Welcome to the Desert Dolphins Dive Club Web Page. Our club's objective
is to promote interest, safety and fun in skin and SCUBA diving through
effective organization; to encourage the conservation of our aquatic
resources and to preserve the natural beauty of our shores.
MEETING LOCATION
The Desert Dolphins meet the 3rd Wednesday of each month
at:
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El Parador Restaurant
2744 East Broadway
Happy hour begins at 6:00 pm
Meeting starts at
7:00 pm |
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The Desert Dolphins Dive Club, the oldest
active dive club in the state of Arizona and probably one of the oldest in
the USA, was formed in the late 1950's by a mother, Nonie McKibbin (she
later authored several Sea of Cortez books) whose daughter was interested
in SCUBA diving. This small group was formed with the purpose of learning
more about the ocean and sea life and became incorporated in January of
1959. The club provided certification classes, originally through the
Arizona Skin Diving Council, and then paid for educating the club's own
instructor, until about 1975. It was then the Club focused more on
promoting interest and safety in skin and SCUBA diving, leaving the
instruction up to the shops. In the
early '80's, The Desert Dolphins Dive Club primarily focused on local dive
trips to the Sea of Cortez, mostly to San Carlos, and the Kino area. In
the mid-80's, the Club started to venture out to more "exotic" trips, such
as La Paz, Cozumel, Hawaii, and Bonaire. Today, the club has at least 4
exotic trips per year, and many more to the beaches of Mexico & Baja. All
trips are planned by the Activities Committee and coordinated by
individual members. In the early
90's, the Desert Dolphins Dive Club sponsored 3 Annual Underwater
Symposiums, focusing on outside speakers and vendors. A 4th Symposium
(MILLENNIUM DEL MAR) was presented in March 2000.
The Club is comprised of over 150 memberships and continues to operate
without the assistance of any dive shop.
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