News
Wendy Benchley gets onboard with Beneath the Waves
![](https://www.scubaverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/40thAnniversary_Diving-with-Great-Whites_Guadalupe.jpg)
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.
Gear News
DYNAMICNORD to present full product range at Go Diving Show 2025
![dynamicnord](https://www.scubaverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Press-pic-LBC-10-02-002.jpg)
The new German dive brand DYNAMICNORD is delighted to present its complete product line for the first time at the Go Diving Show in March 2025. Visitors can look forward to discovering the full diving range, including a complete snorkel and apnea line, as well as a swimwear range.
The international team brings decades of practical experience in diving and related technology. That’s why the German R&D team develops products based on a deep understanding of divers’ needs and desires under the premise “Innovation – Credibility – Functionality”. DYNAMICNORD products are driven by emotion and a sophisticated design process.
If you would like to see the full range and the new products, you are cordially invited to visit DYNAMICNORD at the Go Diving Show in hall 2, stand 120.
Strong partner Scuba Dive Store
DYNAMICNORD is pleased to have a strong partner at its side. The well-known dealer Scuba Dive Store will be selling DYNAMICNORD products at the show. All divers are welcome to learn more about the DYNAMICNORD range and choose their favourite products.
You will find Scuba Dive Store in hall 2, stand 220 – next to the DYNAMICNORD stand.
Find out more about Scuba Dive Store here: www.scubadivestore.co.uk
New products
DYNAMICNORD will present its full product line to the trade show, as well as many new products. The diving world can look forward to regulators, dive computers, tech wings, BCDs, camouflage neoprene suits, drysuits, undergarments, and a complete snorkelling and apnea line, as well as a swimwear range.
Chance to win
There will be further highlights and a sweepstake at the trade show. Visitors have a chance to win a regulator. Find out more on our social channels:
www.facebook.com/dynamicnord.official
www.instagram.com/dynamicnord.official/
The whole DYNAMICNORD team is looking forward to meeting divers and partners.
DYNAMICNORD – Your Outdoor Companion.
Marine Life & Conservation
IUCN Spotlights Green Fins at Bali Ocean Days 2025, Calling for Stronger Business Model in Marine Conservation
![conservation](https://www.scubaverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IUCN-site-visit_Penida-12.jpg)
IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Global Ocean Director, Minna Epps, has spotlighted Green Fins Indonesia along with a call for stronger business models that sustain marine conservation. Speaking at the inaugural session of Bali Ocean Days 2025 held on 7-8 February, Epps emphasised the need for sustainable financing to support and scale marine conservation initiatives such as Green Fins.
Activities earlier in the week with the Coral Triangle Center in Sanur and Ceningan Divers in the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area shaped the IUCN Ocean Director’s message at the conference and showcase, aligning with the theme of the blue economy and impact finance to sustain marine ecosystems.
“Tourism has such a big impact on marine biodiversity, and we need it to adhere to a certain code of conduct,” Epps said. “That is why through our funding facilities, we worked with The Reef-World Foundation advancing Green Fins so dive operators can become certified with standards. But this kind of initiative has been around for a long time and it’s also a tool used to improve [MPA management], but it needs to come with a business model. I also believe in market-based instruments to evolve this programme.”
IUCN’s visit is part of their Blue Natural Capital Financing Facility (BNCFF), which supports at least 21 projects around the world, building the business case for investing in the future of our ocean.
In Indonesia, the project supported by IUCN was developed in partnership with The Reef-World Foundation, the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) and the Coral Triangle Center, which serves as the local implementing organisation for Green Fins. The initiative engages marine tourism businesses through voluntary sustainability certification based on the only internationally recognised environmental standards for diving and snorkelling operations. Green Fins’ activities aim to reduce negative environmental impacts associated with marine tourism activities as well as improve the management of marine protected areas.
IUCN’s promotion of Green Fins in Bali Ocean Days signals the need for greater private sector engagement in marine conservation across Indonesia and beyond.
Investors, donors, marine tourism operators and stakeholders looking to support scalable marine conservation solutions are encouraged to explore opportunities with The Reef-World Foundation, the international coordinator of the Green Fins initiative. To learn more about sustainable marine tourism and how to get involved, visit www.reef-world.org.
About Reef-World
The Reef-World Foundation is a registered UK charity which delivers practical solutions for marine conservation around the world. The charity promotes the wise use of natural resources – particularly coral reefs and related ecosystems – for the benefit of local communities, visitors and future generations. It is dedicated to supporting, inspiring and empowering governments, businesses, communities and individuals around the world to act in conserving and sustainably developing coastal resources.
Reef-World leads the global implementation of the UN Environment Programme’s Green Fins initiative, which focuses on driving environmentally friendly scuba diving and snorkelling practices across the industry globally. As such, the charity provides low-cost and practical solutions to local and industry-wide environmental challenges associated with the marine tourism industry. It provides education and capacity-building assistance to empower environmental champions (within the diving industry, local communities, authorities and governments) to implement proven coastal resource management approaches.
Visit www.reef-world.org to learn more or follow them on Facebook, Instagram and X.
About Green Fins
Green Fins is a proven conservation management approach – spearheaded by The Reef-World Foundation in partnership with the UN Environment Programme – which leads to a measurable reduction in the negative environmental impacts associated with the marine tourism industry. The initiative aims to protect and conserve coral reefs through environmentally friendly guidelines that promote a sustainable diving and snorkelling tourism industry. It provides the only internationally recognised environmental standards for the diving and snorkelling industry and has a robust assessment system to measure compliance.
Green Fins encourages and empowers members of the diving industry to act to reduce the pressures on coral reefs by offering dive and snorkel companies practical, low-cost alternatives to harmful practices – such as anchoring, fish feeding and chemical pollution – as well as providing strategic training, support and resources. By reducing the local direct and indirect pressures tourism puts on coral reefs, it helps make corals healthier and more resilient to other stresses such as the effects of climate change. Look for the Green Fins logo when booking your next dive trip.Visit www.greenfins.net to learn more or follow the initiative on Facebook, Instagram and X.
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