This Ocean Life Podcast

Hayley-Jo Carr -- scuba diving, coral restoration, Bahamas

In episode 96 I spend time with Hayley-Jo Carr, a woman dedicated to marine conservation in the Bahamas. Hayley-Jo takes us through her youth on the coast of England to finding her passion for scuba diving and undersea life on vacation in the Whitsunday Islands of Australia.
We hear of Hayley-Jo's pursuit of her passion for diving and marine conservation over the years leading to the Bahamas where today she focuses on coral restoration. Hayley-Jo talks about her role as PADI Course Director, training the local dive shops to teach their scuba students how to contribute to coral restoration, and her role as coordinator of the Reef Rescue Network, working with NGOs and planning dive operations to expand the network of coral reef nurseries.
Hayley-Jo provides great perspective on these coral nurseries, the importance of volunteer science and restoration efforts to support them, the health of the Bahamas shark populations, her love of underwater fashion modeling, impacts of the recent Hurricane Dorian, and more. 
Thanks for sharing Hayley-Jo's ocean life with us. Be sure to check her out on Instagram and dive into the Reef Rescue Network. You can also find fun stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV website, Instagram, and Facebook, and Twitter. Host: Josh Pederson, @surfpaddletailgate 

Kevin Dunn -- sunscreen pioneer, surfer, environmentalist

In episode 95 I speak with Kevin Dunn, founder and operator of BurnOut Suncare, one of the first environmentally-friendly and health conscious sunscreens to hit the market almost 20 years ago. Kevin takes us through his days of living and surfing on Maui, traveling and surfing Indonesia, to his kitchen where he made his first batch of sunscreen. We hear of Kevin's focus to make a sunscreen that lasted in the water while being healthy for both people and the planet, the challenges he faced early on with bringing this, then niche, product to market, and the amazing reaction to his sunscreen that the market has had since. Kevin shares his knowledge of the chemicals and ingredients used in sunscreens, their effects on people and corals, and gives us a great overview of what 'reef safe' really means. We talk global warming, ocean acidification, and the effects that sunscreen chemicals have on corals with mention of some of the responses that places like Palau and Hawaii have taken to help protect their coral reefs from these chemicals. Kevin also shares his philosophy of Burnout Suncare and his drive to minimize every aspect of their environmental impact.
To get 50% off your order of Burnout Suncare products, go to their website at www.burnoutsun.com and enter the code 'ThisOceanLife50'. My family and I use Burnout exclusively and absolutely love it -- check it out!
Thanks for sharing Kevin's ocean life with us. Be sure to check out BurnOut Suncare on the web and  Instagram. You can also find fun stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV website, Instagram, and Facebook, and Twitter. Host: Josh Pederson, @surfpaddletailgate
 
 

Suzie Cooney -- ocean athlete trainer, Maliko downwind, Maui life

In episode 94 I speak with Suzie Cooney, a well-rounded athlete who has turned her love of the ocean into a lifestyle of training others. Suzie takes us through her evolution from windsurfing and motocross riding to stand up paddling (SUP) and finding her passion for the world-famous Maliko downwind course on Maui. We hear of Suzie's approach to training athletes both remotely and in person, her approach to the physical and mental aspects of endurance paddling, and her passion for spending time to help others grow strong in the ocean. Suzie shares her story of building a massive SUP event to raise awareness for women's health and leveraging that to grow an amazing lifestyle of writing books, training others, and competing in SUP events. We hear of a recent trip to Hood River, Suzie's love for riding dirt bikes, and her strength pushing through injuries to continue to thrive in the ocean.
Thanks for sharing Suzie's ocean life with us. Be sure to check out photos and videos of her on Instagram, training website, and Mailko run website. You can also find fun stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV website, Instagram, and Facebook, and Twitter. Host: Josh Pederson, @surfpaddletailgate

Cooper Family -- Sailing the South Pacific (Pt 2)

In episode 93 we check in with Brian and Robyn Cooper, a family from Santa Cruz, CA who, with their 2 daughters, left it all behind 9 months prior to live a dream of sailing in the South Pacific. Brian and Robyn describe their first few months of learning their sailboat Renegade, the ins and outs of sailing among the islands and reefs of Fiji, and developing confidence in their sailing capabilities. The Coopers share perspective on traveling in the outer Fijian Islands, surfing incredible waves, diving, fishing, boat-schooling the kids, and spending time in many local villages where they've learned and embraced the Fijian culture. We hear of how the family is adapting to life afloat and how their daughters, ages 9 and 12, are growing and changing as result of spending tons of time in the ocean and interacting with the Fijian culture. Brian and Robyn talk about the next major part of their trip which takes them over a 10-day passage to New Zealand then over to Indonesia and other epic parts of the South Pacific.
Thanks for sharing Brian and Robyn's ocean life with us. Be sure to check out photos and videos of them on Instagram, their website SailingWithRenegade.com. You can also find fun stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV website, Instagram, and Facebook, and Twitter. Host: Josh Pederson, @surfpaddletailgate
 
 

Pat Shaughnessy -- Mavericks competitor, prone paddle athlete

In episode 92 I speak with a good friend and legend, Pat Shaughnessy, a world class big wave surfer and prone board paddler. Pat takes us through the past few years of focusing his summers on lifeguarding at Santa Cruz beaches and competing in both the Catalina Classic and Molokai 2 Oahu paddle board races with stories of dealing with the physical and mental challenges of these long distance events. Pat takes us through the evolution of his surfing from competitive shortboarding in his early teens to following his sister, Savannah, to Mavericks for his first big wave introduction. We hear of Pat taking a cautious first few years at Mavericks before things clicking for him and finding his true love for big wave surfing and being invited to compete in the 3 recent Mavericks contests. Pat talks about his crew in the line-up, continued inspiration from his sister in big waves, no-leash days at Puerto Escondido, and spending time to help the next generation find their stoke for big waves.
Thanks for sharing Pat's ocean life with us. Be sure to check out photos and videos of Pat on Instagram. You can also find fun stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV website, Instagram, and Facebook pages. We are on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean. Host: Josh Pederson, @surfpaddletailgate
 

Andy Schell and Mia Karlsson -- 59 North Sailing, offshore sailing adventure company

In episode 91 I speak with Andy Schell and Mia Karlsson, owners and operators of 59 North, an offshore sailing adventure company operating in the Atlantic Ocean. Andy and Mia tell their story of founding the company based on their love for sailing, the challenges they faced building a business of taking guests (or 'crew') with different levels of sailing experience out to sea for extended periods of time, and their own respective backgrounds in the ocean. Andy and Mia share stories from the various routes they take on their trips, from trans-Atlantic crossings to northern passages past Norway, we hear of the gear required, how they structure their crew during a voyage, and the special times they share with their crew at sea, helping others learn the love of sailing and the open ocean. Andy and Mia touch on the special connection we all share with the ocean and relate specific stories of their own spiritual interactions with animals at sea.
Thanks for sharing Andy and Mia's ocean life with us. Be sure to check out photos and videos of them on Instagram, their website 59-north.com, and awesome podcast, On The Wind. You can also find fun stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV website, Instagram, and Facebook, and Twitter. Host: Josh Pederson, @surfpaddletailgate

Tyler Conroy -- foiling, surfing, Mavericks, water rescue

In episode 90 I speak with a friend and local hero of mine, Tyler Conroy, who has built a well rounded ocean life for himself in Santa Cruz, CA. Tyler shares his stories of learning to surf as a young teen and moving quickly into some of the heavier Northern California water, his time in Jr Lifeguards, and transition into surfing big waves. We hear of Tyler's first session at Mavericks, some of the local legends who coached him into his first waves, and surfing Mavs with his group of close friends and wife, Savannah. Tyler talks about the lineup at Mavericks, working jet ski rescue in big waves, his breath hold training, love for spearfishing, and progression on the foil (and challenges of the sport here in cold, kelpy, Santa Cruz). 
Thanks for sharing Tyler's ocean life with us. Be sure to check out photos and videos of Tyler on Instagram. You can also find fun stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV website, Instagram, and Facebook pages. We are on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean. Host: Josh Pederson, @surfpaddletailgate
 

Luke Adolfson -- surfing, travel, Jaws, helping Maui youth

In episode 89 I speak with Luke Adolfson, a surfer and diver focusing his energy into pursuing happiness in the waters of Maui. Luke shares stories of surfing on Maui, surfing local WQS contests, and his time over the past years pushing himself at Peahi (Jaws). We hear of Luke's world travel surfing Indo, South Africa, and more with time spent helping those less fortunate with missionary work to Uganda. Luke shares his perspective on the youth of Maui today and the energy he and others in the community are putting into helping the kids stay focused on their goals in life and finding happiness on that beautiful island. Luke and I replay a recent story of a close call with a boat when spearfishing together off of Napili and hear of Luke's pursuit of breath holding and apnea training.
Thanks for sharing Luke's ocean life with us. Be sure to check out photos and videos of Luke on Instagram. You can also find fun stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV website, Instagram, and Facebook pages. We are on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean. Host: Josh Pederson, @surfpaddletailgate