News & Announcements

AAUS 2026 Election

The 2026 AAUS election is now open and closes 30 June. The election is open to Full Voting Members (individual and OM Reps) in good standing. Below you will find the slate of candidates. Bios and Election Questions can be found HERE.  

All voting is to take place on the website. Please follow the directions below; be an active part of your Academy and VOTE!

To write in a candidate, email name of the write-in candidate to two of the election committee members:
Jessica Keller ([email protected])
Lizzie McNamee ([email protected])
Christian McDonald ([email protected])

 President-elect Candidate: 
Nicole Grinnan, University of West Florida
Chris Ledford, Texas A&M Galveston

 Director-at-Large Candidates: 
Dave Benet, University of California Santa Cruz
Zach Foltz, Smithsonian Institution
Jay Haigler, Diving with a Purpose
Jason Herum, University of California Davis
Colby Johns, University of Maine
Will Love, University of Washington

 Instructions for Online Voting:
1. Login at www.aaus.org. Your username is the email address on file with AAUS. Password can be reset with "forgot password" if needed.
2. Go to Members Tab then Members Profile.
3. Blue Vote Now button below member info block on the left-hand side of the page.
4. Carefully follow onscreen instructions to submit vote.

AAUS Student Scholarships 2026

The AAUS Foundation awards scholarships to graduate students engaged in, or planning to begin, research projects in which diving is used as an important research tool or research projects that focus on diving science. The Foundation awards $3000 for each winning proposal from the Master’s and Doctoral level submissions. Additionally, AAUS may award $1500 scholarships to the second- ranked proposals in each category. This year, AAUSF is partnering with the Mary G Jameson Foundation to increse the number of awards at the $3k level to TWO for each category!

AAUS Kevin Flanagan Travel Award

The AAUS Foundation grants the Kevin Flanagan Travel Award annually providing up to $800 for undergraduate/graduate students to attend an AAUS scientific meeting. The application for this year’s travel award closes 30 May. For more information and application instructions, visit www.aausfoundation.org under the scholarships tab or send questions to the Scholarship Committee Chair at [email protected].

2026 AAUS Diving for Science Symposium

The 2026 AAUS Diving for Science Symposium will be held 5-10 October  2026 in La Jolla, California. This meeting will be hosted by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, along with their University of California system partners, and will mark 75 years of scientific diving at Scripps.  Join us as we celebrate this rich history and look to the future of scientific diving. 

We welcome diving scientists, students, diving safety officers and anyone with an interest in diving science to participate in this event. https://aaus.org/AnnualSymposium.

All AAUS members should login with their IM credentials to receive member pricing for all events.

Diving Safety Officer Training Scholarships

AAUS works to advance and facilitate safe and productive scientific diving. It is the Diving Safety Program administration, such as Dive Safety Officers and instructional staff, who work to uphold the safety standards that limit OM liability. We would like a chance to give back to our hard-working and dedicated members whose professional roles include AAUS scientific diving support.

Two DSO scholarships will be awarded to Diving Safety Program professionals who perform work for an AAUS Organizational Member and for whom specialized training will help them better understand the role of a Dive Officer Program professional engaged in the operations and administration of a scientific diving program.

These scholarships will be funded by a percentage of instructor dues to AAUS. In the initial rounds the size and number of scholarships will be determined by availability of funding. In future years, the Academy and Foundation intend to have dedicated funds available each year to support this program.

More information about the specifics of what each scholarship covers and how to apply can be found at https://aausfoundation.org. Applications close on June 30th

VOT vs LOR Town Hall Recording

The recording of the AAUS VOT vs LOR Town Hall, held on 20 January 2026 is now available for viewing. Thank you for all who participated in the important conversation. Watch for more updates from the AAUS Board of Directors on this topic in the months to come.

VOT vs LOR Town Hall Recording
 

AAUS BOD Call for Nominations

The 2027 AAUS Nominating Committee is now accepting nominations of Individual Members for two positions on the AAUS Board of Directors: President-Elect and one Director-at-Large (DAL).

The President-Elect is the future President and primary leader of AAUS. The individual will serve one year as President-Elect, followed by a two-year term as President, and then one year as Past President. This structure allows the President-Elect time to become familiar with Board operations and presidential responsibilities before assuming the full leadership role. As Past President, the individual supports and mentors the incoming President and leads the subsequent election process. This role follows a four-year leadership track beginning on 01 January 2027. 

In addition, AAUS will be electing one Director-at-Large. This position is flexible and shaped by the needs of the Board as well as the interests and strengths of the individual elected. The Director-at-Large will serve a three-year term commencing on 01 January 2027.

Nominees must be full voting members in good standing within the Academy. The nomination process begins with a nomination email of no more than 300 words. This letter should focus on how the candidate can contribute to the Academy, drawing on their academic background, scientific diving or diving safety experience, and/or previous involvement in not-for-profit organizational governance.

Candidates put forward by the Nominating Committee will be asked to submit a current photograph, a brief biography, and written responses to three questions outlining their vision for their time on the Board and for the future of the Academy.

Nomination letters must be submitted no later than 30 March, 2026, to the AAUS Nominating Committee via Past President Jess Keller at [email protected].

2026 AAUS OM Renewals

In 2026 our OM renewal process will consist of 3 processes: dues payment, Code of Ethics agreement and statistics submission. OMs will not be considered in compliance until all 3 steps have been completed. 

*PLEASE NOTE: You must click the RENEW NOW button on your OM profile to take you to the Code of Ethics Attestation page. Once you have signed and hit continue, you will be taken to the cart to process your dues payment. If you wish to pay by check or other offline method, please complete the Code of Ethics and then exit the cart and work with the AAUS office to clear your cart once your check has arrived. DSOs and OM administrators can print an invoice online.

LATE FEE – For 2026, the AAUS Board of Directors has implemented a late fee for all OM dues and Statistics paid/submitted after the 01 April deadline. Please see the schedule of fee assessment below. If your OM needs an extension, please reach out to the AAUS office or Treasurer well in advance of 01 April.

$100 if paid between 4/2 – 4/30 (5pm CDT)
$250 if paid between 5/1 – 5/31 (5pm CDT)
If unpaid by 6/1, OM will be in Standards violation and suspended pending BOD review.

Statistics Submission – Instructions on submitting statistics are attached and can also be found on the website under Members/ Resource Library/Members Resource Center/ Website Instructionals. It is strongly recommended that you fill in the blank template by hand and manually check your totals before attempting to submit your stats. Inputs are error checked and you may get a message that your totals do not agree if you do not put a value in EVERY box (zero where appropriate). Please do not include any dives that do not meet AAUS standards, e.g., recreational dives accepted by the DCB as proficiency dives. The blank template and the AAUS statistics collection criteria and definitions may be found on the Members menu/ Statistics/ Submission Info after login or in the DSO Community in the Statistics folder (see Communities instructions for access). Both accesses require member login. Please feel free to contact the Statistics Chair ([email protected]) with any questions concerning statistics or incident reporting. Statistics summaries are considered late on (and after) 01 April.

Optional Snorkeling/Freediving Statistics – Submission of optional snorkeling and freediving statistics is now available on the same page as your required diving statistics. If you collected these statistics in 2025, please contribute them to our database.

2026 Member Certificates – New for 2026, OMs will now be able to print their own Organizational Member certificate from their profile. The button to print your certificate will not show until you have signed the Code of Ethics, paid dues and submitted your statistics. Once all of those processes are in place, you will find your Print Certificate button on the left-hand side of the OM profile page. Any OM with a perpetual year plaque will receive their 2026 plate in the mail as usual.
 

2025 AAUS National Scientific Diving Day 

AAUS celebrated National Scientific Diving Day (November 22) with a full week of storytelling that spotlighted the incredible work of AAUS scientific divers around the world. Leading up to the big day, divers, DSOs, and Organizational Members shared photos and videos through an AAUS social media photo contest—resulting in 274 individual submissions (far more than we could feature in a single week!).

We also hosted Instagram Story “takeovers” that captured a day in the life of AAUS scientific divers across every U.S. region and even internationally! A special thank you to the Organizational Members who participated: UC Santa Cruz, Boston University, Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, Moody Gardens, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology.

Thank you also to everyone who shared, commented, and liked these posts! The response was overwhelming, with enthusiastic feedback from divers worldwide—and the numbers tell the story. During the NSDD campaign week, AAUS Instagram engagement surged, reaching tens of thousands of viewers and dramatically increasing profile visits and overall reach. This type of outreach is both amazing for our community as we get to see what everyone else is doing, but also for those outside of our community; sharing the incredible work that you all do while putting safety at the forefront uplifts our mission!

National Scientific Diving Day continues to grow each year, and AAUS is excited to keep building this platform to celebrate the people, programs, and science that make our community so impactful. We hope you’ll join us in future NSDD celebrations!

Instagram Highlights (Nov 16–23)
• 80,000+ views and 13,700+ accounts reached (↑ 385% from the previous week)
• November views up 465% compared to October
• Profile visits up 559% week-over-week
 

2025 Board Approved Standards are Published

The Standards Committee is pleased to announce the 2025 BOD approved Standards are published on the Standards Webpage. Included on the Standards Webpage is the ‘Important Update: 2025 AAUS Standards Manual and Streamlined Submission Process’ which articulates the process and next steps for updating your OM Manual.

Other resources you will find on the webpage include:
• AAUS Scientific Diving Standards Manual 2025
• 2025 Standards Updated Sections
• Standards Manual Checksheet 2025
• Revision History 2025
• 2025 Standards Attestation

Thank you to everyone in the AAUS community who have contributed to the maintenance of our consensual standards during this review and others.
 

2025 Scientific Diving Lifetime Achievement Award Nominations

Nominations are open for the 2025 Scientific Diving Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is presented biennially to a Scientific Diver in recognition of their significant impact to underwater science and research.

• Who can submit a nomination? The AAUS general membership is eligible to submit nominations.

• Who is eligible to be nominated? Open to anyone. Current BOD Members are not eligible during their term of office.

• How are awardees selected? Awards are voted and approved by the Past Presidents of AAUS and Past Award recipients.

Nominations close 30 September 2025. More information on eligibility and the nomination form available here

REEF 2021 Internship

Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) in Key Largo, FL is now accepting applications for the 2020 Marine Conservation Internship. REEF’s Marine Conservation Internship provides an in-depth look into REEF’s Volunteer Fish Survey Project and Invasive Lionfish Program. The internship provides an array of diverse experiences including scientific diving opportunities, outreach and education, data collection and management, non-profit operations, and public speaking. Application deadline is March 14, 2021. https://www.REEF.org/reef-marine-conservation-internship-description.

Heritage Awareness Diving Seminar

The Florida Public Archaeology Network, the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research, and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary are pleased to present the next Heritage Awareness Diving Seminar (HADS) on 12-14 May 2022! This year’s HADS will be offered both in-person and virtually, with two evenings of classroom instruction (12 and 13 May) and one morning of diving in Marathon, FL, for in-person attendees (14 May).

The Heritage Awareness Diving Seminar will focus on providing dive professionals and educators with a greater knowledge of how to proactively protect shipwrecks, artificial reefs, and other underwater cultural sites as part of the marine environment. Upon completion of the Seminar, participants will be able to teach the Heritage Awareness Specialty Course as well as incorporate underwater historic preservation into other courses.

The cost to participate is $100 for virtual attendees and $175 for in-person attendees (includes charter boat with two tanks); course costs also include access to digital copies of course materials, including PowerPoints with notes. Virtual and in-person HADS graduates will meet all qualifications necessary to complete the HADS Specialty Instructor certification (approved by PADI, SDI, and NAUI). Those interested in attending can register via the FPAN website. Please contact Nicole Grinnan ([email protected]) if you have any questions or would like additional information.

National Scientific Diving Day Celebration

It’s that time of year again where we celebrate and acknowledge how diverse our community’s scope of practice really is. Please take a moment to select some pictures, or go out and take some new ones, that depict the day in the life of a science diver or DSO. Upload your photos directly to https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ymIPcqilbV4RP3rt-hvYc-X9FOVVGDkf?usp=sharing. Please only share photos you have the rights to or appropriate releases and if you wish to have a photo credit, please be sure to include the credit in the NAME of the image file. On Monday, November 20th we will be hosting a virtual social on the Floor platform, debuting the 2023 “Day in the Life” of a science diver slideshow. Join us at 4:30 EST / 1:30pm PST for a time to share catch up with friends, reflect on our year and celebrate getting to do what we all love to do!

AAUS Kevin Flanagan Travel Award

The AAUS Foundation grants the Kevin Flanagan Travel Award annually providing up to $800 for undergraduate/graduate students to attend an AAUS scientific meeting. Due to the AAUS annual meeting shifting to a spring schedule, the application for this year’s travel award opens 01 November and closes 15 January. For more information and application instructions, visit www.aausfoundation.org under the scholarships tab or send questions to the Scholarship Committee Chair at [email protected].

New Vendor in Institutional Pricing Program

AAUS welcomes Thermo Cascade Products to our institutional pricing program. OMs interested in purchasing from Thermo should contact the office or reference the DSO Community IP Resource Center for instructions and a current catalog.

Help Your Foundation Fund Students

The ongoing pandemic has been tough on fundraising opportunities to support AAUS scholarships and internships. Most of our fundraising takes place at our face to face meetings which, of course, have been limited for the last couple years. If you can help, please go to www.aausfoundation.org and click on the donate button. The IRS has again made a special provision for donations up to $600 for couples ($300 for individuals) to be tax deductible this year even if you do not itemize. See IRS information here. Only a few months remain to take advantage of this opportunity.

Spring 2020 AAUS New DSO Orientation

The AAUS New DSO Orientation will be held in conjunction with the spring AAUS Board of Directors meeting. The day and location of this orientation will be determined by those who show interest in attending. If you would like to attend, please send an email to [email protected] with your location/ region and week of Feb/Mar preference no later than November 30th. Formal registration will open in December.

2018 OM Statistics Submission

Please hold off on submitting your 2018 OM statistics pending the completion of the statistics module on the new website. We anticipate the module being ready for submissions by mid to late January and will communicate directly with DSOs on submission instructions. We apologize for this delay. Bear with us as we continue to work to improve the efficiency of our web reporting and streamline the membership’s online interaction.

In Memoriam: Gregg StantonE

One of the early AAUS members and past Conrad Limbaugh for Diving Leadership recipients (2014) recently passed away. Gregg Stanton was a long-time DSO at Florida State University where he developed the Academic Diving Program. An early objective for Gregg was to define Diving Science and participate in the development of this new field. His fascination with Marine Biology (commensal complexes/behavior) did not limit the discipline of science he supported. Gregg earned a BA in Zoology, from the University of Hawaii. It was a five-year degree with a focus on Marine Biology. He was Scientist-In-The-Sea at Florida Atlantic University and part of the US Navy/FSUS Program in Diving Science. He earned an MA in Biological Science from Florida State University, with a focus on behavior of marine organisms. Gregg served in the AAUS as chair of the elections committee, chair of the statistics committee, and on the board of directors. His early involvement in cave diving, open- circuit mixed gas, and rebreathers helped to pave the way for the AAUS community working in overhead environments and employing new equipment and techniques that some in the community resisted or actively lobbied against. Gregg hosted one of the early AAUS Symposiums outside of California at Wakulla Springs in northern Florida, where many DSOs took part in workshops on the subjects mentioned above. Some of his many accomplishments in scientific diving include: • 1966 Provisional NAUI Instructor (was too young to certify), Honolulu Hawaii, completed in 1973 at West Palm Beach • 1965-6 Developed first Diving Program at Mauna’olu College, Hawaii • 1966-7 RA with Gregory Bateson, Oceanic Institute, study of Cetacean communications • 1967-9 RA with Jim McVey Cooperative Fisheries, assisted UH graduate students on artificial reef research • 1971-2 RA with Aquatic Sciences Inc. aquaculture research primarily life history rearing tropical organisms • 1972-5 RA at Harbor Branch Foundation Lab, lock out diver, created lab library, reef surveys, diver training • 1975-9 RA at Florida State University, created Academic Diving Program, managed Scientist-In-The-Sea V • 1979-2000 Faculty (Biology) & Director Academic Diving Program, taught courses in three departments • 1980-85 USCG Aux. for 4 yrs/Education Officer (1998 USCG Masters 100 Ton Captains license.) • 1984-5 Developed surface-supplied under-ice diving technology now used in Polar Programs in Antarctica • 1985 Offered first Nitrox/Trimix course (with NURP & Hamilton) to Dive Officers at FSU Marine Lab • 1986 Hosted 1st AAUS Annual Diving for Science Conference outside La Jolla, CA at FSU in Tallahassee • 1987-P NAUI Course Director, & NOAA Working Diver for FSU/NOAA application of SUS, Palau Project • 1988 Cave Diver, 1991 Cavern Instr, 1999 Cave Instr, 2006 CCR Cave Instr, Developed Inwater supervisor • 1990 Co-Chaired (w/Bozanic) Technical Nitrox course for AAUS Dive Officers at Catalina ML, CA • 1995-2001 Taught a sailboat based marine research summer course in Fl. Keys: survey of fish diseases • 2003 CCR Diver, 2004 CCR Instructor, 2006 CCR IT, 2005-2012, 12 CCR platforms as Instructor • 2003-P Search for new Crustacean Species (Cave Biology w/Tom Iliffe) Bahamas & Mexico • 2000-04 Faculty & Director Advanced Science Diving Program, UW Crime Scene Investigation Program • 2004-P Owner Wakulla Diving Center, Inc. Now a 10,000-sf training centric facility at all diving levels • 2005-P Organized & coordinated Life Support Investigations, Inc. Diving fatalities, at behest of USCG • Participated on over 300 student driven aquatic projects, and over 100 faculty projects, from NPS Fl Forts, under ice Antarctica, early-man sites, H2SO4 Palau lakes, Mexico caves, to Gulf Mexico Crimes • 30 publications,12 through the Proceedings of the AAUS: Diving for Science • Served as Chair for AAUS Elections, AAUS Statistics, and on the AAUS Board • Taught/managed intense summer Scientist-In-The-Sea 1976 and 2000 Programs