The Academy of Underwater Arts & Sciences (AUAS) has announced the recipients of the 2026 NOGI Awards, recognising individuals whose careers have made a significant and lasting impact on the exploration, education, enjoyment, safety and preservation of the underwater world.
First presented in 1960, the NOGI Awards (the name is an acronym of the original 1950s awards of the New Orleans Grand Isle Fishing Tournament) are regarded as the oldest and most prestigious honours in recreational diving. They recognise lifetime achievement across five categories — Arts, Science, Environment, Sports and Education, and Distinguished Service — celebrating contributions to both the sport and the wider diving industry.
‘The NOGI Award is the oldest and most prestigious award in the recreational diving world,’ said AUAS President Dan Orr. ‘Having been first presented in 1960, the NOGI Awards recognise individuals who have made significant career contributions to the sport, the industry and our world.’
The 2026 awards will be presented at the annual NOGI Awards Gala and Banquet in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, held in conjunction with the DEMA Show.
Jonathan Bird – NOGI, Arts
Jonathan Bird is an award-winning underwater cinematographer whose lifelong passion is revealing the ocean’s hidden world and sharing its magic with audiences everywhere.
A true explorer at heart, Jonathan has spent thousands of hours beneath the waves, capturing moments few people ever witness and inviting viewers to experience the thrill of discovery for themselves.
He is the host and producer of Jonathan Bird’s Blue World, a family-friendly YouTube adventure series with more than a million subscribers and eight Emmy Awards.
Over his career, Jonathan has filmed more than fifty documentaries that have taken him from icy shipwrecks to shark-filled reefs, airing on major networks including National Geographic Channel, PBS, ABC and Discovery.
In 2020, he dove into giant screen with the IMAX® film Ancient Caves, an immersive subterranean science film that earned top awards in giant screen cinema. His fourth IMAX® adventure, Call of the Dolphins, premiered in 2025 and showcases the ocean’s most intelligent and charismatic animals.
Jonathan served as Director of Photography for One Epic Ocean, a groundbreaking 360° film created in 2021 for SeaWorld Abu Dhabi and projected on the world’s highest-resolution screen at 44K. The production pushed the boundaries of immersive ocean storytelling.
He is the author of seven books of underwater photography, with his images and articles published in hundreds of magazines, calendars and books. Jonathan is the founder and president of Oceanic Research Group, Inc., a nonprofit promoting ocean conservation through education.
He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, Christine, and their two adventurous, scuba diving children.
Richard ‘Richie’ Kohler – NOGI, Sports & Education
Richie Kohler is an award-winning filmmaker, television host, author and explorer whose work has brought the hidden histories of the world’s most significant shipwrecks to a global audience.
A lifelong diver who began exploring the waters off Brooklyn, New York, Kohler has spent more than four decades merging deep-sea exploration with documentary storytelling.
He first gained international recognition in 1992 when he and diving partner John Chatterton identified a previously unknown German U-boat. Their six-year investigation became the subject of the PBS/NOVA documentary Hitler’s Lost Sub and inspired the New York Times bestselling book Shadow Divers.
Kohler went on to co-host and produce 56 episodes of the History Channel’s Deep Sea Detectives, helping define a new genre of maritime exploration television. His work has explored wrecks including Andrea Doria, RMS Titanic and HMHS Britannic, and has aired on National Geographic, PBS/NOVA, Discovery Channel, CBS, Fox, Universal, Paramount and E-One.
A Fellow of The Explorers Club and author of Mystery of the Last Olympian, Kohler was invested as a Knight of the Order of St John in recognition of his humanitarian efforts. He most recently hosted Dark Waters with Richie Kohler.
Professor Simon Mitchell – NOGI, Science
Simon Mitchell first studied marine biology before completing medical training in 1990 and a PhD in preventing embolic brain injury in 2000. He trained in anaesthesiology during the 2000s.
He now works as an anaesthesiologist at Auckland City Hospital, a diving physician at North Shore Hospital in Auckland, and is Professor of Anaesthesiology at the University of Auckland.
Simon has a strong history of innovative research aimed at questions of high practical relevance to the diving and diving medicine communities. He is widely published in this field, including chapters in Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, and is a frequent speaker at diving and diving medicine conferences.
He has a long career in sport, scientific, commercial and military diving and has participated in extreme shipwreck and cave diving expeditions. In 2002, he performed the deepest-ever shipwreck dive at that time.
In February 2023, he took part in an expedition to the Pearse Resurgence cave in New Zealand, where a 230m dive was conducted using hydrogen as a breathing gas for the first time.
He was conferred Fellowship of The Explorers’ Club of New York in 2006 and was named DAN Rolex Diver of the Year in 2015.
Howard Rosenstein – NOGI, Distinguished Service
Howard Rosenstein is considered a pioneer in diving tourism and education in the Mediterranean, Red Sea and Indian Ocean regions. He played a key role in opening the Red Sea and Seychelles to scuba travellers, underwater photographers, media and scientists.
His Mediterranean Diving Center, Red Sea Divers and Fantasea Cruises operated continuously for 27 years, remaining active through wars, terrorism and changes in national sovereignty from Israel to Egypt.
Howard was deeply involved in nature conservation efforts in the Red Sea and advocated for continued diving tourism alongside conservation to Israeli and Egyptian government bilateral committees. He was instrumental in organising efforts to have Ras Mohammed declared Egypt’s first Nature Reserve.
He has also contributed to diving safety, inventions and product development, including the ProEar diving mask. In 2002, he founded Fantasea Line with his son, Nadav, producing underwater photography housings and accessories distributed worldwide.
Howard was inducted into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame in 2009 and authored his memoir Treasures, Shipwrecks and the Dawn of Red Sea Diving: A Pioneer’s Journey in 2024.
Cristina Zenato – NOGI, Environment
Cristina Zenato is a shark behaviourist, cave and ocean explorer, environmental conservationist, professional diver, photographer, speaker and writer.
She is an advanced cave-diving, rebreather and mixed-gas instructor and instructor trainer. Cristina works with sharks in the wild and spearheaded the campaign that resulted in the complete protection of sharks in The Bahamas in 2011.
She has been invited internationally to support efforts to reduce shark fin consumption and joined the I am FINished with fins campaign in 2011, contributing to a reported 33 per cent reduction in shark fin consumption in Singapore.
Cristina is dedicated to education, teaching about the interconnectivity of water systems above and below ground. Her environmental work includes exploration and surveys of cave systems now incorporated into marine protected areas in The Bahamas.
She has been inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame and The Explorers Club, and is the founder of the nonprofit People of the Water, which works to expand access to training, education and research on ocean and environmental issues.
To learn more about the Academy of Underwater Arts & Sciences head to www.auas-nogi.org
