Diver Weldon Wade formed Bermuda Ocean Explorers in 2011 after realising many locals do not take up SCUBA. Its mission is to connect people and organisations to aid conservation, education and ocean research.

It was a hot summer morning in 2006 when Weldon arrived at Blue Water Divers, one of Bermuda’s local dive shops in the west end, for a "Discover Scuba Diving" outing. Having been born and raised on an island, and not having ever done SCUBA, it had made its way on to his list of things to do before leaving and moving to Toronto to work and live. It was this first unforgettable trip that inspired him to continue to dive and take an interest in becoming a better swimmer and diver, and to explore underwater photography and ocean conservation. Weldon had opportunities to dive in Jamaica and the north coast of the Dominican Republic before returning back to Bermuda on vacation in 2007.

While back home, he was PADI Open Water certified at Blue Water Divers Elbow Beach dive shop under the instruction of Megan Smith. Since then, Weldon has returned to Bermuda to live and has become involved in the dive and conservation scene by joining most of the local ocean conservation and education organisations.

By June 2010, Weldon had completed his BSAC Sport Diver, BSAC Assistant Diving Instructor and PADI Advanced Diver certifications. By June 2011, he had completed a number of PADI specialties and made significant progress towards completing BSAC Dive Leader and PADI Rescue Diver – training with both agencies simultaneously! By September 2011, Weldon had completed his PADI Master Scuba Diver rating, and the following month began training for his PADI Divemaster certification, the first step in working with scuba as a career!

Weldon enjoys learning and exploring, and strives to become a better diver through training and study, and a conservationist through volunteering, participation and research. In July 2011, Weldon launched a new organisation called the Bermuda Ocean Explorers and is its Founding Executive Director. He hopes to take every opportunity to continue to train, dive and document the ocean and its wonders, and inspire others to journey into what is – our backyard.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx