Jeff Loflin

My name is Jeff Loflin and I am a candidate for a position with the NSS-CDS Board of Directors (BoD). My diving career spans almost three (3) decades and I am a current member and active instructor in good standing of the NSS-CDS.  My background involves a multitude of disciplines and affiliations with diverse professional agencies. I strongly support the purposes, missions, goals and objectives of the NSS-CDS to promote and aid in the facilitation of public education, the interests of its members in conservation, exploration and scientific investigation of underwater caves, and the education of divers for increased awareness, safety and skill in cave diving. I am supportive of the actions of the current Board of Directors and firmly believe that the NSS-CDS is the only vehicle with the ability to accomplish our goals.  I am passionate about cave diving and feel that within this passion lies the key to success.

 My diving credentials include, but are not limited to:

§         NSS-CDS Cave Instructor 

§         IANTD Trimix Instructor

§         IANTD Technical Cave Instructor

§         PADI Technical Instructor Trainer

§         PADI Course Director (1986)

§         Dan Instructor Trainer

I was the owner/operator of Adventures Underwater in Tampa, Fl. for sixteen (16) years. I served as an adjunct faculty member in the Marine Sciences Department at the University of Tampa for eight (8) years where I formulated, supervised and personally taught a course curriculum approved for college credit that included five (5) diving courses (Underwater Techniques: Mar 100 through Mar 105).

I have a commercial diving background and am a certified bridge inspector (CBI #309) with the Florida Department of Transportation.

I am confident that my organizational skills and extensive background in conducting workshops and seminars would be an asset to our organization. I will work diligently and with professional integrity to promote the NSS-CDS within an extensive international diving community and make every effort to broaden our membership base while maintaining a primary focus on the facilitation of the mission, goals and objectives of the NSS-CDS.

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Frank Ohidy

 To start, a little background for me is that I have been cave diving for more than ten years. Shortly after completing my training as a cave diver I moved to Fort White to reduce the drive time and spend that time underwater in what I consider to be one of nature’s most dynamic ecosystems, the underwater cave. Since those early days, I have been fortunate to dive most of the systems in North and Central Florida and Mexico. Along the way, I have met and dove with a great number of divers that share my passion for exploring and preserving the caves that we have access to as well as working to gain access to sites that have been off limits to cave divers over the years. I am not an instructor, nor do I want to be one. I am a guide for the Mill Creek Sink (Alachua Sink) and Hart Springs cave systems. I have operated my own business and have worked in the plastics industry for 22 years as a field service engineer with project responsibility for the installation and successful startup of multi-million dollar plastics extrusion equipment.

My interests in joining the Board of Directors can be summed up in four ways. First and foremost, I want to give something back to the sport that has given to me so much over the years. Second, I want to further the efforts of our past and present board members in maintaining access to caves and expand that to include sites that are off limits to us. I also want to promote the Cave Diving Section as a national and to some extent an international organization. Not just in membership, but in relations to our respective cave diving organizations around the globe. Last but not least, I want the Board of Directors to represent the membership of the CDS as its primary goal. This includes expanding membership, continuing improvements to our training program, fiscal responsibility, and continuing   the tough job of maintaining access to caves and gaining access to additional caves.

Having said all that, I want to make clear how I will conduct myself as a member of the Board of Directors. I will act in the interests of the membership at all times. I will make myself available to any and all members of the CDS to discuss any aspect of the CDS, and cave diving. I will continue to speak my mind and conscience about issues in the CDS and the cave diving community. I will also commit myself to advancing the CDS as a national/international cave diving organization. In conclusion, I appreciate the consideration for myself to represent you, the members of the CDS, as a member of the Board of Directors.

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Alex Varouxis

My name is Alex Varouxis and I live in Northern Virginia. I own a small engineering and manufacturing firm that manufactures components for the U.S military, federal government, private industry and my personal favorite, dive equipment manufactures. I began diving in 1970 and immediately knew that it would be a large part of my life; I have never looked back. I was introduced to cave diving is 1995 and completed full cave certification in 2003.  I was fortunate to be exposed to some of the finest instructors and explorers through out my journey and consider my self very fortunate to call these individuals not only mentors but friends.

In the late 1980's, my company manufactured experimental underwater photography and video equipment.  At DEMA, I was introduced to cave diving and cave/technical diving equipment pioneers. By listening and talking with these explorers, I have established long lasting friendships and business relationships with major O.E.M's of technical dive equipment; cooperative efforts have resulted in the development and manufacture of cutting edge components and assemblies of dive equipment.  Advances in dive lighting systems, DPV's, rebreathers, reels and other technical equipment grew out of these relationships.  I am aware of the impact of new technologies on both the dive community and the diving environment; my background allows the inclusion of diverse technologies to allow more divers greater diving potential through safety.

Cave diving is a unique sport because it provides personal development, self-expression, personal and team accomplishments along with special individual challenges. This sport is also unique because it unites us and exposes us to rare environments that cause us to learn and care. As the few privileged to visit these unique systems, we should contribute to the well-being of this underwater world. This Awareness breeds interest, learning, concern and action. It's difficult to participate in this environment, without seeking to protect it.  

Along with cave diving, I am an avid wreck diver, AAUS member and a member of the Dive Control Board of the North Carolina Aquarium Roanoke Island. I am involved with the National Monitor Marine Sanctuary and am working with NOAA to gain access to the Monitor for environmental impact and bio diversity research.

I would like to bring fresh ideas to the section and represent the rank and file membership that is fortunate to be part of this sport.  My experience working with government organizations will help with interfacing with government organizations and others to gain site access and to work with them for site preservation.  By controlling our own destiny, we can avoid oversight and intervention by others less aware of the projects we can accomplish.

I see a future where the NSS/CDS continues to grow and expand.  I will work to improve landowner relations, gaining access to closed sites, and working on cave conservation to prevent damage to these valuable sites.  While few of the rank and file membership will ever lay new line or dive a virgin cave, I think that there should be a “A Cave for Everyone".