August Speaker Maddie Cholnoky

Maddie Cholnoky has always been drawn to the ocean, ever since her first word, "fish". Her journey led her to Key Largo, Florida in 2018, where she dedicated herself to a career in scuba diving instruction and marine conservation. Maddie has an undergraduate degree in environmental studies from Rollins College, and a master’s degree is in environmental sciences and policy from Johns Hopkins University. She is also an MSDT PADI instructor and, in her free time, enjoys helping local dive operators by guiding clients around Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and teaching them how to be smart, safe divers and stewards of the underwater world.

Maddie is the Mission: Iconic Reefs implementation manager. Her role involves coordinating, managing and tracking all aspects of Mission: Iconic Reefs implementation including collaborating with coral restoration practitioners and other external partners, overseeing project progress, and analyzing metrics to ensure project goals and objectives are met. Maddie's position works to support resource protection and restoration goals in the sanctuary.

July Speaker John Lucka

THE BAHAMAS – TOPSIDE AND DOWN UNDER

Home to the world’s third-largest barrier reef, thriving coral reefs, shipwrecks, up-close shark diving, countless blue holes and endless thrills for experienced and first-time divers, with visibility of up to 200 feet and warm waters through most of the year, the Bahamas stands out as a leading dive destination. 

Our own John Lucka will take us on his Island Hopping Tour and we will soon discover that no two islands are alike.  Each one offers unique experiences, and they are all just a short trip away!

ABOUT JOHN LUCKA

 An SFDI member, John Lucka started diving in 1986 and soon after became interested in underwater photography.  After all those years, he is still passionate about diving and enjoys the adventure that it brings.  John has completed almost 1,300 dives and has traveled extensively throughout the Bahama Islands.  He enjoys their laid back Island vibe and the convenience of traveling there from his home based in South Florida.

June Speaker: SFDI's Christina Schrant, Training Marine Mammals for the Navy

MARINE MAMMAL FIN AND FLIPPER CAMP

The U. S. Navy Marine Mammal Program focuses on studying and utilizing marine mammals, primarily bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions, for various military tasks, including ship and harbor protection, mine detection and clearance, and equipment recovery. Based in San Diego, California, the program houses and trains these animals continuously. Bottlenose dolphins possess powerful biological sonar, making them exceptional at detecting objects underwater, while California sea lions excel in underwater directional hearing and low-light vision. Both species are trainable and capable of repetitive deep diving. (paraphrased from Wikipedia

Join SFDI on Wednesday, June 5th, as our club member Christina Schrant shares her experience training marine mammals for the Navy. 

ABOUT CHRISTINA SCHRANT

Christina earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from University of Florida, and became a luxury saddle sales consultant in the US and Germany. Her fluency in both English and German fueled her success, but the work was ultimately not the right fit. With the courage to start anew, she pivoted to join the Raymond James Advisor Mastery Program and become an advisor, a career that feels to her like second nature.

Her life experiences in the equestrian community inspire her insights. Her love of horses began with with her grandfather’s purchase of the Oldenburg stallion Frohwind, who then bore Calinda, the horse Christina raised, and has ridden and loved since birth.

Christina is an advocate in conservation and conducted several ocean cleanup efforts with the UF Research Scuba Club. She has had the opportunity to travel the world extensively, from hiking the mountains of Switzerland to exploring the seas of Phuket, Thailand. These experiences have given her the chance to expand her outlook on life. 

As a member of South Florida Divers, Christina is delighted to have gone on some great dives with the club. She has enjoyed getting to know everybody, and looks forward to many more great times with SFDI. She will speak to us about her experience as a trainer in the Navy Marine Mammal Program.

May Speaker Megan Kennedy, Rescue a reef program

An Update on the Rescue a Reef Program

Megan will give a presentation discussing the importance of coral reefs, issues they face, and how you can help restore their future. Tune in for an update on the field of coral restoration research and how the Rescue a Reef citizen science program helps build community and coastal resilience. She’ll answer questions such as: How do you choose a location to rescue? What strategies go into the decision? Do you place artificial reefs? What is  X-REEFS project at UM up to, exploring hybrid reef restoration?

Megan Kennedy received her B.S. in Biological Sciences from Florida Atlantic University in 2020, and her M.P.S. in Environmental Science from Nova Southeastern University in 2022. Her graduate researched focused on fecundity in Staghorn corals, and presence of UV filters in the environment. She previously worked as a Biologist at Mote Marine Laboratory on the Coral Restoration team, and is currently a Sr. Research Associate and Rescue a Reef program manager alongside Dalton Hesley, in Dr. Diego Lirman's Lab at the University of Miami.