After 34 years with Skin Diver, Tzimoulis retired as Vice President, Executive Publisher and Group Publisher for the Photography/Marine Division of Petersen Magazine Network, which publishes Skin Diver.
Not one for sitting on his laurels, Tzimoulis returned from retirement to become Publisher and Editorial Director of Sport Diver Magazine. He has greatly helped protect the legal rights of sport divers and protect the ocean environment. Within just a few years he had accumulated a tremendous amount of diving, writing, photography, knowledge about the diving industry and an admirable ability in business management.
His excellent underwater photography has appeared in many magazines, including Skin Diver, U.S. Camera, Underwater Naturalist, Leisure, Carte Blanche, Argosy, Sea Venture and several other leading publications. He has won numerous honours and tributes for his underwater photography work at film festivals. He has one of the country's most complete photographic and research files on diving. Over the years, Tzimoulis has been the Master of Ceremonies of countless underwater film festivals.
Tzimoulis has conducted Underwater Photography Seminars and courses in many parts of the world and written numerous articles on the subject.
He also co-authored a classic book on underwater photography with Hank Frey, entitled Camera Below (Association Press, 1968), one of the first books published on underwater photography. He was a prolific writer on many other ocean subjects.
In addition to his wide range of other professional activities, Tzimoulis has been an active participant in many aspects of the diving community, including: Chairman, Leonard Greenstone Diving Safety Award Selection Committee, and several others.
He was an active member of the Underwater Photographic Society, National Oceanography Association, National Association of Underwater Instructors, Cannon Hunters of Seattle, Professional Association of Diving Instructors, CEDAM International, International Oceanographic Foundation and the American Littoral Society. Tzimoulis was also on the Board of Directors of the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame and The Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences (Chairman).
During his over five decades of contribution to diving, Paul Tzimoulis has received many awards and honours: the Diver Of The Year Award presented by the Boston Sea Rovers (1966); Honoured Photographer from the International Underwater Film Festival (1968); the NOGI Award For Sports from the Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences (1969); Hall of Fame Undersea Photography Award, Hawaii (1971); Oceanus Award - Our Future In Depths Arts Award (1977); Underwater Photographic Society Outstanding Achievement Award (1978); Sir Turtle Award from the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism (1983); Reaching Out Award and induction into the DEMA Hall of Fame (1997); PADI Outstanding Achievement Award (1998); induction into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame (2001); and many others.
Paul Tzimoulis and Geri Murphy worked together beginning in 1975. They were married in 1987.
(This biography adapted from Ed Cargile’s Pioneers in Diving.)