A week onboard the Rocio del Mar liveaboard dive boat in the Sea of Cortez is an adventure. It is an adventure that starts from Phoenix, AZ through the Sonoran Desert through Gila Bend, Ajo, Sonoyta before entering Puerto Penasco and starting your journey south on Rocio del Mar.Listen for more details where we talk about the boat, the diving, and interesting aspects to that truly make this a scuba diving adventure. I also provide some tips to get you ready and make the most of the trip.

A week onboard the Rocio del Mar liveaboard dive boat in the Sea of Cortez is an adventure. It is an adventure that starts from Phoenix, AZ through the Sonoran Desert through Gila Bend, Ajo, Sonoyta before entering Puerto Penasco and starting your journey south on Rocio del Mar. Listen for more details where we talk about the boat, the diving, and interesting aspects to that truly make this a scuba diving adventure. I also provide some tips to get you ready and make the most of the trip.

118. Special Episode – Your Next Dive in the Sea of Cortez onboard Rocio del Mar

The wreck of Omani Bay (CVE 79) a WW II Escort Carrier was discovered in the Sulu Sea in July. It was sunk by a kamikaze strike on January 4, 1945 with the loss of 95 sailors. The wreck is in over 100 m of water.WestJet has announced that it will be implementing a non-stop flight from Toronto to Bonaire starting on December 12, 2023 and that it will run through April 2024. The flight will run once a week on Tuesdays.Whale shark tourism is big business but at what cost? There is a study that looked at the impacts of whale shark feeding in Oslob, Philippines. It doesn't paint a good picture.There has been a spike in shark hunting in Egypt following the mauling of a tourist in the Red Sea. Local officials believe the shark attacks might be participated by the dumping of dead animals in the area.Autumn Blum from Stream2Sea recently was interviewed for an article in Bloomberg News related to hidden ingredients being put into mineral sunscreens. April calls it BS.Kraken Rum and PADI Aware Foundation have teamed up to support beach and ocean clean up. If you participate in the beach cleanup at Brighton Beach in the UK, you can get a Kraken Rum drink by using the litter you collect as currency.CommentaryThere are so many positive aspects of our diving industry. From the dedicated, passionate dive professionals who invest so much time and energy into teaching or taking people diving, to the long-time divers who support the industry in all aspects and finally the new divers who are beginning their journey. We have a lot to be thankful for as we continue our journey.For this installment of Sea Hunt It's Still Alive we head to season one episode 28 titled The Lost Ones that premiered on July 19, 1958. This was a bit of a family affair for this episode as it also featured Lloyd Bridges wife, Dorthy Dean and his son Jeff Bridges. In this episode, Mike has to save two kids from a cave that is filling with water as the tide rises. Mike makes great use of his large underwater scooter in this episode as he races to save Davie and Karen from this underwater death trap.

The wreck of Omani Bay (CVE 79) a WW II Escort Carrier was discovered in the Sulu Sea in July. It was sunk by a kamikaze strike on January 4, 1945 with the loss of 95 sailors. The wreck is in over 100 m of water. WestJet has announced that it will be implementing a non-stop flight from Toronto to Bonaire starting on December 12, 2023 and that it will run through April 2024. The flight will run once a week on Tuesdays. Whale shark tourism is big business but at what cost? There is a study that looked at the impacts of whale shark feeding in Oslob, Philippines. It doesn't paint a good picture. There has been a spike in shark hunting in Egypt following the mauling of a tourist in the Red Sea. Local officials believe the shark attacks might be participated by the dumping of dead animals in the area. Autumn Blum from Stream2Sea recently was interviewed for an article in Bloomberg News related to hidden ingredients being put into mineral sunscreens. April calls it BS. Kraken Rum and PADI Aware Foundation have teamed up to support beach and ocean clean up. If you participate in the beach cleanup at Brighton Beach in the UK, you can get a Kraken Rum drink by using the litter you collect as currency. Commentary There are so many positive aspects of our diving industry. From the dedicated, passionate dive professionals who invest so much time and energy into teaching or taking people diving, to the long-time divers who support the industry in all aspects and finally the new divers who are beginning their journey. We have a lot to be thankful for as we continue our journey. For this installment of Sea Hunt It's Still Alive we head to season one episode 28 titled The Lost Ones that premiered on July 19, 1958. This was a bit of a family affair for this episode as it also featured Lloyd Bridges wife, Dorthy Dean and his son Jeff Bridges. In this episode, Mike has to save two kids from a cave that is filling with water as the tide rises. Mike makes great use of his large underwater scooter in this episode as he races to save Davie and Karen from this underwater death trap.

117. Sea Hunt It’s Still Alive – The Lost Ones plus Wet Notes news, information, and commentary

Registration for the DEMA Show is now open. DEMA members can register for early bird pricing of $55 until October 16th. After that the price jumps to $75. Non-DEMA members rate is $180 for the full package. The show is open to all dive professionals, dive shops, resorts, manufacturers and travel agents. This year the show is in New Orleans and runs from November 14 - 17.The 39th annual Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival took place on July 8, 2023 at Looe Key Reef. The purpose of the music festival is to promote coral reef conservation. Several hundred snorkelers and divers participated in the event.Oceanic 31 is an exhibit of shark art that is sponsored by the Shark Trust. It is billed as a shark art exhibit and what they did was to get a group of artists who are passionate about sharks and conservation to create 31 paintings, drawings, sculptures and digital media representing a species of sharks or rays that live in the ocean.OCEARCH is a non-profit organization that is conducting unprecedented research on sharks. Their mission is to accelerate the ocean’s return to balance and abundance. OCEARCH is affiliated with Jacksonville University and was recently awarded a $5 Million grant from the state of Florida to build a new headquarters.CommentaryAs dive professionals we have a duty of care to our students. We must keep them safe. We cannot compromise on this duty. It is too easy to lapse, so we must be diligent. Our students equipment must be functioning properly. You cannot put a student in the water with gear that is compromised. Also, we should not overweight our students. Getting weight correct is a challenge for new divers. Take the time to dial it in as best you can. Also, we cannot take students into environments that they are not ready to encounter.My top five destinations for new divers based on the distance from my home in Connecticut. 	Fort Wetherill, Jamestown, RI 	Key Largo 	Grand Cayman 	Bonaire 	Philippines

Registration for the DEMA Show is now open. DEMA members can register for early bird pricing of $55 until October 16th. After that the price jumps to $75. Non-DEMA members rate is $180 for the full package. The show is open to all dive professionals, dive shops, resorts, manufacturers and travel agents. This year the show is in New Orleans and runs from November 14 - 17. The 39th annual Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival took place on July 8, 2023 at Looe Key Reef. The purpose of the music festival is to promote coral reef conservation. Several hundred snorkelers and divers participated in the event. Oceanic 31 is an exhibit of shark art that is sponsored by the Shark Trust. It is billed as a shark art exhibit and what they did was to get a group of artists who are passionate about sharks and conservation to create 31 paintings, drawings, sculptures and digital media representing a species of sharks or rays that live in the ocean. OCEARCH is a non-profit organization that is conducting unprecedented research on sharks. Their mission is to accelerate the ocean’s return to balance and abundance. OCEARCH is affiliated with Jacksonville University and was recently awarded a $5 Million grant from the state of Florida to build a new headquarters. Commentary As dive professionals we have a duty of care to our students. We must keep them safe. We cannot compromise on this duty. It is too easy to lapse, so we must be diligent. Our students equipment must be functioning properly. You cannot put a student in the water with gear that is compromised. Also, we should not overweight our students. Getting weight correct is a challenge for new divers. Take the time to dial it in as best you can. Also, we cannot take students into environments that they are not ready to encounter. My top five destinations for new divers based on the distance from my home in Connecticut. 	Fort Wetherill, Jamestown, RI 	Key Largo 	Grand Cayman 	Bonaire 	Philippines

116. My Top Five Locations for New Divers, plus Wet Notes – new, information and commentary

Joe Dituri recently completed a 100 day mission underwater with Project Neptune 100 sponsored by the Marine Resource Development Foundation. He smashed the old record of 73 days. Find out more at mrdf/project-neptune.Mark and Sherry Grishom of PSI/PCI (Professional Scuba Inspectors / Professional Cylinder Inspectors) were recently honored by NASA for their work on the Resupply Air Tank Team for the International Space Station.Aqualung announced that the company is being acquired by Barings Investment. Barings had been providing financial support to Aqualung since it was sold in 2016 to Montagu, a private equity firm. The sale is expected to close later in 2023.The NOAA Ocean Podcast's latest episode is all about rip currents, a timely conversation. The podcast features Greg Dusek, a senior scientist for NOAA working on rip current modeling and prediction. You can find out more - https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast/june23/nop66-rip-currents.htmlCommentaryBeing prepared as a diver encompasses many facets including training, practice, experience, and equipment. Part of this equipment is your safety gear. Signaling devices are a critical part of this safety gear. Sometimes divers might not think they need this but you never know when it will make a difference. Not only do you need to have this safety equipment with you, you also need to know how to deploy and use the gear. Remember, when you actually have to use the safety equipment, the situation will be stressful. That is not the time to learn how to use it.The US EPA has developed a Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution in April 2023. The draft strategy is currently in a comment period that has been extended to July 31, 2023. This strategy builds upon our National Recycling Strategy with a focus on actions to reduce, reuse, collect and capture plastic waste. The three top objectives are:Objective A - Reduce pollution during plastic productionObjective B - Improve post-use material managementObjective C - Prevent trash and micro/nanoplastics from entering entering waterways and remove trash from the environment.You can provide review the draft strategy here - https://www.epa.gov/circulareconomy/draft-national-strategy-prevent-plastic-pollution

Joe Dituri recently completed a 100 day mission underwater with Project Neptune 100 sponsored by the Marine Resource Development Foundation. He smashed the old record of 73 days. Find out more at mrdf/project-neptune. Mark and Sherry Grishom of PSI/PCI (Professional Scuba Inspectors / Professional Cylinder Inspectors) were recently honored by NASA for their work on the Resupply Air Tank Team for the International Space Station. Aqualung announced that the company is being acquired by Barings Investment. Barings had been providing financial support to Aqualung since it was sold in 2016 to Montagu, a private equity firm. The sale is expected to close later in 2023. The NOAA Ocean Podcast's latest episode is all about rip currents, a timely conversation. The podcast features Greg Dusek, a senior scientist for NOAA working on rip current modeling and prediction. You can find out more - <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast/june23/nop66-rip-currents.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast/june23/nop66-rip-currents.html</a> Commentary Being prepared as a diver encompasses many facets including training, practice, experience, and equipment. Part of this equipment is your safety gear. Signaling devices are a critical part of this safety gear. Sometimes divers might not think they need this but you never know when it will make a difference. Not only do you need to have this safety equipment with you, you also need to know how to deploy and use the gear. Remember, when you actually have to use the safety equipment, the situation will be stressful. That is not the time to learn how to use it. The US EPA has developed a Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution in April 2023. The draft strategy is currently in a comment period that has been extended to July 31, 2023. This strategy builds upon our National Recycling Strategy with a focus on actions to reduce, reuse, collect and capture plastic waste. The three top objectives are: Objective A - Reduce pollution during plastic production Objective B - Improve post-use material management Objective C - Prevent trash and micro/nanoplastics from entering entering waterways and remove trash from the environment. You can provide review the draft strategy here - <a href="https://www.epa.gov/circulareconomy/draft-national-strategy-prevent-plastic-pollution" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.epa.gov/circulareconomy/draft-national-strategy-prevent-plastic-pollution</a>

115. A National Strategy for Plastic Pollution plus Wet Notes news, information and commentary

PADI Club has two trips planned for 2023. The first trip is to Belize running July 29 to August 5 and the second trip is in October to Bonaire. That trip will run from October 7 - 14.The History of Diving Museum has a new exhibit - Aquanauts to Astronauts. This exhibit opened on May 20, 2023 and runs through December 31, 2023 and will educate folks on the unique relationship between diving and space exploration.The latest edition of Alert Diver from Divers Alert Network is out. A great publication with a wealth of information. In this edition you can learn about protecting Hawaiian fishes, crime scene investigation and unique ways to share air in an emergency. There is something for everyone in this edition.CommentaryMy non-profit - Scuba Educational Alliance of Connecticut is in the midst of teaching an open water class for one of our local high schools. Listen how rewarding this course has been for both the students and me.In this episode of Sea Hunt - Mike and his UDT buddy Sam Carter are working on salvaging a wreck that they have found when they encounter underwater pirates. A reverse booby trap trips up the pirates and Mike and Sam must save one of the bad guys.

PADI Club has two trips planned for 2023. The first trip is to Belize running July 29 to August 5 and the second trip is in October to Bonaire. That trip will run from October 7 - 14. The History of Diving Museum has a new exhibit - Aquanauts to Astronauts. This exhibit opened on May 20, 2023 and runs through December 31, 2023 and will educate folks on the unique relationship between diving and space exploration. The latest edition of Alert Diver from Divers Alert Network is out. A great publication with a wealth of information. In this edition you can learn about protecting Hawaiian fishes, crime scene investigation and unique ways to share air in an emergency. There is something for everyone in this edition. Commentary My non-profit - Scuba Educational Alliance of Connecticut is in the midst of teaching an open water class for one of our local high schools. Listen how rewarding this course has been for both the students and me. In this episode of Sea Hunt - Mike and his UDT buddy Sam Carter are working on salvaging a wreck that they have found when they encounter underwater pirates. A reverse booby trap trips up the pirates and Mike and Sam must save one of the bad guys.

114. Sea Hunt It’s Still Alive – Underwater Pirates plus Wet Notes news, information, and commentary

The Great Shark Snapshot is back for its second year. Divers and snorkelers are asked to record all their sightings of sharks and rays in the Shark Trust Shark Log. This event runs from July 22 -30, 2023. Last year over 200 divers from 14 countries provided 1800 entries into the log.It has been 50 years since scientist first discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch 600 miles northeast of Hawaii. It has grown to 1.6 million square miles - two times the size of Texas.Divers Alert Network and PADI conducted a day-long Safety Seminar for the Dive Community at PADI HQ in CA. The seminar featured a number of short presentations along with in-water demonstrations. The event was open to PADI Club members and dive instructors.Aggressor Adventures is now offering a consumer protection program StormCheck for missed days of diving due to named tropical storms. If you diving or charter is impacted by a named storm, you will get a voucher for the missed days.CommentaryRecently Aqualung has announced that they will return to the DEMA Show in 2023. This is very welcome news as in the past several years, major scuba equipment manufacturers have not attended. DEMA Show is our big opportunity to interact with various exhibitors, evaluate product, engage in dialog and make future purchasing decisions. It is vital to a health dive industry. I commend Aqualung on this decision and hope that other big players come to the same realization. This trade show matters.Oceana recently published a report titled A Simple Solution -  How President Biden can meet offshore clean energy goals and prevent new offshore drilling. Here are their four recommendations. 	President Biden must uphold his promise to end new offshore oil and gas leasing in his 5-year plan. 	Use his authority under section 12c to permanently protect areas from new offshore drilling 	Congress must pass legislation to reverse the linking of offshore wind leases to offshore oil and gas leases 	BSEE must seek transformative changes to oil and gas safety culture through inspection and enforcement and reduce the reliance on industry-written standards.

The Great Shark Snapshot is back for its second year. Divers and snorkelers are asked to record all their sightings of sharks and rays in the Shark Trust Shark Log. This event runs from July 22 -30, 2023. Last year over 200 divers from 14 countries provided 1800 entries into the log. It has been 50 years since scientist first discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch 600 miles northeast of Hawaii. It has grown to 1.6 million square miles - two times the size of Texas. Divers Alert Network and PADI conducted a day-long Safety Seminar for the Dive Community at PADI HQ in CA. The seminar featured a number of short presentations along with in-water demonstrations. The event was open to PADI Club members and dive instructors. Aggressor Adventures is now offering a consumer protection program StormCheck for missed days of diving due to named tropical storms. If you diving or charter is impacted by a named storm, you will get a voucher for the missed days. Commentary Recently Aqualung has announced that they will return to the DEMA Show in 2023. This is very welcome news as in the past several years, major scuba equipment manufacturers have not attended. DEMA Show is our big opportunity to interact with various exhibitors, evaluate product, engage in dialog and make future purchasing decisions. It is vital to a health dive industry. I commend Aqualung on this decision and hope that other big players come to the same realization. This trade show matters. Oceana recently published a report titled A Simple Solution -  How President Biden can meet offshore clean energy goals and prevent new offshore drilling. Here are their four recommendations. 	President Biden must uphold his promise to end new offshore oil and gas leasing in his 5-year plan. 	Use his authority under section 12c to permanently protect areas from new offshore drilling 	Congress must pass legislation to reverse the linking of offshore wind leases to offshore oil and gas leases 	BSEE must seek transformative changes to oil and gas safety culture through inspection and enforcement and reduce the reliance on industry-written standards.

113. A Simple Solution from Oceana plus Wet Notes news, information and commentary

Black Spot Syndrome (BSS) is impacting the Tropical Western Atlantic. BSS is caused by a parasite that gets under the skin or on fins of fish. The parasite comes from marine snails, settle on the fish and then end up in osprey who eat the fish.Aquarium fishers are threatening Kaneohe Bay on the island of Oahu. These fishers are not very well regulated and the trade is pretty lucrative. An aquarium fisher can get between $300 to $500 for a single yellow tang.MrBeast and Mark Rober, two big YouTubers have started a program #TeamSeas for ocean cleanup and they have raised over $30M so far.Fourth Element is continuing their conservation efforts. Their latest program is Plant for the Planet. They will plant a tree for every order they receive. They have partnered with Ecologi for the reforesting efforts.Archeologist divers have found a sunken 19th century hospital and cemetery off the Dry Tortugas National Park in the Florida Keys.CommentaryLocal dive shops are not only facing competition from the manufactures selling direct and the big online retailers, we are also facing challenges from dive professionals who may not fully understand the value of a local dive shop.Scuba diving teaches us a lot of things - Carrie Miller outlined her five things in a recent article in National Geographic. I'll take you through Carrie's five things and give my perspective on these items.

Black Spot Syndrome (BSS) is impacting the Tropical Western Atlantic. BSS is caused by a parasite that gets under the skin or on fins of fish. The parasite comes from marine snails, settle on the fish and then end up in osprey who eat the fish. Aquarium fishers are threatening Kaneohe Bay on the island of Oahu. These fishers are not very well regulated and the trade is pretty lucrative. An aquarium fisher can get between $300 to $500 for a single yellow tang. MrBeast and Mark Rober, two big YouTubers have started a program #TeamSeas for ocean cleanup and they have raised over $30M so far. Fourth Element is continuing their conservation efforts. Their latest program is Plant for the Planet. They will plant a tree for every order they receive. They have partnered with Ecologi for the reforesting efforts. Archeologist divers have found a sunken 19th century hospital and cemetery off the Dry Tortugas National Park in the Florida Keys. Commentary Local dive shops are not only facing competition from the manufactures selling direct and the big online retailers, we are also facing challenges from dive professionals who may not fully understand the value of a local dive shop. Scuba diving teaches us a lot of things - Carrie Miller outlined her five things in a recent article in National Geographic. I'll take you through Carrie's five things and give my perspective on these items.

112. 5 Things Scuba Teaches plus Wet Notes new, information and commentary

There is a new die off of sea urchins in the Caribbean. This latest event impacting diadema antillarum started in February in the Virgin Islands and has since spread as far west as Jamaica. Efforts are ongoing to find the cause and try to restore these gardeners of the sea.Shearwater Research has recently announced the release of two new editions of their Peregrine recreational dive computer. These two new versions are the Peregrine Adventure Lite and the Peregrine Adventure Dark.REEF is conducting another webinar as part of the Oceans for All series. Join them for Exploring Diver’s Experiences in Marine Conservation on May 24, 2023 at 8 PM with this fantastic panel.The latest Journal of Diving History from the Historical Diving Society had an article about the inspiration for the HDS Explorer Mission that occurred May 8 - 12, 2023, the 1995 Scott Carpenter Man in the Sea (MITS) program.Scuba Diving Magazines latest edition is their liveaboard edition. It also reviews some great options for both travel and boat bags.CommentaryRecently we received a notice from one our vendors indicating that they had a deal on purchasing a regulator package. If we purchased a specific first and second stage, we would get the octopus at a discounted rate. Sounds like a good deal. Well, this vendor also sells direct to consumers and they offered a different deal. If the consumer purchases the same first and second stage, they would get the octopus for free. It seems like local dive shops are in direct competition with the very same vendors that we invest in as full service dealers. As more and more local dive shops face this type of competition, it will be difficult to continue to operate. We will become extinct.In this installment of Sea Hunt It's Still Alive we head back to season 3 for episode 19 titled Cross Current. In this episode Mike is headed to the Caribbean to help a scientist, Sherry Bishop. When Mike arrives Sherry is missing. He battles a strong underwater current as he searches for Sherry. Mike ultimately finds her but must figure out how to get her back.

There is a new die off of sea urchins in the Caribbean. This latest event impacting diadema antillarum started in February in the Virgin Islands and has since spread as far west as Jamaica. Efforts are ongoing to find the cause and try to restore these gardeners of the sea. Shearwater Research has recently announced the release of two new editions of their Peregrine recreational dive computer. These two new versions are the Peregrine Adventure Lite and the Peregrine Adventure Dark. REEF is conducting another webinar as part of the Oceans for All series. Join them for Exploring Diver’s Experiences in Marine Conservation on May 24, 2023 at 8 PM with this fantastic panel. The latest Journal of Diving History from the Historical Diving Society had an article about the inspiration for the HDS Explorer Mission that occurred May 8 - 12, 2023, the 1995 Scott Carpenter Man in the Sea (MITS) program. Scuba Diving Magazines latest edition is their liveaboard edition. It also reviews some great options for both travel and boat bags. Commentary Recently we received a notice from one our vendors indicating that they had a deal on purchasing a regulator package. If we purchased a specific first and second stage, we would get the octopus at a discounted rate. Sounds like a good deal. Well, this vendor also sells direct to consumers and they offered a different deal. If the consumer purchases the same first and second stage, they would get the octopus for free. It seems like local dive shops are in direct competition with the very same vendors that we invest in as full service dealers. As more and more local dive shops face this type of competition, it will be difficult to continue to operate. We will become extinct. In this installment of Sea Hunt It's Still Alive we head back to season 3 for episode 19 titled Cross Current. In this episode Mike is headed to the Caribbean to help a scientist, Sherry Bishop. When Mike arrives Sherry is missing. He battles a strong underwater current as he searches for Sherry. Mike ultimately finds her but must figure out how to get her back.

111. Sea Hunt It’s Still Alive with Cross Current plus Wet Notes news, information, and commentary

If you like the Florida Keys, then check out floridakeystv.com. You will get your fix of the Keys with globally streamed videos about all aspects of the Conch Republic.The Q4 2022 new diver certification statistics are out. The downward trend continues. We still are trying to understand the long-term impacts of the pandemic.Stoney Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) continues to spread. It is now impacting Bonaire. But there is good news in the battle with this bacterial pathogen - a probiotic treatment that stops or slows the spread.If you are a dive watch junkie, check out the top five dive watches for 2023 according to Deeper Blue. They are the Citizen Promaster Aquaplaned, the Casio MDV106 dive watch, the Casio Frogman, the SDC Black Tip Ocean Rider and the Rolex Submariner.CommentaryNew divers continue to enter the ranks every year but do these new divers stay engaged. Do they get out and dive? We stress the importance of more training and classes. Is this the right approach or should we be getting them out there diving first?The Dive Equipment and Marketing Association conducted a diver behavioral research project in late 2022. The results were recently published and give us some insight into our industry. Listen for some of the details from the survey.

If you like the Florida Keys, then check out <a href="http://floridakeystv.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">floridakeystv.com</a>. You will get your fix of the Keys with globally streamed videos about all aspects of the Conch Republic. The Q4 2022 new diver certification statistics are out. The downward trend continues. We still are trying to understand the long-term impacts of the pandemic. Stoney Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) continues to spread. It is now impacting Bonaire. But there is good news in the battle with this bacterial pathogen - a probiotic treatment that stops or slows the spread. If you are a dive watch junkie, check out the top five dive watches for 2023 according to Deeper Blue. They are the Citizen Promaster Aquaplaned, the Casio MDV106 dive watch, the Casio Frogman, the SDC Black Tip Ocean Rider and the Rolex Submariner. Commentary New divers continue to enter the ranks every year but do these new divers stay engaged. Do they get out and dive? We stress the importance of more training and classes. Is this the right approach or should we be getting them out there diving first? The Dive Equipment and Marketing Association conducted a diver behavioral research project in late 2022. The results were recently published and give us some insight into our industry. Listen for some of the details from the survey.

110. An update on the DEMA Diver Behavioral Research Project plus Wet Notes, new, information and commentary

Alex Brylske

In this special episode, I reconnect with Dr. Alex Brylske for a discussion about his new book - Beneath the Blue Planet - A Diver's Guide to the Ocean. Alex tells us about his inspiration for writing this guide to the ocean, its ecosystems and its conservation. He takes us through the book and gives us some insights into the various chapters and what he hopes the readers take away from Beneath the Blue Planet.

109. Special Episode – A dialog with Dr. Alex Brylske as he discusses his new book  – Beneath the Blue Planet

A show about scuba diving, scuba diving history and ocean conservation.

Beneath the Sea scuba show made its return after a four year hiatus in Secaucus, NJ on March 25 and 26. The show brought together divers from around the northeast. The show featured training agencies, dive equipment providers and dive travel opportunities.A bill was recently introduced in the Florida house to ban the release of balloons. If passed it would eliminate the release of all balloons and restrict the release of those labeled eco-friendly as well.The most recent PADI Club Speakers series featured Tec Clark. The speakers series is a benefit that is only available to PADI Club members.If you need another reason to be a DAN member and purchase their accident insurance, check out the DAN Was There for Me article in Divers Alert Network.The REEF Act (Reusing Equipment for Environmental Fortification) is a bi-partisan bill introduced to direct the Secretary of the Navy to notify Congress of pending retirements of any naval vessel that is a viable candidates for artificial reefing. There is also a companion bill in the Senate.Commentary -Here in the northeast we tout the value of diving a drysuit. We take time to educate our customers on the different aspect of a drysuit. It is a significant investment for our clients both financially and in time and training. It takes time for them to commit and then once they commit we are facing significant lead time on delivery. These lead times could be as long as 18 weeks. Listen for my perspectiveSea Hunt It's Still Alive reviews an episode from season 2 - The Persuaders. In this episode Mike is forced to work for two "business men" who are really narcotics dealers. They need Mike to dive and retrieve a canister of drugs worth half a million dollars. Mike is in a no win situation. He decides to destroy the narcotics and try to out fox the business men.

Beneath the Sea scuba show made its return after a four year hiatus in Secaucus, NJ on March 25 and 26. The show brought together divers from around the northeast. The show featured training agencies, dive equipment providers and dive travel opportunities. A bill was recently introduced in the Florida house to ban the release of balloons. If passed it would eliminate the release of all balloons and restrict the release of those labeled eco-friendly as well. The most recent PADI Club Speakers series featured Tec Clark. The speakers series is a benefit that is only available to PADI Club members. If you need another reason to be a DAN member and purchase their accident insurance, check out the DAN Was There for Me article in Divers Alert Network. The REEF Act (Reusing Equipment for Environmental Fortification) is a bi-partisan bill introduced to direct the Secretary of the Navy to notify Congress of pending retirements of any naval vessel that is a viable candidates for artificial reefing. There is also a companion bill in the Senate. Commentary - Here in the northeast we tout the value of diving a drysuit. We take time to educate our customers on the different aspect of a drysuit. It is a significant investment for our clients both financially and in time and training. It takes time for them to commit and then once they commit we are facing significant lead time on delivery. These lead times could be as long as 18 weeks. Listen for my perspective Sea Hunt It's Still Alive reviews an episode from season 2 - The Persuaders. In this episode Mike is forced to work for two "business men" who are really narcotics dealers. They need Mike to dive and retrieve a canister of drugs worth half a million dollars. Mike is in a no win situation. He decides to destroy the narcotics and try to out fox the business men.

108. Sea Hunt It’s Still Alive – The Persuaders plus Wet Notes news, information and commentary

Members of the United Nations recently approved the High Seas Treaty. This treaty if successful will protect two-thirds of our oceans.Norway and Japan continue to hunt whales. Norway killed 560 whales in 2022, the highest in six years. This at a time when the demand for whale meat continues to drop around the world.The University of Miami recently deployed two new artificial reef structures off of Miami Beach as part of their EcoReef program.REEF has released their 2024 REEF Survey Trips. They have a very full schedule that will take you all around the world. You can get more information on their website along with availability and pricing.Fourth Element is a leader in scuba diving exposure protection along with other new innovative products. They are also a fierce advocate for the environment and the oceans with their Ocean Positive initiative.Commentary -What is the state of the dive industry? Hopefully we will get a little insight when the results of the State of the Industry survey is completed. Perhaps we will get some data on the long-term sustainability for the local dive shop model. It seems like we hear about more and more dive shops closing after being in business for a very long time. It doesn't seem that there are opportunities to sell the businesses perhaps because the model is too difficult to maintain. A local dive shop must pull all of the fragments of the scuba industry together and take a great deal of risk. When local dive shops close, local divers are left without many options and may tend to fade away from diving plus we no longer have a pipeline for new divers.In March 2020, the scuba magazines were filled with optimism. I'll take you back to the first quarter of 2020 and discuss how Alert Diver from Divers Alert Network, The Undersea Journal from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors and Dive Center Business from Dive Training Magazine. Dive travel, training and conservation were front and center. The industry was looking forward to a great year with economic indicators all pointing upward.

Members of the United Nations recently approved the High Seas Treaty. This treaty if successful will protect two-thirds of our oceans. Norway and Japan continue to hunt whales. Norway killed 560 whales in 2022, the highest in six years. This at a time when the demand for whale meat continues to drop around the world. The University of Miami recently deployed two new artificial reef structures off of Miami Beach as part of their EcoReef program. REEF has released their 2024 REEF Survey Trips. They have a very full schedule that will take you all around the world. You can get more information on their website along with availability and pricing. Fourth Element is a leader in scuba diving exposure protection along with other new innovative products. They are also a fierce advocate for the environment and the oceans with their Ocean Positive initiative. Commentary - What is the state of the dive industry? Hopefully we will get a little insight when the results of the State of the Industry survey is completed. Perhaps we will get some data on the long-term sustainability for the local dive shop model. It seems like we hear about more and more dive shops closing after being in business for a very long time. It doesn't seem that there are opportunities to sell the businesses perhaps because the model is too difficult to maintain. A local dive shop must pull all of the fragments of the scuba industry together and take a great deal of risk. When local dive shops close, local divers are left without many options and may tend to fade away from diving plus we no longer have a pipeline for new divers. In March 2020, the scuba magazines were filled with optimism. I'll take you back to the first quarter of 2020 and discuss how Alert Diver from Divers Alert Network, The Undersea Journal from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors and Dive Center Business from Dive Training Magazine. Dive travel, training and conservation were front and center. The industry was looking forward to a great year with economic indicators all pointing upward.

107. A look back at dive magazines in March 2020 plus Wet Notes, new, information and commentary

The Boston Sea Rovers are transitioning back to the traditional March timeframe for their show. 2023 is the transition year and will be a one-night only film festival at the New England Aquarium on March 18, 2023. The 70th annual Boston Sea Rovers clinic is planned for March 2024 in Danvers, MA.Beneath the Sea is making its return after four years. The show is being held at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey on March 25 and 26, 2023.Oceana's National Business Coalition for the Ocean is a group of like-minded businesses that promote Oceana's programs with sign-on letters, petitions and other initiatives.When did you last change your dive computer battery. If you don't know then maybe it's time to get that battery replaced, especially if you are headed out on a dive trip.Find out more about our recent trip to Bonaire where we stayed at Divi Flamingo Resort and did our diving with Divi Divers. The resort is strategically located and you can walk to town for dinner or shopping. The resort also has two restaurants - Chibi Chibi and Pureocean. The rooms are clean and comfortable.Divi Divers run several different boats and get you to the Bonaire and Klein Bonaire dive sites quickly.Water temperature in late February and early March was a consistent 79 degrees Fahrenheit or 26 degrees Celsius. Visibility was consistently 80 to 100 feet. With seahorses on five dives, octopus, frogfish and more, you'll encounter a lot of small reef fish and creatures.

The Boston Sea Rovers are transitioning back to the traditional March timeframe for their show. 2023 is the transition year and will be a one-night only film festival at the New England Aquarium on March 18, 2023. The 70th annual Boston Sea Rovers clinic is planned for March 2024 in Danvers, MA. Beneath the Sea is making its return after four years. The show is being held at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey on March 25 and 26, 2023. Oceana's National Business Coalition for the Ocean is a group of like-minded businesses that promote Oceana's programs with sign-on letters, petitions and other initiatives. When did you last change your dive computer battery. If you don't know then maybe it's time to get that battery replaced, especially if you are headed out on a dive trip. Find out more about our recent trip to Bonaire where we stayed at Divi Flamingo Resort and did our diving with Divi Divers. The resort is strategically located and you can walk to town for dinner or shopping. The resort also has two restaurants - Chibi Chibi and Pureocean. The rooms are clean and comfortable. Divi Divers run several different boats and get you to the Bonaire and Klein Bonaire dive sites quickly. Water temperature in late February and early March was a consistent 79 degrees Fahrenheit or 26 degrees Celsius. Visibility was consistently 80 to 100 feet. With seahorses on five dives, octopus, frogfish and more, you'll encounter a lot of small reef fish and creatures.

106. Your Next Dive takes us to Bonaire and Divi Flamingo plus Wet Notes – news, information, and commentary

William Cline recently released Q4 statistics regarding the scuba industry. It would seem that overall certifications are flat when compared to 2021 as is equipment sales. Scuba related travel is up however. We will see how things progress in 2023.Nature Communications recently published a study that indicates 59% of coral reef sharks, rays and skates are threatened with extinction due to overfishing.The first quarter edition of the Journal of Diving History is out. Find out about the first hydrogen dives in this longest running US magazine about diving.The new Cayman Aggressor IV is operational with seven-day cruises around all three Cayman Islands.There is a new artificial reef off Destin-Ft. Walton Beach, FL. The R/V Manta was sunk in 111 feet of water about 16 miles south of Destin.A service and maintenance department in a scuba diving center represents a significant investment to the center with tools, equipment, repair and spare parts, along with training and certification. Is it worth the investment? Not everyone feels like they need to have their gear serviced as they should and the revenue from services is not there. What if your local dive shop no longer serviced gear? What would you do?New divers have already made an investment in their mask, snorkel, fins and boots. When these new divers ask about what equipment should they buy first, I turn that question around and say - here are the three core pieces of gear that you will need to really become a safe and competent diver. These core pieces of scuba gear are a buoyancy compensator (BC), a regulator, and a dive computer. Yes, there is a lot of other gear that we use to breathe underwater. Listen to may reason for why I think these are the three core pieces of scuba equipment.

William Cline recently released Q4 statistics regarding the scuba industry. It would seem that overall certifications are flat when compared to 2021 as is equipment sales. Scuba related travel is up however. We will see how things progress in 2023. Nature Communications recently published a study that indicates 59% of coral reef sharks, rays and skates are threatened with extinction due to overfishing. The first quarter edition of the Journal of Diving History is out. Find out about the first hydrogen dives in this longest running US magazine about diving. The new Cayman Aggressor IV is operational with seven-day cruises around all three Cayman Islands. There is a new artificial reef off Destin-Ft. Walton Beach, FL. The R/V Manta was sunk in 111 feet of water about 16 miles south of Destin. A service and maintenance department in a scuba diving center represents a significant investment to the center with tools, equipment, repair and spare parts, along with training and certification. Is it worth the investment? Not everyone feels like they need to have their gear serviced as they should and the revenue from services is not there. What if your local dive shop no longer serviced gear? What would you do? New divers have already made an investment in their mask, snorkel, fins and boots. When these new divers ask about what equipment should they buy first, I turn that question around and say - here are the three core pieces of gear that you will need to really become a safe and competent diver. These core pieces of scuba gear are a buoyancy compensator (BC), a regulator, and a dive computer. Yes, there is a lot of other gear that we use to breathe underwater. Listen to may reason for why I think these are the three core pieces of scuba equipment.

105. Three core pieces of scuba equipment you should own plus Wet Notes news, information and commentary

Dr. Alex Brylske has teamed up with Divestures to deliver a series of six presentations called Oceans Update. The first presentation was on January 25, 2023 - Secrets of the Coral Reefs. Next up is Understanding Coral Reef Fishes and it will be held on February 22, 2023. Find out more and register at https://www.diventures.com/oceans-update/Over the holidays a cruise ship from Australia, the Coral Princess was bound for New Zealand when they were delayed due to an infestation of snails. The ship required cleaning before it was permitted to enter New Zealand. They take invasive species seriously down under.The Coral Restoration Foundation in Key Largo is accepting applications for their Spring/Summer 2023 internship program. You can check out all the requirements for application. The deadline is February 24, 2023.The SECONN Skin Divers New England Wreck Symposium is scheduled for March 4, 2023. Tickets are available on their website. Registration starts at 8:30 with the first presentations starting at 9:00 am.Should there be quality standards of some sort for dive shop business operations? Why not? We have standards for training and safety but business operations can vary significantly across dive shops. There are a number of examples of where poor business operations give the entire industry a black eye. Returning customer phone calls, emails and messages is essential. Keeping a schedule is critical. Getting gear serviced in a timely manner is necessary. I believe quality standards for dive shop business operations are just as important as the standards we set for our training and safety.Sea Hunt It's Still Alive takes us back to season 1, episode 7 of Sea Hunt - titled - Mr. Guinea Pig. In this episode Mike is engaged in research on improving skin divers lung capacity when he is approached to help an old flame. Jennie is trying to get a job as an underwater photo journalist. Problem is - Jennie is a bad diver. Mike doesn't want to help. Let's just say, Mike relents and decides to help Jennie, who gets into trouble underwater. Bottom line, Mike's research on increasing divers lung capacity pays off.

Dr. Alex Brylske has teamed up with Divestures to deliver a series of six presentations called Oceans Update. The first presentation was on January 25, 2023 - Secrets of the Coral Reefs. Next up is Understanding Coral Reef Fishes and it will be held on February 22, 2023. Find out more and register at <a href="https://www.diventures.com/oceans-update/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.diventures.com/oceans-update/</a> Over the holidays a cruise ship from Australia, the Coral Princess was bound for New Zealand when they were delayed due to an infestation of snails. The ship required cleaning before it was permitted to enter New Zealand. They take invasive species seriously down under. The Coral Restoration Foundation in Key Largo is accepting applications for their Spring/Summer 2023 internship program. You can check out all the requirements for application. The deadline is February 24, 2023. The SECONN Skin Divers New England Wreck Symposium is scheduled for March 4, 2023. Tickets are available on their website. Registration starts at 8:30 with the first presentations starting at 9:00 am. Should there be quality standards of some sort for dive shop business operations? Why not? We have standards for training and safety but business operations can vary significantly across dive shops. There are a number of examples of where poor business operations give the entire industry a black eye. Returning customer phone calls, emails and messages is essential. Keeping a schedule is critical. Getting gear serviced in a timely manner is necessary. I believe quality standards for dive shop business operations are just as important as the standards we set for our training and safety. Sea Hunt It's Still Alive takes us back to season 1, episode 7 of Sea Hunt - titled - Mr. Guinea Pig. In this episode Mike is engaged in research on improving skin divers lung capacity when he is approached to help an old flame. Jennie is trying to get a job as an underwater photo journalist. Problem is - Jennie is a bad diver. Mike doesn't want to help. Let's just say, Mike relents and decides to help Jennie, who gets into trouble underwater. Bottom line, Mike's research on increasing divers lung capacity pays off.

104. Sea Hunt It’s Still Alive – Mr. Guinea Pig plus Wet Notes New, Information and Commentary

William McKeever

The Driftnet Modernization and Bi-catch Reduction Act was included in the 2023 spending bill and signed into law by President Biden. This law will help protect marine life from this destructive fishing method.If you want to see the boat used in Sea Hunt, then head out to the Long Beach Scuba Show in June. The Argonaut (Five Sea Sons) is the Trojan Sea Breeze boat built for the final season of Sea Hunt. Find out more at argonautwm2050.comIf you are looking to learn more about diving here in New England, check out the expanded website from Maura Keane - iDiveNewEngland.comShearwater Research has released an update to the firmware for the Perdix 2, Petrel and Teric dive computers. The Perdix 2 and Petrel are at V95 while the Teric is at V23. If you own a Perdix or Perdix AI, make sure you are at V93. The Peregrine is at V86.One of the major challenges facing scuba shops is access to pools for training. Each dive shop must try to solve this issue alone. We must seek out, convince aquatic centers that we are a valuable customer and then contract at a reasonable rate. This continues to get harder. Is there an opportunity for the industry to address this challenge collectively. Maybe. Perhaps the various training agencies could leverage their influence to engage nationally with large pool operators, like maybe the YMCA, to make more pools accessible to dive centers.Emperors of the Deep by William McKeever takes us on a journey of discovery about sharks following his witnessing a destructive shark tournament that he describes as a murder scene. McKeever focuses on four major shark species to learn more about sharks. He learns about the great white, mako, hammerhead and tiger sharks. He seeks out experts from around the world to understand shark physiology, behavior and their habitats. From there, McKeever then moves to the perils facing sharks. The human perils of destructive fishing methods, shark finning, and shark tournaments. The final part of Emperors of the Deep we are introduced to those individuals who are dedicated to protecting sharks. He completes his two-year journey by diving with great white sharks off South Africa.

The Driftnet Modernization and Bi-catch Reduction Act was included in the 2023 spending bill and signed into law by President Biden. This law will help protect marine life from this destructive fishing method. If you want to see the boat used in Sea Hunt, then head out to the Long Beach Scuba Show in June. The Argonaut (Five Sea Sons) is the Trojan Sea Breeze boat built for the final season of Sea Hunt. Find out more at <a href="http://argonautwm2050.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">argonautwm2050.com</a> If you are looking to learn more about diving here in New England, check out the expanded website from Maura Keane - <a href="http://iDiveNewEngland.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iDiveNewEngland.com</a> Shearwater Research has released an update to the firmware for the Perdix 2, Petrel and Teric dive computers. The Perdix 2 and Petrel are at V95 while the Teric is at V23. If you own a Perdix or Perdix AI, make sure you are at V93. The Peregrine is at V86. One of the major challenges facing scuba shops is access to pools for training. Each dive shop must try to solve this issue alone. We must seek out, convince aquatic centers that we are a valuable customer and then contract at a reasonable rate. This continues to get harder. Is there an opportunity for the industry to address this challenge collectively. Maybe. Perhaps the various training agencies could leverage their influence to engage nationally with large pool operators, like maybe the YMCA, to make more pools accessible to dive centers. Emperors of the Deep by William McKeever takes us on a journey of discovery about sharks following his witnessing a destructive shark tournament that he describes as a murder scene. McKeever focuses on four major shark species to learn more about sharks. He learns about the great white, mako, hammerhead and tiger sharks. He seeks out experts from around the world to understand shark physiology, behavior and their habitats. From there, McKeever then moves to the perils facing sharks. The human perils of destructive fishing methods, shark finning, and shark tournaments. The final part of Emperors of the Deep we are introduced to those individuals who are dedicated to protecting sharks. He completes his two-year journey by diving with great white sharks off South Africa.

103. We take a look at Emperors of the Deep by William McKeever plus Wet Notes News, Information and Commentary

The Professional Association of Diving Instructor's Recreational Dive Planner (RDP) was a revolutionary development promoting safe dive planning for recreational divers. Up until this time, most dive planning centered around Navy dive tables that really didn't fit what recreational divers were doing. In the early 1980s Dr. Alex Brylske was on the PADI staff and right in the middle of the development of the RDP. In fact, Alex took the first call from Dr. Raymond Rogers who was instrumental in the creation of not only the RDP but also the PADI Wheel.Listen to the complete interview with Dr. Alex Brylske for the behind the scenes development of the PADI Recreational Dive Planner and the PADI Wheel.

The Professional Association of Diving Instructor's Recreational Dive Planner (RDP) was a revolutionary development promoting safe dive planning for recreational divers. Up until this time, most dive planning centered around Navy dive tables that really didn't fit what recreational divers were doing. In the early 1980s Dr. Alex Brylske was on the PADI staff and right in the middle of the development of the RDP. In fact, Alex took the first call from Dr. Raymond Rogers who was instrumental in the creation of not only the RDP but also the PADI Wheel. Listen to the complete interview with Dr. Alex Brylske for the behind the scenes development of the PADI Recreational Dive Planner and the PADI Wheel.

102. Special Episode – The story of PADI’s RDP with Dr. Alex Brylske

Scuba Shack Maui is for sale. If you want to own a dive shop and live on Maui, you might consider the turn-key operation in Kihei.Find out more about Scuba Shack Maui.Lake Hydra (the former Dutch Springs) is scheduled to re-open in 2023. The original plan was to open in April 2023 but it looks like that might be delayed. Ken Kraft is hoping to have part of the quarry open by June.The Small Passenger Liability Fairness Act was signed into law when it was added to the defense authorization bill. It is expected that this act will seriously impact liability insurance for dive boat owners.When it get's cold in Florida the manatees head for warm water sites. They will seek warm water over eating, so the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has set up one feeding station at the Cape Canaveral warming area.Commentary - Is the drysuit causing a decrease in northeast diving? How can that be - drysuits allow us to dive year round here in New England. But drysuits are expensive, require additional training and experience. By touting the drysuit are unconsciously causing new divers to NOT dive here in the northeast.   What do you think?In this installment of Sea Hunt It's Still Alive we are heading back to season 4 for episode 3 titled The Destroyers. Mike is working with a Coast Guard team to figure out how two Navy destroyers collided when the radars were jammed. Mike must fight off two scooter divers. He uses razor sharp coral to shred one bad diver hose and rams a second diver with a Porto Sub to capture the saboteurs.

Scuba Shack Maui is for sale. If you want to own a dive shop and live on Maui, you might consider the turn-key operation in Kihei. Find out more about Scuba Shack Maui. Lake Hydra (the former Dutch Springs) is scheduled to re-open in 2023. The original plan was to open in April 2023 but it looks like that might be delayed. Ken Kraft is hoping to have part of the quarry open by June. The Small Passenger Liability Fairness Act was signed into law when it was added to the defense authorization bill. It is expected that this act will seriously impact liability insurance for dive boat owners. When it get's cold in Florida the manatees head for warm water sites. They will seek warm water over eating, so the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has set up one feeding station at the Cape Canaveral warming area. Commentary - Is the drysuit causing a decrease in northeast diving? How can that be - drysuits allow us to dive year round here in New England. But drysuits are expensive, require additional training and experience. By touting the drysuit are unconsciously causing new divers to NOT dive here in the northeast.   What do you think? In this installment of Sea Hunt It's Still Alive we are heading back to season 4 for episode 3 titled The Destroyers. Mike is working with a Coast Guard team to figure out how two Navy destroyers collided when the radars were jammed. Mike must fight off two scooter divers. He uses razor sharp coral to shred one bad diver hose and rams a second diver with a Porto Sub to capture the saboteurs.

101. Sea Hunt It’s Still Alive – The Destroyers, plus Wet Notes News, Information and Commentary

The Coral Restoration Foundation recently did a webinar on their accomplishments in 2022. It was a record year for them where they out planted about 44K corals, plus so much more.Divers in North Jersey are in search of Old Bergen - an 1812 cannon stolen in 1980. They were diving in the Hackensack River. They think they heard metallic noise when probing. They will need to head back later to attempt to find Old Bergen.NASA is projecting an alarming rise in sea level in the next thirty years. This rise impacts all US coastal areas. The study is based on 30 years of satellite observations.On December 14, A Dram of Diving hosted a live facebook event on the Power of Podcasting. I participated in the panel and you can watch the event on the Dram of Diving Youtube Channel.The 2023 Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) Board of Directors election is now open for voting. I have been fortunate to have been nominated for a position on the board representing the Retailer segment. Voting continues through January 2023.Scuba Shack Radio Episode One premiered on March 17, 2019. I launched the podcast to add my voice. Listen to my reflection on four years and 100 episodes of Scuba Shack Radio.

The Coral Restoration Foundation recently did a webinar on their accomplishments in 2022. It was a record year for them where they out planted about 44K corals, plus so much more. Divers in North Jersey are in search of Old Bergen - an 1812 cannon stolen in 1980. They were diving in the Hackensack River. They think they heard metallic noise when probing. They will need to head back later to attempt to find Old Bergen. NASA is projecting an alarming rise in sea level in the next thirty years. This rise impacts all US coastal areas. The study is based on 30 years of satellite observations. On December 14, A Dram of Diving hosted a live facebook event on the Power of Podcasting. I participated in the panel and you can watch the event on the Dram of Diving Youtube Channel. The 2023 Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) Board of Directors election is now open for voting. I have been fortunate to have been nominated for a position on the board representing the Retailer segment. Voting continues through January 2023. Scuba Shack Radio Episode One premiered on March 17, 2019. I launched the podcast to add my voice. Listen to my reflection on four years and 100 episodes of Scuba Shack Radio.

100. Looking back at 100 episodes plus Wet Notes news and information update

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) recently agreed to strict new import and export regulations on over 50 species of sharks. Great news for these apex predators.The scent is back in Sink the Stink. The new 40% stronger version is our go-to wetsuit and neoprene cleaner with the clean, fresh scent.Oceanic has released their dive computer app for the Apple Watch Ultra. Their app turns the watch into a fully compatible dive computer. There is also a companion iPhone app. The Oceanic+ app is a fee based app that range from a daily rate, monthly, or annual. There is also a family plan. Oceanic will also be releasing a housing to take you iPhone underwater and display the computer.The bell from the Great Lakes shipwreck, GP Griffen, a passenger steamer that sank in 1850 has been donated to the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, OH. The bell is the only thing that is left from the wreck and was found in 1974 by a local diver, Louis Key. Key's family donated the bell.On December 14, 2022 I will be participating in a panel discussion on A Dram of Diving. This will be an encore of our panel discussion from DEMA that was hosted by Tec Clark. The live event will be on Facebook and Youtube starting at 7:30 eastern time.Last month on A Dram of Diving they had a discussion on the experiential scuba programs - like discover scuba or try scuba. The discussion centered around the risk and value of the program. The risk was centered around the level of professional conducting the program. As a PADI dive shop, we routinely conduct Discover Scuba Programs. If done correctly, with properly trained and certified professionals, the program is valuable to our industry.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) recently agreed to strict new import and export regulations on over 50 species of sharks. Great news for these apex predators. The scent is back in Sink the Stink. The new 40% stronger version is our go-to wetsuit and neoprene cleaner with the clean, fresh scent. Oceanic has released their dive computer app for the Apple Watch Ultra. Their app turns the watch into a fully compatible dive computer. There is also a companion iPhone app. The Oceanic+ app is a fee based app that range from a daily rate, monthly, or annual. There is also a family plan. Oceanic will also be releasing a housing to take you iPhone underwater and display the computer. The bell from the Great Lakes shipwreck, GP Griffen, a passenger steamer that sank in 1850 has been donated to the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, OH. The bell is the only thing that is left from the wreck and was found in 1974 by a local diver, Louis Key. Key's family donated the bell. On December 14, 2022 I will be participating in a panel discussion on A Dram of Diving. This will be an encore of our panel discussion from DEMA that was hosted by Tec Clark. The live event will be on Facebook and Youtube starting at 7:30 eastern time. Last month on A Dram of Diving they had a discussion on the experiential scuba programs - like discover scuba or try scuba. The discussion centered around the risk and value of the program. The risk was centered around the level of professional conducting the program. As a PADI dive shop, we routinely conduct Discover Scuba Programs. If done correctly, with properly trained and certified professionals, the program is valuable to our industry.

99. Discover Scuba – hear what I think plus Wet Notes news and information update

Scuba Shack Radio

Your Emergency Action Plan is an important part of your preparedness in the event of something going wrong. It consists of information regarding where you will be diving. Things like the location of hospitals, hyperbaric chambers, or other facilities. Your plan also should include equipment. Do you have a first-aid kit and is it up to date. Is your emergency oxygen kit in working order and do you know how to use it. You should also practice your EAP. Emergency Action Plans are not just for dive professionals. Everyone should have one.MarineBio is an all volunteer non-profit of marine biologists, students, professors and conservation advocates used for sharing the wonders of the ocean realm, providing marine education, and tools for marine scientists. It is also a forum for communication. The main categories of information on the site include marine life, conservation, science and education. There is an extensive section on species of birds, fish, reptiles, seals, sharks and rays, squid and octopus, and whales and dolphins.Sunset House in Grand Cayman is a fantastic place for a dive vacation. The diving is outstanding whether you are diving the house reef, the wall on the west side, the shallower reefs or the dive sites over on the south side. There is so much to see. The hotel rooms are neat, clean, well maintained. The dining is very good at either the Sea Harvest Restaurant or at My Bar. Downtown is just a 10 minute walk or short cab ride.

Your Emergency Action Plan is an important part of your preparedness in the event of something going wrong. It consists of information regarding where you will be diving. Things like the location of hospitals, hyperbaric chambers, or other facilities. Your plan also should include equipment. Do you have a first-aid kit and is it up to date. Is your emergency oxygen kit in working order and do you know how to use it. You should also practice your EAP. Emergency Action Plans are not just for dive professionals. Everyone should have one. MarineBio is an all volunteer non-profit of marine biologists, students, professors and conservation advocates used for sharing the wonders of the ocean realm, providing marine education, and tools for marine scientists. It is also a forum for communication. The main categories of information on the site include marine life, conservation, science and education. There is an extensive section on species of birds, fish, reptiles, seals, sharks and rays, squid and octopus, and whales and dolphins. Sunset House in Grand Cayman is a fantastic place for a dive vacation. The diving is outstanding whether you are diving the house reef, the wall on the west side, the shallower reefs or the dive sites over on the south side. There is so much to see. The hotel rooms are neat, clean, well maintained. The dining is very good at either the Sea Harvest Restaurant or at My Bar. Downtown is just a 10 minute walk or short cab ride.

32. Emergency Action Plan, MarineBio and Your Next Dive takes you to Sunset House on Grand Cayman

Andrea Doria

A dive flag is a very important piece of your safety equipment especially when shore diving. A dive flag let's boat traffic know that you are in the area. A flag must be within 50 feet of you and be able to be seen from 100 yards away. It should also be flying and 3 feet above the surface. You need to check out the specific regulations for where you are diving. You will need to be proficient in handling the dive flag underwater including keeping it within 50 feet and not allow it to drift too far behind or pull it underwater. EN-ROADS stands for Energy Rapid Overview and Decision Support and is a climate solutions simulator. It was created by Climate Interactive and allows you to adjust up to 18 parameters to see the impacts on global warming. You can adjust coal use, energy efficiency, renewables and carbon removal. It is easy to use and very informative. It shows that we have a lot of work to do to slow down or reverse climate change.Deep Descent by Kevin F. McMurray is a book that covers diving on the Andrea Doria. In the book, Kevin relays a story about an incident that took place in July 1985. During her dive to the wreck Sally Wahrmann was crashed into by another diver and was plummeted into the wreck to a depth of 250 feet and had her masked knocked off. I talked to Sally at the Boston Sea Rovers show and we had a chance to discuss the incident. It was a pleasure to chat with Sally. Check out Deep Descent.

A dive flag is a very important piece of your safety equipment especially when shore diving. A dive flag let's boat traffic know that you are in the area. A flag must be within 50 feet of you and be able to be seen from 100 yards away. It should also be flying and 3 feet above the surface. You need to check out the specific regulations for where you are diving. You will need to be proficient in handling the dive flag underwater including keeping it within 50 feet and not allow it to drift too far behind or pull it underwater.  EN-ROADS stands for Energy Rapid Overview and Decision Support and is a climate solutions simulator. It was created by Climate Interactive and allows you to adjust up to 18 parameters to see the impacts on global warming. You can adjust coal use, energy efficiency, renewables and carbon removal. It is easy to use and very informative. It shows that we have a lot of work to do to slow down or reverse climate change. Deep Descent by Kevin F. McMurray is a book that covers diving on the Andrea Doria. In the book, Kevin relays a story about an incident that took place in July 1985. During her dive to the wreck Sally Wahrmann was crashed into by another diver and was plummeted into the wreck to a depth of 250 feet and had her masked knocked off. I talked to Sally at the Boston Sea Rovers show and we had a chance to discuss the incident. It was a pleasure to chat with Sally. Check out Deep Descent.

31. Dive Flags, EN-ROADS climate solution simulator, diving the Andrea Doria

The dive shop has been closed since mid-March. As we learn to be more virtual, I recently practiced doing a remote interview. I interviewed Donna who was in our dining room while I was in my office in the basement. We used the internet to conduct the interview and talked about how she is trying to keep things going while we are closed.The National Marine Life Center is a hospital to rehabilitate marine mammals. They are located in Buzzards Bay, MA on Cape Cod, a hotspot for stranding. Their mission is to rehabilitate injured and sick marine mammals and to release them back into the wild. NMLC focuses on rehabilitation, science, and education. They have a full slate of virtual programs and offer various activities. The best time to visit the National Marine Life Center is between Memorial Day and Labor day.Diving for the Moon is from Sea Hunt season 2. It premiered on February 15, 1959. In this episode Mike is training four pilots to be astronauts. Their 6 hour mission at 60 feet is seriously impacted by a hurricane, forcing them to stay below longer than anticipated. They must battle the elements and sharks as they wait out the hurricane. Because their boat has broken from its mooring they must construct a raft from used air cylinders. This episode is almost all underwater with some really interesting elements.

The dive shop has been closed since mid-March. As we learn to be more virtual, I recently practiced doing a remote interview. I interviewed Donna who was in our dining room while I was in my office in the basement. We used the internet to conduct the interview and talked about how she is trying to keep things going while we are closed. The National Marine Life Center is a hospital to rehabilitate marine mammals. They are located in Buzzards Bay, MA on Cape Cod, a hotspot for stranding. Their mission is to rehabilitate injured and sick marine mammals and to release them back into the wild. NMLC focuses on rehabilitation, science, and education. They have a full slate of virtual programs and offer various activities. The best time to visit the National Marine Life Center is between Memorial Day and Labor day. Diving for the Moon is from Sea Hunt season 2. It premiered on February 15, 1959. In this episode Mike is training four pilots to be astronauts. Their 6 hour mission at 60 feet is seriously impacted by a hurricane, forcing them to stay below longer than anticipated. They must battle the elements and sharks as they wait out the hurricane. Because their boat has broken from its mooring they must construct a raft from used air cylinders. This episode is almost all underwater with some really interesting elements.

30. An interview with Donna, the National Marine Life Center and another edition of Sea Hunt It’s Still Alive – Diving for the Moon

In this episode we discuss dive lights, the Plastic Redesign Initiative, and Your Next Dive takes us to Turks and Caicos where we will dive with Dive Provo.If you are going to do night dives you will need a good dive light. My choice for a primary dive light is the Light and Motion Solo 800 S/F. The Solo is a hand-mounted light with a spot and flood capability. In the flood mode you will get 70 minutes of burn time with 800 lumens. If you go to the spot mode you will get 500 lumens. You can set power at ¼, ½ or full power. Other options include the Light and Motion Gobe 500, the XS Scuba LT100, or LT 350/360 micro USB. UK also has several options including the SL3 or the Mini-Q40Mk 2.The Ocean Foundation is sponsoring a project called The Redesigning Plastic Initiative. This project is in collaboration with The Plastic Pollution Coalition and The Break Free from Plastic Coalition. This project is tackling this project from a manufacturing standpoint. Consumers can only do so much with recycling. The project wants to get to production based solutions. They want to phase out products that are unnecessary and unrecyclable.Dive Provo is located on Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos. Their dive shop is in the Gracebay area and they operate three dive boats from the Turtle Cove Marina and the Caicos Marina and Shipyard. Two of the dive boats are 36 foot Newtons; the third boat is a 36 foot Jardine and Sewell. Most of the diving is wall diving starting at about 45 feet. Nitrox certainly provides an advantage. With clear warm water you'll get to do swim throughs with abundant fish life. If you stay at Ports-of-Call right next to the dive shop there is a grocery store right across the street and there are a number of places to eat that are within walking distance

In this episode we discuss dive lights, the Plastic Redesign Initiative, and Your Next Dive takes us to Turks and Caicos where we will dive with Dive Provo. If you are going to do night dives you will need a good dive light. My choice for a primary dive light is the Light and Motion Solo 800 S/F. The Solo is a hand-mounted light with a spot and flood capability. In the flood mode you will get 70 minutes of burn time with 800 lumens. If you go to the spot mode you will get 500 lumens. You can set power at ¼, ½ or full power. Other options include the Light and Motion Gobe 500, the XS Scuba LT100, or LT 350/360 micro USB. UK also has several options including the SL3 or the Mini-Q40Mk 2. The Ocean Foundation is sponsoring a project called The Redesigning Plastic Initiative. This project is in collaboration with The Plastic Pollution Coalition and The Break Free from Plastic Coalition. This project is tackling this project from a manufacturing standpoint. Consumers can only do so much with recycling. The project wants to get to production based solutions. They want to phase out products that are unnecessary and unrecyclable. Dive Provo is located on Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos. Their dive shop is in the Gracebay area and they operate three dive boats from the Turtle Cove Marina and the Caicos Marina and Shipyard. Two of the dive boats are 36 foot Newtons; the third boat is a 36 foot Jardine and Sewell. Most of the diving is wall diving starting at about 45 feet. Nitrox certainly provides an advantage. With clear warm water you'll get to do swim throughs with abundant fish life. If you stay at Ports-of-Call right next to the dive shop there is a grocery store right across the street and there are a number of places to eat that are within walking distance

29. Dive Lights, the Plastic Redesign Initiative, and Your Next Dive takes us to Turks and Caicos where we’ll dive with Dive Provo

This is a special edition of Scuba Shack Radio. We took the podcast on the road to the Boston Sea Rovers 66th International Ocean Symposium and Film Festival where we had the opportunity to connect with some old friends and meet new folks across the dive industry.I want to thank my guests – Rob Kohl -  PADI Northeast Regional Manager, Les Corkhill - Atlantis Dive Resort, Patrick Flannigan – Ocean Learning Laboratory and Immersive Experience (Ollie), and Faith Ortin – Blue Green Expedition.The show was recorded just prior to the dramatic events that have unfolded related to the COVID-19 pandemic. My hope is that this episode will give you a little reminder of what normal is like.Please stay safe.Jeff

This is a special edition of Scuba Shack Radio. We took the podcast on the road to the Boston Sea Rovers 66th International Ocean Symposium and Film Festival where we had the opportunity to connect with some old friends and meet new folks across the dive industry. I want to thank my guests – Rob Kohl -  PADI Northeast Regional Manager, Les Corkhill - Atlantis Dive Resort, Patrick Flannigan – Ocean Learning Laboratory and Immersive Experience (Ollie), and Faith Ortin – Blue Green Expedition. The show was recorded just prior to the dramatic events that have unfolded related to the COVID-19 pandemic.  My hope is that this episode will give you a little reminder of what normal is like. Please stay safe. Jeff

28. Boston Sea Rovers Special Edition

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