Dive Kulture

If it wasn't for this program, my kids could have never done anything like this. I encouraged them to finish the program no matter what, because they learned discipline, and increased their self esteem and health. I believe this will help them for the rest of their lives in whatever they do.

We're excited that our children are the guinea pigs, you know, they are the first from our city actually to be scuba divers, which is like a historical moment for us. We're setting records in our neighborhood. With a skill like this they can move on...it opens doors for them, they can do a lot of things. Honestly you don't see a lot of black scuba divers in my neighborhood. So for us, this is a first. I don't know of any other black children in my neighborhood who have been involved in a program like this.

My daughter is 13 years old, she's gonna be one of the youngest licensed scuba divers, we were told, you know... So I mean, she's kinda breaking a record and that's exciting to me, because she is a young, black girl who is going to grow up to be an older black woman and say, ‘hey I was one of the first in my neighborhood...’ and you don't have to be of a different cultural background to say that you can scuba dive...

-Tonya Malone
Mother of four Dive Kulture graduates

I've never been snorkeling or scuba diving in the ocean before. I've been in the ocean probably once or twice before, never doing something like this...it's kinda scary.

The area that I live in, there's a lot of kids...it is easy to go the wrong way. And when you do fun things like this it helps you out. It shows you what you should be doing in life, like there is more in life than gangs and everything...and that's the things that are presented to people my age, specially where I live. But when you do things like this, it shows you that there's a whole bunch more. And this is one of the things in life that you're supposed to say, ‘this is the one things I want to accomplish before I die,’ and I'm getting to do it.

There's a lot of things in my life that you're gonna attempt to do and sometimes you just can't do them. You have to learn that young...everything in life isn't how you want it to be, and this program showed me that. It was a lot of work, it was hard...but it was worth it. I feel like I accomplished a lot, just by doing this program.

-Joshua
Dive Kulture Graduate
Before his first Ocean Dive

I wish I had this kind of program when I was a teenager. I would like to be one of them now, do what they do, see the underwater world, and have their jobs. I am jealous.

-Scott McLellan
Executive Director
Blue Hill Boys and Girls Club

I really believe that programs should focus on children, because they are like sponges, and they are the future. Programs like this could save lives because you take kids out of the streets.

-Karla Contreras
Volunteer and mother

The first thing that surprised me about these kids was that none of them had ever snorkeled before... But there they were, a little bit anxious, looking at each other, but willing to try a new thing... willing to trust and challenge themselves.

-Jim Estabrook
Owner
United Divers, Inc

Marissa and Bassima are wonderful. Despite the fact that they both have had to take summer school classes, we have managed to work out a schedule with them. Bassima goes to our site at Camp Harbor View on Long Island to help with marine education, and Marissa is then going to the Harry McDonough Sailing Center in S. Boston Friday afternoon to teach other children...

-Betsy Boggia
Director of Development and Programs
Save the Harbor/Save the Bay

After my first session teaching the kids with Dive Kulture, I thought you've put together the perfect environment. Everyone is learning, meeting new people, staying in shape, being adventurous, interacting with nature and having fun all at the same time.
These kids did not have the problems beginner divers have in an open water environment. They were spot on when performing the skills. I believe the reasons were that the time they spent in the pool was much longer than in regular open water courses, and they were in shape.

-Calahan Barry
SSI Senior Scuba Diving Instructor
United Divers, Inc.