SDUA/GUE
by
Dr. Bill Creasy

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From right to left:
Dr. Bill Creasy, President, San Diego Underwater Adventures; Jarrod Jablonski, President, Global Underwater Explorers; the Halcyon crew.

On July 1, 2007, San Diego Underwater Adventures (SDUA) formed a strategic alliance with Global Underwater Explorers (GUE) and Halcyon, Inc. I would like to explain our reasons for doing so.

During my own diving career I progressed from basic Open Water diver through Instructor Certifier, the highest certification available from Scuba Schools International (SSI), and as an instructor I have trained hundreds of students throughout the years at every level of certification. In addition, I have tackled technical diving and cave diving, pushing the limits of my own abilities to achieve my fullest potential as a diver. The adventures I?��Ǩ�Ѣve had over the years have been extraordinary, whether in the beautiful, benign waters of the Caribbean, the awesome depths of the Egyptian Red Sea, the sunken war ships of Truk Lagoon, the archaeological sites of the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas or the deep caves of north-central Florida. Diving has been my passion for years, and my adventures underwater have enriched my life immeasurably.

Professionally, I received my Ph.D. in English literature, and I retired from the UCLA faculty after twenty-eight years on campus. I spent my entire career in education, teaching undergraduate and graduate students in lecture halls and seminar rooms at one of the nation?��Ǩ�Ѣs greatest universities.

In 1994?��Ǩ���midway through my UCLA career?��Ǩ���I formed Logos Educational Corporation (LEC), a company focused on education, research and exploration. In live classes throughout southern California and Arizona, over 6,000 students attend Logos classes weekly, and hundreds more subscribe to our ?��Ǩ?�home study?��Ǩ�� program.

When I opened SDUA in April 2006, I aimed to combine my training and experience in education with my love for diving and adventure. In planning SDUA, I went back to my early years of diving and examined the entire educational process that moved me from basic Open Water diving through the most advanced technical diving and deep cave exploration, and I rethought the entire training process. Starting at the extreme end of diving and working backward, I restructured the curriculum to build a consistent set of skills from a diver?��Ǩ�Ѣs first day in the water through his/her most advanced dives in the most challenging environments on the planet. I also examined the equipment he/she uses, arriving at a simple, thoughtful, extremely robust configuration suitable for all levels of diving.

Of all the recreational certifying agencies, Scuba Schools International (SSI) came closest to the instructional philosophy and course content I had in mind for the Open Water program and for advanced recreational diving. Consequently, SDUA opened proudly as an SSI platinum training facility. On the technical side, Global Underwater Explorers (GUE) fit perfectly with the philosophy and pedagogy I had in mind for both recreational and technical diving. Finally, of all the equipment manufacturers, Halcyon offered a strikingly simple, high quality, extremely robust configuration that fit my goals.

Forming a strategic alliance with GUE and Halcyon is logical step in SDUA?��Ǩ�Ѣs development as San Diego?��Ǩ�Ѣs premier dive training facility. We have promised to ?��Ǩ?�raise the bar in dive training and adventure,?��Ǩ�� and I believe we are doing so. Whether through our state-of-the-art facility, our unique membership program, our 3-week Open Water course, our high-quality equipment, our standardized gas mixes of air, nitrox, trimix, O2 and argon, our world-class GUE technical training and the industry?��Ǩ�Ѣs very best employees, SDUA continues to change the face of diving through our high training standards, quality equipment, unmatched personal service and an inclusive, friendly atmosphere.

Of course, we will continue to carry both recreational and technical equipment from a broad array of manufacturers, as well as offer complete training through SSI, NAUI, TDI and IANTD, meeting the needs of all our clients.

I am very proud of what we have accomplished with SDUA in our first years of operation, and I look forward to a bright future in our strategic alliance with GUE and Halcyon!

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