Richard H. Stewart IV
Ocean explorer, publisher and editor, photojournalist, television producer and founder of
Sport Diver, Ocean Realm, Dive Travel and Planet Ocean.
Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Stewart was transplanted to Miami, Florida where his father, Thomas W. Stewart, attended the University of Miami. By the age of eight he had learned scuba from his father, a YMCA instructor, making his first open water dive off Virginia Key in Miami. At the age of ten his uncle Terry introduced him to photography and from that point on diving and photography became his passion.
At 16 Richard formed his first business, Stewart Photography, specializing in children, wedding and industrial photography. By 22 he had opened up a full service camera store, Stewart Camera Center, and a full service dive store, Central Florida Divers. In At 24 he opened the Andros Beach Dive Centre on the Bahamian island of Andros and created Grand Am International Tours to facilitate groups to the operation.
Throughout the early seventies Stewart began traveling extensively in Europe and the Caribbean in pursuit of his passion…travel photograpgy and underwater photography. In 1976 he began his career in journalism and publishing as the co-founder and travel editor of Florida Diver magazine. In 1977 he went on the create the nationally circulated magazine, Sport Diver, as publisher and editor until 1980 when the title was then sold to the New York City special interest group, Ziff-Davis Publishing.
After spending a year with ZD as the organization's youngest publisher on the payroll, Stewart departed to found Ocean Realm Television. In 1980, ORT pioneered the design and construction of the television industry's first underwater EFG (electronic field gathering) underwater video camera system for Sony Video Products. and in the mid 80's for Panasonic's RECAM video production system. Subsequently throughout the 80's, Richard and his Ocean Realm Television team organization provided field producer and underwater video production services for ABC's Good Morning America and 20/20 with Hugh Downs and Geraldo Rivera (who he also certified in scuba); HBO, PBS and CNN. Stewar is also credited with co-designing and building, along with famed Canadian underwater housing manufacturer Val Renik, the first consumer underwater video system.
In 1981 Stewart launched the first ocean nature magazine titled Ocean Realm and remained publisher and editor until 1987. During those same years he co-founded and was executive producer of OceanFest, an annual consumer expo in Miami, Florida featuring headliners such as Jean-Michel Cousteau, Jimmy Buffet, Scott Carpenter and other notables; was co-founder of the Ocean Wilderness Society; co-founder and director of the Survival of the Sea Society, and an executive committee member of Save The Manatee with Jimmy Buffet.
From 1988 to 1992 Stewart created and was publisher and editor of several publications including; the Sport Diver Trade Journal, the Sport Diver Traveler, the Sport Diver Underwater Photography Annual and co-publisher of Aqua Corps, the industry's first technical diving magazine.
In 1992 Stewart founded and is to this day the executive director of the B2B Dive Travel Association, a networking trade organization for travel agents, resorts and liveaboard charter companies. During the past ten years he created and was executive producer of the annual Dive Travel Conference (now part of DEMA's annual program), lectures nationwide on the subject of dive travel marketing and media, and serves as a marketing consultant to the resort industry worldwide.
In 1993 Stewart was once again contracted by Panasonic for the U.S. Olympic Committee to design and build the underwater monitoring and video system used for training the U.S. Olympic swimming team at the Olympic Training Center's pool in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
In 2000 Stewart created Big Grouper Media to publish specialty titles that include Splash Adventures, Destination Adventures, Caribbean Island Adventures, Out Island Adventures, and the trade journals Adventure Travel Specialist, Scuba Industry Professional, Dive Travel Specialist and Watersports Retailing.
In 2001Stewart founded the Planet Ocean Society and remains it's senior advisor for public relations and media.
In 2003 Stewart founded Ocean Realm Media to create the Ocean Realm Channel (cable), the Ocean Realm Journal (print/DVD publication), Ocean Realm Broadband (internet news network) and Ocean Realm Radio (AM and internet broadcasting). Stewart is also the founder and Executive Director of the Ocean Realm Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to children's ocean environmental education.
Other career highlights include; PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) Open Water Instructor, PADI Gold Master Instructor, SSI (Scuba Schools International) Open Water Instructor, SSI Pro 5000 (5,000 career dives), NOAA Certified Aquanaut; APA Master Photographer, Pro Videographer, private pilot, musician (his band performed with the Allman Brothers Band), and is an accomplished windsurfer and kayaker.
Stewart currently resides in New Smyrna Beach, Florida where he and his crew have launched Ocean Realm Journal for his Ocean Realm Society and Expeditions organization.
Contact Richard Stewart at Richard@RichardHStewart.com