Thowback September

Have you ever heard of Throwback Thursday? If you haven’t, then pay close attention to your social media accounts this coming Thursday and look for the hashtag #TBT. Throwback Thursdays are used to honor, tribute, and yes sometimes poke fun at, the so-called “good old days.” This is most commonly done with an older picture or image that was likely taken before the age of social media.

Marketing Team Meeting
SDI/TDI/ERDI World HQ
At our last SDI/TDI/ERDI Marketing meeting here at Headquarters, we were inspired to dedicate next month’s content theme to Throwbacks. “Throwback September” if you will, is going to be filled with articles and images that honor the way things once were. Things such as dive tables (before dive computers) and early dive gear, your very first “awesome encounter,” and even those terribly cliché stories that begin, “You know when I first started diving…”

As usual, we would like to ask for your help in our quest to secure the best scuba-related throwbacks, so please send them to us, whether you have an image, a story, or both. We will publish the best ones we receive.

What justifies a throwback? It doesn’t need to date back to the horse-and-buggy days. It’s all relative, depending on your age and when you started diving. So if you think you may have something to contribute, please send it our way. Thanks for your help!

Here is some throwback video footage to get you started. Check out this 2007 Fox News interview with Brian.

2007 Fox News Interview
Brian Carney

Jared Hires
GM of DiveRite
With parents as avid divers, I practically came out of the womb with mask and fins. I grew up around the water, spending the weekends at the North Florida Springs while my dad taught cave courses. As a small child, my first experiences on scuba were on my dad’s long hose swimming around while he was debriefing on the surface between dives. I quickly got tired of the long hose and wanted my own rig. At age six I got my first set of doubles, twin AL 13’s. It was all downhill from there.

By age 10, I was going on dive trips with my parents, diving the shallow reefs in the Keys. At age 15, I became rebreather certified, shortly after – cavern and cave trained. I have been lucky to travel the world to places such as Russia, Bali, Bonaire, Norway, Mexico, and Israel doing this hobby that I love. My passion for diving continues to grow as an adult. Being the General Manager of Dive Rite I spend time personally and professionally almost every day in and around the water.

Dan Downes
Instructor Trainer
As a technical diving instructor trainer known to all for my passion about diving, people are often surprised to find out I started my dive career in my 40’s. In reality though, it started much earlier – throwback all the way to the 1950’s where my best memories are of ‘diving’ with my uncle. At that time (yes, brush cuts were in fashion, check out the speedo!) I was a wide-eyed 6-year old watching my uncle swim lengths at the YMCA without a mask and then diving into the pool to put on his gear. He explained to me, that as part of the YMCA training program, these skills were required to get a dive license. I was captivated. Fast forward to the picture of me at the lake, when he allowed me to ‘buddy breathe’ using his snorkel and then ‘certified’ me to snorkel alone — providing mom or dad was there! Many years later, I pursued my dream and became a certified diver… and I still have my uncle’s dive manuals, his passion for teaching and his love of diving.

Mike Williams
Sales Manager – Northeast
Meet Mike Williams: one of our representatives in the Northeast. This picture was taken back in 1992 in the British Virgin Islands when Mike was 7 years old. In the BVI’s Mike learned to snorkel which ultimately sparked his love for the ocean and eventually his career in the scuba industry. Gotta love those ninja turtle swim trunks!

Brianne Grant
SDI/TDI/ERDI World HQ
Ever watch a seven year old throw a temper tantrum? Arms folded, pouty lip, whining about something? Sounds about right, we were on family vacation and my dad and sister were participating in one of those open water scuba diving resort courses. I wanted to join them SO badly stomping my feet and wining “ITS NOT FAIR.” I wanted to copy everything my big sister did. “B, you’re only seven” they would say to me, “you can’t, but we promise when you turn 10 we will take you scuba diving.” For the next three family vacations I was the most annoying child, all I wanted to do was scuba dive just like my older sister!

Beth Basinski
Dive Instructor, USCG Captain, Marine Biologist

“How did you get into diving?” I’ve been asked this question many times by my SCUBA students, fellow divers or those just interested in learning more about SCUBA. I can’t say that my answer is always the same, because there were many influences that prompted by love for diving. If I really think back on how the events unfolded that lead me to where I am today, the story goes something like this:

My father was a fisherman. I grew up either on or in the water almost every day. My interest for all things aquatic is definitely a direct hand-me-down from my father who took me fishing, boating, swimming, etc. whenever there was a chance. I was always interested in seeing what was down below. Any time a catch was made I would study whatever creature lay on the deck of the boat and ask millions of questions. My curiosities for marine life made me want to explore and discover what lay in the depths.

Years went on and my love for the water, boating and diving grew. I decided to study marine biology in college and had many opportunities to combine by love for marine science with my passion for diving. My interest in becoming an instructor was something I never saw coming but am so glad it did. I was on a trip in Belize and was one of the few people in the group that was certified. There was one particular girl who had signed up for SCUBA certification but was extremely nervous once class started. Her instructor was so patient, calming and encouraging that after many hiccups she became certified and her fear of being underwater became a passion. It was incredible to watch that transformation and I wanted the opportunity to achieve that for others.

Now, here I am, a SCUBA instructor, marine scientist, boat captain and advocate for all things diving. There are many stories in between, too many to recall really, that have influenced my passion for SCUBA and brought me to this point. My hope is that my love for the water will be a hand-me-down for someone else and will spark a passion just has strong as mine.

Ralph M. Bishop
SDI Diver

I grew up in MA, and diving was a big thing even back then…I was certified by the YMCA in 1959. Wetsuits were homemade and fragile, there were no BC’s or depth gauges..one was always “bottom crawling”. I got a few lumps and bumps clambering down the rocks at Gloucester and Rockport to go diving. I am still diving at age 73, but now must spend big bucks to travel afar…used to cost us $1 for air and less for gasoline for the car!!!

John Lemke
SDI Diver

During the late 70’s I was living in Hawaii with my folks. I was twelve. My mother was a marine biologist, and worked at the marine institute on Coconut Island in the middle of Kaneohe Bay. Yep, she had to take a boat to work every morning, LOL. During the summers, mom would take me to work with her and I would wander the labs and pester the students and interns. One day one of my mom’s coworkers asked if I wanted to learn to scuba dive. I did, and I was hooked. Coincidentally, my best friend from school’s father was one of the director’s at the institute, and lived on the island with his family. We had free reign of the island, and we dove, fished, and paddled our way around it on surfboards. Call me lucky… those were some of the best days of my life.

Jovie Capric
SDI Diver

Being a born and raised Floridian I feel as if its only natural for me to love being in the water. This is me at 5 years old learning the basics of scuba. Can you believe that I just got certified this month?! Clearly I have waited entirely too long to get it done! haha 🙂

Frank and Barb
SDI/TDI Instructor Trainers

Being weaned on the old “Sea Hunt” television show, we’ve always been fascinated by the underwater world. Scuba diving was something we always wanted to try, and once we did, we were hooked. Admittedly we are information junkies by nature, so we started taking almost every dive course imaginable, just for fun. Pretty soon we ventured into technical diving, at a time when Nitrox was still shunned by all of the recreational agencies. Wanting to share our love of the sport with others, we then decided to join the professional ranks. Naturally we still didn’t stop there, and we both progressed to the apex rating of Instructor Trainer with SDI and TDI.