The Scuba Diving Podcast

• 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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• 106 | The largest Scuba Diving competition in the world | Scuba Queen USA empowers women divers.

  Find out what it takes to be a Scuba Queen, and compete in the Miss International Pageant, as well as gain a sense of community in the scuba diving world!The National Director of Scuba Queen USA, Marina Inserra, has a talk with Kenny Dyal about the purpose of Scuba Queens, The Scuba Queen USA Pageant, and the Miss Scuba International Pageant.The world competes in multiple talent presentations for multiple titles, while cultivating a mentorship for young women who wish to become scuba divers and leaders in their communities.Scuba Queen USA builds confidence, teaches dance and performance, and empowers women to become ocean advocates.They are strengthening the dive community by building up women in the underwater world and beyond. https://www.scubaqueenusa.com/

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• 105 | How to Make a Career in Scuba Diving – Kenny Dyal’s Dive Industry Secrets, Tips, & Story

  🎙️ How to Make a Living in Scuba Diving | Interview with Kenny Dyal | Scuba Business & Marketing TipsIn this interview, James Carbary, CEO of Sweetfish Media sits down with Kenny Dyal — seasoned safety diver, NAUI Course Director, and founder of Sweetwater Scuba — to break down how you can build a successful career in scuba diving. Whether you're a dive instructor, shop owner, or just curious about turning your passion into a profession, this conversation is packed with insights.👉 Topics Covered:How to start a career in scuba divingTips for teaching independently or owning a dive shopMaking money through social media and visual contentControversial topics in the dive industryFixing what's broken in the scuba worldMarketing tips for dive businessesHow to get consulting help for your dive shop or brand🧠 About Kenny Dyal:Kenny began diving in 1998, became a Disney safety Divemaster in 2006, and started teaching independently in 2009. He has spent nearly a decade as a NAUI Course Director and in 2016, sold his dive shop to focus on consulting, marketing, and content creation for scuba-related businesses. Today, his company Sweetwater Scuba offers social media services, podcasts, children’s book signings, and private consulting to help dive businesses grow.🌊 Learn More:📌 Website: www.sweetwaterscuba.com👇 Drop your questions for Kenny in the comments!🔔 Subscribe for interviews, dive industry tips, and more!

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