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 service Plus Wet Notes provides updates on The DIVE BOAT act The FISHES act Orca Torch ZD710 pricing and new products Scuba Diving Magazine's 10 best wetsuits Shearwater Research's new website Update on the April 3rd cave diving fatality DEMA Show registration opens

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 habitat, ocean warming, overfishing, plastic pollution and ghost gear continue to threaten our ocean creatures. Wet Notes updates us on Orca Torch ZD710 New Sola Goodman handle Lake Hydra news Q1 2024 Alert Diver Magazine Another right whale death New rules for the Endangered Species Act

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 stalled. There are too many competing interests and a large number of people are opposed to the changes. In the end the whales lose. Another calf was struck recently be a vessel and died. The North Atlantic right whale is critically endangered with less than 400 left so every death is devastating. These whales are very slow swimmers and cannot avoid the high speed vessels. Public comment on this proposal ended in October 2022. It is time to approve NOAA's recommendations. Plus Wet Notes looks at 2025 REEF trips Bizarre fish behavior in the Florida Keys New SeaLife SportDiver dome port Red Sea Liveaboard problems Secrets of the Octopus Earth Day 2024

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 our divers. In my opinion, a dive computer is as essential as any other part of your rig. Listen to hear about who is telling divers they don't need a computer. Also listen for some Wet Notes updates on: The Immerse Yourself Empress of Ireland presentation A humpback whale and calf encounter Humpback numbers are dropping SSI's new dive computer specialty Dive travel statistics Women Divers Hall of Fame Scholarship and Grant update

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 investment. Not all local dive shops are the same. Wet Notes updates include DEMA 2024 hotel block 100% PADI or not al all? Oceanic+ housing update Q4 2023 open water certification update Deep Water Horizon impacts Lake Hydra information

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 Akona An update on the Oceanic + housing and app Halcyons updated carbon-fiber BC system Clearly Cayman Resorts great customer service REEF's new logo Dr. Deep Sea de-aging

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?  Listen to hear my thoughts on the challenges of the tipping culture for dive customers. Wet Note covers Fourth Element Seeker Mask Oceanic + Dive Housing DAN's post on a challenging event The Shearwater Peregrine, Tern, Tern TX, and Teric Latest magazine releases

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 series The first seven books on my 2024 reading list - The Underworld by Susan Casey Trojan Odyssey by Clive Cussler Rocket Men by Robert Kurson Black Wind coauthored by Clive and Dirk Cussler Ocean Outbreak by Drew Harvell  Treasure of Khan also by Clive and Dirk and The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Fredrick Stonhouse

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 and product updates - in this episode learn more about The Oceanic Plus dive housing Two scuba shows here in the Northeast - Boston Sea Rovers and Beneath the Sea An accident in Kaneohe Bay A record sale for a vintage dive helmet News from the Clearly Cayman Resorts DEMA Town Halls regarding 2024 Las Vegas Show My commentary will be broken out as an individual segment - this time I talk about the need to use a dive computer (there are still folks who don't see the need).

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.

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 information including an article of diving in Connecticut plus travel options to St. Eustatius. The DAN Annual Reports for 2021 and 2022 are due to be released in 2 - 4 months. Sea turtle nests in the US are breaking records but climate change is still a major threat. Florida, North Caroline, South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia all reported increases but high tides, floods, sea level rise, hurricanes and hotter sand and water are taking a toll. PBS Nature recently premiered a new series "Spy in the Ocean". The four episodes incorporate underwater video shot by marine-life shaped animatronics puppets. Dr. Alex Brylske has a new online course - The Sustainable Dive Leader in cooperation with the Ocean First Institute. Commentary Do Black Friday and Small Business Saturday matter to small local dive shops. While many people like to go out shopping on these two days, many are content to stay home and make their purchase online. Small dive shops also face direct competition from their suppliers who offer deals at deep discounts. These deep discounts make it very challenging for your local dive shop to compete. The latest research by the Cline Group shows that there are only 851 true brick and mortar dive shops in the US. What will that number be like a year from now or maybe three years from now. I suspect it will continue to shrink. The DIVE BOAT act stands for Don’t Imperil Vessel Employees, Business Owners and Tourism. This act is in response to the Small Passenger Vessel Act (SPVA) that was passed last year as part of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. The SPVA specifically targeted dive boats both day boats and liveaboards as a result of the Conception disaster. The cruise ship industry is excluded as is the entire fishing industry. This new law removes the limits of liability from dive boats as well as allows claims to be made for up to two years. The result are astronomical increases in insurance rates. The DIVE BOAT act is a bill that tries to change the SPVA. It looks to lower the exposure limits on liveaboards to one year and for day dive boats revert back to prior limits.  Support the DIVE BOAT act by reaching out to your federal representatives.

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 training classes, various seminars and presentations, and meet with a variety of dive equipment and dive travel exhibitors. Additionally, there are numerous networking events. DEMA Show is a critical event for the scuba industry.

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 Element has released another new product - the Seeker mask. This mask has two objectives - provide a near natural field of vision and fit almost everyone. It comes in three colors Deep Blue, Gray, or Black. The single window mask comes with either a clarity or contrast option. The November issue of Scuba Diving Magazine is out and features the readers choices for diving destinations and operations. Over 13K people responded to the survey. The Emperor Echo - a liveaboard dive boat in the Red Sea recently was blown onto the reef at Fury Shoals where it suffered irreparable damage to the hull. Fortunately everyone was evacuated safely. Commentary On our recent trip to the Philippines, I witnessed just how bad and big of a problem trash entering the ocean can be. Overnight, the water right in front of the resort was inundated with an incredible amount of trash. This happened because of heavy rains in the mountains that washed the trash into the river that dumped all this disgusting debris right in front of our hotel. The next day it was gone. It wasn't cleaned up - it just moved. Unfortunately, this is not isolated to this area - it is something that happens world-wide. While it seems to be an insurmountable problem, we can take small steps by ensuring that we manage our own waste responsibly. Man Overboard was the final episode of season 3 of Sea Hunt. In this episode, Mike is called to search for a man overboard from a pleasure craft - the Sea Dragon. Gwen Hardy's husband has gone missing and her sister Lola and Gwen's friend Lee Bottom tell us he went over the side. Mike cannot find him even though the area is easy to search. Mike is then hired by an insurance investigator - George Emerson, to investigate the missing person. This episode has it all - a big spear gun, underwater chase, an underwater fight, man-eating vines and an improvised snorkel made from Mike's double hose regulator. Mike saves the insurance company a cool quarter million dollars - a lot of money in 1960.

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 amazing service provided by the staff at Atlantis. At Atlantis you most certainly "Arrive as a guest and leave as family".

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 rise. The numbers keep going up. There are a number of obvious reasons like vessel strikes and entanglement but there are also the impacts of climate change and plastic pollution. The Oceanic + Dive Housing is set to be released. This housing will turn your iPhone into a combination underwater camera and fully functioning dive computer. The Oceanic + app is needed and you can license the app for $10 per month or $80 per year. This is something of a game changer. Orca Torch has a new underwater video light - the D710V. This is an affordable yet powerful light with a top end of 2000 lumens on the brightest white light setting. You can also dial it down to 600 lumens, plus you also get a red light and to top it off there is a UV light. DEMA Show 2023 in New Orleans is just around the corner and I will be doing a presentation at the show on new diver motivation. If you are at the show, come by on Tuesday November 14 at 3 PM. Commentary The Faroe Islands are a small group of islands halfway between Scotland and Iceland and they have a grizzly ritual of killing pilot whales and dolphins. This ritual killing is called grindagrap. The whales and dolphins are headed into shallow bays where they are hooked, pulled ashore and slaughtered. Many organizations now indicated that this practice is not sustainable, not humane and no longer culturally integral. 69% of Faroe Island residence oppose the grindagrap while only 7% strongly support it. Traditions and rituals are important however, when we understand the impacts or gain knowledge, it should be time to end those rituals. Group dive travel is a pillar of the local dive shops business model. We train people how to dive, ensure they are properly equipped to scuba and then take them diving, normally to some very cool dive destinations. Here are the main reasons you should consider group dive travel with your local dive shop Convenience Experience Camaraderie Memories

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 Explorer Trust had released footage from the EV Nautilus expedition where they surveyed three historic WW II aircraft carrier wrecks from the Battle of Midway. Three videos from the exploration of the Japanese carriers Akagi and Kagi along with a video of the USS Yorktown are on the EV Nautilus YouTube Channel. Here are the latest firmware updates for Shearwater dive computers. Peregrine - V86, Perdix and Perdix AI - V93, Perdix 2 - V95 and the Teric - V23 Commentary Earlier this month we had another local dive shop close here in Connecticut. While there are a number of reasons why this shop closed there is one element that we cannot ignore. Many local dive shop owners are getting older and there will come a time when these dive shop owners will retire. What then? There are two options - find another, younger owner to take over or close the shop. With so many headwinds, running a full service local dive center is complicated. Will the local dive shop model evolve from the high flow business of the 1980s and 90s? Only time will tell. The 2020 Divers Alert Network Annual Diving Report provides information from 2018 on diving related fatalities, injuries as well as information on equipment failures. The report is 92 pages and broken down into five sections and five appendices. DAN started this report in 1988 and plans to release the next Annual Diving Report before the end of 2023. If you are a DAN member you can download a copy and then share it with your dive buddies.

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/photocontest The third quarter 2023 Alert Diver Magazine from DAN arrived. This edition features Stan Waterman as the  profiled diver. You can also learn about diving in San Diego, Lembah, Palau and Turks and Caicos. Check out the DAN was there for me section for another story of why DAN membership is so valuable. The Toronto Star newspaper had an article "New government rules spell end for Nova Scotia's distinctive shark fishing derbies". After 30 years, Fisheries and Oceans Canada has decided these tournaments no longer serve any scientific purpose and will only issue licenses under certain conditions. Turns out the tournaments aren't able to meet those conditions. NASA's Climate Change Newsletter reported that according to the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, July 2023 was the hottest month on record since 1880. Still think climate change is a hoax? Commentary Being prepared as a diver is critical. Two stories demonstrate the need to be prepared. These two stories had positive outcomes but could have easily been very different. First, there were four divers rescued 50 miles off the coast of North Carolina. They got caught in a current and couldn't make it to the boat. Fortunately, one of the divers had a strobe that was spotted by a Coast Guard plane. They were ultimately picked up by a Navy destroyer. But what happened to their boat. Did they have anyone onboard? Being 50 miles offshore takes more preparation and perhaps they should have also taken a portable GPS in the water with them - especially if they didn't have anyone onboard while diving. Then there is the story of a diver in Florida being rescued by two off duty police officers who were out fishing. They saw a diver flopping his arms in the water and they thought it was a bird. Turns out, the diver also got caught in a current and was pushed two miles from his boat. There was someone on the boat but couldn't spot their missing diver because of the swell. I don't think this diver had an SMB and it sounds like they were diving alone. Also, did the person on the boat, know how to effect a rescue. In this episode of Sea Hunt - Base of Operations - Mike is testing out a new underwater platform for sustained diving operations when he encounters two well-known underwater photographers who want him to help them with a deep dive to a wreck. When Mike refuses to help them, they decide to practice their deep diving alone. They get in trouble with nitrogen narcosis and decompression sickness. Mike must first fight the narc'd diver and then take the other one down to his Base of Operations for in-water recompression. Mike pulls out all of his tricks to save the diver.

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 shipwrecks are off the Magdalin Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. REEF is holding their 14th annual REEF Florida Keys Lionfish Derby and Festival - September 7 through September 10. The hunt happens on September 8 and 9. The festival concludes on Sunday September 10 at the Postcard Inn on Islamorada. United is adding more direct flights from Newark to Bonaire starting January 2024. There will be two more flights added each week. In addition to their Saturday flight, they will also add a Sunday flight and a Wednesday flight. The flights will run through April 2024. Maui needs visitors. In the wake of the devastating wildfires, people were asked not to head out to the island, but now, the island which is so dependent on tourism, needs visitors. While West Maui is closed, there is still plenty of other locations on the island to enjoy this magical island. Commentary- In my opinion - climate change is NOT a hoax. We have seen record high temperatures, the hottest month on record and the hottest single day in recorded history. We have seen incredible wildfire destruction, storms hitting areas that are not prone to these conditions and water temperatures in Florida closing in on 100 degrees. We cannot deny the evidence. It is like ignoring a serious medical condition like cancer - it doesn't cure itself. We have the information, knowledge and expertise to battle the climate change issue but do we have the sustained leadership to meet the challenge. We cannot change our direction every four years on this one. New divers often ask about what is next after gaining their open water certification. First and foremost, my advice is to tell them to get out and go diving. That isn't always easy or practical for some. They still want the guidance of dive professionals until they gain their confidence and become better scuba divers. So here are my three steps for new scuba divers. Become a certified Enriched Air Nitrox diver. By diving with enriched air, you are not only gaining longer no decompression limits, it becomes part of your risk mitigation strategy. Less nitrogen being absorbed in your tissue is a good thing. Your advantage is extended when doing repetitive dives Get more training on buoyancy, control and propulsion. There are number of ways to do this. Training agencies have specific classes on buoyancy. This provides valuable experience. Also, some dive shops have specialized classes to give people this training. You can even get one-on-one private lessons with a dive professional. You are now ready for the rigors of Advanced Open Water certification. With Nitrox and buoyancy, you are better prepared for the task loading of navigation, and deep along with other things like search and recovery, or delayed SMB deployment. By completing steps one and two, you will get a lot more out of your advanced training.

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.

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.