Steve Drogin, underwater adventurer, passes away on April 14, 2009

As many of you already know, underwater adventurer Steve Drogin passed away last week while vacationing in India with his wife, Hiro. Steve was a dear friend of many in the dive industry; we all will miss his booming, fun-loving presence. I have an old bumper sticker Steve gave me when I first met him. It simply reads, "The Ocean is my Playground." The ocean certainly was Steve's playground. His love of the oceans complemented his personality as a facilitator. Steve was well known for his generosity and ability to connect people with similar interests.

A memorial service has been scheduled for Wednesday, April 29, 2009 at the Robert Pain Scripps Forum in La Jolla, CA. Continue reading for full details, including a list of donation recipients in lieu of sending flowers (as requested by his family).

Full details:

http://wetpixel.com/i.php/full/steve-drogi...-april-14-2009/

My dear friend Ali wrote up a beautiful tribute to Steve for this week's Slug Site feature - http://slugsite.us/bow2007/nudwk644.htm

He will be sorely missed.

Steve's passing is a huge loss to the underwater imaging, diving, and oceanographic communities.

He was an incredibly generous man, and went out of his way to help promote and facilitate projects he found meaningful. He has so many friends in so many places! It always amazed me that whenever I returned from traveling somewhere, Steve always knew all about it! Steve made a point (as Eric so aptly notes) of connecting people with similar interests in ways that helped further the work all involved.

For those of us in Kona (where I currently am), Masa Ushioda has posted on his blog a tribute to Steve with more info on the local Holualoa Foundation For Arts & Culture, which is one of the mentioned organizations for memorial donations in lieu of flowers.

Steve Drogin will be deeply missed.

Mary Lynn

Thanks, Mary Lynn. I'm collecting tribute links and will add them to the front page post.

Also, if anyone has photos they'd like to send to be included in the tribute slideshow, please send them to Hiro. Her email address is in the front page post.

Some photos of Steve from my collection...

Steve Drogin with teletubbies in Ujung Pandang, Indonesia. December 5, 2004. Photo: Eric Cheng

Hiro Drogin, Larry Smith and Steve Drogin aboard the Adventure Komodo in Indonesia. December 6, 2004. Photo: Eric Cheng

Steve and Hiro Drogin aboard the M/V Pindito in Indonesia. December 8, 2004. Photo: Eric Cheng

Steve and Hiro Drogin in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. December 10, 2004. Photo: Eric Cheng

Steve Drogin and Eric Cheng in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. December 16, 2004.

Steve Drogin underwater. December 19, 2004. Photo: Eric Cheng

Steve Drogin, with camera. Ensenada, Mexico. February 14, 2005. Photo: Eric Cheng

Michele Hall, Howard Hall, Eric Cheng, Hiro Drogin, Steve Drogin at Boston Sea Rovers Clinic. March 4, 2006.

Steve and Hiro Drogin with Eric Cheng at the pre-clinic speakers' reception. Boston Sea Rovers. March 2, 2007. (photo: Berkley White)

Great photos, Eric!

There's another tribute posted by John Moore of San Diego Divebums that includes some photos of Steve, and a link to get tickets to this coming Saturday evening's San Diego Underwater Photographic Society Film Festival where Steve Drogin's most recent video from his DeepSee submarine will be the main event. Michele Hall will be MC. Should be a fantastic gathering!

Mary Lynn

Voice of San Diego has an article about Steve:

http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/articles/20...rogin042709.txt

Is anyone else here going to the memorial service tomorrow?

I recall back in the 8O's talking photo stuff with him-was very interesting guy-We chatted over the years about boats and gear. He will be missed. Mark

I've posted a few photos from the memorial service, which was beautiful.

I just joined this site due to a recently renewed interest in underwater photography and shockingly found this thread.

This is very sad, around 12 years ago I was working with my wife Lucy in the Marshall Islands helping to setup the dive operation on Bikini. In the opening year we had all the great underwater photographers come through including Jim Watt and Steve Drogin and we became friends with them, seeing them at DEMA and on their return trips to Bikini.

On our return to the UK we kind of lost contact with our diving acquaintances until we got a call out of the blue from Steve who was in London and invited us out to dinner at one of the best Sushi places in town - Nobu. We had a great evening with Steve in London, hearing of his adventures, remembering past trips and finding out some of the joint connections we both had with people we'd met around the world. He also wouldn't let us pay for dinner, which still to this day is probably the best meal we've ever had !!

Its really sad that both Jim Watt and Steve have left us in the past few years. They were both amazing photographers and great people. Very sad but a true example of living life to the full....

Matt Harris

www.mdharris.co.uk