Linda Sue Dingel, Bonnier Corporation
A3: Dan Orr, Dan Orr Consulting

A4: Bill Cole, Sea Experience
A4: Davis Graham, Texas Dive Center
A4: Pat Hammer, Scuba Emporium
A4: Myra Kurn, Ocean Enterprises, Inc.

A5: Jenny Collister, Reef & Rainforest Dive & Adventure Travel
A5: Stuart Cove, Stuart Cove's Dive Bahamas

DEMA Members are now able to write-in candidates to fill available Board seats. Write-in candidates must be submitted to DEMA no later than 4:00 pm Pacific Time October 21, 2016.

NOTE: Write-in candidates and those petitioning for them must be current 2016 DEMA Members AND must be renewed for 2017 by the date of record for the election.

Dive Stores and Vacation Destinations Can Benefit from Updated Listings on GoDiveNow.com

GoDiveNow.com's Dive Store Finder and Dive Vacation Finder features now have advanced options that will allow you to enhance your listing! New features include: Logo Business description Services offered Images DEMA Members, update your listing today to enhance your listing and help consumers learn more about you! Not a 2016 DEMA Member? Join today to help consumers locate you!

ENHANCE YOUR LISTING

Go Dive Now, DEMA’s Newest Consumer Marketing Campaign, Continues to Deliver Big Results

DEMA’s Go Dive Now program and advertising campaign has delivered outstanding results since its May 2016 debut.  Since the launch, GoDiveNow.com has received more than 78,000 page visits (59% of which were new visitors), and the Dive Store Locator feature has been used more than 24,300 times to find DEMA Member retail dive centers across the US.  Social media and YouTube have had even more impressive results, includingalmost 2.5 million potential customers reached on Facebook (with 11 million impressions) and more than 134,000 video views on YouTubesince June 30.

On May 24, 2016, DEMA launched the Go Dive Now consumer marketing campaign which utilizes Facebook, YouTube and pay-per-click advertising focused on connecting targeted consumers with their local retail dive center and dive vacation destinations through the locators hosted on GoDiveNow.com. The website also highlights the many benefits of diving, and eases barriers to entry by offering information and resources for potential new divers.  In the 3 months since its launch, the campaign has seen significant results with traffic from paid and organic sources driving potential divers to the website to learn more about the sport.

During the month of August alone, GoDiveNow.com has had over 35,000 page visits. The website provides potential divers with a wealth of information to help them learn more about diving. Site features include a helpful professional dive center locator, listings of DEMA Member international vacation destinations, FAQ’s, videos, and ways to connect with other divers through social media.

Go Dive Now’s campaign videos are also making quite an impression. The campaign’s “Learn to Dive” campaign video, released on YouTube in June has received over 95,000 views to date, and in the three weeks since it was uploaded on August 10, “Dive Into a Bigger World,” has already been viewed on YouTube over 27,000 times.

Beyond the website, Go Dive Now is utilizing social media to build awareness, generate interest in scuba diving with non-diving consumers, and drive visitors to GoDiveNow.com. Social media continues to be the most influential source in driving traffic to the website, accounting for 55% of new visitors visiting GoDiveNow.com. Facebook ads alone have reached almost 2.5 million people with impressions at over 11 million.

Paid Facebook ads are targeting relevant neighborhoods located nearest to DEMA Member retail stores. If your retail dive store is not a DEMA Member already, now is the time to become a 2016 DEMA Member to make sure potential new consumers near your location are being reached by the campaign.

More than a way to drive just certifications, Go Dive Now utilizes industry research to locate and target households with adults and children in the age range for certification.  These are audiences that are most likely to fully engage in all aspects of recreational diving, including buying equipment, diving locally and buying dive travel. Go Dive Nowis expected to be a multi-year campaign.  By working with many different stakeholders in the industry, Go Dive Now has been and will continue to be, a collaborative effort amongst industry members through the gathering of marketing insight, coming together for brainstorming sessions, and sharing media files for promotional efforts.

Visit www.GoDiveNow.com to learn more; follow @GoDiveNow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; and use hashtag #GoDiveNow with all your scuba-related social media posts!

DEMA Invites the Diving Industry to “Boogie Down” at the 2016 DEMA Awards Party

The 28th annual presentation of the prestigious Reaching Out Awards will bring the Dive Industry together in celebration on November 18, 2016. This year’s disco-themed DEMA Awards Party will take place at The Joint at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas, NV.  Join us and get ready to boogie down 70’s style with all your friends, business associates and industry peers as we celebrate and honor the extraordinary careers of the recipients of the 2016 DEMA Reaching Out Award and celebrate the 40th Anniversary of DEMA Show.

First presented in 1989, the Reaching Out Award honors leaders in the diving community whose significant contributions to the sport have elevated the industry on all levels. This year’s recipients, Lad Akins and Leslie Leaney will be joining an extraordinary list of distinguished past Honorees.

DEMA Awards Party attendees are encouraged to join in the festivities by dressing in their best disco-inspired party attire! This year’s DEMA Awards Party will kick off with a networking cocktail hour followed by a delectable array of food and desserts, memorable Reaching Out Awards ceremony and high energy live entertainment that will have you singing and dancing the night away.

DEMA Members can save up to $50 per individual ticket! Be sure to get your tickets today as you register for DEMA Show as prices will increase after October 7th and are only available while supplies last. Further information about the 2016 DEMA Awards Party including ticket pricing and event details are available on the DEMA Show website. Those interested in purchasing a VIP reserved table for 8 can do so now. For information about sponsorship opportunities please contact Colleen Vasquez at cvasquez@dema.org.  

New Resources Just Added to the Go Dive Now Member Toolkit!

Just this week, DEMA added new Go Dive Now banner ads, email headers and a new customizable video to the Go Dive Now Member Toolkit. These new campaign resources are FREE for DEMA Members to download and are a great way to promote the ease (and fun!) of becoming a certified diver. Entice potential customers with this captivating imagery on your website, throughout your social media pages, and within your emails.  Log in today to access these and other free Go Dive Now campaign resources.

DOWNLOAD ADS & HEADERS

Go Dive Now's latest customizable video promotes the wonder and adventure that awaits just below the waves and uses a generic closing that allows you to add in your own marketing message and/or your business' contact information! Also available, are two other customizable videos promoting certification classes and dive travel. These videos are perfect for embedding on your website or sharing on social media. Additional versions will become available to Members in the near future.

DOWNLOAD CUSTOMIZABLE VIDEO

DEMA Expresses Concerns to the Governor of Florida over Recent Bloom of Toxic Cyanobacteria

The recent bloom of toxic cyanobacteria (often referred to in the media as an “algae” bloom) in Florida’s Lee, Martin, Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties has DEMA expressing concern over the negative impact this bloom will have on the recreational diving businesses in these counties, as well as the reputation of Florida as a premier recreational diving location. In response to this situation, DEMA has submitted a letter to the Governor of Florida expressing these concerns and asking for additional action to be taken that will help mitigate future problems.

On June 29, an Executive Order declared the presence of this bloom to be an emergency situation in Martin and St. Lucie counties, and subsequently extended the emergency to cover Lee and Palm Beach Counties. Although it’s difficult to measure the direct impact the cyanobacteria bloom will have on residents participating in diving, DEMA is concerned the bloom could have a direct impact on the local dive industry economy in aspects of the number of diving travelers, hotel occupancy, and long-term consequences such as the loss of Florida’s reputation as a premier US diving destination.

DEMA’s letter to the Governor of Florida asks that direct and decisive action be taken to address the current situation, and future problems by continuing to work with the federal government on the problem of water storage and discharge from Lake Okeechobee, as well as work to reduce the effects of pollution that includes sewage runoff and discharges from the phosphate mining industry and agriculture, all of which appear to contribute to this year’s need for emergency action. 

DEMA stressed how Florida’s local recreational diving industry, hotels, restaurants, marinas and other businesses associated with diving activities are all dependent on the availability of quality diving and snorkeling sites.