International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers
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| Abbreviation | IANTD |
|---|---|
| Motto | Leader in Diver Education |
| Formation | 1985 |
| Type | NGO |
| Purpose | Underwater Diver training |
| Location |
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Region served
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Global |
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CEO
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Tom Mount |
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COO
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Luis Agosto Pedro |
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CFO
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David Mount |
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Key people
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Dick Rutkowski |
| Website | http://www.iantd.com/ |
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Formerly called
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The International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers (IANTD) is a scuba diving organization concerned with certification and training in recreational diving, technical diving, cave diving, wreck diving, rebreather diving and diver leadership. Formed in 1985, it pioneered the introduction of Enriched Air Nitrox diving to the recreational diving community. The European Association of Technical Divers (EATD) became part of IANTD in 1993.
Dick Rutkowski, the former dive supervisor for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), formed the International Association of Nitrox Divers (IAND) in 1985 to teach nitrox to recreational divers. This program was developed through NOAA during his tenure. In 1992 Tom Mount became the President and CEO, and the name of the organization was changed to the International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers (IANTD). Billy Deans has also served as a director of IANTD. Prior to founding IAND, Rutkowski worked for Dr Wells and was director of the diver training at NOAA.
As the first agency to offer recreational certification in nitrox, IANTD grew at a steady pace from 1985 through February 1992 with the support of Hyperbarics International. The European Association of Technical Divers (EATD) was formed by Kevin Gurr, Richard Bull, and Rob Palmer in the UK in 1992 and merged into IANTD the following year. In 1992 Tom Mount became President of IANTD, a position that he held until 2005. During this period of time IANTD saw rapid growth as the diving community began to accept the use of technology such as nitrox. In 1992 the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) became the first mainstream US agency to accept IANTD qualifications, and the Sub-Aqua Association (SAA) became the first UK agency to recognise IANTD certifications in 1993.
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