In November 2023, a German marine engineering student named Justus Schiszler from Kiel University of Applied Sciences (FH Kiel) submitted a bachelor’s thesis entitled ‘An Investigation into a Series of Accidents Involving Diving Safari Boats’,which he prepared in collaboration with […]
Do scuba certification agency ethics codes protect divers or protect brands? An opinion piece on the RSTC, instructor burnout, and professional ethics
The suspension of SSI by the US Recreational Scuba Training Council has generated plenty of noise across diving forums and social media over the past week. For the vast majority of divers and instructors, though, the practical fallout is close
SSI/US RSTC Dispute: What Divers, Instructors and Dive Centres Actually Need to Know Read More »
Something is shifting in how the world thinks about diving safety — and Google is picking up the signal. In the twelve months to May 2026, global searches for “dive accident” and “diving fatality” surged 900% year-on-year. “Scuba diving death”
Dive Accidents and Fatalities: What the Surge in Search Data Tells Us Read More »
Let’s be completely honest about what is happening in the diving industry right now: we are failing the consumer, undermining our own market sustainability, and choking out future growth — because too many professionals are behaving like religious zealots instead
When the Tribe Becomes the Brand: Diving Agency Tribalism Is Killing the Industry Read More »
Divers Alert Network moves to clarify the scope of its federal filing — but the questions it raises are not so easily contained. Divers Alert Network issued a formal public statement on June 26, 2026, seeking to clarify the nature
2026 is a year of sea change in the dive industry. Full disclosure before anyone reads another word. Brian Carney and Sean Harrison are friends of mine. They have been friends for many years. I am also hardly a neutral
Brian Carney & SDI Just Admitted Industry Standards Are Defective Read More »
Disclosure: I am a former member of the Recreational Scuba Training Council (RSTC) Board of Directors, and previously served on the NAUI Board of Directors and NAUI Training Committee. The views expressed here are solely my own. Yesterday, Divers Alert
DAN’s Lawsuit Raises a Question the Dive Industry Can No Longer Avoid Read More »
A reflection on diving safety, operational planning, and the responsibility we carry every time we enter the water The news arrived the way difficult news always does — abruptly, with a weight that settles slowly. Five Italian divers lost their
When the Sea Does Not Forgive: Lessons from the Maldives Tragedy Read More »
On the morning of May 14, 2026, five experienced Italian divers descended beneath the surface of Devana Kandu — a tidal channel near Alimathaa Island in the Maldives’ Vaavu Atoll, approximately 100 kilometres south of the capital Malé — and
Into the Darkness: The Full Story Behind the Maldives Cave Diving Tragedy Read More »
