Hi there! I’m Andrew!
Content Creator, USCG Captain, PADI Divemaster
Welcome to our ocean adventure blog! I’m just one half of the equation – but this is where I get to share entertaining stories, adventure ideas, useful scuba diving tips, fun YouTube videos, encounters with marine life, and plenty of advice for hunting lionfish (an invasive species in the Western Atlantic).
This is a place for people like you who are looking for daily inspiration & motivation to lead the ocean lifestyle you’ve always dreamed of.
Or just some helpful tips to help step up your ocean adventure and scuba diving game.
Ocean Lifestyle is the name of the game
Growing up in snowy Michigan, I was graced with 3 months of solid summertime on the Great Lakes. We would literally wait 9 months for the temperature to warm up so we could enjoy the outdoors together! Beach days, sunshine, and good times with good friends were always idealized throughout the year.
And it stuck with me. I obsessed over being on the water, soaking up the rays and burying my toes in white sand. My thoughts and dreams of a warmer place would drive me throughout the year. Always waiting for sunnier days.
Until one day I had enough of the cold and snow – packing my bags and heading south for good.
Eventually, I wound up in the Florida Keys and South Florida. And I never looked back.
Today, every day fulfills those dreams of being in a warmer place enjoying the lifeblood of the earth: the ocean.
I always dreamt of leading an ocean lifestyle, and I’m proud to say I’m finally realizing those dreams. All the while exploring some pretty fantastic places, scuba diving the depths of nearby oceans, and meeting some incredible people along the way.
I understand what it feels like to be stuck. To want something more out of life – whether it’s exploring far and wide or simply lying under a palm tree with a drink in your hand. You deserve that. And it’s my goal to help you get there.
But why should you trust me? Well, here are a few of my credentials:
Avid Beach Bum
My life has been one continual pursuit of the next stretch of sand. I want to see, explore, and plop my butt on every scenic beach in the world.
I’ve had my fair share of beach days but we have so many more ahead of us. Care to join along?
Explore More Beaches
Professional Scuba Diver
I work and play as a professional scuba diver in Fort Lauderdale, FL after doing most of my training in the Florida Keys.
My days are spent navigating shipwrecks, combing through vibrant coral reefs, guiding new and experienced divers, and providing tips and tricks for better dive practices!
More About Scuba Diving
Outdoor Educator
After graduating with my Masters of Education in 2017, I set out on a life of outdoor adventure.
My first stop was in South Carolina to lead backpacking trips through the Blue Ridge Mountains! This is when my career as a professional outdoors-man began.
Soon after, I made my way down to the Florida Keys to explore marine habitats and teach on the water! Since then, I’ve accumulated expertise in a wide array of adventure activities!
Stepping Up Your Outdoor Game
Backpacker and Nomad
Amidst the schooling, work-life and adventure life, I somehow found time to do some international travel.
After my stint in South Carolina, before the Keys, I spent months backpacking up the east coast of Australia, diving the Great Barrier Reef, climbing the Great Wall of China in Beijing, and whizzing a motorcycle along mountainsides in Thailand.
International travel hooked me. I knew it’d be hard to ever settle back down.
And I didn’t.
Being conveniently located in South Florida, we have quick access to all sorts of fun in the Caribbean, Central and South America. Not a bad place to be for an ocean lover like me.
More International Travels
Sustainable Hunter
People have been hunting for all of human history. However, it’s only been a recent phenomenon that we must now be careful as to what we hunt. The pressure we’ve put on certain populations, and the environment at large, has been reprehensible.
Sustainable hunting cuts out the middle man, reduces environmental impact, while tapping into the primitive instincts that drive us. I truly believe it’s one of the best ways to connect with nature while making positive impacts.
Tales from a Sustainable Hunter
Ocean Conservationist
I’m not a biologist and for the longest time I was never scuba certified or lived near the ocean. It was seemingly impossible to help our dying oceans.
I couldn’t have been any more wrong.
Today, I spend my time actively pursuing solutions in ocean conservation (in fact, this website is an example of one of them).
I wish someone had let me know: there’s plenty of ways to help our oceans! Even if your just an average Joe or plain Jane! The articles below are a good starting point:
Ways to Contribute to Ocean Conservation
So what’s next?
Well, I hope I was convincing. And I hope we have something to offer you. After all, we’re trying to get you to explore more, dive better, enjoy the ocean, soak up the sun, and yes, even enjoy a drink under a palm tree. You earned it.
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Meet Andrew EVEN more…
And for those of you still around, here are…
28 random things about me
- Call me Andrew. (I sometimes respond to Drew or Andy too. Depending on how well I know you)
- People always ask me about hunting lionfish.
- I’m originally from Michigan.
- I was born in 1992.
- I’m slightly losing my hair and I’m hella self-conscious about it.
- My dream is to write my own book. Got any ideas what it should be about?
- I graduated w/ a BS in Athletic Training from Michigan State University in 2015. GO GREEN!
- I got my Masters from Auburn University in 2017. WAR EAGLE!
- I’m a wannabe pirate. Just born 300 years too late…
- I don’t like cheese.
- I’m undefeated in my lifetime at the board game, Connect 4.
- I dove with sharks and it was fricken amazing.
- Goliath grouper too, and it was equally as amazing.
- I’ve always enjoyed writing.
- Starting this blog was a way to get back into that.
- I’m a sucker for gear. Particularly dive gear.
- I secretly love sweets.
- But I’d still prefer a second course of meat.
- I’m good at starting things.
- I’m bad at finishing them.
- I have too many hobbies. And they’re all expensive, of course.
- I love scuba diving, for one.
- Freediving and spearfishing are pretty cool too.
- Oh and woodworking is a little side hobby.
- Kayaking and paddling are up there too. (Notice a trend here?)
- I’ll eat anything. Literally anything. Except for cheese, of course. Or mayo.
- I’ve broken 5 bones, had 4 concussions, two ACL knee surgeries, and plastic reconstruction on my eyelid after falling off a roof. I’m accident prone, to say the least.
- And Laura totally taught me everything I know about the ocean.
Still want more?
For more on the better half of the crew, check out Laura’s bio, our about us page.
Thank you and welcome aboard! We’re glad you’re here!
