The Sea of Tomorrow Scholarship Society Offers Financial Assistance

In its quest to promote environmental conservation and the protection of marine wildlife, Beneath the Sea®, Inc. created the Sea of Tomorrow Society Scholarship Program.

Scholarships and training grants are offered annually to encourage youth through young adults to expand their knowledge and skills in a variety of fields, including marine conservation, marine biology, scuba diving, underwater photography, and many more. Some focus on specific areas of study or training, while others provide the applicants with the opportunity to identify the areas they wish to pursue. Scholarships and Training Grants are only open to residents of the United States and its territories.

IMPORTANT

  • Applications and two letters of recommendation must be submitted by the deadline. Late submissions will not be eligible.
  • You may only apply for one scholarship or training grant.
  • Each scholarship or training grant has an age range. Applicants must be within that range at time of application submission.
Application Guidelines are available and should be carefully reviewed before applying.

2025 SCHOLARSHIPS

Scholarships are intended to support independent research or education programs. Funds are paid upon presentation of an invoice from an educational institution or service provider for an approved expenditure.

Armand "Zig" Zigahn Memorial Scholarship - Value $1,000 (Age 25+) This Memorial scholarship seeks an adult whose experience, love of the ocean, skills and leadership abilities demonstrate strong advocacy to educate the world about our precious oceans and creatures.
JoAnn Zigahn's Sea of Tomorrow Scholarship - Value $1,000 (Ages 19-23) To be awarded to an individual for participation in a recognized or accredited program in the fields of marine environmental conservation, biology, ecology, research or training in a diving related program necessary for participation in these fields of endeavor.
Rick D'Amico Discovery Scholarship - Value $1,000 (Ages 13-15) This memorial scholarship endowed through the Rick D'Amico Trust is to support an individual searching for a life focus in exploring marine careers. This scholarship may be applied to any recognized educational or training program in the fields of marine study, scuba diving or related areas.
Ann Marie Mazzucco Scholarship - Value $1,000 (Ages 15-18) This scholarship is for an individual who demonstrates a love of the ocean and the environment and may be applied to recognized programs in the fields of marine and environmental science or conservation, scuba diving or related fields.

2025 TRAINING GRANTS

Training Grants provide funding for diving and related underwater training. Some grant sponsors require that the recipient take the training at a specified facility. Other grants allow the recipient to take the training at a recognized/authorized facility in the United States. Funds will be paid to the selected facility upon receipt of an invoice from that facility.

Advanced Scuba Diving Certification Training Grant - Value $1,000 (Sponsored by PADI and Oceanic Worldwide) (Ages 22-29) Beneath the Sea, PADI, and Oceanic Worldwide announced they would make funds and equipment available to a scholar looking to take their scuba training to an advanced or professional level: Divemaster, First Responder, Instructor. This scholarship is $1,000 dollars divided as $750 for an approved PADI course/certification to the training facility, the remainder in the form of a Buoyancy Compensation Device from Oceanic Worldwide. This is a generous scholastic opportunity for the right student with some diving experience.
Scuba Connection New Diver Training Grant (Sponsored by Scuba Connection, Garfield, N.J.) (Ages 15-21) This grant is to support an individual in obtaining their open water scuba certification. The course includes: 1) NAUI open water scuba diver certification; 2) NAUI Nitrox certification; 3) New personal gear gift package: mask, snorkel, booties and fins. Candidates must be able to participate in pool training conducted by Scuba Connection at their location in Garfield, New Jersey.
Please see additional prerequisites and details for the Scuba Connection New Diver Training Grant here.
Scuba Connection Leadership Training Grant (Sponsored by Scuba Connection, Garfield, N.J.) (Ages 18-26) Scuba Connection shall provide qualified individuals who have the passion and drive to become dive leaders with the opportunity to become a NAUI instructor. Candidates must be between the ages of 18-26 and be a certified Advance Open Water Diver with a minimum of 25 verified dives. Certification can be from any diving agency recognized by the RTSC (Recreational Training Scuba Council). Candidates must be able to participate in training and leadership development activities in Garfield, New Jersey and the nearby region.
Please see additional prerequisites and details for the Scuba Connection Leadership Training Grant here.
PADI Open Water Diver Course (Sponsored by Blue Water Divers, Rochelle Park, NJ) (Ages 18-23) Learn to scuba dive with one of our PADI Open Water Courses. The PADI Open Water Diver course consists of three main phases: Knowledge Development (online, home study or in a classroom ) to understand basic principles of scuba diving, Confined Water Dives to learn basic scuba skills, Open Water Dives to review your skills and explore!

The recipient must be able to take the Confined Water and Open Water dive training sessions with Blue Water Divers at and near their facility in Rochelle Park, NJ. Please note that this course does not include final certification dives, which may be completed with any recognized PADI Instructor and/or facility.
Please see additional details regarding course content and requirements for the PADI Open Water Diver Course here.

APPLICANTS FOR THE FOLLOWING TRAINING GRANT MUST FOLLOW THE APPLICATION-SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS FOUND IN THE TRAINING GRANT DESCRIPTION.

Jorge Beale Hyperbaric Medicine Training Grant (Sponsored by Life Support Technologies) Application Deadline is January 17th, 2025 midnight Eastern Standard Time. Life Support Technologies group (LST) has created a training grant in memory of Jorge Beale, MD. Dr. Beale was a true pioneer and educator in diving and hyperbaric medicine, and he was fundamental to LST’s vitality and work. The recipient of this training grant will be invited to a 40-hour Introduction to Hyperbaric Medicine course held in the NY/NJ/CT tristate area. The course is accredited by both the Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) for Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits and the National Board of Diving & Hyperbaric Medical Technology (NBDHMT) for Continuing Education Units (CEU).

The Jorge Beale, MD, Training Grant is available to all health care professionals, including EMT, Paramedic, RT, RN, CNA, LPN, PA, NP, MD, DO, and DPM. The training grant application consists of writing a 500-word essay outlining why you should be chosen as the recipient of this scholarship, what this scholarship would mean to you, and what would you use this course towards. If you are interested in applying for this training grant please compose your essay, “Why I should be awarded the Jorge Beale, M.D. Hyperbaric Training Grant” and email it to [email protected]. Be sure to put “Training Grant Application” in the subject line.

CORPORATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS INTERESTED IN SPONSORING A SCHOLARSHIP OR TRAINING GRANT, PLEASE CONTACT US AT [email protected]

Beneath the Sea is handicapped accessible. If you require special aids or services please e-mail us at [email protected] or call 914.664.4310
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