awsa - Then, now, and still to come
The "AhHa" Moment
Clark and Jean stopped in their tracks … one unique kayak and one manufacturer’s rep sat alone in a booth at DEMA show, 1989. Tapping into their backgrounds as whitewater river guides and SCUBA Instructor Trainers, they immediately realized the potential of this revolutionary new sit-on-top, self-bailing craft for expanding diving adventures. Clark worked with the kayak manufacturer to design and produce the first-ever dive kayak, integrating utility features to meet the unique demands of the revolutionary craft for surface transport, diver independence, and safety support. He created the Kayak Diving Division of Ocean Kayak (originator of the sit-on-top kayak) and served as its Director. Jean, a lifetime educator, recognized that a cross-sport requires cross-competence; she developed the first kayak diving training and certification materials for the diving industry, merging skills of paddling and diving.
Meet Clark and Jean
Clark Ross and Jean Henry, PhD, are life-long adventure junkies! Clark owned a river company, being one of the first licensed Lead Boatman and Jet-boat Captains on western whitewater rivers. He was a professional diver/stuntman and underwater coordinator in the movie industry. Jean was an All-American swimmer and coach, ARC Water Safety/Lifeguard Instructor Trainer, First Responder Trainer, and ACA whitewater Canoe/Kayak Instructor. Based on her pioneering efforts in women’s swimming and athletics, she was recently named to the Texas Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame. Clark and Jean have served as SCUBA Instructor Trainers/Course Directors and both are listed in Who’s Who of Scuba Diving. They serve as Co-Directors of the AWSA, and their paddlesports diving expertise has been honed through lake dives, US coastal diving (all coasts), and manufacturer sponsored expeditions in the Caribbean, Sea of Cortez and Venezuela. They have trained numerous kayak divers, as well as Kayak Diving instructors, watersports industry manufacturers’ staff, dive shop staff, and resort guides.
Where We're Headed
Thus began their decades-long effort to promote and advance the ultimate cross-sport of Kayak Diving, which has recently evolved into PaddleSports diving, to include the paddleboard as a viable dive craft. They are now focusing on re-energizing the AWSA, to further integrate the SCUBA and paddlesports industries through training, product development, and exciting new PaddleSports Diving Resort destinations. Most recently, they partnered with the paddlesports community to bring paddleboards into major dive industry shows. The rest of the story is waiting to be written!
we partner with industry leaders!
AWSA partners with SCUBA and paddlesports industry leaders to promote safety and excellence in the ultimate aquatic cross-sport of PaddleSports Diving, through quality training and leadership. We are an organization that specializes in providing quality training programs in the watersports industry. Our trainers are dedicated to helping you reach your full potential and achieve your goals. We believe that hard work, proper training, and ongoing participation are the keys to success, and we are here to support you in the journey.
paddlesports diving at the scuba show!
Our Vision
At American WaterSports, our intent is to promote safety and excellence in the ultimate aquatic cross-sport of PaddleSports Diving through quality training and leadership, and to facilitate and enable worldwide opportunities for paddlesports diving adventures.