The Scuba Diving Podcast

Returning for Season 2, Captain Michael Nastasio takes us out on his charter boat and yup… he put us right on top of the famous “Black Gold” which is shark teeth slang for “Megs” which is (yet another) shark tooth hunter buzzword for Megalodon Teeth. Capt. Michael lives and breathes this every single day the weather lets him, and so far has never returned to shore without a MEG. He explains the tr...

Michael Kest and Kenny Dyal talk about the stigma, perceptions, and thrill out there of diving deeper. They share common conversations found amongst the dive world about depth, and even a bizarrely ill-advised business practice regarding Nitrox on a dive boat. NOTE: This is merely a conversation about “Recreational Diving”, but does not get into “Tech Diving” limits which go well beyond Recreation...

Emily Morrison (better known as “Shark Lady Emily”) is the literal embodiment of pure shark enthusiasm. Many of her tattoos were inspired or literally drawn by real encounters, even showing the hooks removed from her conservation and rescue initiatives. With her large online following (especially on TikTok LIVE) she educates AND entertains anyone with a love and interesting in sharks. Emily goes i...

I hope you enjoy this TWOFER interview, covering two topics that are both singular yet somehow connected: Shawn Chadwick is an independent scuba instructor that teaches privately, as well as for a local dive shop in Venice, FL. We discuss the mutually beneficial dynamic of that relationship, plus an added bonus of being able to teach in TWO different agencies (NAUI and PADI) Shawn talks about find...

Madalen Howard of Coral Restoration Foundation™ explains the entire process of massive scale coral reef restoration. She breaks down how CRF™ utilizes corals’ ability to asexually reproduce to raise thousands of reef-ready corals in offshore Coral Tree™ nurseries, and how volunteers, staff, and interns have made this work possible. Because of divers like you CRF™ has returned over 215,000 endanger...

Mike describes a situation that really happened when he was working a boat as a Divemaster. Not only did another diver nearly drown well beyond 100 feet deep, but the simple cause might surprise you. Mike walks us through the dive start-to-finish, plus we discuss and pinpoint where things went wrong leading up to the near-death situation. A lesson we can all take with us to make our diving that mu...

Rebecca Ziegler (Becca) explains what it's like out there in the dating world for scuba divers. Not only does she share an actual exchange with a non-certified diver (that dives), but also how she learned to dive with her dad when she was young.  Becca is a professional diver with experience ranging from leading West Coast USA shore diving, commercial diving, to working as a Divemaster for a...

If you've ever wondered how divers make the Reef Smart guides (the plastic cards that show wrecks, reefs, dive sites, etc.), CEO Peter McDougall tells us how it's done. They make the books, giant slates that are used by many dive charters and Divemasters on famous dive sites, and they even make 3D models, soon to offer something new to resorts, their Guests, and famous dive locations around the wo...

FACT: Deaf scuba divers have a superpower underwater with sign language. The ability to freely communicate in full conversation not only makes them proficient divers, but faster learners. Thomas Koch of Aqua Hands explains how learning is accelerated in the scuba certification course, buoyancy control comes quicker, and other benefits of sign language. Thomas teaches open water scuba courses up th...

Sheriff Dive Team Forensic Diver Tommy Keisler opens up about his passion for metal detecting, history, artifacts, and diving in less than desirable locations. Tommy has been featured several times by news and local museums for historical finds, including a lost WW2 plane wreck that was located using sonar in the St. John's River (Northeast Florida). Another notable find was a George Washington in...

Kenny and Mike talk about the "little things" . In almost every case of scuba related accidents, incidents or any other issues, the big things are usually caused by the little things that slowly built up to a disaster. Mike talks about a big scare he had with a scuba instructor that almost drowned, and what led up to the event. They talk about other common issues and situations that accumulate and...

Kenny and Mike have a conversation on the early impression of the Apple Watch Ultra. This perspective is through the lens of dive professionals using current computer watches, and how Apple's dive computer app might be received by the diving world. This is the first of probably a handful of breakdowns, as things will absolutely change with the final rollout of the Oceanic App. They'll also revisit...

Kenny and Mike grab lunch at a local taco shop to discuss scuba diving fins. We take a deep dive into the Atomic Split fins vs Mares, Scubapro Seawing Nova, and Jet Fins, with real word testing, use, and objective discussion. The actual, real, correct answer comes in at the very end. Michael Kest is a jury trial attorney with his own practice, an active dive instructor with experience that ranges...

Kenny Dyal and Michael Kest discuss & debate checkout dive locations for new scuba diver certifications. Should offshore boat dives be mandated or maybe even be a separate certification?  Should the certification focus more on getting comfortable instead of where it is (aka, not romanticizing the location).  Michael Kest is a jury trial attorney with his own practice, an active dive...

Kenny Dyal interviews Daniel Cox, who recently purchased Fantasy Lake Rock Quarry near Raleigh, North Carolina.  As the new owners, Daniel and his family are working hard to renovate and transform the rock quarry into a scuba diving paradise. This lake has a wild assortment of underwater attractions like sunken airplanes, a bus, platforms for training, freaky doll heads, cars, an old rock cru...

Kenny Dyal and Michael Kest debate and discuss the relevance of dive buddies. Red flags when doing a first dive with someone, ways to navigate around a not-so-ideal dive buddy, and where to draw the line. The topic of whether or not a dive buddy can actually help is also discussed in depth.  Michael Kest is a jury trial attorney with his own practice, an active dive instructor with experience...

Senior Dolphin Trainer Rachel Hudon sits down with Kenny Dyal in Atlanta, GA to discuss all things working with dolphin. She discusses what it's like physically working with marine mammals, doings shows, the competitive nature of the industry, and how to actually land that job. She lays out specific steps to get hired as a dolphin trainer, talks about other similar species you can work with, and c...

Olive the Alchemist is a well-know Mermaid Instructor, founder of the Seattle Mermaid School, professional performer, & former Face Character at Disney World (lOve was REALLY good friends with Ariel the Little Mermaid. Olive tells us their backstory, what it takes to become a successful character performer, along with some truly helpful tips to become a real life mermaid.  Interviewed by Kenny...

James Carbary of Sweetfish Media interviews Kenny Dyal on dive training, dive business, why he loves it, and what happens next.  Ken started a dive shop from scratch, built it to success, and sold it less than 5 years later, all before turning 35. He now hosts The Scuba Diving Podcast and Channel interview show & produces Down to 60 video series through the creation of Sweetwater Scuba, a dive...

From shark diving to stormy weather, Captain Tony sees it all in the very busy West Palm Beach offshore dive scene.   He shares how to keep calm, keep an eagle eye out, and still enjoy it and have a blast amidst all the responsibility.  From full charters to hosting Shark Week two years in a row and counting, his boats are popular, busy, and always getting wet. Tony shares all, and also what he do...

Suzie not only runs an operation that has more women than men, she runs one of the largest in the Tampa Bay Area.  She also organizes and runs Training Workshops and Instructor programs for aspiring new instructors and boat captains. Suzie has so much to teach us about teamwork, hard work and organization, not to mention diving the Gulf of Mexico!  A great interview on deck of one of her own dive...

Barry talks about his prior career managing not one, but THREE dive shops, a handful of pools, and what the recipe for success looks like. He also shares his thoughts on what makes a great dive shop and great instructor, vs one likely to fail. Barry has since retired from that world, but still stays active in sports, ice fishing, and running the dive operations and Guest dive programs at Walt Disn...

Todd has visited over 800 dive shops while repping for DAN (Diver's Alert Network), and runs a shop himself. He also hosts many local Instructors at his PADI Instructor Training Facility for IDCs. Todd has also worked extensively mapping local dive sites for published dive guides and Reef Cards.  Which of course means he gives us some GREAT insight on diving the lesser-known Panhandle of Florida.

Mitch Hall owns and operates a Hyperbaric Chamber facility, and sits down to share some stories about what really goes on in those things.  I was SHOCKED to learn of some uses I would have never imagined. Not only for commercial dive operations, but for medical treatments the recompression chambers are used for that has NOTHING to do with diving.  

Tracy has kept a full-service dive shop flourishing and expanding since its inception over 20 years ago. He shares the secrets and tips to coming into an existing shop and growing it, teaching TECH, business techiques, how to form relationships in the community, and what he still looks forward to to this day.