Mote’s dive wish-list fulfilled: $75,000 of equipment donated
Members of SCUBAPRO, Florida Underwater Sports and Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium gathered to celebrate.
On Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018, SCUBAPRO and Florida Underwater Sports, the exclusive SCUBAPRO platinum dealer of Sarasota, donated $75,000 worth of dive equipment to support Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium's mission of ocean education, science, conservation and restoration.
“We are truly grateful for this generous donation of SCUBA diving equipment and underwater instrumentation,” said Dr. Michael P. Crosby, President and CEO of Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium. “This state-of-the-art dive support gear will significantly enhance the safety and effectiveness of our diverse underwater research programs all around the world, from extreme marine habitats in offshore blue holes well over 100 feet deep to more shallow water coral reefs, allowing our scientists to focus on finding solutions to the grand challenges facing threatened ocean habitats and species.”
The equipment donation included top-of-the-line regulators, buoyancy compensator devices (BCDs), dive computers, wetsuits, fins, masks, and more. All gear was delivered to Mote’s City Island research campus via Florida Underwater Sports’ locally recognized blue bus, which was filled to the brim. Mote Aquarium biologists and other Mote staff helped Florida Underwater Sports and SCUBAPRO employees unload the gear after a celebratory breakfast next to the large shark exhibit in the Aquarium courtyard.
“Our gear is designed for those whose passion is found below the water's surface, so we understand the importance of Mote’s mission,” said Joe Stella, Group Vice President at SCUBAPRO. “Conservation and restoration of our oceans is significant not only to our company and its patrons, but to all human kind. We want to do what we can to assist in finding the solutions that will preserve these precious marine ecosystems. We believe it is our job to help ensure that many more generations of divers will be able to experience the expansive, underwater below.”
About SCUBAPRO:
SCUBAPRO is built by and for those whose passion is found below the water's surface. Founded in 1963 by Gustav Dalla Valle and Dick Bonin, SCUBAPRO focuses on producing products that blend advanced technologies with intuitive, sophisticated designs, allowing divers to focus on their dive experience, not their gear. For the hobbyist to the professional, SCUBAPRO's portfolio features industry-leading regulators, dive computers, BCDs and thermal protection, along with a full line of scuba masks, fins, snorkels, gear bags, scuba accessories and dive wear. A Johnson Outdoors, Inc. company, SCUBAPRO employs more than 400 diving enthusiasts in 17 locations spread over 13 countries on four continents.