08/30/2026
🦑 KRAKEN’S LOG — WHAT A WEEKEND 🦑
Man…
What an absolutely AMAZING weekend with some of the best people I’ve met in a long, long time.
I want to start by saying THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you for allowing me to teach your families.
Thank you for trusting me with the people you love.
Thank you for supporting Southern Ocean Sports.
And thank you for allowing me to continue living this crazy dream I’ve had since I was a youngster myself.
Because even back then, there was absolutely nothing cooler to me than swimming with the fish.
More than 40 years later…
There still isn’t.
If scuba diving had never found me, I honestly have no idea what I would be doing with my life.
I just know something would be missing.
So when families trust me to introduce their kids, husbands, wives, friends, and loved ones to this underwater world that has given me so much…
I don’t take that lightly.
And I could not be more proud of this group.
Anderson…
Brother, you remind me of myself at your age.
Wide open.
All over the place.
Ready for whatever adventure comes next.
Watching you underwater makes me smile because I recognize that excitement. Keep it, buddy. Don’t ever lose it.
Sadie…
You are just TOO COOL.
Your facial expressions absolutely kill me. 😂
Watching how excited you get underwater makes me fall in love with scuba diving all over again because now I get to introduce you to all my fish friends.
That’s pretty freaking awesome.
Landon…
Dude…
You’re the Cerebral Assassin.
You don’t miss anything.
I can see that brain working underwater, taking everything in, studying it, thinking about it…
I’m telling you now, brother…
I can see some marine biology in your future.
Jackie…
This one meant a lot.
You came to us after a bad diving experience in Cayman, and all I wanted was the opportunity to show you what scuba diving could be when it’s taught correctly and you feel comfortable with the people around you.
You SHOWED UP and SHOWED OUT.
Watching you overcome that fear so quickly was impressive as hell.
I’m incredibly proud of you.
Whitney…
MONSTER.
Just absolutely ALL IN.
Every dive.
Every skill.
Every adventure.
You’re already asking what’s next.
I’m calling it right now…
My next female Divemaster and Instructor.
Dan…
You’re gonna have to let this woman dive every chance she gets because she’s going to absolutely KILL those Divemaster and Instructor courses. 😂
Then there’s Dan and Josh.
Guys…
The divers you are is one thing.
You’re both badass divers and you already know that.
But watching the two of you as fathers this weekend was something completely different.
The way you care for your families.
The way you encourage your kids.
The way you watch over them while still giving them room to experience the adventure themselves…
The world could learn a lot from you two.
That’s what being a dad is supposed to look like.
Luis…
My man came all the way down from Atlanta to do his class with me.
Brother, that means more than you know.
Thank you for making the trip and trusting me with your training.
And Jamie…
Thank you for trusting me with your manchild. 😂
Of course, you absolutely killed it like always.
We’ve been diving together for a long, long time, and it’s an honor every single time we get back underwater together.
Mark and The Meg…
Y’all worked your BUTTS OFF all weekend.
Behind every great dive weekend are people hauling gear, helping students, solving problems, watching divers and doing a hundred little things nobody ever sees.
Thank y’all for always doing one hell of a job.
And somehow in the middle of all of this…
We managed to squeeze in SEVEN GLORIOUS DIVES.
And I got to dive with the man himself… Captain Slate.
Doing the Creature Feature alongside Captain Slate is STILL one of the coolest things in the world to me.
I swear it never gets old.
But Saturday gave me another moment I’ll remember for a long time.
We got Angle A and her kiddo back in the water.
One of the Original Dive Crew underwater again.
And there I was watching her chase those little fish around the reef…
Just like she did all those years ago.
For a moment, I swear I stepped into a time warp.
Twenty-five years later…
Same Angle A.
Same excitement.
Still chasing those little fish around the reef.
Man…
That’ll make you smile.
Because that’s what diving does.
Years pass.
People grow up.
Families change.
Kids become adults.
Life takes everybody in different directions.
But somehow you put on a mask, stick a regulator in your mouth, drop beneath the surface…
And you’re home again.
The Original Dive Crew will always be family.
And now we’re watching another generation discover the same underwater world we fell in love with.
THAT is why scuba diving is so amazing.
It’s never just about how deep you went.
It’s never just about what fish you saw.
It’s the people beside you.
The families.
The friendships.
The laughter.
The fears overcome.
The kids experiencing something for the first time.
And the stories we’ll still be telling 25 years from now.
What a freaking weekend.
Another Southern Ocean Sports adventure officially in the books.
Next up…
WEST PALM BEACH.
Lobsters.
Shipwrecks.
And knowing this crew…
Probably a little bit of foolishness along the way. 😂
God, I love this thing called scuba diving.
Stay salty, Kraken Nation.
The adventure continues…
🦑🤿🦈🐠🦞❤️
— Dave “The Kraken” Stone
Southern Ocean Sports
“The FUN Starts Here”
D&W 🫶
