Scuba Shack Radio

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.