The diving community is mourning the loss of one of its most influential visionaries, Paul Tzimoulis. Scuba diving pioneer, renowned underwater photographer, author, longtime publisher and driving force behind Skin Diver magazine and more recently a key voice in the growth of Sport Diver magazine, Tzimoulis passed away at his home in Las Vegas on June 3, 2003. Paul's wife of 16 years, Geri Murphy Tzimoulis, was at his side.

Paul is the man who shaped and defined much of the world of scuba diving as we know it today. By the time Paul arrived at Skin Diver in 1964, he had already devoted years to diving, operating a retail dive store in East Haven, Connecticut, working as a salvage inspector, diving for sponges in Tarpon Springs, Florida, organizing film festivals, leading campaigns to save the historic wrecks of the East Coast and serving as a sales representative for Sportsways and U.S. Divers. But he had only just begun. For the next 39 years his pioneering vision especially in dive travel, underwater photography, wreck diving, stewardship of the oceans and issues of gear and certification built the legacy of diving we enjoy today.

Almost from the moment he took over as group publisher of Skin Diver it became the diver's bible; with Paul's leadership and vision it was the source of information on all dive issues. In its pages the dive industry was born. In its pages you will find the history of a sport from infancy to maturity. And there are few corners of the dive world that didn't experience Paul's deft touch as they grew to prominence. Paul's endless energy and creativity eventually expanded his influence (via the magazine) to 109 countries and 250,000 monthly readers.

In 1999 Paul left Skin Diver and took his comprehensive knowledge and understanding of all things scuba to Sport Diver, which has since grown into the leadership position in the marketplace.

How could one man have such an impact on every aspect of the sport? Because Paul was more than just a publisher of a dive magazine; in many cases he was the catalyst that provided change. An early bio about Paul states, Paul Tzimoulis is one of the early pioneers of diving who has grown with the sport. Paul did more than grow with the sport, he even did more than actively build the sport he embodied the sport. With Paul's help, connections were made, ideas born and products developed.

Many lives have been touched, influenced and enriched by having known Paul. Through the years, Paul never lost his passion for diving, and he shared openly and freely his love of the sport and his knowledge. Paul was influential in encouraging countless individuals to pursue and advance in their dive careers. With his encouragement, businesses were started and dreams realized. Even during his last days, he was unselfishly offering inspiration and ideas for growing the sport to his numerous friends.

Paul's absence will leave a deep void in the world of scuba diving, but his mark has been made on all that he touched, and will continue to influence the future of our sport.

For me personally, Paul's influence and support in the early years provided the opportunities for my success today (founder and president of Oceanic Worldwide).

Paul had two great loves, growing the sport of scuba diving and his wife, Geri. Geri was at Paul's side for every trip and adventure and was his partner in all that life offered. Together they made an unbeatable team. Paul is survived by Geri, as well as his son, Jason, and daughter, Tristin, from a previous marriage.

"Paul was no doubt one of the most prominent and important icons in the history of our industry. His dedication and contributions to our sport and industry are innumerable and immeasurable. He was one of the pioneers of our sport and has been one of the driving forces that have propelled our industry to where it is today." …John J. Cronin

"Nobody had a more profound influence on the dive industry than Paul. He invented Cayman, named Stingray City, forced us to dive the North Wall, go to Little Cayman and the Brac when it was rough, find and name new dive sites. "He was a visionary, teacher, rule breaker and a true friend. He had faith in me when I started with the orginal Cayman Aggressor and did what he could to help promote and market it by giving me many, many ideas to expand on. He did the same for untold others." ...Wayne Hasson

"Paul knew the dive industry better than any other human being and unselfishly shared his ideas and thoughts with the diving community. He single-handily stoked, cajoled and sometimes pushed the entire Cayman Islands to an unprecedented level of success. Today, the Cayman Islands is Number 1 in diving destinations due, in large part, to Paul Tzimoulis. I benefited as well. From 1980 to 2000+ I received advice, guidance and direction from Paul that enabled me to build one of the largest dive operations in the world."...Ron Kipp

"Not only was Paul instrumental in the success of numerous dive operators, he was instrumental in the success of dive destinations throughout the world. He created dive travel as we know it today; bringing destinations worldwide into the homes of divers across the globe." ... Neal Watson

"Paul Tzimoulis, the publishing magnate, personally drove scuba diving from an obscure sport to become the world media's adventure/travel "must." In the process, obscure islands and distant countries became diving destinations, bringing underwater photography to life. He, more than anyone, safely increased the Diving Industry's size by ten-fold in 30 years, helping spawn and supporting countless dive: resorts, manufacturers and magazines from infancy to success, along the way. The "Big Man" as his hundreds of friends called him, had a ready laugh and unfailing optimism to match his size and wielded far more power than any Godfather- without ever having to kill a soul." _ _……Ralph Osterhout (Shamlian)

"In 1971, Paul invited me to dive Truk Lagoon with him and film wrecks. He had researched and hoped to find the I-169, a Japanese sub sunk in 1942. We found the sub, which was spectacular, there were still human remains in it, and were the first to dive it. The film made of that discovery, narrated by Richard Widmark, aired on CBS in prime time. It was nominated for an Emmy and kickstarted my career in network TV. And of course, Paul made it possible." ...Al Giddings

Lessons learned from Paul - With close to 20 years of support and counsel from Paul, I'm proud to carry his torch forward - along with all others fortunate enough to have worked with him. By putting his whole heart and soul into the task at hand, Paul will always inspire me to do more, to be more and hence go farther than common sense might actually dictate. By facing life with a smile and ending every conversation with a chuckle, Paul is a constant reminder to laugh out loud at adversity… and then find a way to turn it around. Paul taught me that brush fires sometimes clear the path that needs to be taken…that "you have to break some eggs to make an omelet". He showed me that you lead by example and should always be willing to do more than you expect in return - That working harder goes hand in hand with working smarter. Paul has been a role model for thriving, and not just in the best of times. He has carried himself with dignity and grace, and his courage is contagious. Paul's lessons are in all of us that have had the privilege to share some time with him, and we will cherish them always ... Carolyn Pascal-Guarino, Publisher, Sport Diver