Luncheon Meeting
(Members and invited guests)
Speaker: Mark Parker, Dive Pirates Board Member.
Topic: "Dive Pirates Foundation"
Mark is a Board member, Dive Pirates Foundation. Mark began his diving career 12 years ago, and today, he is an Instructor Trainer for the Classified Diver Program with SSI.
His vision for the Dive Pirates Foundation is to spread the opportunity of diving to everyone interested in learning how to dive. When not traveling around the world on dive vacations, Mark owns and operates a contract manufacturing company in Houston.
Dive Pirates derives its name and philosophy from the combination of diving adventure and the romance of the Caribbean, especially the panache of pirates.
Traditionally, pirate crews would take care of injured crew members by making them peg legs, hooks, eye patches, etc. Disabled crew members were not banished from the ship, but were given new tasks that they could perform and be useful to the rest of the crew. They were also given a pre-determined cut of the booty in exchange for their contribution. Dive Pirates continues that spirit by bringing the Classified SCUBA Divers along with the rest of the crew - their reward: Scuba Diving in the
Caribbean. Dive Pirates is a group of volunteers that believes in supporting our community with their passion of scuba diving through the Dive Pirates Foundation, a 501 c 3 not-for-profit public charity.
Dive Pirates supports, trains, equips, and provides dive travel to individuals with disabilities through Classified Scuba Diving. Based on camaraderie, compassion, freedom to dive, and the Code of Conduct, Dive Pirates will support, train, equip, and provide dive travel to individuals with disabilities through Classified Scuba Diving.
