Blog - Jeff Cinciripino

The underwater world is an incredible place and I have been fortunate to venture into this world. My life underwater has been simply amazing. I hope to share my experiences and observations with you.

My journey has taken me far in the world of scuba diving from open water diver to dive professional and dive shop owner. I have now embarked on a new phase of giving back to the industry. There is always something new on the horizon.

Never slow down and keep going strong. Hope you’ll come with me on this journey.

Can we get it right? We need to!

Two of the biggest threats to the sustainability of our blue planet today are pollution and climate change. Pollution that clogs our waterways and spews an unimaginable amount of plastics into the ocean. Climate change is causing sea levels to rise, ocean acidification, and temperatures to reach unprecedented levels killing off many species. Is there hope?

This week a new book by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson will be released. The title is – What If We Get It Right – Visions of Climate Future. Last week I listened to an interview on NPR with Ayana where she discussed this new book that includes interviews with 20 experts across various disciplines to provide their perspective. Her position is that we don’t get to give up.

Looking at Retirement Part Deux

In 2021, I retired from corporate America after more than 35 years. After being discharged from the US Navy, I had the opportunity to work at Sonalysts, Inc, Hewlett-Packard, The Hartford and Travelers Insurance. Each stop along the way gave me the ability to learn, grow, have unique experiences and work with outstanding professionals. That retirement from Travelers was not really a retirement. I refer to that as Retirement 1.0. You see, in 2017 I also became an owner of Scuba Shack in Rocky Hill, CT. At the time the circumstances seemed right to make the investment. In July 2021, I would move from the full-time corporate world to the full-time small business owner. Retirement 1.0 wasn’t really retirement and now is the time for Retirement Part Deux.

Last week, I officially wrapped up my work at Scuba Shack. The dive shop was sold at the end of July and I have been engaged in a transition to the new ownership team. With this work complete, there is the newfound freedom. Just how will that look?

Disconnecting really allowed me to connect

I recently returned from having spent a week onboard a liveaboard dive boat. The trip was in the Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez. We traveled from Phoenix to Puerto Penasco before getting on the boat and heading to the Midriff Islands located approximately 130 miles southwest of the port. Even though the islands are in close proximity to Baja California, they are quite isolated. I would essentially be off the grid; disconnected for the entire week. Would I suffer withdrawals? Would I constantly be reaching for my phone to check social media or email? Or would I choose to embrace the solitude of being isolated for the week. I decided I would take advantage of the loss of the cell service and no wifi access and that was liberating.

Finding the middle – Why we need it now more than ever.

Yesterday was the 4th of July and we celebrated our nation’s birthday. I did not feel like celebrating, however. My reflections centered on the debilitating polarization across America. Republican versus Democrat, left versus right, liberal versus conservative. It made little sense. What happened to the middle? You know, the middle where we respect one another’s opinions, debate our points of view, and compromise when necessary to achieve a greater good. Can we make the move to the middle once again? Our world of scuba diving is certainly an example of how we respect the middle.

Still littering after all these years – WHY?

Last week, Donna and I were heading out to the northwest section of Connecticut. Our mission was to drop off some scuba cylinders for hydrostatic testing. It was an absolutely spectacular Friday morning as we made our way across the state. Donna was driving, and that allowed me to take in the scenery. I am normally driving and my focus is on the road as opposed to the surroundings. It was a welcome change. At least I thought so until I observed the trash that was strewn across the landscape. There was so much debris. The paper bags and containers from the fast-food restaurants dotted the highway. Bottles and plastic bags gathered in the storm drains. We couldn’t travel more than a hundred yards without more trash coming into view. This was not an accident. It was a conscious decision to litter. The situation is sad, disappointing, and it got me down right upset to think that we are still littering after all these years.

How to be something instead of just doing.

In my latest episode of Scuba Shack Radio, I touched briefly on how some people take our scuba diving course and may never dive. Some people may only dive occasionally, while others become scuba divers. So this got me thinking a little more deeply about being versus doing. It is the difference between being a scuba diver versus doing scuba diving. (This doesn’t just apply to scuba diving. There are so many other endeavors in life where this resonates)

The Need for Speed – Maybe Not

In 1986, Maverick and Goose felt the need for speed. Top Gun was all about speed as the F-14 Tomcats raced across the sky battling MiGs and bogies. As the long-awaited sequel to Top Gun hits the movie theaters, I’ve got to wonder do we still feel the need for speed in 2022. Or do we really need to slow down? Do we really need to take the lessons learned from the pandemic and realize there is much more to life than going Mach 2.5 with our hair on fire?

Scuba diving teaches us to slow down. Slow down our movements. Slow down when we prepare for a dive. Scuba diving teaches us not to rush and not to take shortcuts. All of our training runs counter to the need for speed. This doesn’t mean that we can’t be quick and efficient. One has to strike the balance between moving at warp speed and being stuck in the mud.

How Do You Find Your Blue Mind?

On the latest episode of my podcast, Scuba Shack Radio, I reviewed the book Blue Mind by Wallace J. Nichols. The book is all about how we connect to water and its positive effects on our brain. So, I’ve been thinking about my blue mind and some of my blue mind moments. They can come at any time you are in or around water.

This past weekend I was at the ocean. Our dive shop conducted our first open water certification dives of the year. It is a long ride from my home in Connecticut to the dive site in Rhode Island. The drive starts early in the morning. In this later part of May, the sun is just coming up as I begin my trek. As I make my way to Fort Wetherill, I have a couple of blue mind moments. They set the stage for the rest of the day.

How do you like your scuba magazines?

A few days ago, I took my mom to the local Barnes and Noble bookstore here in Glastonbury, CT. While she was browsing to pick up a couple of recent novels, I headed over to the wall of magazines. As I made my way down the long rack of periodicals, I passed by the various sections that included current events, history, finance and money, travel, food, hobbies, until I came to the sports section. I wanted to see if I could find any magazines related to scuba diving. My quest was fruitless, and that got me to wonder why there were no periodicals for scuba diving at my local bookstore, given all the other sports magazines on the rack.

On the rack were a multitude of magazines related to the major professional sports leagues, but there were also several periodicals for other sporting activities. If you are into hunting or gun ownership, you could take your pick from quite a few. There were many magazines related to fishing. Runners and triathletes had several issues from which to pick. Boating, yachting, fishing, you name it there seemed like there was something for everyone, except scuba divers.

Are you too old to be a scuba dive pro?

I recently listened to an episode of Tec Clark’s Dive Locker Podcast where he interviewed Dan Orr about training older divers. In many of our classes we see a wide range of ages from pre-teen to retirees who are seeking their next adventure in life. I could definitely relate to the discussion between Tec and Dan. There are many articles out there that talk about aging divers but it also got me thinking about another question. Are you too old to become a scuba diving professional? We all know that there is a minimum age to become a dive professional but there is no upper age limit. As I did a little more research I found that there is little if any discussion related to becoming a dive professional later in life.

Jeff Cinciripino

Author and Scuba Diver

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