Scuba Shack Radio has wrapped up but there is more in store.Specifically - I will be launching a new podcast - Scuba Educational Alliance Ocean Podcast on September 19th, 2024.This new podcast will be dedicated to ocean health, sustainability and fostering a new generation of ocean stewards through scuba diving education.I hope that you will tune i…

The time has come to wrap up Scuba Shack Radio. After 142 episodes, I have decided to end the podcast as I look to focus on other initiatives. The podcast has been a rewarding endeavor. I have enjoyed the research, preparation and delivery of a show every two weeks over the past 5+ years. As I began season 6 earlier this year I knew that someday I …

It seems that we are using the term complacency to talk about various incidents or accidents in scuba diving. Is it really complacency or is is something else. Are divers being careless, irresponsible or reckless. As scuba divers we know the inherent risks of entering this incredible environment. So when we don't take the appropriate action to mini…

We hear the terms mastery, competency and performance when discussing scuba training, but what do these terms really mean. Let's talk a little more about these terms. How do we achieve mastery or competency? Should there be repetition standards? Are all the skills necessary for basic open water? There is a lot to think about when it comes to master…

Here is an update on my reading list for 2024.The second batch of books that I finished include: Arctic Drift - Clive and Dirk Cussler A Message from Martha - Mark Avery Built to Fail - Alan Payne Crescent Dawn - Clive and Dirk Cussler A Furious Sky - Eric Jay DolinOn my reading list for 2024 summer and beyond include: Poseidon's Arrow, Havana Stor…

Innovation, technology, and market forces can drive inflection points for business or industries. Inflection points are times of significant change and transformation is necessary for sustainability and growth. Whether it be new training models, like subscription-based learning or new products that create inventory challenges for small dive shops, …

Becoming a competent and confident diver is a progression that involves training, gear and diving. We often call these the three Es - Equipment, Education, and Experience. But just taking the next course or buying another piece of gear is not the answer. Divers need to progress with the right training with the right equipment at the right time. Wit…

How would you rate customer service across the dive industry?How do you define good customer service for a dive operator, dive shop, or dive resort?Listen to an example of very poor customer service that we recently experienced plus some examples of how we think about good customer servicePlus Wet Notes provides updates on The DIVE BOAT act The FIS…

Martha was the last of the passenger pigeon species and died on September 1, 1914. The passenger pigeon was once the most abundant bird on the planet and within a few decades this species went from billions to zero. We need to hear the message from Martha to protect the ocean species from extinction including sharks, rays and whales. Loss of habita…

In 2022, NOAA released recommendations for vessel speed restrictions in an effort to protect the North Atlantic right whale. NOAA not only expanded the area dramatically, they also expanded the vessels being covered. The new rules would restrict most vessels 35 feet or larger to 10 knots in these seasonal zones. Approval of this proposal however is…

Dive computers are powerful, reliable and an essential part of your scuba kit. There are many affordable dive computers on the market today that allow divers to fit this into their budget. Is it okay to tell divers that they don't need to use a dive computer because the dives are going to be shallow? This is not how we dive and not how we counsel o…

In this episode, I discuss why you might find it a challenge to rent scuba gear from your local dive shop. The local dive shop is a small business and as such must make investments in equipment and time to those areas of the business that keep them profitable. Renting scuba gear may not be one of those areas that generate the revenue versus the inv…

In this episode, I discuss the results of the a survey conducted by the Business of Diving Institute on training agency net promoter score. The results are a bit surprising on how various stakeholders view the numerous agencies in the scuba industry.Wet Notes news and information updates include: Challenges for aging divers A new regulator bag from…

The tipping culture is deeply embedded in the dive industry. It is critical for dive professionals around the world to make a living. But the tipping culture is a challenge for divers. There is no standard method for determining how much to tip and who to tip. Also, it seems that every place does it a little differently.Is there a better way? Liste…

Wet Notes Updates Changes at Aqualung DEMA Town Hall meetings regarding 2024 show New industry trade magazine from William Cline Latest edition of Scuba Diving Magazine New Fourth Element Arctic undergarment History of Diving Museum 2024 Immerse Yourself seriesThe first seven books on my 2024 reading list - The Underworld by Susan Casey Trojan Odys…

Season six will feature a few changes to the format.Sea Hunt It's Still Alive will be on hiatus for a while. After five years it is time to give Mike Nelson a bit of a break.Every show will also feature an update from the dive shop. In this episode I talk about some of the "fun" year-end activities.Wet Notes will continue on with news, information …

On this last episode of season five of Scuba Shack Radio I will take a look back at the very successful and very busy 2023 year at Scuba Shack. Hear about all of the training and travel that made for an incredible year.Av Jeff Cinciripino

The Sea of Tomorrow Society of Beneath the Sea is offering a number of scholarships and grants for 2024. You can apply online at www.beneaththesea.us/scholarships. The scholarships and grants will be awarded at the Beneath the Sea Show in March 2024.The Q4 2023 edition of Alert Diver from Divers Alert Network is out. Once again it is packed with in…

The Dive Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) Show took place in New Orleans November 14 - 17, 2023.The show continues to recover from the pandemic with a significant increase from the 2022 event.In this recap, I will give you some insights into the energy within our scuba industry. The show offers dive professionals the opportunity to attend…

PADI AWARE Foundation has updated the Project AWARE Specialty course to be the PADI AWARE Specialty and includes electronic learning along with a take action workshop that you complete with your PADI Instructor of dive shop.How much trash is in the ocean? Ocean Conservancy recently published a blog post - let's just say it is way too much.Fourth El…

In this episode, I will tell you all about our exciting dive trip to the Philippines where we spent an incredible 10-day visit at the Atlantis Dive Resort in Dumaguete.I will tell you about getting to the Philippines, the incredible diving in Dumaguete, our trip to Apo, our snorkeling adventure with whale sharks in Oslob, plus the absolutely amazin…

The 2023 Iceland whale hunt season is over and resulted in the deaths of 24 fin whales. The season was shortened by the Iceland government because the hunt failed to comply with Icelands Animal Welfare Act. For the record there are three countries that still hunt whales - Japan, Norway and Iceland.Whale deaths along the Northeast coasts continue to…

Scuba Diving Magazine's September/October issue is their 2023 Photo Issue. In this issue they present the 2023 winners of the Through Your Lens photo contest.The Women Divers Hall of Fame is now accepting applications for their 2024 Scholarship and Grant programs. Deadline for application is November 15, 2023 at 5 pm eastern. More info.Ocean Explor…

REEF's 2023 Discover the Sea Underwater Photo Contest is now accepting entries through September 18, 2023. There are several categories including fish portraits, macro, and more. You can check it out at www.REEF.org/photocontestThe third quarter 2023 Alert Diver Magazine from DAN arrived. This edition features Stan Waterman as the profiled diver. Y…

PADI Club recently completed their latest club trip to Belize where they had 38 divers from around the world participate. There is another trip planned for Bonaire in September. PADI Club continues to grow their benefits.A team of divers from the Musee des Ilse de la Magdalin have discovered 7 shipwrecks believed to be from the 1800s. The shipwreck…

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 i…

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 wil…

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…

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 f…

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…

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 Pa…

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 regula…

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 o…

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…

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 w…

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 …

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 …

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.…

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 ska…

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 th…

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 …

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 P…

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…

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 pro…

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 sc…

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 se…

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…

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 Le…

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…

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 Eu…