(DiverWire) The recreational scuba industry’s trade association, the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) has just unveiled a new initiative designed to get more scuba divers into and back into the water. 
The new program is a real-life, environmentally-friendly treasure hunting game called DiveCaching.
DiveCaching is an underwater variation of “Geocaching,” a decade-old game that uses a GPS device and simple search skills to locate hidden land-based caches.
DEMA officials outlined how the DiveCaching concept works:
- Divers hide a “treasure” or “cache” underwater and post the GPS coordinates and compass directions on www.geocaching.com.
- Other divers search www.geocaching.com for nearby DiveCache listings and actually dive to locate the cache.
- Once the cache is found, divers log their cache visit using the on-site visitor’s log. The finder may also choose to photograph the cache, deposit an additional treasure in the container or simply return it to its original location.
- After returning to the surface, the finders log their visit on www.geocaching.com, sharing their adventure with other divers around the world.
- “Waymarking” allows searching for and finding a specific landmark if you are diving in an area where hiding an actual cache is not allowed. Log your find on www.waymarking.com (sister site to www.geocaching.com).
“It’s a simple in-water activity that can be conducted almost anywhere, regardless of visibility or dive conditions,” says Tom Ingram, DEMA Executive Director. “There are many rewards from participating in DiveCaching;
exploring new sites, visiting favorite locations with a new eye for adventure, and simply thriving on the excitement of discovering ‘treasure’ underwater. DiveCaching is truly ‘Looking for Fun!’” He concluded, “It also creates the perfect family outing when combined with land-based geocaching or social activities and allows non-divers to join in the fun.”
There are more than 5 million geocachers worldwide and more than 1.3 million active, mostly land-based, geocaches. Divers can join www.geocaching.com with a free basic membership, and log the caches they hide for others to find as well as any they find while searching.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC7HAqO8M8s
For more information about DiveCaching, including finding and hiding a cache visit www.DiveCaching.org and don’t forget to “Like Us” on Facebook, “Share” the online videos and follow us on Twitter to stay updated on the latest DiveCaching details, updates and events.
