About A.U.E.

 

The Story of AUE...


What is now known as the “Atlanta Underwater Explorers” or “AUE,” began as the result of a one in ten thousand chance occurrence… 

In the fall of 1991, veteran scuba diver Jon Calloway was making a long solo drive back to Central Georgia after being blown out of the Florida Keys by “Hurricane Fabian.” 

At a lunch stopover in Daytona Beach, Jon happened to spot a magazine titled, “Florida Scuba News.”  As he thumbed through it, his interest heightened as his eyes came to rest on an article entitled, “Black Divers Form National Organization.” 

Right then and there, he placed a call to the toll free number provided and left a voice message.  After a week or so, he received a call back from the National Association of Black Scuba Divers, also known as “NABS," which was headquartered in Washington, D.C.  As Jon chatted with the “caller” on the other end, he learned more about NABS and some of its affiliate charter dive clubs.  During that conversation, Jon also learned that there was no Georgia chapter established and vowed to the “caller” a commitment to change that!! 

In early January 1992, Rosalyn “Roz” Woolfolk placed a call to Jon.  Roz, a certified scuba diver herself, not only had a burning desire to form a Georgia chapter of NABS, but also knew of four other divers who were interested as well.  Those divers were:  Keith & Gerry Jacobs and Delwin & Ann Rochester. 

The six of them met on the first Saturday in February of 1992.  The small group seemed to have a natural chemistry together and more importantly a common goal! 

Within a month of that meeting, the wheels of organization were in motion.  Roz was instrumental in getting the Georgia chapter chartered within NABS, while Jon and Keith focused on recruiting new members. 

One Saturday afternoon while Jon was visiting Diver’s Supply in Macon, GA, he bumped into a “young” fellow by the name of Chris Searles, who happened to be shopping in the dive shop.  Excited and over eager, Jon began to spew a ton of information to Chris about the “newly” formed dive club and how he would love for him to attend the next meeting.  Chris’ initial reaction to Jon’s pitch for the new club was halfway between eager interest and suspicious caution.  But nevertheless, he promised Jon that he would come to a future meeting. 

In the spring of 1992, the newly formed dive group made its first official maiden dive as a club.  With the water temperature in the seventies, the original six members piled into a van and headed south to West Palm Beach.  The dive trip that weekend was AWESOME!!  The group unanimously agreed that the color of West Palm Beach diving would never be the same again! 

Later….to the surprise of the group, Chris Searles showed up to the next club meeting and from that point on the club seemed to grow and become widely known! 

During the first year of club organization, the issue of a club name arose.  With the majority of the founding members being from Caribbean nations, they adamantly decided against the Club’s name having any racial/cultural designation.  It was their vision to adopt a name that was “culturally friendly” to everyone. 

The words “Underwater Explorers” was tossed out and everyone seemed to like it.  It was then suggested to add the word “Atlanta” in front – thus, the name “Atlanta Underwater Explorers” or “AUE” was born. 

With no where to call home, it was somewhat difficult to find AUE in the early days.  Meeting sites would often rotate each month to a different member’s home. 

During the summer of 1992, AUE made its second dive trip of the season to Panama City.  To everyone’s surprise, Errol Archibold and another diver showed up.  And on the second day of that trip, Rachel Scott, an avid scuba diver, wandered upon the group in Panama City.  She began to tell the story of how she tracked down the club, by using different leads.  

On that same weekend, AUE came together for dinner at Panama City’s Black owned restaurant, known as the Sunset House.  It was there that Keith Jacobs was elected the first AUE president and Rosalyn Woolfolk as the first vice president.  Rachel Scott was voted in as treasurer and was known to have set many of the fiscal procedures in place. 

Since that time, AUE has grown exponentially and is considered one of the premier southern regional dive clubs of NABS.  The club has attracted members from all over with different backgrounds & experiences. 

What started out as six people of color seeking dive buddies of the same persuasion, has now grown into an organization larger than some small businesses.   

After 13 dive seasons, and hundreds of hours underwater, AUE has remained a first class dive club with diver training, education and safety always in the forefront.  The camaraderie amongst black divers from NABS all the way to AUE has been felt by those who have joined the organization and has been the “glue” that bonds the charter clubs together. 

As AUE continues to grow and foster the ideas & principles that make up its foundation, we must always remember to embrace the past experiences and shoot for a brighter future!