The Scuba Diving Podcast

• 111 | Pro Divers answer HOT BUTTON questions from the Scuba Diving world | Q&A with some controversial (and fun) questions | At Scuba Show 2025

  I had way too much fun asking these renowned professional divers their opinions on some of those hot-button scuba diving topics.Everyone was such a sport about this and went for it, even when they knew these were controversial in some circles. It’s also funny how different some of these opinions can vary from one diver to the next.This took place at the 2025 Scuba Show in Long Beach, CA out on the showroom floor.The Questions:Is it OK to pee in your wetsuit?What is the scariest animal for a scuba diver to encounter underwater? Triggerfish has been removed as an option since it is obviousWhat was the most beneficial scuba course taken, after completing their Open Water scuba certification?Should Scuba Certification have some kind of expiration date?Jacket style BC, Back Inflate BC, or Backplate and Wing?How do you keep your dive mask from fogging up?What one thing should be in every scuba diver’s save-a-dive kit?Do divers prefer clear mask skirts or opaque (black or solid color)?Guests answering these questions include:Sarah Miller (Azul Unlimited)Steve Jamroz of Divers Alert Network / D.A.N.Dan Orr, Hall of Famer and renowned legend in diving.Greg Holt, host of Scuba RadioMyles Schwartz, host of Free Descent PodcastJared Berg, owner and founder of NEX Underwater ProductsAlexis Jabbour, founder and CEO of Buddy App and Book with BuddyBrian Benton, owner of Dive OahuEd Rasmussen, NAVY SEAL and Scubapro repMorgan Oughton and RJ, founders of Spacefish ArmyTherese Napier of Amoray Dive Resort in Key Largo, FLJason Leggatt, CEO of Shearwater Research.Cliff Richardson, who was Director of NAUI, but is not the CEO of Divers Alert Network (DAN)And Red Sullivan, who wanted to be there but couldn’t make it.Special thanks to everyone who answered these questions, and the staff and crew of Scuba Show for your continued support!–Kenny Dyal is the host of The Scuba Diving Podcast:www.sweetwaterscuba.com

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• 110 | Is scuba gear really "Life Support" equipment? | Hot take with legendary Frank Degnan

  Most divers (including me) have been calling scuba gear “Life Support” equipment since the beginning. However, when considering redundancies, dive buddies, and proper SESA (Simulated Emergency Swimming Ascents), is our life truly dependent on this gear. And if so, is it truly life support, whereas if the gear fails we die?After a deep dive into this term we’ve all been using since the dawn of scuba diving, I believe Frank Degnan has a great point.Frank has been a scuba instructor for over 40 years, former Dive Safety Officer at Universities, is active with three agencies (PADI, NAUI, and one other). And even holds the title of Course Director Trainer with NAUI. He has won awards, teaches adaptive curriculum, and remains active in his local diving community. This is a well-articulated approach to recreational scuba diving and labeling gear “Life Support”. It’s also a bit of a wake up call for how we train scuba divers and students how to properly execute Emergency Swimming Ascents, as well as knowing when it’s time for a redundancy system (such as a pony bottle, etc.)I ran into Frank by happenstance while visiting the NEX Underwater Products warehouse in Monterey Bay, CA. This was neither scripted or planned, but we were already shooting content with the camera and mics when he walked in. His articulation of this topic stopped me in my tracks, and he was kind enough to let me record our conversation in virtually real time. –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

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• 109 | From Cop to Dive Boat Captain | How this retired cop found happiness in island life 🛥️🐠🤿

  Captain Kevin was an extraordinarily laid back boat captain. He kept the boat fun, safe, and even sang Disney songs when underway. Not to mention, the Gilligan's Island theme song.I ask him why they have such a good time, incredible enthusiasm, and retention in their mates, Divemasters, and other employees. He also lets us in on how they stay so friendly with their Guests in occasionally high stress situations, and what ultimately led him to this job.Finally, Captain Kevin was a police officer who went on dive vacations to escape the stress, and ultimately ended up doing that very thing he loves in retirement. He moved down to Key Largo after 20 years of stressful work, and took up a new career as a boat captain (and a father).Look for Captain Kevin along with Captain G, and several other great Captains and Crew at the Amoray Dive Resort in Key Largo, FL, “the dive capital of the world”. Amoray offered my viewers a 25% discount when staying with them. I’ve copy/pasted it below:sweetwater25https://www.amoray.com/104250 Overseas HighwayKey Largo, FL 33037Reservations: 800-426-6729Phone: [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/amoraydiveresort/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amoraydiveresort–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

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• 108 | I visited the Best-reviewed Dive Resort in the Dive Capital of the World | In Key Largo, FL 🤿

  Amoray Dive Resort is considered the only true dive resort in the continental US, with it’s dedicated dive boat literally outside the door of some of the hotel rooms.I fell in love with this dive resort last year when I visited, so I returned a year later to interview the rest of their staff.With a fully staffed dive shop on site, gear, and even a filling station, it makes diving easy.I was asked so many times if this was “Amy Slate’s place?” that I thought it was important to show the renovated room interiors, and how well-kept the place was. They retained the old Keys charm, but upgraded the interior where it counts.The boat is ideal for easy, family-oriented diving that caters to newbies, snorkelers, and shallow scuba diving. But don’t be fooled, some of the best variety of shipwrecks are in the Keys and the Spiegel Grove is just offshore Key Largo, and Amoray does do dedicated trips for Advanced Divers.They offer scuba certification, dive guides, rental gear, and apparently are expanding into a live aboard catamaran option (I’ll have more details on that when I return in December for the boat parade!). I should also mention they let you take bicycles and snorkel gear offsite to places like John Pennekamp State Park, and even have SUP, Kayak, Jet Skis on site. They also do magical sunset cruises, which IMHO is one of the crown jewels of the Florida Keys.But the thing that intrigued me the most about this resort was actually the staff. Just like my last interview with the owner of the dive resort (Jeff Gneiser), I am fascinated with how they can keep the vibe going with the resort AND boat staff, and this time after even more time had passed. So many places lack customer service and experience staff burnout in this industry, yet this place seemed to be the contrary.The staff seemed happy, the boat captain and mates literally sang and danced on the way back in from the dive, and everyone was in a great mood every time I spoke with them, and were actually helpful. If you just want a comfy place to stay with a genuine Keys vibe, easy diving or snorkeling, and close to the major attractions, Amoray Dive Resort is it.PS: They offered me a discount code for listeners:sweetwater25*I’m still working on that on-site Tiki Bar 🧉🏝️104250 Overseas HighwayKey Largo, FL 33037Reservations: 800-426-6729Phone: [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/amoraydiveresort/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amoraydiveresort–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

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• 107 | My first hand experience in the NEW scuba system that is shaking up the dive industry forever

  After the wildly popular interview with the inventor of Avelo, I had to go and actually take this thing in the water for some real diving. My wife Katie and I tested the new Avelo Dive System and could not believe it. From a lighter walk down to the water (and less grunting during suit-up), to a natural, cleaner, and more streamlined dive, it was definitely an upgrade in the overall diving experience.It did require a readjustment in the whole experience, but once we did it was one step backward, ten steps forward.I was able to actually go and dive the Avelo system myself and take the Specialty course (the RAD class as it’s been dubbed), and experienced the equipment first hand. It became apparent that this was not only a more enjoyable dive experience, but the instructor in me could not help but notice the safety improvements across the board. As any seasoned instructor knows, a student that bolts or suddenly drops down uncontrolled is a constant task, and in this system it’s virtually eliminated.Instructors and Divemasters also know that the bulk of the injuries we deal with are smashed fingers and toes from weights and tanks, bad knees and backs, and just the lugging gear to and fro cause a lot of trouble. Not to mention the hassle of sizing and weighting people in BCs they’ve never used -also fixed. There were more little perks the more we dug in.While I am unabashedly a big fan of this, and I believe it is substantially superior to standard recreational scuba gear, here are the drawbacks I found:1) Having to take an additional Specialty Course beyond the Open Water Scuba Certification. While the class is a simple, one-day course and we actually thought it was fun and easy, it does create a barrier. In an already-small industry, this puts Avelo in a position that makes it impossible to grow beyond existing scuba certifications. People that would otherwise thrive in diving using Avelo, might never get beyond (or even through) the Open Water course. I would like to see this have the option to do it in reverse (get certified with Avelo, then do standard OW as the specialty).Not for everyone, but I know specific cases where this would help people like crazy.2) Cost: It does cost more than a high-end recreational scuba rig, but the price is coming down quickly, while regular scuba keeps creeping up.*I should mention the rental cost is only slightly more, and in some places the same. There is a hidden benefit here and that is renting is going to be the same gear everywhere you go (with the Jetpack and Hydrotank) so you don't have to relearn new gear or worry about fit. You can just bring your own regulators, mask, fins, wetsuit, etc (or whatever you prefer), but this ditches the suitcase stuffing BC, which is kinda nice IMHO.3) Not everywhere has it yet. They have a facility lookup on their site, and to be fair that list is growing fast. It is already gaining a foothold in the big spots like Great Barrier Reef, Hawaii, Florida, and other destinations. While there will always be a place for traditional scuba (at least for now), the Avelo System is already changing the future of scuba diving, cutting the hassle and improving the overall sport for new divers and pros. I’m always going to promote new technology, new ideas, methods, or anything that takes this industry forward. That is what we do here on this channel.I hope you love this video discussing my first-hand experience diving the new system.Also, big thanks to the people from NAUI, PADI, Shearwater and Scuba Show for the time and contribution in putting me through the course and sitting down with me!https://diveavelo.com/—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

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