What agency started when?

[knotical]

In another thread I posted a short list of agencies and founding dates.
I just saw in James Dugan’s 1965 book Man Under the Sea, that FFESSM started in 1948! That triggered me to expand and update the list:

1948 FFESSM
1953 SSAC
1953 BSAC
1954 LA County
1958 CMAS / WUF
1959 YMCA, soon to be Scuba Educators International (SEI)
1960 NAUI
1961 NASDS, later absorbed into SSI
1964 CFT
1965 SAUU
1966 PADI
1960’s PDIC
1969 ACUC
1970 SSI
1978 IDEA
1981 HSA
1982 NASE
1984 MDEA
1985 IAND, later IANTD
1988 ANDI
1992 IDD
1993 IAHD
1994 AUSI
1994 TDI
1996 WASI, later absorbed into NASE
1998 GUE
1999 SDI

Additions and corrections welcomed.
e.g. does anyone know a more specific date for PDIC?
etc.

 

[Blackwood]

2008 UTD

(if you consider it an agency, anyway).

 

[Walter]

I'd love to see it expanded to see what the acronyms mean. What is FFESSM?

 

[Louma]

FFESSM - Free Floating Elite Sea Scubaguys and Mermaids? Going by the date it's prob French and something to do with Cousteau. I looked in the 2008 Divers Almanac and couldn't find a reference to it.

 

[Louma]

Found them (not sure that they were ever lost!):

FFESSM - Fédération française d'études et de Sports Sous-Marins

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I just read about YMCA ceasing its scuba operations on 12/31/08. Sad.

 

[boulderjohn]

I recently talked to an IDEA instructor who told me that IDEA was actually more of a name change from its original name, and it actually started in something like 1951. I don't have any confirmation--that's just what he told me.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Found them (not sure that they were ever lost!):

FFESSM - Fédération française d'études et de Sports Sous-Marins

And in English...Translated version of http://www.ffessm.fr/

 

[fisheater]

And in English...Translated version of http://www.ffessm.fr/

Some of those "translations" are priceless!

My favorite is " VESSELS OF WEAPONS OF PLEASURE." How VERY French.

 

[Walter]

I just read about YMCA ceasing its scuba operations on 12/31/08. Sad.

It would be sad if it were true. The reality is the program will continue without the backing of the YMCA of the USA. This is a very positive move for the program in many ways. It remains a non-profit, but is now controlled by very experienced SCUBA Instructors as it was in days gone by before the SCUBA Program was moved from Norcross to Chicago. I'm personally excited about the changes.