Scubaverse

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats with Tec Clark, Founder of ScubaGuru about his career, diving in general, and training and safety. 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 also been a police officer, dive rescue team member, and forensic dive accident investigator.  He also appeared as a diving expert on A&E, The Learning Channel, and Outdoor Life Network. Tec was Captain of the US Freediving Team, founder of Reef Ministries, and curates ScubaGuru.com and ScubaGuru Academy. He is also the host of two podcasts: The League of Extraordinary Divers and The Dive Locker.  Tec is the Associate Director for Aquatics and Scuba Diving at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Visit www.scubaguru.com to find out more!

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Bill Beard and Vanessa Willing about scuba diving in Costa Rica. Bill Beard is the true pioneer of scuba diving and combining adventure tours in Costa Rica. He started diving in Costa Rica from dug out canoes in 1970. He was the first working instructor and had the first professional dive shop in Costa Rica located in San Jose. In 1974, Bill Beard branched out by opening a beach location in Playas del Coco on the Pacific Ocean and operated daily scuba diving trips from there and Playa Hermosa. Bill has many firsts to his credit, including bringing scuba diving and adventure tours to Guanacaste. Bill’s wife Nadine joined him in 1988 and they formed an association to combine scuba diving and adventure tour packages, the first in the country to do so. Bill Beard's Costa Rica reservation office is located in La Fortuna and all of their agents are scuba divers and adventurers. Vanessa Willing was born and raised in Oregon and California. She moved to Costa Rica in 2001 and founded Wave Rafting Adventure Company and Find My Costa Rica Travel Agency with the motivation to create personalized trips throughout Costa Rica. In 2013 she also joined Bill and Nadine Beard  in managing operations for Bill Beard Costa Rica.  Her love for diving, rafting and all things adventure combined with her expertise in Costa Rica allows her to take over all the complexities and logistics of planning a Costa Rica vacation, so her guests can simply enjoy their trip! She is constantly travelling throughout Costa Rica to source every activity, operator and experience featured within their products. One of her favorite locations in Costa Rica is Bajos de Toro waterfall region with mountain landscapes, crystal clear rivers and waterfalls and a natural landscape like no other in Costa Rica. Visit www.billbeardcostarica.com to find out more!

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to PJ Prinsloo – Director Technical Diving RAID South Africa and a Member of The Explorer's Club. Find out more about PJ at www.pjptech.co.za

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, Mehgan Heaney-Grier – freediver, explorer, educator. Well-known freediving personality and conservationist Mehgan Heaney-Grier has recently premiered her new web series “Imperfect Conservationist” and we will be sharing it with Scubaverse visitors soon here. Mehgan is a member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame and a popular speaker for the environment. She  says that the new series will provide viewers with ways they can become involved in protecting the environment in their daily lives. Find out more about Mehgan at www.mehganheaneygrier.com

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Andrea Marshall, co-founder, board member and principal scientist for the Marine Megafauna Foundation, about marine conservation and her work with Manta Rays. Andrea is a passionate conservation biologist directing an experienced global team of Manta Ray researchers. She is a professional underwater photographer, technical diver and ocean explorer. A seasoned public speaker, educator and ocean ambassador, with on-camera experience. Andrea is also owner of Ray of Hope expeditions, an adventure- science travel company. Find out more at www.marinemegafauna.org.

In this exclusive interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Jim Elliott, Founder and President of Diveheart, and Tinamarie Hernandez who is the organization's Executive Director. Diveheart is a US-based, nonprofit tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization which aims to provide and support educational scuba diving programs that are open to any child, adult or veteran with a disability, with the hope of providing both physical and psychological therapeutic value to that person. In their own words: We’ve discovered the forgiving, weightless wonder of the water column provides the perfect gravity-free environment for those who might otherwise struggle on land. Underwater, we’re all equal. Diveheart works with individuals who have a variety of disabilities, including physical and developmental disabilities, vision and hearing impairments, amputations, traumatic brain injuries, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and more. Diveheart seeks to help its participants “Imagine the Possibilities” in their lives. Find out more about Diveheart and their valuable work at www.diveheart.org.

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Sean Webb, Director of O'Three, the well-known UK-based manufacturer of custom drysuits and wetsuits. After a bath time quarrel with his sister, Sean’s Mum taught him a lesson. She held his head underwater for what she thought was long enough for that lesson to sink in (We are talking the mid 60’s here), but the lesson learned wasn’t the one that was intended. It was then that Sean realized he was comfortable, in or under the water. He was six. The coasts of Devon and Dorset became his playground. 17 years later, with a trip around the world and some incredible diving under his belt, Sean Webb founded O’Three. Now in its 32nd  year, O’Three has evolved from a business with roots that are unashamedly rooted in UK diving, to a niche brand being enjoyed all over the world by discerning recreational, technical and commercial divers alike. Find out more at www.othree.co.uk

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Jake Davies, Marine Biologist, HSE Professional scuba diver, underwater videographer (using videos and 360 clips for VR) and CAA licensed drone pilot. Jake grew up on Pen Llŷn, North Wales and coming from a maritime family meant that from a young age the underwater world and marine life have played a major role in his life. His interest in marine life and the sea led to him studying Marine Biology at Bangor University where he was successful in obtaining a year in industry with the Intertidal & Coastal team at Natural Resources Wales. ​In 2017 Jake was successfully awarded a Sea-Changers Grant to run 'Dive Into Monitoring: Seagrass' surveys with SeaSearch North Wales. The surveys aimed to gather updated information on the Seagrass bed in Porthdinllaen with volunteer divers and local dive clubs. As a media diver, Jake has worked as part of the dive team (Marine Ecosol) filming for BBC Wales Hidden Wales with Will Millard (Lazerbeam Productions & Folk Films). Footage which Jake has filmed off the Welsh Coast, as well as the Canary Islands, has been featured for a variety of BBC programmes including an episode of Countryfile where he was interviewed about the Seagrass in Porthdinllaen, Wales along with the rest of the Project Seagrass team. He is also a blogger and contributor to Scubaverse @JDScuba, and a co-director of Under Water Wales @dandwrcymru. ​As well as being a HSE Scuba Diver Jake is also employed as the Project Coordinator for Angel Shark Project: Wales. He is also a Project Leader on a Save Our Seas Foundation Project. ​Through sharing underwater videos and photos of amazing and unique wildlife/habitats that are found beneath the waves along the Welsh Coast as well as abroad Jake hopes to inspire people to go beneath the waves and making the underwater world more accessible for all. Find out more about Jake and his work at: https://jakeddavies1996.wixsite.com/jdscuba

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Jill Heinerth. Jill is one of the world’s premier underwater explorers, and the first person to dive inside iceberg caves. According to filmmaker James Cameron, “More people have walked on the moon than have been to some of the places Jill Heinerth has gone right here on earth.” An acclaimed polar explorer, cave diver, author, speaker, filmmaker, and climate advocate, Jill is the first Explorer-in-Residence of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. She is the inaugural recipient of the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration and Canada’s Polar Medal. Jill leads expeditions into extreme environments to advance scientific and geographic knowledge. Her projects have been broadcast on the CBC, BBC, PBS, Discovery Channel, and television networks worldwide. Jill was announced as the recipient of the William Beebe Award from the Explorer’s Club and was inducted into the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame in fall 2020. Her bestselling book INTO THE PLANET – My Life as a Cave Diver  has drawn acclaim from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and O Magazine. Heinerth details her journey into the extreme world of underwater cave exploration, where she has had to overcome fear in order to go where no one has gone before. Find out more about Jill and her work at: www.intotheplanet.com

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Linden Wolbert - Mermaid Linden. Professional Mermaid Linden Wolbert is a real mermaid whose passion is educating children about the wonders of our oceans, swimming safety and ocean conservation as well as exploration and inspiring our world's youngest ocean ambassadors. Linden shares the life aquatic via the "Mermaid Minute," her successful educational web series, which “edutains” young viewers about ocean life and marine habitats. Her YouTube channel to date has 93.7K subscribers and 53,159,186 views. She loves science and natural history. Linden has teamed up with Body Glove International, designing her own line of kid's mermaid-inspired swim products, available on her website! She has performed and travelled all over the world for over a decade "merforming" for fundraisers, events, wishes for kids and underwater filming. Known as "the Mermaid to the Stars", she is hired by Hollywood's finest to entertain and spread magic through her work. Over the coming months, Scubaverse will be sharing Linden's video series 'Mermaid Minute' with the occasional video from her 'Mermaid Wish Videos'. Find out more about Linden at www.youtube.com/user/MermaidsInMotion

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to author, avid cave diver and professional adventurer Steve Lewis about life in general with a bit of diving as well! For more, visit Steve on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/Steve.Lewis.Doppler

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Alexandra Cousteau. Alexandra Marguerite Clémentine Cousteau is a film maker and an environmental activist, who continues the work of her grandfather Jacques-Yves Cousteau and father Philippe Cousteau, Sr. Find out more about Alexandra's work at: www.oceans2050.com and www.sealegacy.blue.

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Phil Short, dive industry consultant for science, media and education. Phil has been diving professionally and exploring for over 26 years and has logged over 7000 dives in caves and open water using both open and closed circuit equipment, with over 3000 hours on Rebreather equipment. He started diving in 1990 from a background of dry caving and at first only completed diver training to pass short flooded sections of dry caves. Phil continued his diver training through the PADI system with Course Director Steve Axtell and in 1991 he qualified as a PADI instructor and began teaching full time, working his way up to Master Instructor. During this period, he continued cave diving and began developing his Technical Diving skills through training with Kevin Gurr and in 1993 was involved in forming one of the first Trimix wreck diving teams in the UK. He is now one of the UK’s foremost IANTD Instructor Trainer Trainers and the Training director of IANTD UK, in addition to being a member of the IANTD HQ Board of Advisors. Having devoted all his free time to developing his Technical skills, Phil began to use them for cave diving, his true passion, on expeditions to Mallorca, France, Spain, Canada, Russia, Greece and Mexico. At the same time, he began teaching first open, then closed circuit, technical and cave diving full time. Find out more at: www.darkwaterexploration.com

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Esther Jacobs, Social Media and Conservation Manager at Oceans Research. Originally from Scotland and working in marketing and advertising, Esther left for pastures new almost 10 years ago, to pursue a career working with sharks in South Africa. For the first few years, Esther worked with a white shark cage diving operator, running their internship, teaching visitors about the white sharks, and collecting valuable data on their behaviours. After having her first daughter, Esther volunteered part-time with White Shark Africa and then started an ocean conservation initiative called Keep Fin Alive. The goals of Keep Fin Alive are to change the common misconception of sharks, and drive more attention to the threats facing our oceans. Five years ago, Esther joined the team at the marine research company, Oceans Research, to manage their social media and bring some of the Keep Fin Alive community outreach projects into their field research program, for the interns to get involved with. Keep Fin Alive has grown a lot in the last six years, and has ambassadors from all over the globe, helping to spread awareness of the plight of our oceans. Esther, through Keep Fin Alive, partnered with Go Dive Mossel Bay a couple of years ago to implement a NAUI qualification called Clean Ocean Divers, with a mission statement of “Empowering our diving community to preserve and conserve our coastline, by providing the knowledge, skills and resources to keep our ocean healthy and marine life safe.”. Divers who undertake the qualification learn how to safely and respectfully remove debris from the reefs, and also help to analyse the findings for an ongoing research project. The data will be used nationally to establish problem areas with high fishing gear snagging rates, with the hopes of discouraging anglers from fishing at these sites. Data from the partnership’s coastal clean up projects has already led to the establishment of butt bins around popular paths, and plastic pollution information boards being erected. Find out more at www.oceans-research.com.

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to James E. 'Homer' Holm about Clean Oceans International. Captain Jim 'Homer' Holm is the Founder of Clean Oceans International (COI) - a Santa Cruz, California based 501c3 non-profit.Their mission is to develop practical solutions to plastic pollution through Research, Innovation and Direct action. Find out more, visit www.cleanoceansinternational.org.

In this two part exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, talks with Paul Watson, Founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an international direct action, non profit marine wildlife conservation and protection movement.  Find out more at www.seashepherd.org and www.seashepherdglobal.org

In this two part exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, talks with Paul Watson, Founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an international direct action, non profit marine wildlife conservation and protection movement. Find out more at www.seashepherd.org and www.seashepherdglobal.org

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, Jeff Goodman, talks to Breathwork Practitioner Hannah Goodman about breathing correctly to enhance our scuba diving experiences. Find out more at https://grounded.life.

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Cristina Zenato. A professional diver since 1994, Cristina is an ocean and cave explorer, a shark expert, a speaker, writer and conservationist. Among her qualifications, she is a Course Director, an advanced cave diving instructor, and a mixed gas and rebreather instructor. She shares her time between teaching at professional and technical levels, working with sharks, exploring and mapping underwater cave systems, and education. Cristina is known for her special relationship with her local sharks and her passion for promoting the protection of all sharks in the world . Her current projects include shark photogrammetry and identification of sharks’ mating and birth areas, creating interactive and 3D cave maps, photography and videography of these uncharted areas in the Bahamas. In 2019 she founded the nonprofit People of the Water - www.pownonprofit.org - organized to widen the conduction and distribution of training, education, research, and studies relating to water, ocean and environmental issues, affecting both the people and the animals of said environments. After 26 years in this career she is still diving and pushing the boundaries of our knowledge. Cristina has been inducted in the Women Divers Hall of Fame, the Explorers Club, the Ocean Artists Society and she is a Platinum Pro 5000 recipient. Find out more about Cristina at www.cristinazenato.com

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Paul Toomer, President of RAID International Dive Training Agency. Paul gives great insight into the diving industry during these difficult times as well as his predictions for the future. He talks about the ethics and training with RAID, and covers diving in the UK and other temperate waters. For more information, visit www.diveraid.com

In this exclusive two-part Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-large, chats to Andy Torbet. In part two, Andy and Jeff talk about Marine Conservation. Andy is an Underwater Explorer, Cave Diver, Freediver, Skydiver, Climber and Outdoorsman. He is also a TV Presenter on award-winning series for BBC, CBBC, Discovery, History Channel and Fully Charged Show’s Youtube Channel. Andy is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and The Explorers Club, and is also a Stunt Performer for TV and Films. For more information, visit www.andytorbet.com

In this exclusive two-part Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-large, chats to Andy Torbet. In part one, Andy and Jeff talk about Scuba Diving. Andy is an Underwater Explorer, Cave Diver, Freediver, Skydiver, Climber and Outdoorsman. He is also a TV Presenter on award-winning series for BBC, CBBC, Discovery, History Channel and Fully Charged Show’s Youtube Channel. Andy is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and The Explorers Club, and is also a Stunt Performer for TV and Films. For more information, visit www.andytorbet.com.

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-large, chats to Matt Slater, Marine Awareness Officer with the Cornwall Wildlife Trust about their Diving and Snorkeling programmes. For more information, visit www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk.

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large Jeff Goodman chats to Richard Corner, UK Watersports Category Manager at Mares, about the complete experience for all aspects of diving with Mares, their liveaboard adventures with the purchase of liveaboard.com and the Mares/SSI combination. Last in a series of four podcasts. For more information, visit www.liveaboard.com, www.divessi.com and www.mares.com

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large Jeff Goodman chats to Richard Corner, UK Watersports Category Manager for Mares, about swimwear products and the purchase of Zoggs swimwear. Part three in a series of four podcasts. For more information, visit www.mares.com, www.head.com/en-GB/sports/swimming and www.zoggs.com.

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-large, chats to Luke Bullus, Volunteer Ghost Net Campaign Diver with Sea Shepherd UK. For more information, visit www.seashepherduk.org.

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-large, chats to Steve Rattle, owner of Roots Red Sea and Pharaoh Dive Club in El Quseir, Egypt. For more information, visit www.rootsredsea.com and www.pharaohdiveclub.com.

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-large, chats to Miranda Krestovnikoff, TV and radio presenter, author and diver, about dive training for children, her fourth book -'The Sea'- an illustrated book for kids, diving in the UK, conservation and marine animal encounters.

Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-large, chats to Richard Corner, UK Watersports Category Manager at Mares, about new products and the Horizon Rebreather. Part two in a series of four podcasts.

Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-large, chats to Richard Corner, UK Watersports Category Manager at Mares, about how COVID-19 has impacted the diving industry and the possible benefits for the UK diving scene. Part one in a series of four podcasts.