Bernie Chowdhury, CHT

(DAN, NAUI, PADI, TDI Instructor)

 

I'm curious about the world and love to explore its various facets. My main interest over the years has been scuba diving, though I've been involved with many other activities.

I'm the author of the internationally successful non-fiction book, The Last Dive. (It's published in ten languages, plus at least one audio-tape version. See http://www.amazon.com )

 

Have also been involved with a number of magazines, including "immersed: the international technical diving magazine," which I founded and was publisher of for 8+ years. That publication has been taken over by Phil Nuytten, owner and publisher of Canadian-based DIVER magazine (not to be confused with the British-based DIVER magazine). (See http://www.divermag.com/online/)

Have been a Fellow of the Explorers Club since 1995. Carried the Club flag on my Icelandic Cave Diving Expedition, the first (and still only?) expedition to survey and map any of Iceland's underwater caves. Also shot a documentary on that exped.  (See http://www.explorers.org for more info.)

Notable dives include: Andrea Doria (including organizing and leading the first sport-diving mixed-gas expedition to the wreck in 1991); HMS Pheasant (with the British Army; we searched for, found and dived the wreck in 280 feet/80+ meters); Blucher (the one in Oslofjord, Norway; 307 feet/91 meters); Silfur Hellir cave, Iceland (tectonic plate dive; 197 feet/60 meters); Kerauga cave, Iceland (extended known length of cave by making it beyond three rooms with breakdown) . Have also explored caves and abandoned mines in NY and PA and laid line in those.

I'm an active diving instructor with DAN, NAUI, PADI and TDI and teach everything from basic open water classes thru NITROX (any Oxygen, nitrogen gas mixture) and TRIMIX (any gas mix with oxygen, helium, and nitrogen).

I've been a (U.S.) board-certified hyperbaric medical technologist (CHT) since 2004 and work as the Training Director with the Life Support Technologies group, Mt. Vernon, NY. Am part of the faculty for the five-day “Introduction to Hyperbaric Medicine” course offered to physicians and allied health professionals. Course approved by the UHMS for issuance of 40 CMEs to physicians (see www.lifesupport-USA.com).

Have been a featured speaker at major diving conferences – both recreational and technical -- and events since 1992. Have spoken in Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Norway, Scotland, Sweden and throughout the United States. Featured tech conference speaking includes at/in: Canada; Tek (AquaCorps); NACD Cave Workshop (FL), IQ ’92 (NAUI); IANTD Tech Conference (UK); G-tech (Germany – gave presentations in German); Sweden (on both east and west coasts); and Oztech (Australia). Have given technical diving seminars (with Glenn Butler and Dr. Bill Hamilton) at Beneath the Sea (NJ – see http://www.beneaththesea.org) and at the Boston Sea Rovers (see: http://www.bostonsearovers.com )

In 2001, I was named "Diver of the Year (Education)" by Beneath the Sea, which holds the largest consumer diving conference/show in North America. (See: http://www.beneaththesea.org )