The purpose of the Manitoba Underwater Council is to promote the sport of scuba diving and underwater activities in Manitoba through safety, advocacy, environmental awareness, self-governance…and fun.
Mandate
The Manitoba Underwater Council is the representative non-profit body for underwater sporting activities in the Province of Manitoba and is dedicated to the growth and development of all underwater related sports. It is managed by a volunteer board of directors elected at the spring Annual General Meeting (AGM) & Elections.
As advocates for our sport MUC is committed to maintaining diver access to sites, promoting safe diving practices and training, as well as safeguarding the environment.
It is important to note that while our name may be more synonymous with Scuba diving, we are all encompassing in that we are a resource for all underwater activities including, snorkeling and underwater football for example.
Our mission statement focuses on five key areas;
- Safety – We promote safety by educating our members on safety issues through our newsletters and also through best practices at all MUC sponsored functions which includes dive masters on location and safety divers when necessary. Our events are well planned and have full first aid equipment on site, including oxygen and trained volunteers.
- Advocacy – We are your spokesperson for underwater sports in Manitoba. We promote the sport through our web site, our newsletters our signage at events and related government agencies, specifically: Manitoba Conservation, Water Safety Coalition and Sport Manitoba. Sport Manitoba is the lead planning, programming and funding agency for the development of amateur sport in Manitoba. As a non-profit organization, Sport Manitoba creates and manages sport programs and services and partners with more than 100 sports organizations that deliver sport in our province.The Manitoba Underwater Council is one of the sports organizations under Sport Manitoba and as such is operated under their rules and regulations.
- Environmental Awareness – It is our responsibility to keep our waters and dive areas clean and safe and as such we are supporters of Project Aware. Project AWARE Foundation is a growing movement of scuba divers protecting the ocean planet – one dive at a time. Over the past two decades of underwater conservation we’ve learned that divers are true leaders in ocean protection. We’re ocean heroes numbering in the millions across the globe. We believe together our actions will make a huge impact and will help to rescue the ocean.Maybe you are wondering what we can do as members of the Manitoba Underwater Council in the middle of the Prairies, and how can we play a part in such a large organization? Well for starters, when we do have the opportunity to dive in the world’s oceans, we can be conscious of the Project Aware movement and make sure that we always do what we can to protect and conserve the waters we are diving in. Back at home we can make sure that our dive sites are well maintained, clean and safe. And when we have completed our dives we make sure that we have left the site in as good or better condition than when we started.In support of the Project Aware movement, MUC sponsors Beach and Marina Clean up dives at West Hawk Lake. Our goal is to remove as much litter and debris as we can find in both Crescent Beach and the Marina area. We collect all of the material, record it and arrange to have it recycled or placed in the landfill where it belongs. We also report the results of our effort to Project Aware to let them know, that even though we are land locked and a long way from the Oceans that surround us, we are still doing our part.
- Self-Governance – MUC is an advisory board and not a policing group or policy maker. We are managed by a volunteer board of directors elected at the spring Annual General Meeting (AGM) & Elections. . We are only as strong as our membership and to that end we encourage feedback from our members to express ideas and / or issues affecting the sport.
- Fun – For the vast majority of our members underwater sports are for fun, the challenge and recreation. To promote the fun side of the sport MUC hosts BBQs throughout the summer months and hosts two major events which include the Porker Derby and the Annual Social.
Learn more at :: https://manitobaunderwatercouncil.wildapricot.org/
Become a New Member: Start your registration here.