Next Meeting
Wednesday, August 19th, 2026
Panel: Celebrating 55 Years of the Club
Brazen Tavern (upstairs)
356 West 44th Street
New York, NY
Happy Hour at 6 PM
Meeting at 7 PM
In celebration of the club’s 55 years, we're bringing together some of the people who helped shape this community into what it is today. Join us for a unique evening featuring Founding members, past Club Presidents, and longtime members with more than 30 years in the club.
Many of our panelists are explorers, expedition divers, photographers, instructors, and underwater adventurers whose schedules rarely align, so we're incredibly excited that they'll all be together for this one-night celebration.
Come hear stories spanning more than five decades of diving:
Whether you've been a member for decades or joined us this year, this is a wonderful opportunity to connect with the people who built our community, celebrate our shared history, and look ahead to the next generation of adventures.
Bring your curiosity—we'll have time for live Q&A. If you'd like, you can also submit your questions in advance using the button at the end of this email. We hope you'll join us for this memorable evening as we celebrate 55 years of friendship, exploration, and diving together.
This is the second of our member-led panels and discussions, with future meetings covering a variety of diving topics and experiences from across the club community. Stay tuned!
Many of our panelists are explorers, expedition divers, photographers, instructors, and underwater adventurers whose schedules rarely align, so we're incredibly excited that they'll all be together for this one-night celebration.
Come hear stories spanning more than five decades of diving:
- What was diving like in the early days of the club?
- How has equipment, training, and exploration evolved over the years?
- Which adventures, wrecks, and expeditions have left the biggest mark?
- What has kept them passionate about diving—and about this club—for so many years?
Whether you've been a member for decades or joined us this year, this is a wonderful opportunity to connect with the people who built our community, celebrate our shared history, and look ahead to the next generation of adventures.
Bring your curiosity—we'll have time for live Q&A. If you'd like, you can also submit your questions in advance using the button at the end of this email. We hope you'll join us for this memorable evening as we celebrate 55 years of friendship, exploration, and diving together.
This is the second of our member-led panels and discussions, with future meetings covering a variety of diving topics and experiences from across the club community. Stay tuned!
Neal Klemens is one of our founding members. Neal feels great joy witnessing how his child has grown and has saved EVERY edition of the Sea Breeze ever written and they now reside with Historian, Jeanne Chin. And even though he now lives in California and has ‘hung up his fins’ - he still manages to send us interesting and informative articles about diving, our oceans and other related topics - by my count, he has sent 42 articles in the last year alone!
Alan Iscoe is another founding member who remained a diver for almost as long as the club. On this picture Alan (80) is diving with his buddy Anne Sutcliffe (71) in Cozumel. Anne is the original member and compiled Sea Breeze 55 years ago!
John Harding is a longtime club member and former president, John logged over 700 dives around the world—from North Atlantic wrecks and Florida caves to Cocos Island and Truk Lagoon. His stories span the pioneering days of recreational diving, when exploration relied on analog gear, air tables, and a spirit of adventure.
Bernie Chowdhury has worn many hats in the diving world, from serving as Club President to teaching as a Technical Diving instructor. He brings 14 years of experience in hyperbaric medicine, including serving as Training Director and on the faculty for the board-certified 40-hour Introduction to Hyperbaric Medicine course for physicians and allied health professionals, which was held several times a year in NY-NJ-CT hospitals by Life Support Technologies Group, Glenn Butler, CEO.
Since 1995, Bernie has been a Fellow of the Explorers Club. He has carried the Club Flag on three ground-breaking expeditions (in Iceland and India).
Bernie was Beneath the Sea’s Diver of the Year (Education) in 2001.
In 2019, he was the first recipient of the Gene Ritter Aquatic Education Award for Extraordinary Service to Education, granted by the New York State Marine Education Department (NYSMEA). Bernie is best known for his non-fiction book, The Last Dive, which has been in continuous print for 26 years! He has also been the editor of three diving magazines.
Since 1995, Bernie has been a Fellow of the Explorers Club. He has carried the Club Flag on three ground-breaking expeditions (in Iceland and India).
Bernie was Beneath the Sea’s Diver of the Year (Education) in 2001.
In 2019, he was the first recipient of the Gene Ritter Aquatic Education Award for Extraordinary Service to Education, granted by the New York State Marine Education Department (NYSMEA). Bernie is best known for his non-fiction book, The Last Dive, which has been in continuous print for 26 years! He has also been the editor of three diving magazines.
Larry Cohen began diving in 1989 and became a member of the club after discovering the club's newsletter at Pan Aqua. Throughout the years, he has held various roles within the club, including Club President, Vice President, and Dive Chair, and he is also a founding member of NYUPS.
Larry has crewed on the NJ dive boat John Jack and currently spends most of his underwater time exploring the caves in Mexico. As an underwater photographer, he has had his images featured in numerous publications. You can view his work at www.liquidimagesuw.com
Larry has crewed on the NJ dive boat John Jack and currently spends most of his underwater time exploring the caves in Mexico. As an underwater photographer, he has had his images featured in numerous publications. You can view his work at www.liquidimagesuw.com
Emma Schwarz started diving in 1992 and has been a member of Big Apple Divers since 1994. She has held various positions in the club, including Secretary, Treasurer and Social Chair. Her dive experience includes local wrecks, the Caribbean, Florida, North Carolina, the Pacific Northwest and the south Pacific.
Jeanne Chin joined the club in 1995 and has served in nearly every role -including Membership Chair, Treasurer, and President. Today, she serves as Newsletter Editor and Historian.
As her Meetup profile famously puts it: “I don’t like being in the sun or on boats, getting wet, sand; I don’t swim very well; and I get terribly seasick… But I LOVE scuba diving.” And, 30+ years later, it still rings true!
As her Meetup profile famously puts it: “I don’t like being in the sun or on boats, getting wet, sand; I don’t swim very well; and I get terribly seasick… But I LOVE scuba diving.” And, 30+ years later, it still rings true!
Patty Scanlon Ward started diving in the 1990s and has held various positions in the club, including Social Chair, Vice President, and President. She is certified in Advanced Open Water, Nitrox, Ice Diving. Her dive experience includes local wrecks, several years crewing on the Jeanne II out of Sheepshead Bay, and an impressive 25-year run on Dennis Anacker’s annual NC wreck and shark-diving trips to Borneo and PNG.
John Beninati is the Vice President & Chief Intellectual Property Officer at Honeywell Technologies. In addition to his corporate career, he is a member of The Explorers Club, where he serves on the organization's Legal Committee.
John began his diving career in 1996, joined the club soon after, and later served as its Legal Counsel and Treasurer. He started out diving the shipwrecks off the coasts of New York and New Jersey, where he developed a passion for maritime history, exploration, and technical diving. He is also the owner of the dive vessel Proteus II, which supports many of his technical diving expeditions.
Over the past three decades, John has logged approximately 4,000 dives and is Trimix certified on both open-circuit and CCR. Among his most notable diving experiences are explorations of many of New York’s historic wrecks, Bikini Atoll, Truk Lagoon, and Antarctica, where he participated in a scientific expedition beyond the Antarctic Circle to dive remote, uncharted islands that had never before been explored underwater.
John began his diving career in 1996, joined the club soon after, and later served as its Legal Counsel and Treasurer. He started out diving the shipwrecks off the coasts of New York and New Jersey, where he developed a passion for maritime history, exploration, and technical diving. He is also the owner of the dive vessel Proteus II, which supports many of his technical diving expeditions.
Over the past three decades, John has logged approximately 4,000 dives and is Trimix certified on both open-circuit and CCR. Among his most notable diving experiences are explorations of many of New York’s historic wrecks, Bikini Atoll, Truk Lagoon, and Antarctica, where he participated in a scientific expedition beyond the Antarctic Circle to dive remote, uncharted islands that had never before been explored underwater.