Dan BenderWebsite and Marketing Manager, AOW Instructor
Dan Bender's Gallery:
Background:
Anita and Ralph Bender were frequent ECD customers in the ’80s and ’90s. They passed on their love of diving to their grandson, Dan. He’s been diving since 1999 in tropical waters but after getting his wife certified through ECD and seeing her skills, he started investing in courses with Nick and Alex and got hooked. He’s been exploring the local New England waters the past few years. Dan is working on documenting the diverse New England shore diving offerings through video and multimedia resources on this site. Dan has supported the ECD team as a Training, Operations, and Dive Shop Manager, and is the website and marketing manager in 2020-21. He’s also co-owner of the Cape Ann Diver II out of Gloucester. In any season you’ll regularly encounter Dan shore diving off Cape Ann on a weekday morning.
Favorite Dive Site:
Calabas Reef in Bonaire where Grandfather Ralph is memorialized and Rafe's Chasm in Gloucester!
Favorite Creature:
Dan favors reef builders; corals and oysters!
Favorite Certification Course:
Dan loves teaching Advanced Navigation, Perfect Buoyancy, and Equipment Techniques which combine to offer the basic skills needed to become a solid diver.
Goals In The Dive Industry:
Dan's mission is to advance reef preservation and restoration efforts and channel local funding and service-oriented volunteers to locations in need. As an instructor, helping divers achieve the skills and confidence to gain self-sufficiency and control drives his agenda. Check out volunteer opportunities in the FL Keys, Bonaire, and Australia: Reef Renewal Foundation International
Holds the following ratings:
Dive Kit:
Dan's typically found diving locally with his XTX50 Apeks sidemount setup, a Hollis Katana harness, and two low-pressure steel 50 CF tanks. He favors the Proteus 5mm suit for warm water and summer diving while a Fourth Element Argonaut Hybrid drysuit with Halo3D undergarments gets him through the colder New England months. The Hollis M3 mask fits him like a glove. In cold water Dan dives Hollis F1 fins.
You'll be able to track Dan down on guided dives with Adler's old yellow HP100 tanks.