A lot of folks outside of Colombia may not realize that country is a great scuba diving destination with a booming dive industry.
Nowhere was that more evident than the recent third edition of the “Encuentro Nacional de Buceo” (National Scuba Symposium) held in Medellin. Dive operators from around the country converged with industry keynote speakers representing locations from across the globe. A full week of courses, presentations and updates were some of the main highlights from the event.
Among those workshops were a bunch organized by Mar Antiguo in cooperation with Cressi Latin America, including a Cressi regulator repair lecture by Theo Knevel, a PADI forum, DAN O2 provider courses and PSI Cylinder Inspection classes. Countless prizes were raffled off to attendees, including a complete dive trip on the liveaboard Sea Wolf, Cressi dive computers and masks, PADI products and SCUBA ID’s newest T-shirt designs.
Other talks featured Colombian National Freediving Recordholder Carlos Correa as well as Cressi Ambassador and PADI Ambassadiver Leo Morales from Mexico. Correa talked about connecting young people to nature through freediving, and Morales spoke of overcoming cancer and diving with only one leg.
The event also featured lectures on how to preserve Colombia’s natural treasures, from presentations on waste and beach cleanups by various organizations like Maria Jose Ospina from Agenda Del Mar, coral restoration projects from Coral De Paz and discussions on sustainable business practices.
In this vein, Cressi Latin America presented the plastic recycling initiatives that Cressi Group is instituting in the company’s factories, highlighting its leadership position in the movement toward businesses caring for the environment. Through large investments in plastic recycling, Cressi is currently making most buckles, mask boxes, and other products from plastics that the company recycles in its own factory in Italy.
For more info on what Cressi is doing to help the environment, check out the company’s website at cressi.com, and for more info on the symposium in Colombia, go to www.marantiguo.com.co.
