

The world bids farewell to Lotte Hass
In sadness we have to announce that Lotte Hass passed away at the age of 86 on Wednesday, 14th January 2015 after a happy and multi-faceted life. By being the first woman to dive with autonomous diving equipment, Lotte Hass opened up a formerly male dominated field for the female world. Against strong opposition she first starred as underwater photo model before moving behind the camera to become an underwater photographer, subsequently opening up a whole new world for women


Dr. Lee Somers will be missed.
Diving Safety Officer and Scuba Educator Extraordinaire U of MI (Retired: August, 2001) It is with great regret that the Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences learned of the passing of one of our esteemed Fellows, Dr. Lee Somers (Sports/Education 1994), on New Year’s Day, 2015. Dr. Lee Somers was one of the earliest certified scuba instructors in the U.S. He was dually certified by the YMCA Scuba Program and NAUI. From the beginning, Dr. Somers understood the importance of