UNEXSO and Portage Quarry of Ohio
Announce the International Legends of Diving on Grand Bahama Island
Freeport/Lucaya, Grand Bahama Island, May 30, 2008 – Underwater Explorers Society (UNEXSO), the premiere dive destination and dolphin experience facility located in Lucaya, Grand Bahama Island, and The Portage Quarry of Bowling Green, Ohio, are pleased to announce the first offshore event for the International Legends of Diving. Held annually in Bowling Green since 2006, Jeff Rice, Managing Director of the Portage Quarry has attracted notable American diving legends such as Zale Parry, Dr. Sam Miller and Sam Lecocq.
The event in Ohio continues to grow in size and has attracted an international following on the web and at the Legends of Diving event held the first weekend of August each year. According to Rice, “The Legends event has become a popular spot for divers to gather during the summer but we are growing in size and our members are asking if the event could be held in a warm weather destination during the winter/spring months.”
The International Underwater Explorers Society has formed an alliance with the Portage Quarry to build on the success of the Ohio event. The first International Legends of Diving (ILD) will be held at UNEXSO on Grand Bahama Island April 2-6, 2009. The adjacent Pelican Bay Hotel will be the official host hotel for ILD. Keith Cooper, Director of Sales & Marketing at UNEXSO states, “The ILD will bring worldwide attention to a number of unsung heroes who dedicated their lives to scuba diving. We are excited to work with Jeff and be the host facility for this historic event on Grand Bahama Island.”
Joining the historic event will be UNEXSO legends including – Ben Rose, who discovered Ben’s Cavern located in the Lucayan National Park, John Englander, former owner of UNEXSO, and Dr. John Clement, who was in charge of the hyperbaric chamber and one of the original founders of UNEXSO. On hand will be Nick Rolle, Joel Pratt, Presley Knowles and Ollie Ferguson – local Bahamians who assisted in the development of the cavern and shark training programs – who will share their stories about the history of diving on Grand Bahama Island. Cooper added – “UNEXSO is pleased to host The 2009 International Legends of Diving event and allow us to thank the men and women who have made invaluable contributions and risked their lives to improve the sport of diving.”
Bryan Pennington owner of Vintage Double Hose.com has been invited to join the event for a week of diving with the International Legends. The International Legends of Diving event will host the biggest and best vintage equipment trip yet to date for the world-famous group at UNEXSO. This is the first event of its kind held at the resort, and will no doubt be a hit with the worldwide diving community. These divers will be hand-picked by Bryan to represent the very best in historically accurate vintage equipment configurations and diving techniques. Not only will this group enjoy the finest diving available around the island they will also have an opportunity to serve as ambassadors for the vintage equipment diving community.
Situated on the Island of Grand Bahama Island, UNEXSO is one of the most respected and ecology friendly dive operators in the Caribbean. UNEXSO features state-of-the-art scuba facilities and offers a wide variety of tropical activities. It is the only place in the world where you can dive in the open ocean with dolphins, dive with sharks, and explore the mystery of sunken ships on a single dive vacation. The ideal Bahamas dive operation and training center, UNEXSO offers a host of scuba options and dive certification programs. Located nearby are restaurants, shops, hotels and resorts, including Port Lucaya Marketplace, Port Lucaya Resort, Pelican Bay Resort, and Our Lucaya Westin and Sheraton Golf Resort & Spa.
UNEXSO, a premier dive destination was founded in 1965 as the first dedicated scuba training facility in the world. UNEXSO’s management team has worked for a number of world-class resort and dive operations in the Bahamas, Caribbean, Hawaii, Europe, Middle East, Australia, and Asia and throughout the continental United States.
