President's Slate
July 2026

The quality of communication affects the quality of the community and our ability to act together in common purpose.
Josina M. Makau & Debian Marty, Dialogue and Deliberation

Change is constant in our scientific diving programs. New divers and project proposals, administrator turnover and shifting priorities, budgetary fluctuation, political ideology. These shifting parameters can bring uncertainty, excitement, and frustration. When we are at our best, we meet these changes with a cool head and a perspective that seeks to understand. Collaboration is key in these circumstances, yet it can appear to create a hostile environment where diving safety and research priorities are at odds.

I challenge all of us to examine this paradigm, and instead choose to be intentional in your communication and open to learning throughout an iterative process that is always working towards ‘YES!’ in the decision making process. 

Early in my diving safety career, it was easy to focus on the safety, regulatory, or operational difficulties with project proposals or circumstances that challenged my assumptions and ideas on how best to approach a diving safety quandary. Through reflection, and consultation with mentors and colleagues, I grew to understand that we must work together to overcome these perceived or very real challenges in order to achieve the science mission. 

As I mentor young dive safety professionals, I often remind them that our focus on the health and safety of the diver is paramount AND the science is what’s keeping us employed. Both are true. Keeping that perspective also helps keep the TUMS bottle on the shelf…most of the time. 

So how do we strike a balance? 

Our foundation must be in building rapport and a relationship with our scientific divers and researchers based on mutual respect. As I wrote in my June message, physical and emotional presence for your divers pays dividends.

We all have boundaries and passion points. The diving safety professional is a problem solver, they lean on the AAUS consensus standards, their Diving Control Board’s directives, and show integrity when it comes to following these standards and policies. The diving scientist is passionate about their intellectual pursuits, beholden to funding parameters, likely has extensive field experience in their area of expertise, and often showcases creative solutions to overcome complex problems.

Dig into understanding where your people are coming from when they submit that first draft of a proposal. It may be difficult to see the health and safety of the scientific divers being centered in these plans. Respectfully, honor the work that's been placed in front of you, provide insights from previous experiences and ask to collaborate on solutions.

We may not get to choose what the dive safety/research venn diagram looks like and I encourage us all to focus on the areas of overlap first, which will provide us with motivation to build solutions and refine the plans to ensure divers are happy and healthy and the science mission is a success. This will make your relationships more rich, respectful and cohesive in the workplace.

It also might be fun, too.

Andrew Morgan
AAUS President

Current & Recommended Reading / Listening
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Risk Management for Dive Operations: How to Enhance the Safety and Proficiency of Diving Teams by Giorgio Caramanna