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Mehgan Heaney-Grier, Michelle Hall, Kim Sheckler Inducted into Women Divers Hall of Fame
Women Divers Hall of Fame™ (WDHOF), the international not-for-profit organization that recognizes the contributions of outstanding women divers, honored Mehgan Heaney-Grier, Michelle Hall, and Kim Reed Sheckler at the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association Show in October 2002 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
According to WDHOF President Capt. Kathy Weydig, “These three honorees are true success stories and reflect our mission to bring together outstanding women of diverse backgrounds who are ambassadors of our diving community”.
Mehgan Heaney-Grier never planned on becoming a champion freediver, but in October 1996, at age 18, she plunged to 155 feet, establishing the first-ever constant weight freediving record for both men and women in the USA. The following year, she set a new USA freediving record in the constant weight category at 165 feet. Mehgan has also won awards as a producer and star of the Animal Planet TV series Extreme Contact and USA Network’s Deep Diver: Tiger Shark Odyssey.
Since 1991, Michelle Hall has co-produced seven award-winning television documentaries including Shadows in a Desert Sea, Secrets of the Ocean Realm (PBS) and Jewels of the Caribbean. Part of a cutting edge team exploring large format filmmaking. Michelle was the Location Manager for IMAX’s first underwater 3D film Into The Deep, and she has since produced Island of the Sharks.
Kim Reed Sheckler is a recognized author, underwater photographer and co-founder of California Diving News. Since 1988, Kim has been Executive Director of The SCUBA Show in Long Beach California, now the largest consumer dive show in the western USA.
Women Divers Hall of Fame™ was founded by Beneath the Sea Scuba & Dive Travel Expo, Women Underwater E-Zine, Women’s Scuba Association, The Underwater Society of America, and Hillary Viders, PhD. According to Capt. Weydig, the Founders decided from the outset that WDHOF was not going to rest on its combined laurels.
“WDHOF is far more than an honor society,” says Weydig. “Our membership, that includes 119 WDHOF honorees hailing from 35 U.S. states, Europe, Mexico, Canada and Australia, provides a strong platform to bring educational, financial and mentorship support to those developing careers and opportunities involving the marine environment and showcases our unique scholarship program”.
WDHOF offers five different scholarships each year that include: The WDHOF Scholarship, The Hillary Viders Ph.D. Scholarship, The Lifeguard Systems Scholarship, The ISAM Scholarship and the Hugh Fletcher Memorial Scholarship.
Scholarship recipients and new Hall of Fame inductees for 2003 will be recognized in March 2003. For more information about Hall of Fame honorees, the WDHOF scholarship program, and how to get involved, visit http://www.wdhof.org on the web.
Channel Island Reserve Enforcement to be Rigorous, Hi-Tech
Authorities are taking very seriously the new Channel Islands reserves in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. California Fish and Game will be using a number of tools in their vigilant patrol.
First line of defense will be a new 58-foot patrol vessel known as the Swordfish. Patrols will be seven days a week. In addition, four other patrol boats will assist in the enforcement including a 32-foot quick-response boat out of Santa Barbara.
Some additional hi-tech gear to be used in watching for violators include aircraft, satellite imagery, night-vision, and infra-red which can see through fog.
International Group Protects Whale and Basking Sharks
Chalk one up for the sharks. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) voted in November to list basking and whale sharks as species whose trade must be controlled to avoid over utilization. This is a huge conservation victory because it represents the first time that a large-scale commercially valuable fish was listed on CITES. Seventy-nine votes were needed for this action. In a squeaker, the whale shark received 81 votes and the basking shark 82 votes. This listing will not end or restrict trade as long as the exporting country can demonstrate that trade in a listed species is not detrimental to the survival of the species.