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Home » PADI

152 Interpreting the Ocean Environment Without a Marine Biology Degree

By Tec Clark Leave a Comment

In this episode of The Dive Locker Podcast we look at an outstanding resource to help dive professionals interpret the ocean environment.

Welcome To The Show!

Welcome to The Dive Locker Podcast, the podcast for dive professionals where we bring you the latest in diving industry resources that make you excellent at teaching techniques, risk management and dive business.

You’ve heard me say quite often as dive professionals our office is the ocean and our inventory are the fishes and corals underwater. So, Ill be the first to admit, that when it comes to environment presentations for classes or coming off a dive, I really have such a little command of the overwhelming diversity and biology and ecology of the underwater world.

But then again, as dive professionals we don’t have to have a degree in marine biology to truly interpret well, the ocean environment. In fact there are resources out there to help us get better at this. And just like EVERY good teacher, you must always be a student and continue your learning.

Well friends one of the best resources about the ocean environment for divers and dive pro’s to ever come along, is a new book by Reef Smart Guides written by one of my mentors Dr. Alex Brylske. It is called Beneath the Blue Planet: A Diver’s Guide to the Ocean. This book is absolutely full of great, easy to digest information and some of the best graphics and photography you’ll see in our industry. It is truly stunning!

Alex allowed me a sneak peak months ago and I could not wait until it’s out, and now it will be published and available next month. And you can get the first autographed copies even, at the DEMA Show. I caught up with Alex at Sea Experience in Fort Lauderdale where he was teaching one of his EcoPro classes, and we talked all about how this book is one of the greatest tools for any diver or especially dive pro’s teaching classes and taking people diving.

Dr. Alex Brylske

Dr. Alex Brylske is a mentor of mine. Most recently he was Professor of Marine Science & Technology at Florida Keys Community College. While teaching he was also Senior Editor of Dive Training Magazine a position he held for 24 years, where he wrote outstanding articles on all topics in diving. Before all that was his time at PADI headquarters where he was their Educational Program Development Manager.

Alex implemented the instructor training model currently in use today at PADI. He also was primary editor for both the PADI Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving and the PADI Divemaster Manual. In 2012 Alex won the prestigious DAN Rolex Diver of the Year Award, and in that same year he published one of my favorite books in the diving industry, The Complete Diver: The History, Science and Practice of Scuba Diving. Now Alex is heading up Ocean Education International where his programs specialize in teaching sustainable dive tourism. His courses for divers and pro’s are just fantastic.

The DEMA Show 2022

Also, I will be at the DEMA Show in Orlando, Florida November 1-4. I’ll be giving three presentations at the show, catching up with industry friends and colleagues, attending tons of seminars and interviewing folks for this podcast.

If you like this podcast you’ll really like my presentations. On Wednesday, November 02 at 1:00 PM I’ll be co-presenting with the incredible Jennifer Shaheen of The Technology Therapy Group. Our presentation is titled Diving Deep into Your Business. During this workshop, we will walk through four key areas you’ll want to evaluate in your business in order to continue to grow; people, process, money, and marketing.

On Thursday, November 03, at 1:00 PM I host The Power of Podcasting Panel Discussion. The panelists are Stephan Whelan with the Deeper Blue Podcast, James Blackman with the Divers Ready YouTube channel, Jeff Cinciripino with the Scuba Shack Podcast and Jason Meaney with A Dram of Diving Podcast and they bring great information with their diverse podcasting experience. Discussion questions surround the aspects of podcasting and the benefits of podcasting for dive centers and dive professionals. The podcasters share their top recommendations for dive centers and dive pro’s to create their own podcasts.

And finally on Thursday, November 03, 2022: 4:00 PM I will be presenting Risk Mitigation. This presentation covers solid strategies to guard against lawsuits and be more defendable.

Please consider attending one of those if you’re going to the DEMA Show. I hope you are going and I hope to see you there.

Items In This Episode

  • Explanation of chapters
  • The Complete Diver
  • Reef World Foundation study
  • Business of Diving Institute
  • Reef Smart Guides
  • Marty Snyderman
  • DEMA Presentations
  • Ocean Education International

Episode Sponsor

If you find this show adds value to you as a dive pro and you’d like to help support the show, please consider supporting it on Patreon. It’s only $4 per month – that’s only $1 per episode. When you become a supporter of The Dive Locker you’ll get a shout out from me on the next episode after you join. You will also be listed on the Patrons of Dive Locker Podcast webpage. And you will receive 10% off any ScubaGuru Academy course at the Patron level, and 20% off at the Rockstar level. And of course my undying appreciation for helping support the show.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/divelocker/152_Interpreting_the_Ocean_Environment_Without_a_Marine_Biology_Degree.mp3

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Filed Under: The Dive Locker Podcast Tagged With: Business of Diving Institute, DEMA Show, Dr. Alex Brylske, Marty Snyderman, Ocean Education International, PADI, Reef Smart Guides

130 Is Wearing a Wetsuit During a Swim Test a Standards Violation?

By Tec Clark Leave a Comment

In this episode of The Dive Locker Podcast we learn about how wearing a wetsuit during a swim test could be a standards violation.

Welcome To The Show!

Welcome to The Dive Locker Podcast, the podcast for dive professionals where we bring you the latest in diving industry resources that make you excellent at teaching techniques, risk management and dive business.

This past weekend as we were conducting divemaster training at the lake, a couple dive centers were conducting swim tests with their open water diver students. The remarks came up as our divemasters in training looked on. “They look so bouyant.” “They’re literally just floating and doing nothing to stay afloat.” “Are you allowed to wear wetsuits during the swim test?”

Needless to say we are proud of our young leaders when they sense that things aren’t right. And from that an outstanding discussion about standards ensued. Thus the title of this episode. Is Wearing a Wetsuit During a Swim Test a Standards Violation? The answer is there’s a right way and a wrong way. And I’m gonna ask you to share this episode with anyone you know who does swim tests with students wearing wetsuits. The reason why is that many pro’s are actually violating swim test standards doing this.

Items In This Episode

  • Swimming test standards of RSTC, SSI and PADI
  • Must be neutrally buoyant when wearing exposure suits

Episode Sponsor

If you find this show adds value to you as a dive pro and you’d like to help support the show, please consider supporting it on Patreon. It’s only $4 per month – that’s only $1 per episode. When you become a supporter of The Dive Locker you’ll get a shout out from me on the next episode after you join. You will also be listed on the Patrons of Dive Locker Podcast webpage. And you will receive 10% off any ScubaGuru Academy course at the Patron level, and 20% off at the Rockstar level. And of course my undying appreciation for helping support the show.

https://www.patreon.com/thedivelocker

Thanks For Listening!

That’s it for today, everyone. Thank you so much for listening. Remember to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher, that way you’ll be notified of new episodes as soon as they go live and please leave a rating. Items talked about in this episode can be found on the show notes Page at scubaguru.com . There you can also click the microphone and leave us a comment. Thanks again. We’ll see you in the next episode. Safe diving and take good care of my friends.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/divelocker/130_Is_Wearing_a_Wetsuit_During_a_Swim_Test_a_Standards_Violation_.mp3

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Filed Under: The Dive Locker Podcast Tagged With: PADI, RSTC, SSI, standards, Swim Test, wetsuit

119 PADI Check-In

By Tec Clark Leave a Comment

In this episode of The Dive Locker Podcast we learn about the many new initiatives PADI has for the coming year with Drew Richardson and Kristin Valette-Wirth.

Welcome To The Show!

Welcome to The Dive Locker Podcast, the podcast for dive professionals where we bring you the latest in diving industry resources that make you excellent at teaching techniques, risk management and dive business.

On today’s episode we hear from Drew Richardson, President and CEO of PADI and Kristin Valette-Wirth Chief Brand & Membership Officer of PADI. I caught up with them at the DEMA Show last month in Las Vegas and we had a good discussion about the many initiatives PADI is doing and will be doing in the future.

Items In This Episode

  • DEMA Show 2021 Activity
  • 2019 PADI Record Year
  • Connecting members and resorts
  • 15 million PADI impressions
  • Connecting 126,000 pros
  • Avoiding fears and anxieties
  • Now is not the time to discount
  • What’s transforming a life worth?
  • Scuba is a good outlet for anxiety
  • Meeting the customer on their terms
  • What are PADI Mission hubs?
  • One billion Tourchbearers
  • Ocean Cleanup
  • National Geographic Pristine Seas
  • 30% of oceans protected by 2030
  • Hope Rising Stories
  • New PADI Pro Site
  • PADI Aware Foundation

Episode Sponsor

If you find this show adds value to you as a dive pro and you’d like to help support the show, please consider supporting it on Patreon. It’s only $4 per month – that’s only $1 per episode. When you become a supporter of The Dive Locker you’ll get a shout out from me on the next episode after you join. You will also be listed on the Patrons of Dive Locker Podcast webpage. And you will receive 10% off any ScubaGuru Academy course at the Patron level, and 20% off at the Rockstar level. And of course my undying appreciation for helping support the show.

https://www.patreon.com/thedivelocker

Thanks For Listening!

That’s it for today, everyone. Thank you so much for listening. Remember to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher, that way you’ll be notified of new episodes as soon as they go live and please leave a rating. Items talked about in this episode can be found on the show notes Page at scubaguru.com . There you can also click the microphone and leave us a comment. Thanks again. We’ll see you in the next episode. Safe diving and take good care of my friends.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/divelocker/119_PADI_Check_In.mp3

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Filed Under: The Dive Locker Podcast Tagged With: Drew Richardson, Kristin Valette-Wirth, PADI

116 DEMA Show 2021 Wrap Up

By Tec Clark Leave a Comment

In this episode of The Dive Locker Podcast we get a debrief on the DEMA Show 2021 in Las Vegas.

Welcome To The Show!

Welcome to The Dive Locker Podcast, the podcast for dive professionals where we bring you the latest in diving industry resources that make you excellent at teaching techniques, risk management and dive business.

So when you put on an industry trade show that is 1/3 the normal size in exhibitors and attendees, one would naturally deduct that was a failed show. However, that is not the case with DEMA Show 2021.

In fact, there was a uniqueness to this DEMA show that I have never seen. There was positivity and tons of relationship building and connecting because there was actually time to connect. So I’m gonna break down some of the highlights of the show for you today and catch you up if you did not make it out there.

Items In This Episode

  • Exhibitors
  • New products
  • DEMA Sponsored Seminars
  • Exhibitor Sponsored Seminars
  • COVID Protocols
  • Connections/Networking

Episode Sponsor

If you find this show adds value to you as a dive pro and you’d like to help support the show, please consider supporting it on Patreon. It’s only $4 per month – that’s only $1 per episode. When you become a supporter of The Dive Locker you’ll get a shout out from me on the next episode after you join. You will also be listed on the Patrons of Dive Locker Podcast webpage. And you will receive 10% off any ScubaGuru Academy course at the Patron level, and 20% off at the Rockstar level. And of course my undying appreciation for helping support the show.

https://www.patreon.com/thedivelocker

Thanks For Listening!

That’s it for today, everyone. Thank you so much for listening. Remember to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher, that way you’ll be notified of new episodes as soon as they go live and please leave a rating. Items talked about in this episode can be found on the show notes Page at scubaguru.com . There you can also click the microphone and leave us a comment. Thanks again. We’ll see you in the next episode. Safe diving and take good care of my friends.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/divelocker/116_DEMA_Show_2021_Wrap_Up.mp3

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Filed Under: The Dive Locker Podcast Tagged With: DAN, DEMA, DEMA Show, Force Blue, PADI, Stream2Sea

LXD053 : Paul Toomer

By Tec Clark Leave a Comment

Paul Toomer – Legendary Technical Diving Instructor

Paul_Toomer_ScubaGuru

In this episode of The League of Extraordinary Divers I chat with technical diving legend Paul Toomer.

Hey everybody welcome to another episode of the League of Extraordinary Divers. It’s so great to have you here with me today.

Today’s guest is one of the most stand out, iconic figures in our industry. Paul Toomer looks more like a rockstar than an accomplished technical diving instructor trainer. His wit and his fun-loving nature are balanced by his dedication to his craft.

Bio

Paul is the President of training agency RAID, he is a working instructor trainer and expedition diver.

After living in South Africa for 23 years it’s odd that Paul discovered diving in the cold waters of Southern England. It is this kind of behavior that defines Paul and his passion for doing things differently. Within months of learning to dive he had his own center in London and rapidly progressed to Course Director before finding his passion for technical diving in 2002. Paul is an avid wreck, cave, sidemount and rebreather diver.

In 2002 Paul began pursuing his technical diving interests and rebreather diving became his main focus.

In 2007, he decided to concentrate purely on technical diver training and expeditions, and Diving Matrix Tec Lab was born. Tec Lab was innovative in its design and philosophy and set the benchmark for advanced diver training. In 2011 Paul was offered the position as Director of Technical Training for SSI (Scuba Schools International) and was responsible for writing diver and instructor manuals and training standards as well as training future technical instructors and trainers.

In 2014 Paul became a co-owner of RAID International. Initially he held the position of Training Director but in 2019 he accepted the position as President for the company.

Paul has dived wrecks and caves all over the world and also safely planned and executed many deep ocean wreck dives.

He has participated in multiple expeditions including the HMS Hampshire, Vanguard and Royal Oak in Scapa Flow. In Malta and Italy, he has worked on ancient Italian and Phoenician amphora wrecks and has participated in exploratory dives on the Polish destroyer L-72, the British submarine HMS Olympus, an American WWII B-24 bomber, and many others.

Paul regularly contributes to various dive magazines including Submerged, Diver, Sport Diver and Tanked Up. He has worked with Film and TV Companies as a diver, supplier and advisor. He has given many diving related presentations at training agency member events, OZTek, DEMA, TekDive USA, BalticTech, ADEX, EuroTek, TekCamp, the British Scuba Industry Trade Association, the London International Dive Show and global dealer Seminars.

A little boy called Sebastian, motorcycles, tattoos and playing drums are the other major influences in Paul’s life.

Items In This Podcast

  • BSAC dive training
  • From terrified of marine animals to dive pro
  • Opened a dive shop the week he became a scuba instructor
  • Worst PADI Course Director application in history
  • Working for SSI
  • Working for RAID
  • Getting through COVID
  • The DEMA hotel bar
  • Sardine run excitement
  • Flooded rebreather loop at 110 meters
  • Panic diver at 100 meters
  • Pee valve practical joke

Sponsor

Special thanks to our episode sponsor Aggressor Adventures

Aggressor Adventures

Thanks For Listening!

Thank you for joining me again. Do you want to give a shout out to our guest on this podcast? Leave a note in the comments section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.

Please leave an honest review for The League of Extraordinary Divers podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! And, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/tecclark/LXD_053___Paul_Toomer.mp3

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Filed Under: League of Extraordinary Divers Podcast Tagged With: BSAC, DEMA Show, PADI, Paul Toomer, RAID, SSI

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About Tec Clark

Tec Clark is a diving industry expert who has held very elite positions in the dive industry including Managing Director of the University of Florida’s Academic Diving Program and National Director of the YMCA Scuba Program. He holds over 40 professional certifications with over 15 diving agencies. Tec has received numerous honors for his instructional abilities and has co-edited several diving texts. He also appeared as a diving expert on A&E, The Learning Channel, and Outdoor Life Network. He was Captain of the US Freediving Team and is the founder of both Reef Ministries and ScubaGuru.com. Tec is the Associate Director for Aquatics and Scuba Diving at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Read More…

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Aggressor Adventures BSAC c-card CMAS confined water Cousteau COVID-19 DAN DAN Risk Retention Group Darcy Kieran DeeperBlue DEMA DEMA Show Doug McNeese First Dive Insurance Owl Underwriting Agency Force Blue Fourth Element freediving Gareth Lock GUE Immersion Freediving Kirk Krack Mark Evans mask Mastery of Domain NAUI Ocean Education International PADI Performance Freediving International Professional Liability Insurance RAID RSTC scuba SDI SEI SSI Stream2Sea Ted Harty The Human Diver Tom Ingram UHMS University of Florida Vicencia & Buckley HUB International Willie Cline YMCA

Welcome Dive Professionals

Welcome to ScubaGuru.com!  The ScubaGuru brand is dedicated to giving dive professionals tools and techniques to be GREAT LEADERS – leaders in the classroom, leaders underwater, and leaders in their diving businesses.  With unique leadership skill-sets, the dive professional can create:

  • Better divers
  • Loyal customers
  • A thriving dive center
  • A flourishing dive industry

See what we mean by Go Beyond the Standard and enjoy the rewards of being truly great at what you do!

Sincerely,

Tec Clark

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