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Norine Rouse Obituary
Memories and Condolences
for Norine Rouse
80 Entries
Hal Longworth
August 20, 2023
Norine, I hope that you found that Ocean in the sky so that you can guide me when I join you.
Hal Longworth your fellow NAUI Instructor
Tom Powers
July 17, 2023
She was my NAUI instructor in 1979. Dove with he as a buddy many times. She was a "fish" in water coming up with 1/2 of her tank while we emptied ours. Just dove in the Maldives and saw a turtle go by. Was it Raja´s cousin?Will never forget keeping up with Norine chasing 2 spotted eagle rays off of Palm Beach and then having to catch up to the drifting boat a mile away! You are one of a kind. Swimming the reefs of heaven.
Scott G. Bonser, PADI DM, Harrellsville, NC
March 10, 2023
A really superb `Wall´ drift dive. Lots of wonderful sea life, especially the turtles. You just don´t find a `treasure´ like this just anywhere. Sorry, Norine...I didn´t mean to lose touch, my life had many, many stumbling blocks, but many a daydream takes me back with Andy Harrison, Earl Booth, and Curtis Harper as we ditched a Florida Springs trip due to excessive flooding and discovered a `Treasure´ beyond belief. Yes, Norine, there is a beautiful coral reef to dive on in Heaven with all of your `wildlife´ and SCUBA diving Friends. I will join you again one day along with the many dive buddies who have swam through the `Pearly Gates´ at their mortal lives conclusion, only to reveal a place that mirrors your West Palm Beach environment. ` Dive onward my dear Friend.
giantfroginthe pond
Scott George Bonser, PADI DM, Harrellsville, NC
Colleen Cox
May 24, 2022
Norine Rouse is still remembered! My father and mother became Scuba certified with her, my sister Kim became Scuba certified with her. I also did, but was younger so I was not allowed to go to the bottom of the deep tank. Norine was our teacher for my parents, my siblings and myself! She is not forgotten! Her teaching and work paved the way for so many others after her and created a cycle of caring for the waters and ocean that continues to this day. Her thoughtful and educational teachings are still with me these many years later.
Solange De Santis
December 14, 2021
I got my NAUI certification at the Norine Rouse scuba school when I lived in West Palm from 1981 to 1983. Thank you, Norine, for everything.
Noreen was like a mother to me,I met her at 14 Daniel Wedges
August 21, 2020
Noreen was like a mother to me
Daniel Wedges
August 21, 2020
She was Beyond wonderful in my worldI I Was her first black diving student at the age of 14,In the early 70’s
Thomas Quinlan
July 9, 2018
I met Norine in the fall of 1984 when I attended a class of hers in Palm Beach for my diving certification. I remember her "tree of spearfishing instruments" wrapped around each other in front of her location. I also remember the respect she had then of her peers. I didn't know who she was at the time, but I knew I was meeting a legend.
Thank you Norine!
November 21, 2016
I can't believe that when I finally think of looking up Norine, she's been gone for so long. I met and dove with Norine when I was with Ric Mathes (one of her instructors) in the early 70s. I really thought highly of her and wish I'd kept in touch. Many happy memories of our dive adventures in the "Stream", my first wreck dive, barracude as stalking me :) etc.
Bye, Norine. Cel
Robert Ross
March 25, 2014
Diving is like flying for me. Norine opened an whole new world to me, under the sea. She will live on thru our memories and will continue to be an inspiration to us all.
Her sharing the awesomeness of the sea will always be a fond memory, transcending time itself...
Bad brad Benjamin
February 8, 2013
Still thinking and remembering you. You are missed by all but, missed by Mother Ocean the Most. I will never forget seeing Robert take a hit of air from your mouth piece or when you explained to me that I shouldn't try to touch bull sharks!:)
Barry Parker
December 22, 2009
Hello All Norine's Friends. I've created a Norine Rouse Memorial Web Site with photos above and below water that I took over the years as I knew her for almost 40 years and worked as one of her captain/dive guides during the 1970's and 1980's. Apple's mobileme is hosting the site which is found by going to: http://web.me.com/brilandman/Norine_Rouse_Memorial_Web_Site/Norines_Home_Page.html
Going to barryparkerphoto.com or redbarnimages.com will also get you there. The photos are a way to keep Norine alive in our memories. Enjoy Barry Parker 12/22/09
September 6, 2009
I was quite surprised today, but also delighted, to see that individuals are still sending comments about Norine, one of my favorite people in the world!
To Goeffrey,
This is from Lindy. Are you 'my' Geoff? How many dives did we go on together with Norine? Please contact me @ Lindy Menzies (on Facebook) or [email protected].
Love to all,
Lindy
GEOFFREY HURT
May 8, 2009
THE WOMAN OF THE SEA. LIKE A FEMALE COUSTEAU,,,I KNEW HER FROM 71 TO 78, I WORKED FOR HER. AND LOGGED OVER 30,000 HOURS, JUST TO KEEP HER HAPPY CHAMPION CONSERVASIONIST, ALL THE OCEAN, ESPECIALY HER TURTLES WAS HER ELEMENT,ALWAYS READY TO DIVE
AND TO DESTROY A SPEARGUN BY WRAPPING IT AROUND A TREE OUT IN FRONT OF HER DIVE SHOP. MOST OF THE TIME YOU COULD SEE SALT CRYSTALS IN HER HAIR, BUT NOW SHE IS FOREVER WATCHING OVER HER OCEAN,,,,BYE NORINE..
GEOFFRE HURT.
Deb Castellana
April 29, 2009
Look at this, Norine! Here we are, years after your passing into the big Ocean... and people are still writing your praises. You helped so many, including me to be comfortable in the ocean... I'll never forget you and I'll continue to pass on your teachings and beliefs to those I dive with until I join you in the big ocean on the other side... Love you, Norine...
Steve Perry
April 4, 2009
I am sad to hear of Norine Rouse's passing. 35 years ago I was a new NAUI diver from Charlottesville, VA when Norine introduced me to the true wonders of SCUBA in West Palm. My first wreck dive and first drift dive were with her and were an impressive departure from diving the rock quarries of central Virginia. Norine introduced me to many of the incredible creatures of the sea which I have enjoyed all these years since. Her relaxed comfort with being underwater and her knowledge of the ocean were a life-long inspiration to me. Norine made the world a better place and will be missed.
Daren Shattell
March 25, 2009
I knew her. Best wishes in the next life.
Michael Piantanida III
February 28, 2009
Norine was a great person and awesome diver. I was a commercial fisherman diving and spearing fish instead of netting or using hook n line. As you may have guessed I was not on her friends list. I have a lot of respect for her as a diver and a person. She touched all of our lives.
Paul Doherty
February 19, 2009
Norine inspired me to be an instructor back in 1990. I am from Syracuse NY and would visit the scuba club in West Palm. I show slides of Norine and talk of her relashionship with turtles as part of my Ithaca College basic scuba certification class. Norines word to me still inspire. She did over 6000 dives and she said that she loved every dive, even if it had bad visibility, it shed a new light.
I will continue to honor her memory.
Paul Doherty AOWI 5932
Susan Hess
January 27, 2009
Norine Rouse taught me to scuba dive back when she was teaching out of her back yard swimming pool. I will never forget her kind and loving way to people and animals alike. Rest in Peace, Norine, You deserve it. Love Susan
Joanne Harris
August 7, 2008
It was 1977. I was the first student to go down the anchor line on our first open dive. I was fine until I hit the current, which drove millions of bubbles all around me, diminishing visibility.
I became nervous, and started back up the line. Along came Norine, who did the unbelivable at 40 feet deep. She removed her regulator and I heard her clearly say, "What's wrong, Joanne?"
I just pointed UP! She sent an instructor back to the surface with me. Once he nailed down the problem -I couldn't see anything - he took my hand and led me back down. As soon as we were beneath the "bubble layer," I saw the Amaryllis wreck, and was instantly mesmerized.
This is what Norine wanted to share with others - a beauty that can only be seen by taking the plunge into the depths of the ocean.
I let go of the instructor's hand and was soon gliding through the sunken ship with the others.
Thanks, Norine, for sharing your pet moray and the world beneath the sea.
Dan Barr
May 31, 2008
Dear Norine -
Thankyou for sharing your underwater world with me, and for enabling me to find shelter in your world when there was very little in my own.
I still remember my first open ocean dive with you on the double ledges..the inky blue water...and the school of hammerhead we watched from the sea floor as they swam high above us like jet planes in formation. I had no fear as long as you were by my side.
I hope you found the peace you were searching for, and I hope to see you again someday so I can say thankyou one more time.
Destin Tidwell
May 27, 2008
I am an 11 year old boy who is doing a project on famous women in history and have chosen you, because I think what you have acomplished is important.I look forward to learning more about you.
Rick Durst
March 27, 2008
While boasting to my children that I had taken scuba lessons from a famous woman instructor I have learned of Norine's passing.
I too received my NAUI card in 1970 at age
15 with lessons at her house. The two things among the many I remember most was her convincing me I would see more sealife without a speargun (she was right!) and in the James Bond film "Thunderball" the bad guys had two hose regulators and the good guys single hose. When asked why? she replied, " They are easier for the good guys to cut!". ( She was right again!)
claudia miller
February 11, 2007
I look forward to seeing you in heaven Norine. Thank you for sharing your adventures and your knowledge about these wonderful turtles. heaven is a better place for angels like you.
Jim Ruetz
February 7, 2007
My first Ocean Dive was through Norine Rouse in West Palm in the fall of 1975. While I didn't dive with Norine, I did have the opportunity to meet her. I'm taking my daughter on the same dive "The Mispah" this spring, it will also be her first Ocean dive.
We will all certainly miss a pioneer like Norine.
John Ross
March 16, 2006
Such a gentle and pleasant person, whose passing will leave the dive community the poorer for it.
May god hold her and bless her
Robert Berry
March 16, 2006
Norine stated, "If there's not an ocean in heaven, I'm not going," she said in a 1997 interview. The Bible mentions a river in heaven that flows from the throne of God. I'm sure there's a ocean, as a river flows into an ocean, and she is diving in it. Probably has a few hundred feet vis and lots of sea turtles!
[email protected]
James Stone
February 28, 2006
I knew Norine back in 1964 in Massapequa NY, as mom to my dear friend Leslie. She was always a participant. As fate will have it, during this time, Norine accompanied Leslie to a Life Saving program at a pool during the winter months where they also taught scuba. Her wonderful friendly and adventuresome nature naturally led her straight into the scuba world. Many of the people who remember her will have known her through their association with scuba. This world has since defined her life with acclaim for her accomplishments and declared it well lived.
My thoughts and memories, however, are of the mom who drove us in the family station wagon to the worlds fair, or to the ice skating rink, or picked us up or dropped us off.
She will be remembered for this as well.
Jim Stone
Port Hadlock, WA
carole Fields
February 24, 2006
Now we have more help from above for thr ocean. Thanks Norine.
Jim Long
February 18, 2006
I was first introduced to Norine Rouse in 1977 at the age of 12. I had just recieved my YMCA junior certification from my mother, Marie Long who was a very dear friend and collegue of hers. They both shared a boundless love and appreciation for the health and wellfare of our magnificent, coral reefs and all the beautiful, undersea life that inhabits them.
I'll never forget the first day I met Norine. She walked into the dive shop in Lantana where we had our tanks filled, carrying a spear gun that she had just bent around a palm tree and hung it on the wall, along with several others. With a determined look in her eyes, she dusted off the palms of her hands, smiled and said "That one won't be doing anymore harm...will it" ? That memory will stay with me forever. As far as I'm concerned, Norine Rouse was...is...and always will be an icon in the world of scuba diving. I hope she's up there
...or shall I say...down there right now cruising the reefs with Jaques Yves Cousteau and enjoying the view. May her tank never run low.
God bless you, Norine. You are a beautiful ANGEL FISH now.
george mayer
February 2, 2006
I am so sorry to hear Norine is no longer with us. I was certified in 1970 with classes run out of her home and a check out dive over a Singer Island. She inspired me to try underwater photography. Through this experiance photography became my major in college. While i was a photographer I also became a NAUI instructor. She influenced many areas in my life through her love of the sea. Now my son is a diver working on his Divemaster rating. It is sad he will not get to dive with Norine but he has seen many of my photos and heard stories of the old days.
Rylie Bishop
January 25, 2006
Norine was my instructor when I was certified in 1970 (I was 13), and I was always in awe of her genuine enthusiasm for the sport of diving as well as her love of the ocean. She taught me so much about marine life and inspired me to want to be a marine biologist. However, life led me elsewhere but I never forgot her patience, kindness, and encouragement.
My last memory of her was when we were diving off of the Boynton Inlet at about 110'and she grabbed my arm and motioned for me to stay still. She pointed over my shoulder and when I turned, a 12 foot hammerhead cruised right over our heads within reach. She later told me that the shark was trailing me and that she was so proud that I didn't panic. (Had I known it was trailing me, she may not have been so proud!)
Thank you, Norine, for the great memories and adventures. I will never forget you.
David McLaughlin
January 22, 2006
I first heard the name Norine Rouse back in the early 70's, when my childhood friend, Mike Teahan, told me she was teaching him how to SCUBA dive.
I knew then that this lady was a pioneer.
Her accomplishments above and beneath the waves are legendary!
John and Sarah Stoneman
January 18, 2006
Norine was a dear, dear friend of ours. Her love of the natural world and in particular the animals of the sea made her the very special person that she will always be remembered for. The world is a lesser place for her passing.
Robert Shaffer
January 18, 2006
I would like to express condolences to the family & close friends of Norine's. While I was not a close friend, I very much admired her tenacity, perserverence, and dedication to the preservation of our underwater world. I was a member of her club through the early eighties and always praised the club's professionalism, friendliness, and conveniences. I recall one of my first winter dives with 6 foot swells she came to my rescue. I was the last diver off the boat and as I hit the water, my weightbelt (which I inadvertently had over the boyancy compensator's CO2 lanyard) inflated my vest. I pulled the dump and it broke. Being flustered and bobbing like a cork, Norine swam over to me and held the manual inflator over my head and released the air from my vest. Feeling extremely stupid, Noreen & I descended far behind the rest of the group under a strong current. Upon reaching the bottom at about 60 ft depth we came upon two (what I considered large) nurse sharks. I recognized them & tried to reassure myself that they were supposedly non-aggressive, though I did'nt know if they read the same book I had. Regardless, here I was putting Noreen between me and the sharks.
After the dive, Norine informed me we landed in a mating ritual. I will always remember the fond memories of her.
Alan Gordon
January 15, 2006
On behalf of the Gold Coast Aquanauts and Norine's Class of Mar 1970, I bid farewell to my instructor and long time friend. I have not kept up with hardly anyone over the many years. But, I have the greatest memories of Norine, LD Terry, Lynn Emrich, Jack Brown, and many more old timers that shaped my life. If anyone reading this can remember that brief period and all the good times, I would be fascinated to hear from you.
Heidi Rothberg
January 15, 2006
Dear Norine,
I hate to say goodbye but I know you are in ocean's heaven with your beloved turtles, sharks and other fabulous sealife.
You were a pioneer and advocate of the sea and its creatures. I also remember you as a B-24 pilot and trainer during WWII. What a life you've lived! You are an inspiration to all of us you taught and we will always remember your passion and love for the ocean environment and the divers you took under your wing.
All my love,
Heidi
Ruth Petzold
January 14, 2006
The Oceans and the world has lost one of their most precious treasures.Norine Rouse was that treasure.
I met her in 1967 at UNESCO in Freeport ,Grand Bahama.She was working with Al Tillman and Dave Woodward..3 pioneers in SCUBA diving.Since that first meeting ,I was always impressed with her enthusiasm and genuine love for the sea and its critters .
Norine shared that love with all who dove with her.She also shared her regulator with those who "ran out"as well as with Robert ,her beloved turtle .
I will miss you my mentor and dear friend . May God be with you and your family as I thank Him for you having touched my life.
Ruthie
Michelle Connolly-McCall
January 14, 2006
All I can add to the fine testiment given to Norine's life is that she gave me memories that will live with me forever and then some! we will all see her again.
SHEILA DENNIS
January 12, 2006
Norine Rouse was my dive instructor back in the mid '70's. I still remember my first dive in the basin at Port of Palm Beach, which was pretty murky. But then on my certification dive, Norine took our group offshore, south of the Palm Beach Inlet, to a beautiful reef in about 55 feet of water, teeming with marine life and plants. I was hooked and continued diving for several years. Thanks to Norine, I have my underwater memories on slides and pictures. It was magical.
Lindy (Warkentin) Menzies
January 10, 2006
Dear Leslie & Laurie,
My sincere condolences to you on the loss of your mother. I am sure that you already know what an amazing and loved woman she was. I found our about Norine’s death quite by accident yesterday. I am taking a course on website design and decided to create a site called “Underwater Reflections”. The first thing that came to my mind was to have a link to sites referring to Norine, my mentor and my inspiration. When I searched for her name, I was shocked to find that she had died two days after Christmas. My heart goes out to you both and to all those who shared a special relationship with her.
I don’t know if you will remember me, but I was a freshman student at Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA) in 1976. I signed up for SCUBA diving initially as a lark. After my very first checkout dive with Norine, however, I bought my first Nikonos underwater camera, changed my major to Marine Biology, and my planned one-year stay in Florida turned into the full four-year course. Not only that, my boyfriend, (now husband), Robert Menzies, came to Florida, immediately took the resort course, followed by full certification, and my ‘baby’ brother, David, also came down after I graduated and got his NAUI certification from Norine. Photographing the ocean’s underwater inhabitants has been my passion ever since!
Some time ago, a fellow diver friend from PBA wrote to me saying that I was mentioned (by my maiden name), in one of Norine’s Internet articles about Robert – the loggerhead turtle. We didn’t have access to the Internet at the time, but I found the reference while taking a course at our local library. According to Norine, I was privileged to be on the dive in December/76 when she first met Robert. According to my dive log, it had to be December the 18th to be exact. I took several photographs of her with him and gave her copies. On more than one occasion after that I found myself holding one end of a tape measure as she recorded the length and width of a turtle’s shell.
Before Robert, ‘Raja’, the largest male loggerhead that Norine had ever seen, had been the focus of her attention. I still remember the year that Raja failed to return and how deeply broken-hearted Norine was (as were many of us ‘regulars’). I have numerous photographs of Raja, including one of me kissing him on his head. He was easily distinguishable by the chip out of his left shoulder. I’m still not sure how she came up with Robert’s name though. At the end of her article entitled ‘Robert: First Meeting’, she promised, “Next time I will tell you how I named him”, but I didn’t catch the sequel. I kind of doubt that she named him after my boyfriend! Perhaps someone can enlighten me.
Leslie & Laurie, totally apart from diving, I remember clearly a Christmas when I was unable to afford the trip back to Canada and Norine welcomed me into your home, along with a few other ‘displaced persons’, and that is when I definitely met you both (if I hadn’t already met you earlier). She was so gracious in opening up her home (& yours) to us ‘waifs’. It meant so much to me…and to the others, I’m sure. I still have the gift she gave me. Such precious memories. Thank you for sharing your mom and her hospitality with us!
I thought of Norine as I sent out my Christmas cards last year, but I did not have her current address. I returned to Florida to dive with her numerous times for several years after my graduation. I distinctly remember by last meeting with her on October 2nd, 1993. (I had to consult my dive log for the date.) I had found out that she was diving with Aqua Shop in North Palm Beach; so I booked a morning dive with them, hoping to run into her. When I arrived, Norine was just returning from an earlier morning dive (I should have known). She recognized me immediately and we had enough time for a good visit before my dive boat departed. She claimed that I hadn’t changed a bit and I certainly felt the same of her.
Norine will always remain one of the most influential figures in my life. I thank God for her. She was such a blessing in my life.
“Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,
They see the works of the LORD,
And His wonders in the deep.”
(Psalm 107:23&24)
Thank you, Norine, for showing me firsthand ‘His wonders in the deep’! If there was no ocean in heaven, I am sure that God can and will re-create one just for you (and the rest of us – your devoted acolytes).
Much love,
Jeff Trotta
January 9, 2006
Norine Rouse, pioneer, legend, innovator, advisor, teacher, friend and confidant will always have a very special place in the many hearts she awakened, nurtured and inspired. Norine was a true and irreplaceable American original. She lived her life like she meant it; with no excuses and few pauses. She knew her passions and she lived them to the known limits and beyond. For those of us fortunate enough to have found our way to Norine she offered a Palm Beach Blue sea, adventure, challenge and discovery: monstrously large and gentle cave dwelling turtles and schools of crevalle, ‘cudas and angelfish too numerous to count.
Norine made many contributions to our sport. She advocated a relaxed, low impact style, minimal equipment and the conservation of air. Her most important advancement was her philosophy of diving for the pure enthrallment of being under the sea with its inhabitants, and taking nothing except overwhelming joy from the experience.
Norine saw the good in everyone and in every creature. When sharks were still an animal both despised and disparaged, she blew the myths apart and made hundreds of shark dives with hundreds of her friends and clients off Palm Beach, Florida. We would drop into the Stream's swift current and drift at high speed, while being held in the ocean’s warm and comforting embrace. The grail of these dives where the sharks we spotted. Norine's reward was the buzz of chatter from elated divers when we got back into the boat, and her sure knowledge that she once again replaced distain with awe and wonderment, and had made new friends for that which was feared.
With Norine as our guide we were able to observe a significant number of the shark and ray species that inhabit our area: Whale Sharks, Manta Rays, Tiger Sharks, Atlantic Guitarfish, Lemon Sharks, Southern Stingrays, Yellow Stingrays, Nurse Sharks, Devil Rays, Great Hammerheads and Spotted Eagle Rays, plus others that eluded certain identification.
During the shark season, from April to June, we were carried along in the torrent, scanning the edge of visibility, peering for sharks. We were often rewarded. Early in the season it was Sandbar Sharks. Later, heavily laden Bull Sharks would arrive. As the season progressed these ladies had so many mating scars, that they looked tattered. On some dives we saw scores of sharks, sometimes dozens and occasionally none, but the pure thrill of the quest made all the effort worthwhile. When we had a "Big Day" the elation was so compelling that nothing could dilute the desire except more diving with Norine. Shark diving became a sin of pleasure, whose punishment was also its own reward. Humans and sharks spun together in the Stream, drifting in harmony while maintaining our own separate and insatiable sea cycles.
The crystalline blue ocean, the tug and unrelenting urge of the Stream, the evidence of the sharks completing their eon’s old, reproductive rendezvous all conspired to alter our lives in powerful and meaningful ways. We fellow adventurers had journeyed to a fork in life’s road, and we chose the one Norine presented and none of us could ever to be the same again.
Thanks Norine for being such a positive presence in so many lives and thanks for sharing your sea passion with us. And most of all, thanks Norine for giving us the opportunity of a life time. Wish us well Norine, in carrying your legacy of peace with the sea to another generation.
Carroll Witman
January 5, 2006
I cannot express the deep sorrow I feel on learning of Norine's death. The world's diving community has lost a great champion. I thought of her often although we had lost contact in the past several years.
She has been often referred to as a mentor and THAT SHE WAS! She encouraged me to become a NAUI instructor when I did not think I was ready. She turned to me one day and said, "If you're not ready, nobody's ready." So off I went lugging every possible teaching tool she and the guys could think of and brought back the top candidate honor.
Over the years I worked with her, she infected me with her love of the ocean and instilled a sense that only we can protect what we love the most. She taught me to respect the ocean, its reefs and inhabitants and always remember I'm a just guest on a very short visit. I am proud to be considered one of Norine's marines. Diving will never be the same.
Norine, I will always remember to "Take only pictures, Leave only bubbles, and Kill only time." You're diving with the BIG fish now. ENJOY!
Dick Clarke
January 5, 2006
Very sorry to hear of Norine's passing. I dived with her on several occasions when she would visit Freeport, where I worked as a UNEXSO instructor in the late 60's and early 70's. A wonderful ambassador for the oceans and for diving, and a great role model.
Dan Orr
January 5, 2006
Norine was a wonderful, warm and caring woman who loved every aspect of the world around her. She left an indelible impression on everyone fortunate to have met her. We are all better for having known her and, certainly, diminished by her loss.
Polly Bowman Parizek
January 4, 2006
Norine gave me swimming lessons, but after about 3 lessons, she said "You don't need lessons, you just need to swim more". Her encouragement was so helpful and my confidence was boosted ...and it worked! This was over 30 years ago....and I did not take any diving lessons. She was a blessing to me in my youth. Thank you, Norine
Prescott Brownell
January 4, 2006
I have fond memories of this amazing woman expertly handling her old aquasport boat...and following her down the anchor line to our days visit with her ocean friends 110 feet deep off West Palm in the early 70's. She helped me and many others appreciate the wonders of sea life...and instilled in us a strong conservation ethic. A great person.
Zale Parry
January 3, 2006
Shocked and dismayed to hear my sister in scuba, Norine, has left for another assigment. She was dedicated to restoring and too preserving the importance of life in the sea. Norine's love of turtles strikes strongly. Her love to share her experiences underscored her awareness to protect the underwater environment. To all who knew her she will never be forgotten. Norine was a Blue Ribbon Lady! I will miss her. My deepest sympathy to her family.
Jim Gerretson
January 2, 2006
When I was a teenager, way to many years ago, Norine was my scuba instructor. I was very privilged to know her. Her love for the ocean and its creatures was phenomenal and I learned an incredible amount from her. She was truly a defender of the seas and we'll miss her. May her soul swim with the turtles and the dolphins who always loved her
Mary Parker
January 2, 2006
Jan.02,2006
Dear Norine,
Wonderful tributes and so well deserved!My visits to Palm Beach too infrequent but well remembered.
Bernie Campoli
December 31, 2005
Dear Norine,
I spoke with you earlier this year but just learned today of your passing and after reviewing all the prior friends memories and condolences I don't know what to add. I first met you while filming a travelog for DEMA and US Divers with Jack McKenney in the late 70s prior to the NRSC opening and you and Robert and as you remember were the stars of the film. Thanks for exposing us all to another side of diving. All the best,Love Bernie
Jay & Leigh Garbose
December 30, 2005
On Norine
Norine was my dive mentor, best dive buddy, best friend. She was family. I cannot believe she is gone. Norine changed my life as well as thousands of others all over the world. She opened new worlds of beauty and adventure. Norine introduced me to lifelong friendships with extraordinary people, and she took us to incredible places. Her legacy of the love of the sea and its creatures and the preservation of that marine environment is now a part of our lives. We will pay it forward to the next generation because Norine lives on within all of us she touched. She lived by her mantra: "We take only pictures, leave only bubbles, and kill only time." I feel a huge hole in the ocean of my heart. I am proud to be one of the exiled Norine's Marines.
She saved my life many times and in many ways. I feel like one of her sons, one of her many sons and daughters. Norine, Leslie, Laurie and their coterie of cats and dogs are my part of my family and always will be. Norine wasn't a good patient. So I think she is happier now being released from the earthbound effects of gravity. She is undoubtedly out on the reefs right now because Robert would have been due back here around New Years’. She would be getting her yum-yum-yellow wet suit on, putting new kitchen scrubbies in her horse collar pocket and, I think, dabbing on even a little make-up. Like getting ready for the prom. And he would come out of his hole and dance around her in midwater to their total mutual delight.
Norine was my instructor. I was her first student after she recovered from the spinal cord bends back in the early 80's. She never forgot my first dive. Ripping current and bad viz. Perfect dive conditions. I always thought it was normal. She got a kick out of that. She relished reminding me that I ran out of air in 16 minutes. My early dive plan was to suck my tank dry and then buddy-breathe off of Norine for the rest of the dive. I was truly amazed how the critters sought her out. If you were her friend, then they accepted you, too. She couldn’t keep her hands off the sharks and sea turtles. We will never forget you, Norine. We will tell your story, and there are great stories to tell. We miss you so much already.
Love,
Jay, Leigh & Greta
12/30/05
Doug Thomesen
December 30, 2005
I was extremely fortunate to have been introduced to scuba diving through the Norine Rouse Scuba club in WPB in 1985. The shark dives at 110 are still particularly memorable. I am still in awe of Norine's grace and ease in the ocean, she was truly at home there. Over the years, and many dives, Norine became a close family friend also. My daughters are too young to have dived with her, but they have enjoyed the stories and pictures she has shared with them from her diving experiences (they also enjoyed the pets she kept in her home). We will deeply miss Norine, and are thankful for having known her. The Thomesens
Curtis Clements
December 30, 2005
One rememberance not to be forgitten was the years Norine taught SCUBA as an adjunct at Palm Beach Atlantic College. I took the course as a student in the early 80's. On one of my first dives with Norine and the rest of the students, I was closley followed by a barracuda. I was still and Norine seeing my distress pointed to the barracuda, snaped her fingers and the barracude took off. Watching her charm a moray eel out of a reef to pet it as a kitten was a once in a lifetime experience. She has left quite a legacy with all who had the priviledge of diving with her.
Gary Adkison
December 30, 2005
My Dearest Norine,
There are not enough words that can ever adequately express what you have given to the ocean, its creatures, and all of us who followed you into its realm of wonders. I have often said that you were the single most influential person in my life who totally defined the life path I ultimately took. Every accomplishment I ever achieved throughout my diving career was wrapped with the seeds of your spirit. All the passion I feel for the ocean and its creatures today, came from your profound wisdom and undaunting energies. We shared hundreds of dives together in the 28 years that I have known you and the memories of so many of them still fill me with intense wonder. One of my greatest joys was watching you caress, hug and even kiss my sharks.....yes, kiss my sharks....(much to the amazement of my Bahamian staff!) at Walkers Cay, Bahamas when you were in your late 70's! All this while a hundred more large sharks swirled over your head! All of this was perfectly normal behavior for those of us who followed you! I was just like a little boy proudly sharing with his Mom an infantile drawing brought home from school when we first dove together on my "shark rodeo" dive site that day! You were the master and my mentor and I was forever in awe of you. Thanks to your inspiration, seeds of conservation and preservation of our ocean and its creatures are being spread now around the world in marine preserves and shark parks! You are indeed my most "unforgetable character" and I will always love you. Thank you for coming into my life. I will see your face and hear your words in every coral reef I gaze upon until I die as you will always be my eternal dive buddy.....
Valerie de la Valdene
December 30, 2005
I love Norine and I am crying for all the love and compassion she taught me that has given me the love of the Ocean and all things beautiful. She will always remain my teacher and my friend. And every time I enter her world I will shed a tear for the beauty she showed me when I was only fifteen. I will remember her in my prayers every night before I sleep. Rest well wonderful woman...
Gerry Knam
December 29, 2005
We were blessed in having Norine Rouse in our midst :)
Glen Townsend
December 29, 2005
Condolences to the Rouse family. As a newly certified diver from Michigan in the early 70's I met and dove with Norine. I even was charter member of The Scuba Club. Every year when visiting family in Riveria Bch. I would dive with her. She was a marvelous diver with a super air capacity(her 45 to my 72). In later years I enjoyed her presentations at Our World Underwater in Chicago. The Scuba world will miss her. Glen Townsend
Brian Russo
December 29, 2005
I got certified at NRSC in 1980 when I was 12 yrs old. On my second check out dive the current was strong and visability was bad. I was nearly out of air and could not find the guy with the float so I turned to the closest person I could find and showed my guage. That person grabbed me by the hand and swam with the stength of an olympic swimmer and found the guy with the float. I surfaced with less than 100 psi.
After the dive I found out that oympic strength swimmer was Norine Rouse. In the days before octo regulators that was close call. Thank you Norine for saving my life.
Brian
Sherrie Grassi
December 29, 2005
A wonderful lady who educated the community about our treasure of aquatic life and how to protect it. May the lessons live on in the lives of her students to enrich the lives of the children to protect the oceans for all of us in generations to come. What a lady!
Sherrie
Gary and Candy Hile
December 29, 2005
Norine introduced me to the wonders of SCUBA. I learned an appreciation for the life and wonders seen diving. She introduced me to people and places I would not have otherwise experienced. Our experiences with turtles and sharks will always be remembered. My wife also dove under her tutelage. Great times with a great lady. Our sea environment has lost a dear friend and advocate.
Jim Freitas
December 29, 2005
It's so sad to hear about Norine's passing! I joined the Scuba Club in 1980 after getting certified, and dove just about every weekend with Norine, J.D. and the group ....She surely did Love the ocean and all that swam in it!!! You will be missed by many divers through out the diving community. May you swim in pease...
Roger Hale
December 29, 2005
It was with great sadness I heard the news of Norine’s death. Although we have not been in touch for many years I still remember her with utmost affection. Back in the 1980s we, along with other wonderful people, had many interesting dives together both off Palm Beach and on various trips. These included the Sea of Cortez, Belize and the Bahamas. I always admired her anti-spearfishing stance and love of turtles. She was an inspiration to all who knew her and the diving community has lost one of its finest.
John Fine
December 29, 2005
I wrote the first articles about Norine when she started teaching diving out of Singer Island. Ours was a long and wonderful friendship with many shared memories of extraordinary dives.
Jim Bram
December 29, 2005
Please past on our condolences to the Rouse family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them from all the members of the NAUI family.
Sincerely,
Jim Bram
Hillary Viders
December 29, 2005
I am so sorry to hear about Norine's passing. She was a wonderful diver, friend, and marine protector. I will pass your message on to everyone at the Women Divers Hall of Fame.
Hillary Viders, Ph.D., President
The Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences
Nancy Eberle
December 29, 2005
Sad news. I am very blessed to have met Norine and have the opportunity to dive with her - she was a great lady!
When the dive occurs - I doubt if I will make it in person, but want to be there in spirit.
Take care,
Nancy
Sylvia Earle
December 29, 2005
Thank you for letting me know about Norine. She was and will ever be an enormous inspiration for all who care about the ocean -- a shining example of the "power of one." Her legacy is reflected in a better, healthier ocean, more turtles!, more respect for the great blue biosphere , and of course in the love and care she showered on her many friends, above the ocean and below.
Sylvia Earle
Tom Ingram
December 29, 2005
I am terribly sorry to hear of the loss of Norine. You may recall that I knew Norine back in the 80's when I worked with Florida Institute of Technology in Jensen Beach. She will be missed.
Tom Ingram
DEMA
Dee Scarr
December 29, 2005
Norine will live on with the thousands of divers whose respect for the sea she expanded.
Best,
Dee
Barry Parker
December 29, 2005
Dearest Norine, I met you almost 40 years ago in 1967 when I was a 23 year old college student taking an early NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors) certification class at the Underwater Explorers Club on Grand Bahama. You had just gone through a rough divorce and decided to reinvent yourself as a Scuba Instructor and move south from Long Island, NY. I was immediately taken by your enthusiasm and the contagious attitude of "I (we) can do this". Al Tilman NAUI Instructor #1 was a tough taskmaster and put us through a challenging course. In the end you were one of the stronger candidates and we both got our Instructor Certicates that summer. I lost touch with you for a few years and then ran into you at a Diving Symposium in Miami in the early 70's. I was working as a diving instructor in the Florida Keys and I was not happy with the isolation down there. You offered me a job at a scuba diving operation you were running out of a couple of motel rooms in a Singer Island marina. Those were the early heydays of West Palm Diving when there were only about 3 large Scuba Diving facilities in the Palm Beach inlet and the Coast Guard hadn't started demanding Captains Licenses for dive boat operators. You had already made a statement of your intent with the conspiculously displayed staue of bent and twisted spear guns in the marina's yard. Later your vision of the Scuba Club of the Palm Beaches became reality as one of the most unique diving facilities in America. I loved travelling with you to cold climate Scuba Diving Symposiums such as Chicago as I shared my photos and you shared your wonderful stories of diving in the warm ocean of South Florida. You were always powerful magnet for free spirits, as you were such a terrific free spirit yourself. Many young men and woman were attracted to your vision of the sea and it's inhabitants as both divers who worked for you or customers that dove with you every week for years.The turtles, the moray eels, and all the sea creature you loved have lost their best advocate. You were a teacher, a mentor, an inspiration, and a friend to all of us who followed you, the "Pied Piper of the Gulfstream", into the blue. You will be intensely missed but your spirit lives on in the hundreds of environmentally sensitive divers you taught and befriended in over 30 years of diving your beloved Palm Beach reefs. We Love You...Norine....Peace
John Gallagher
December 29, 2005
I was fortunate that my very first two ocean dives in 1989 were taken at the Scuba Club in the company of Ms. Rouse. She was a gracious yet fierce advocate for preserving the aquatic world and it's inhabitants. I am pleased that I had the honor of diving with her, and I hope her example inspires more of us to become stewards of the ocean.
Pam Gambrell
December 29, 2005
While diving with Norine at about 80' she was kind enough to herd a huge sea turle my way. I grabbed hold of his back and took the ride of my life! I will never forget that or her. Norine and J.D. and crew taugh me to dive in the early 1980's. I did not believe in spear fishing then or now. That is why I chose her scuba club. What a sweetheart and strong in her convictions! She will never be forgotten!
Rick Steele
December 29, 2005
Many of my friends from the Florida Institute of Technology in Jensen Beach (which also now only exists in our memories) would take the short drive to Singer Island to dive with Norine and her staff.
In the 1970s, only a few artificial reefs were located off of Palm Beach. Now, thanks to efforts of Norine and others like her, there are many other spots for divers (and marine life) to visit.
Norine even gave my mother (who had never dived before) a resort lesson and held her hand on the decent line. It was the experience of a lifetime and she will be missed.
Tom Purin
December 29, 2005
My dear Norine,
All the values you have gracefully given to ocean conservation and the sport of Scuba Diving have made this world a far better place.
Just to have known you is an honor, as well as the decades that we spent diving together have enriched my life more than I could ever tell you.
Thank you for your friendship my dear friend. I will never forget you.
Tom.
Jennifer Homcy
December 29, 2005
Norine had such an enormous impact on reef and sea turtle awareness in Palm Beach County, that we owe her our gratitude for ensuring their future exhistance on the reefs of Florida and elsewhere.
Jim Abernethy
December 28, 2005
The diving community as well as all animals in the ocean have suffered an enormous loss. I first met Norine while waiting in the water for a dive boat to pick me up off Palm Beach coast in the 70's. She had offered to give me a ride back to the boat, but only if I would drop my speargun to the ocean floor. Back then I thought she was crazy, but in a short time my views were changed about her as well as the ocean. I do not believe anyone has ever given as much effort into protecting our oceans as she has. I had the honor of diving with her on many of her last dives both here and in the Bahamas and I will always cherish and remember those special days with her. Her spirit and driving force for marine conservation is unparalled. If her finned friends from the sea could attend the funeral service, there would certainly be no room for her human friends. We will all miss you, but we will never forget you! God Bless You!
Douglas Seifert
December 28, 2005
A sad loss for the friends and divers who knew her and for sea turtles, sharks and the ocean. Norine loved diving and all the animals she would visit twice a day, six days a week when she was in her prime -- in her 60s! Her philosophy of "Take Only Pictures, Leave Only Bubbles, Kill Only Time" was unpopular in the spearfishing days of the 1970s, but without her dedication to conservation, the reefs of Palm Beach County would be in far worse shape than they are today. She was headstrong and passionate in her views, and she taught anyone who would listen to love the ocean and to take care of it for future generations. She led by example and made better divers and better people of all who joined her for a dive excursion. Once she had taken you under her fin, you had a dive buddy for life. Her longtime friends, "Norine's Marines", will keep her memory alive by diving the reefs she loved so well. We miss you, Norine!
Ellen Carson
December 28, 2005
Sounds like a great lady who had a great life.She made a difference.
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