2017 Hall of Fame Inductee: Dave Moran

Dave Moran has contributed an enormous amount to the marine industry and to the New Zealand Boat Show. He is a man who found the sport of diving which he loved and turned it into a career that took him all over the world.

Dave initially come to NZ in 1970, intending to stay only a few months, however, he fell in love with the country and is still here.

Dave loves diving on shipwrecks and, helped Kelly Tarlton establish Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World, doing all the electrical work and, after Kelly’s untimely death was made manager.

In 1990 Dave created Dive NZ Magazine and it has been a source of information, inspiration and education for divers throughout New Zealand and the South Pacific.

Dave has been instrumental in helping build and grow the New Zealand dive industry. He was on the inaugural committee of the Diving Industry of New Zealand; was instrumental in creating the Oceans Society’s weekends (the first of which was in 1976) and also ‘The Night to Remember” speakers night in conjunction with the late Ross Guy.

In 1999, Dave teamed up with Sir Peter Blake to get Wyland, the famous US artist and marine conservation advocate, to paint a mural on the Maritime Museum. Dave and Wyland also started the Wyland/Dive New Zealand Award, for the ‘unsung heroes who promote diving and environmental issues.

Dave has won numerous awards, including

• Historical Diving Society Australia Pacific (2015) appreciation award to Dave and wife Petal for Dive New Zealand and Dive Pacific Magazines
• Outstanding contribution to the Diving Industry Award from New Zealand Underwater (2011)

Dave has also played a key part in helping promote the Hutchwilco New Zealand boat Show, arranging international diving holidays to be given away as prizes, and helping organisers create some memorable attractions. These included creating a Dive Court (which then became the Dive and Adventure Court). This ran from 1993 until 2005 was home to a “have a try” dive tank and a number of very innovative Kiwi designed and built submarines. Dave also published the show’s Official Show Guide from 1998 until 2005 and was one of the earliest Boat of the Show Awards’ judges of the modern era, a role he has reprised again this year.

Dave has spent a lifetime involved in and promoting diving and the underwater world and is clearly a very worthy inductee into the NEW ZEALAND BOAT SHOW HALL OF FAME.