Scuba Shack Radio

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.com

If you are looking to learn more about diving here in New England, check out the expanded website from Maura Keane - iDiveNewEngland.com

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Coral Restoration Foundation's Coralpalooza 2023 is set for June. You can get a jump on early registration by signing up on their website.

Did you know that there are four grades of oxygen. Listen for a brief update on O2 grades.

Oceana has had some big wins in 2022. Here are a few quick updates.

The Nation's Attic next vintage dive gear auction is set for December 10, 2022. There are some interesting old helmets on the list along with a great vintage Rolex.

If you are an underwater photographer, you can enter the Underwater Photographer of the Year 2023 competition. underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com

Clearly Cayman and Reef Divers Resorts have announced that they have sold Cobalt Coast on Grand Cayman. This sale will allow them to reinvest in their other three properties on Little Cayman, Cayman Brac and Turks and Caicos.

Sea Hunt It's Still Alive takes us to season 3, episode 1 - Asylum (also known as Canal Escape). Mike's mission is to rescue a freedom fighter from a small island embassy off the coast of South America. He must navigate a heavily guarded canal system, reach the embassy, teach the freedom fighter how to dive and make his canal escape.

The Emperor penguin is now on the US endangered species list due to habitat loss and could be extinct by 2100 if we don't curb greenhouse gas.

According to the latest statistics from DEMA - new diver certifications for Q3 2022 are down by about 4.8% from Q3 2023 and the trend continues to go down.

There was a new shipwreck discovered in Lake Superior. The whaleback barge 129 was found off Whitefish Point in about 650 feet of water.

Coral reefs can recover if they are properly protected. Kiribati has protected their reefs and they have been able to regenerate.

The REEF trip to the Caymans in May 2023 has changed location. Originally planned for Cobalt Coast on Grand Cayman, the trip has relocated to Cayman Brac.

The Scuba Educational Alliance of Connecticut (SEACT) has obtained 501(c)(3) status as a non-profit corporation. You can make tax-deductible donations at seact.org

The Dive Equipment and Marketing Association - DEMA Show 2022 ran from November 1 - 4, 2022. This year's show was certainly a bounce back show with about 50% more exhibitors and attendees than 2021. Listen for my take on the show. It was a jam packed four days with so much to do and learn.

Halycon now has a new color to customize your wing - Tie Dye. You can check it out on their website.

Divers Alert Network is having the DAN Party at the DEMA Show this year. It will be on Tuesday November 1 at 6:30 at the Rosen Center.

Erik Petkovic on M/V Explorer recently found a World War I German U-boat off the coast of Virginia.

The Travel and Leisure Show is introducing a Dive and Water Sports Pavilion at all of their shows.

How do sponges get rid of mucus? The sneeze.

Atlantis Dive Resorts and Liveaboards have some interesting programs to help you dive with a purpose.

Our week of diving at Little Cayman Beach Resort is in the books. It was an absolutely amazing dive trip. Because of the size of our group, we had two boats with Reef Divers - Paradise Diver and Island Diver. The resort, diving and dinning is top-notch. Every time we run this trip, it sells out. Listen for my recap on our week on Little Cayman.

The PADI Club trip to Key Largo in Florida was a great success with about 30 divers making three great stops in Key Largo, Islamorada, and Key West.

The Florida Keys Tourism Council has put out a new video - "Dive Safely in the Florida Keys featuring Steven Frink and Dan Dawson.

There is a new dive operator in South Maui - Island Style Diving. Javier and Christina Cantellops have purchased Mike Severns Diving and the boat Pilikai.

Where is the dive industry going. One report tells us that equipment sales is expected to grow over the next three years but at the same time another report shows that diver participation is dropping as compared to other outdoor water sports.

The Boston Sea Rovers 68th Annual Clinic was held on October 1 and 2, 2022. The pre-clinic workshops started on Friday September 30 along with an exhibitor appreciation cocktail party, the Boston Sea Rovers Intern benefit dinner and the speakers cocktail party.

Saturday and Sunday featured two full days of seminars covering shipwrecks, maritime history, exotic places, sharks and underwater photography. The exhibit floor featured a range of destinations, training agencies and equipment vendors.

The main event is the Saturday night film festival. This year Chuck Davis served as the master of ceremonies and was also named the Boston Sea Rovers Diver of the Year. The award was presented by Brian Skerry and Bob Ballard who zoomed into the film festival from the research vessel, M/V Nautilus somewhere in the Pacific. Also featured in the film festival were Joel Penner, Jim and Pat Stayer, Keith Ellenbogen and Tara Roberts. Chuck also presented a tribute to one of his mentors, Ernie Brooks.

The Boston Sea Rovers is switching back to its traditional March timeframe in 2024. The plan is to have a film festival in 2023 to keep the streak going at 69 and then in 2024 the show will pick back up with the 70th anniversary.

The Beaufort Gyre is a whirlpool in the Arctic that stores fresh water, sea ice and heat as it rotates. Every five to ten years the current changes direction and releases this sea ice and fresh water into the North Atlantic. There is an issue. It hasn't reversed in over twenty years. When it finally does release, there will be greater impacts to Europe and the North Atlantic fisheries.

NOAA's Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Blueprint calls for the elimination of shark feeding. This ban does not impact those who chum for catching sharks. DEMA opposes this ban.

Lake Hydra (the rebranded Dutch Springs in Bethlehem, PA) has release more information on diving at the Lake Hydra. You will only be able to dive there with a dive professional that is insured. The plan is to open in April 2023 and more details about their reservation system will be release later.

According to an article in Hakai Magazine by Jea Morris, beach showers are sending a flood of harmful contaminates into the ocean. These showers are not connected to municipal sewers and dump all of their runoff into the sea.

At the upcoming DEMA Show, Tec Clark is moderating a panel discussion on the Power of Podcasting as it is related to the dive industry. I have been asked by Tec to be part of his panel.

Sea Hunt's 1959 second season ended with the episode titled - The Raft. In this episode, Mike is called to blow up a wreck that is containing high explosive that propose a significant danger. Mike must find the highly volatile explosives, secure them, and finally detonate them. Mike dives doubles and then needs to free dive into the wreck to complete his mission. But danger abounds as he tries to escape the ultimate explosion.