Boston Sea Rovers, the world’s oldest and most prestigious dive club and longest running dive show announced today that Kim Malkoski (of Marion, Massachusetts) has been named the organization’s next president. Malkoski currently serves as vice president. With this appointment, she becomes the first woman to lead the organization is its 70-year history.
Boston Sea Rovers members and associates include some of the most famous names in underwater exploration including but not limited to: Bob Ballard, Jacque Yves Cousteau, Philippe Cousteau, Sylvia Earle, Harold “Doc” Edgerton, Martin Klein, Stan Waterman, Al Giddings, and many more. Sea Rovers have left a legacy of exploration that includes discovery and documentation of shipwrecks, marine life, antiquities, and geological phenomena as well as the invention of new technologies that have allowed adventurers to travel deeper and farther into the underwater world.
“I am honored to have been chosen by the board of directors as Sea Rovers’ next president,” said Malkoski, “Having attended the show for most of my life and being the organization’s fifth intern, it is hard to imagine this is where I would be today. I am incredibly grateful.”
Sea Rovers boasts the world’s longest running dive show, a two-day event that takes place in Danvers, Massachusetts. The highlight of the show is the Saturday evening Film Festival, which features first-release films and photographs from some of the world’s most renown underwater cinematographers and storytellers. In addition, Sea Rovers sponsors two internship programs. The Boston Sea Rovers Scalli Summer Internship is awarded to a college-aged student embarking on a career in a marine science, technology, or related field. Another provides dive equipment and training to a deserving high school student. These programs ensure that Sea Rovers passes the tradition of exploration and discovery to the next generation.
Outgoing President Nick Fazah said, “As we look to the future, I am excited to see where new leadership will take the Boston Sea Rovers, building on our strong foundation to reach new depths and continue making waves in the world of diving and marine conservation.” Malkoski, who has served as the organization’s vice president since 2017, worked side-by-side with Fazah during his five-year tenure as president.
Malkoski has been a member of Boston Sea Rovers since 2009, after completing a year as the 2008 Boston Sea Rovers Scalli Summer Intern. She is currently employed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, where she manages dive operations and small boat charters. She assists the science divers with equipment, training, dive operating procedures and emergency protocols and assists on scientific dive projects. She also serves as Director of Special Projects for East Coast Divers in Brookline. Malkoski has served as vice president of the Boston Sea Rovers since 2017 and assistant to the president of the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society. She was the recipient of a 2014 Women Diver’ Hall of Fame Training Grant.
Malkoski regularly volunteers as a for the Civilian Dive Safety Team at the International Submarine Races Naval Surface Warfare Center-Carderock Division and has volunteered as a field technician with the Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries. She earned a BS in Marine Biology from the University of New England in 2011 and a Masters degree in Sustainability Studies from Harvard University.