DIVE THE DRY TORTUGAS - Midwest Scuba Diving Magazine

Safety Stop: Ralph Erickson, Co-Founder of the ProfessionalAssociation of Diving Instructors (PADI)Ralph D. Erickson, co-founder of the ProfessionalAssociation of Diving Instructors (PADI), died May 25, 2006in Lago Vista, Texas. He was 84. Erickson’s contribution tothe underwater world began at a young age, after his familymoved to Chicago in the early 1930’s. After a competitiveswimming career interrupted by World War II, Ericksonreturned to Chicago and coached swimming and waterpolo teams for nearly three decades. In the summer of1959, he started Erickson Underwater Swimming School.He also attended the first NAUI (National Association ofUnderwater Instructors) Instructor Training Course inHouston Texas in 1961 and became NAUI Instructor No.35. In the same year, Erickson wrote his own instructionbook “Under Pressure,” which he used for his classes. Ata divers association banquet in 1961, Erickson met JohnCronin (then Midwest sales representative for US Divers).Five years later the two men formed a new diver trainingorganization, the Professional Association of DivingInstructors (PADI), and Erickson was made president. In1971, Erickson and Cronin moved the PADI business toCalifornia, but Erickson, busy teaching diving, swimmingand coaching water polo at Loyola University of Chicago,chose to stay in Chicago. In June 1987, Erickson retiredfrom Loyola but continued training divers and swimmers.He owned and operated a PADI instructor-training center inChicago with business partner Patrick Hammer. Throughthe dive center Erickson trained thousands of divers, andhundreds of instructors, often using his favorite trainingfacility, Racine Quarry in Wisconsin. After moving to Texasin 1990, Erickson and wife Karen continued teaching. TheDiving Equipment and Manufacturers Association (DEMA)honored Erickson in 1992 with the DEMA ReachingOut Award for Education and he was inducted into theDEMA Hall of Fame. In 2004, he received the Our World-Underwater Achievement Award for his contribution todiving. Recently Erickson was elected to the InternationalScuba Diving Hall of Fame (for induction in 2007). RalphErickson was truly an innovator. His inspiration changed“ The Way The World Learns To Dive”. Midwest ScubaDiving Magazine is very proud that he was a vital part ofthe Midwest diving community. Erickson’s influence on thedive industry was explosive. His vision was refined in theMidwestern states. Ralph Erickson will be missed.Photo: Ralph Erickson with Sherry HammerExcerpted from Dive Training Magazine