The Bahamas Diving Association has re-elected Neal Watson as president of the Bahamas Diving Association and Stuart Cove as vice president.
Watson and marine artist, scientist and conservationist Dr. Guy Harvey joined forces last year to open Neal Watson’s Dive Bimini at the Bimini Big Game Club in Alice Town. Cove is the owner of Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas in Nassau and Stuart Cove’s Tiger Beach Seafaris at Old Bahama Bay Resort in West End, Grand Bahama.
Watson has been a pioneer in the dive resort business starting his first dive operation in Freeport, Bahamas in 1965. He has been involved in owning and operating hotels, establishing a chain of dive operations, working in the treasure salvage business, stunt coordinator for the movie and TV industry, owned and operated an airline charter company and established a chain of Neal Watson’s Undersea Adventure franchise dive operations in the Bahamas and Caribbean.
Watson currently serves on the Board of Directors of DEMA (Dive Equipment & Marketing Association), the World Trade Association for the diving industry; and is Chair of the Bahamas Dive Marketing Committee, which is responsible for recommending budget expenditures for the Bahamas Ministry Tourism for the Bahamas Government Dive Market Promotions.
Watson’s personal achievements include breaking the World’s Scuba Depth Record, diving 437 feet on compressed air as well as breaking the World¹s Underwater Distance Record by swimming 66 miles underwater, non-stop without surfacing.
Prior to opening his first dive operation, Stuart Cove captained a diving / snorkeling boat for Club Med. In the summer of 1977, Stuart landed a job as stunt / safety diver on the James Bond feature film “For Your Eyes Only” staring Roger Moore and Carole Bouquet. During the filming of this job, Stuart’s skills as a “shark wrangler” and dive instructor quickly stood out. By the end of the shoot he had established himself as a competent U/W production support coordinator. Cove established his dive business in 1978 and has grown the company into five divisions—Dive Bahamas, Snorkel Bahamas, SUB Bahamas, Fin Photo and Stuart Cove’s Underwater Productions. Cove, a well-known shark wrangler, is involved every with Discovery Channel’s Shark Week and is an active proponent in the preservation and research of sharks.
Both Watson and Cove will serve two-year terms.
The Bahamas Diving Association is the official dive association for The Islands of The Bahamas.
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