John Gaffney

John Gaffney, founder of the National Association of Scuba Diving Schools (NASDS)and one of the more colorful men in modern diving, died at the age of 62 on February 6. Although John's presence has not been felt in recent years, his contributions shaped a large part of recreational diving. NASDS was the first certification agency tied to dive shops -- excuse me, I mean dive stores. John insisted that the term "dive shop" was inappropriate and unprofessional.

John was an innovator. He introduced visual tank inspection, the safe second stage, and the first buoyancy compensator, among many other things that have influenced our safety and style of diving. Each of these innovations created major controversy in the diving community. Today, most of them are industry standards. And today, we are better divers and safer divers because John insisted. He will be missed.