The Scuba Diving Podcast

Interview with Dr. Dawn Kernagis discussing living on the ocean floor in an undersea habitat. Here we primarily discuss her NEEMO missions in previous habitats, with the new DEEP Vanguard being shown. It will be deployed fall 2026.• Organization: DEEP.• Location: Tennessee Reef, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.• Features: Dive center with moonpool entry/exit for scuba, rebreather, and hard-hat diving,reconfigurable living chamber with bunks for four and communal lounge area, safety refuges,emergency power, and breathing gas.• Supporting infrastructure: Shore-based command center, watch desk, decompression chamber,mission support vessels, and facilities for habitat diver training.• Inhabitants: Crews of up to four aquanauts, living and working underwater for five+ days at a time.• Mission types: Marine science research, coral reef restoration, long-term monitoring, climate impactstudies, human performance research, and training for extreme environments.• Total installation weight of foundation, ballast, and habitat: 465 tons.• Structure footprint (including foundation): 14 meters (46 ft) x 12 meters (39 ft).• Liveable area of the habitat: 10.7 meters (35 ft) long x 2.5 meters (8 ft) wide.• Ocean floor installation depth: 17 meters (56 ft).• Habitat living pressure depth: 13 meters (43 ft).• Partners: DEEP’s partners on the Vanguard project include Unique Group, Bastion Technologies, TritonSubmarines, and Resolve Marine.On its mission to make humans aquatic, ocean engineering firm, DEEP, is developing subsea habitats, systems, and training to enable a continuous human presence in the ocean. Vanguard, its prototype habitat, is the first step in a long-term infrastructure program. Next comes Sentinel – a modular habitat system designed for scale.www.deep.comKenny Dyal is the host of The Scuba Diving Podcast.

After reading a highly compelling blog by Independent Scuba Instructor Taylor Schott, I had to have her as a Guest on the show. We’ve seen this argument before, but not so eloquently explained. In fact, her blog was so well-written that I tracked her down and actually convinced her to come talk to me about it. The pros and cons are laid out in an unbiased, friendly way, and nobody is being “put down” or lambasted for having a different opinion than Taylor. That vibe (and temperament) is something we need more of in the dive industry, and it was absolutely refreshing to know this is the future of scuba diving.Not only did she explain it in a convincing way from a training aspect, but also from the oft-neglected business perspective as well. She just makes a lot of sense.She’s a well-trained scuba instructor, cave diver, and freediver, with her own independent training company called “Schottsie’s Scuba”. She teaches private open water scuba lessons, and beyond.A direct link to her blog can be found here: https://www.schottsiesscuba.com/post/bcd-s-backplate-wing-vs-jacket-style Website: https://www.schottsiesscuba.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scubaschottInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/schottsies_scuba/—Kenny Dyal is the host of The Scuba Diving Podcast:TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kenny_dyalInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetwater_scubaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/realkennydyalLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kennydyalX: https://twitter.com/RealKennyDyalwww.sweetwaterscuba.com

The Sweetwater crew ran into Crosskix VP Mike Beverly, and decided this was worth the interview. His company makes a washable, high-end shoe that works in water AND in your dive fins. It keeps debris out, can be hosed down, and drains in an almost entertaining way. These are THE shoes used by major cruise lines like Norwegian and Carnival, waterpark and resort staff, and even Universal Studios.  Mike let us ransack his booth, took the time to walk us through the details, and might have even bought us beers while we walked the showroom floor. This is a game changer for those warm water divers walking beaches, gravel, jetties, and just long distances to their dive sites, no booties needed!   Website: https://crosskix.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Crosskix/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crosskix/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIoApsghcrVqFrpjt7m7vA TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@crosskix — Kenny Dyal is the host of The Scuba Diving Podcast: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kenny_dyal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetwater_scuba Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realkennydyal LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kennydyal Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealKennyDyal www.sweetwaterscuba.com

Autumn Blum started Stream2Sea in 2015, in rural Florida. Her factory opened in 2019, just before the pandemic. She almost lost her business due to the sudden halt of orders from cruise lines and recreation, but found a creative way to save her business, and grew it even bigger (the full story is toward the end of the interview, so make sure to stick around for the epic solution! HINT: Orange peels) Stream2Sea is now the gold standard of eco-minded (and healthy) sunblock and skin products in stores, ranging from Whole Foods to the most reputable scuba dive shops around the world. It was even endorsed by Richard Branson! As an avid scuba diver -and Cosmetic Chemist- Autumn witnessed first-hand the effects of toxic sunblock (including mask anti fog and baby shampoo). She decided to do something about it. She created the only mineral based sunscreen on the planet that’s been tested and proven safe for freshwater fish, saltwater fish, and coral larvae, and has passed the stringent HEL Labs Protect Land + Sea certification. Autumn takes what she does seriously, works hard, and as an absolute cherry on top, gave our crew an enthusiastic tour of the factory. She partners with organizations like 4Ocean, has gone before the Senate, and is active in conservation efforts. Finally, we found her company because we actually USE her mask defog on the daily at our other various jobs, and while leading and teaching scuba divers.   Website: https://stream2sea.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stream2sea Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stream2sea/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Stream2Sea — Kenny Dyal is the host of The Scuba Diving Podcast: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kenny_dyal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetwater_scuba Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realkennydyal LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kennydyal Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealKennyDyal www.sweetwaterscuba.com

Yasmin talks about artistic inspiration for everyone’s favorite underwater art! Fin Pin Shop is officially the center of the universe at every trade show (Shark Con and DEMA to name a few) and of course they’re in popular dive shops and ocean-themed gift shops from sea to shining sea! This isn’t just a scuba diver wonderland of art and trinkets, Fin Pin is made and supported by Marine Biologists (like Yasmin and Jaclyn), conservationists and artists. They have a massive online and social media presence, donate to a MULTITUDE of wildlife and aquarium charities, plus use smart and sustainable packaging and materials! How does one dominate an industry with pins, stickers, and other fun goodies? Yasmin Greene walks me through the artistic process, hurdles and excitement of dominating what many would consider a niche business, and a crowded market. Yasmin runs Fin Pin along with her “partner-in-crime” Jaclyn (interview a few episodes back S3 Episode 11)  They combined forces, producing a constant flow of ocean-themed fun (oh, and of course plenty of Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou themed merch to go around!) Probably my favorite part of the interview was her explaining their soft spot for the “underdog” species’ (like the Batfish and Blobfish!) and even use a Mola Mola fish as their main logo. If you can turn the Batfish and Horshoe Crab into fun… I think you may have something there. This interview is sure to impress and entertain any ocean, marine or aquatic enthusiast. Yasmin has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Tampa in Marine Biology, a Master’s degree from Drexel University in Environmental Science, and an MBA from Florida International University. She loves Manta Rays, cats, frog fish, and churning out puns. Website: https://finpinshop.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/finpinshop Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finpinshop/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/finpinshop LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaclyn-gerakios/ — Kenny Dyal is the host of The Scuba Diving Podcast: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kenny_dyal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetwater_scuba Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realkennydyal LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kennydyal Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealKennyDyal www.sweetwaterscuba.com