Plastic pollution is yet another critical peril impacting the oceans around the world. To solve this problem it is going to take a concentrated effort to implement solutions that stop the production of more plastic, improve recycling and disposal efforts and implement solutions that allow for reuse of items to replace the single-use plastic items that are so prolific.

Recently, Senator Jeff Merkley from Oregon introduced a bill - REUSE Act of 2025. REUSE stands for Research for Environmental Use and Sustainable Economies. The bill authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency to prepare a report on reuse and refill systems. Given the current disfunction with the legislative process, there is little hope that this bill will move forward.

We need legislation like the Farewell to Foam Act 2025, or the REUSE Act of 2025 and implementation of the National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution to be set in motion. It might be worth asking those who are asking for your vote where they stand or do they think climate change, and the plastic pollution problem are con jobs.

Recently, President Trump addressed the United Nations where he told the world that climate change is a greatest con job. He also said that this was being predicted by stupid people. I disagree.

There is detailed scientific data that paints the picture that the planet's climate is changing. Recently the American Meteorological Society released their State of the Climate 2024 and provides the evidence that the world is heating up. The report tells us that the oceans are getting warmer and records continue to fall when it comes to the heat. 

When NASA was actively engaged in climate study (they recently pulled back), they reported on how climate change was impacting the ocean. Here is their assessment.

The ocean is warming 
Sea levels are rising 
The ocean is getting a little greener 
Ocean warming is altering hurricanes 
Ocean acidification and heating are altering marine ecosystems 
Sea ice is thinning and shrinking
Ocean circulations may be changing

NO! Climate change is NOT a con job. It is happening and happening fast. We need to face the facts and implement the needed changes.

The Plastic Pollution Coalition reported some disappointing results from the UN's Intergovernmental Negotiating Committees recent meeting in Geneva - August 5 to 15, 2025. The meetings were riddled with distraction and delay tactics from the fossil fuel industry and plastic friendly countries. How big are the lobbying efforts. Greenpeace's report - Plastic, Profit and Power - How petrochemical companies are derailing the global plastic treaty outlines just how this is happening.

Dow, ExxonMobil, BASF, Chevron, Phillips, Shell, SABIC and INEOS are all sending lobbyist to the meetings. There were 220 lobbyist. That is the single largest delegation at the conference. These lobbyist playbook is one of delay, distract, discredit and dominate.

Greenpeace's recommendations:

Ban fossil fuel and petrochemical lobbyist from plastic treaty negotiations and future conference on plastic
Embed a strong conflict of interest policy in the treaty
Ensure meaningful public and scientific participation

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Sea State looks at

REEF Discover the Sea Photo Contest -  www.REEF.org/photocontest
DAN's Alert Diver Q3 2025 Edition
Historical Diving Society's Journal of Diving History Q3 Edition
Women Divers Hall of Fame Scholarship and Grant Applications now open
Meet Mobila Yarea
Drones, Right Whales and Orcas

 

In this episode I take a look at a blue paper published by the Ocean Panel on the impacts to the worldwide workforce if we take action and create a sustainable ocean economy versus not doing anything to help preserve the ocean.

Currently, the worldwide workforce tied to the ocean economy is about 133 million. If we pursue sustainable practices that number could rise by 51 million more workers by 2050. If we do nothing they estimate that the number will drop by 40 million.

A sustainable ocean economy requires governments, the private sector, financial institutions, educational institutions and civil society organizations to work in concert to achieve the needed results.

The main factors that need to be addresses are

Climate change
Adoption of sustainable practices
Emerging and innovative industry sectors
Investment and access to finance
Changing demand for ocean-based goods and services
Changing demand for energy




Sea State looks at

Sea Star die off mystery solved
An orange nurse shark
Argentinians are watching the sea floor
NASA changes direction on monitoring climate change
MarineLab to take over Jules Undersea Lodge in Key Largo
Yes - Beach clean ups do work

The US Energy Secretary recently announced that they are reassessing, or essentially rewriting the 2023 congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment (NCA) report.

Apparently, the assessment isn't inline with the current administrations thinking regardless of the scientific data backing the assessment. The Department of Energy has taken down the website hosting the NCA. While the Energy Secretary wants to unleash American energy dominance, it appears that this primarily means through fossil fuel and not necessarily innovative solutions.

Solar power however is on the rise and is now becoming cost effective to build and maintain and also it is scaling fast. Two top solar power states include California and Texas - two states on very different sides of political aisle.



Sea State looks at

Human Factors in Diving Essentials 2025
DAN's Annual Diving Report 2021
Earthquakes and whale strandings
The SHARKED Act of 2025
Oyster shell recycling in CT
Amazon's plastic reduction

Shark Week 2025 featured a new show "Dancing with Sharks"

Now this show is billed as an underwater dance competition between experienced scuba divers and their shark partners. They performed moves like Hammerhead Hoedown and Tiger Trot.

Has Shark Week jumped the shark?

The Environmental Protection Agency is pushing to remove the "endangerment finding" for pollutants resulting from the burning of fossil fuels. By removing this status, regulations under the Clean Air Act would essentially be lifted.

Is that a good thing? I think not.

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Sea State looks at

Sherwoods new Forge fin
Garmin Descent S1 Smart Buoy
Ocean Exploration Trust finds a Japanese WWII wreck
Congressman Begich from Alaska wants to rewrite the Marine Mammal Protection Act
Dolphin strike off Nags Head, North Carolina
The Great Lakes are getting warmer

The future of scuba diving is not with our current generation of scuba divers; the future of diving is with the next generation of scuba divers - specifically the Gen Z, Millennials and younger generations. They could be ready to become the future but is the diving industry ready for them. There are challenges including

Access
Exposure
Affordability

Breaking down the financial barriers is needed to overcome the high entry cost. Once certified, how do we keep this new generation of divers engaged.

All stakeholders in the scuba diving industry need to coordinate efforts to meet these younger generation where they are - not where the industry is today.

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Sea State discusses

Plastic Free July
Plastic bag bans effectiveness
Crossbreeding corals to combat warming
HEAD Group officially acquires Aqualung
Beneath the Sea Show changes
ROAK Media announce East Cost Scuba Show in Atlantic City, NJ

The Dive Pirates Foundation is an organization dedicated to enabling individuals with physical disabilities enjoy the underwater world through scuba diving. Their motto is "We no longer see disabilities, we see possibilities".

Each year, Dive Pirates runs a dive trip for adaptive divers, their buddies and volunteers. This year, I decided to volunteer, observe, learn and be part of the team. While on the trip, I was able to complete my training and certification as an SDI Scubility Adaptive Dive Buddy.

As a Dive Pirate I am now part of another family in the diving community.

The State of the Oceans report from Statisa and the German Ocean foundation gives us an overview of how they see the current state of the oceans around the world.

This report discusses how the oceans are critical for an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable future. However, the impacts of climate change and pollution are seriously impacting the state of the ocean.

In 2015 global leaders agreed to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for protecting the planet. SDG 14 focused on life below water. Unfortunately, the 2020 goals for SDG 14 have not been met. But we keep have to keep trying. In 2022, world leaders again looked to protect 30% of coastal and marine environments by 2030. Progress is being made. Eleven countries have already met the target. We still have a long way to go.

The report is available at www.statista.com

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Sea State discusses

PADI/Scuba Diving Magazine Through the Lens 2025 photo contest
Anchors in the Antarctic
Q2 Alert Diver Magazine
SeaLife SportDiver S housing
May and June editions of Scuba Diving Magazine

Another of my favorite spots to get in some scuba diving is Key Largo. I finally returned after five years. The last time I made it to the Keys was 2019 before the pandemic. It was also an opportunity to find my blue mind again after being out of the water for over 200 days.

We stayed at The Courtyard Key Largo at mile marker 100 and did two days of diving with Horizon Divers. We chose the two-tank shallow dives. Our dive sites included

City of Washington Wreck
Hanna M. Bell Wreck
North, North Dry Rocks
Christ of the Abyss (Largo Dry Rocks)

Listen for some details about the dives.

Our dinning included

The Pilot House
Skipper's Dock
Upper Crust Pizza
Bayside Grille and Sunset Bar

Our trip wrapped up with a visit to the History of Diving Museum and Islamorada Brewery and Distillery.

Oceana recently released a report - Plastic Foam Needs 'To Go'

Plastic foam is one type of polystyrene that is incredibly harmful to the environment and human health. Most US registered voters agree and 78% support policies that reduce single-use plastic foam.

More than 8 million metric tons of plastic foam is produced globally each year and plastic foam fragments are among the 10 most littered items found across the US. Unfortunately only 1% or less of plastic foam is recycled each year. Additionally production of plastic foam emits incredible amounts of greenhouse gases.

You can download the report from the Oceana.

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Sea State takes a look at:

NOAA cuts impact weather balloon launch
Trump Administration retiring extreme weather database
Influencers are causing shark attacks
Dinosaur fish discovered
Want to own a shipwreck?
Roak Media taking over the Scuba Show and California Diving News

Like many federal - the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is being drastically impacted by efforts to shrink government. And this effort not only seriously undermines the mission of the agency but also we are seeing the political impacts and assault on the environment.

Let's take a look at how these layoffs are causing issues across the various mission areas of NOAA.

We will also discuss how today's political environment is toxic to the natural environment.

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Sea State takes a look at

New scuba diving certification numbers
Scuba diving saves wedding photos
Toxic algae bloom in Southern CA impacting marine mammals.
Fast tracking deep sea mining
Amphibious Soul by Craig Foster
New documentary - Ocean with David Attenborough

Our oceans are under assault.

From the US withdraw from the Paris Agreement and the number of executive orders issued by President Trump we are seeing an all out pummeling of initiatives designed to protect the environment and the oceans.

On April 8, 2025 an executive order was signed to reinvigorate America's beautiful clean coal industry. Another executive order looks to sunset environmental regulations. There is also a presidential memorandum targeting regulation related to the environment.

As the US moves away from environmental leadership, we will continue to see the planet get hotter, and ultimately the demise of the oceans through global warming, pollution, offshore drilling and overfishing.

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Sea State looks at

Aqualung being acquired by Head Group
SharkTrust 2025 Photo Contest
Single Use Plastic PBS documentary
History of Diving Museum May Immerse Yourself
Black sea turtle conservation success
DEEP underwater habitats

I recently attended one day of the Beneath the Sea Scuba Ocean Exposition, Dive and Travel Show.

This was their 46th show that was started by Zig and JoAnn Zigahn back in 1976. The show made its come back from the pandemic in 2023.

The show ran March 28 - 30, 2025 and featured seminars, conferences, dinners, receptions and of course the main exhibition hall. 

I had a chance to touch base with a number of folks and find some new travel options.

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Sea State looks at

DAN's Scuba Cylinder Safety videos
Good Natured from WEDU - Florida
What is a sharktopus?
PADI Women's Dive Day - July 19, 2025
Orcatorch new technical D920 dive light
Diveheart's Legend of the Statue video

The Boston Sea Rovers 71st International Ocean Symposium and Film Festival kicked off the Northeast dive season with a fantastic show March 15 and 16. As one of the worlds longest continuously running scuba diving shows, the 2025 edition lived up to its mission of Raising the Level of Knowledge of the Underwater World. The two-day event featured 39 daytime seminars with unique themes covering wrecks and maritime history, marine science and technology, photography and videography, dive travel and programs along with marine conservation, corals and animals. The signature event of the weekend was the 71st Annual International Film Festival. Nancy McGee, a member of the Women’s Divers Hall of Fame and an Explorers Club Fellow served as the master of ceremonies. The packed hall was treated to an outstanding program featuring work by Hergen Spalink, Eric Chang, Jennifer Selloitti, Rose Darlymple and Cristian Dimitrius. We were also treated to a surprise presentation by Dr. Bob Ballard and the incredible work he is doing with EV Nautilus.

While the show may be considered small, it is powerful with high profile attendance and offers an intimacy and energy that is difficult to get with large scale productions. This year the exhibit floor was packed with both returning and new exhibitors ready to engage with the multitude of attendees. What is very encouraging is the number of younger participants eager to learn and interact with some of the legends of the dive industry.

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Sea State looks at -

The Farewell to Foam Act
The IUCN SSC Shark Specialty Group's Shark News Newsletter
Shipwreck find in Lake Superior - Western Reserve
Alert Diver Q1 2025 Issue
Humpback whale mortality rates up on Atlantic coast of USA
Vintage dive days in Key Largo

As scuba divers we love adventure and exploring dive destinations around the world.

When I consider a dive destination and resort some of my criteria include:

Warm water
Great diving
All-inclusive
On premises dive shop
Ease of getting to the destination

Here are my top three dive destinations and resorts

Atlantis Dive Resorts - Dumaguete in the Philippines
Sea of Cortez aboard Mexico Liveaboards
All three Cayman Islands - Clearly Cayman Resorts (Little Cayman, Cayman Brac), Sunset House (Grand Cayman)

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Sea State looks at:

Blue Green Expedition's Best of Arctic Expedition
Pilar coral change to endangered status on hold
Tara Roberts new book "Written in the Waters
SS United States leaves Philadelphia
World record for diving all seven continents
First quarter Journal of Diving History issued

In November 2024, the EPA released the National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution. This strategy was developed in accordance with the Save Our Seas Act 2.0 of 2020 signed by President Trump on December 18, 2020.

This national strategy has six main objectives

Reduce Pollution from Plastic Production
Innovate Material and Product Design
Decrease Waste Generation
Improve Waste management
Improve Capture and Removal of Plastic Pollution
Minimize Loadings and Impacts to Waterways and the Ocean

Will this strategy ever be implemented given the current political environment of job cuts and funding freezes?

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Sea States looks at

The Boston Sea Rovers 71st International Ocean Symposium
Beneath the Sea Dive, Travel and Oceans Exposition
The Planet NOAA Podcast
Seasonal lobstering restrictions off Massachusetts
The Garmin Descent G2 dive computer and smart watch
The economic value of scuba diving in marine protected areas

The Paris Agreement on Climate Change is now 10 years old. For the second time in the ten years, the United States is withdrawing from a worldwide treaty to combat greenhouse gas.

On January 20, 2025 by executive order, the US is again abandoning the treaty and eliminating any funding addressing climate initiatives.

Do we really think this is in America's best interest?

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Sea State looks at:

The dangers of IPO/IPE
REEF's new Ocean Exploration Center for Marine Conservation
Fallout from the Sea Story sinking
The new DAN Cast from Divers Alert Network
NOAA reports 2024 was the warmest year ever in the US

Listen for my observations on the state of the scuba diving industry in 2025.

While there are several headwinds that are facing the industry there are two issues that are critical for the sustainability of the dive industry

Creating the next generation of scuba divers
Developing a younger generation of dive shop owners

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Sea State discusses

Light and Motion shuts down
SUUNTO break from Huish
Aqualung's new Aquasense regulator
Divers rescued in Palau
President Biden's offshore drilling protections
Fungi batteries

Welcome to 2025 - Happy New Year.

As we make our way into the new year - let's take a look ahead at what is on our plate for 2025.

Scuba Educational Alliance of Connecticut will be offering two different scholarships in 2025:

Ocean Steward I Scholarship - Open Water Certification
Ocean Steward II Scholarship - Advanced Open Water

Applications open February 1, 2025 and will be awarded on March 31, 2025

March is also when we have the Boston Sea Rovers clinic here in the northeast and I will continue to help them in the planning and execution of the show.

2025 is also my third year serving on the DEMA Board of Directors and I also will participate in DEMA's Retailer Engagement Committee and the Show Committee.

Check out my initial reading list for 2025.

As for travel - we'll be heading out to Indonesia with Dive Into Lembeh and then onto the Philippines for a stay at Atlantis in Dumaguete.

We are also planning a week on Cayman Brac with Dive Pirates working with divers with disabilities.

Finally, my work with Scuba Diving Industry Magazine and the Level Up podcast will continue.

Just need to fit all of this in with my work around the house and the sweetness of doing nothing.