back is the stillness after descent.“ You take time to relax, look around, get your bearings; it is a completely different world.”
Before becoming a nurse, Nash studied biology and always had an appreciation for the natural world. Diving deepened that respect and strengthened her commitment to conservation. She has seen restoration efforts bring new life to coral reefs.“ You see things that no picture can describe.”
From the Florida Keys to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, Nash has explored a wide range of underwater worlds, including a recent dive with whale sharks at the Georgia Aquarium.“ They are massive but docile,” she said.“ It is strange. On land, standing next to something that big would make me nervous. But underwater, it is peaceful. I am calm by nature, and I think animals sense that.”
That same serenity draws others. Amelia Cantrell, who began diving in 2022, has already earned several core and specialty certifications.“ Diving feels like floating in space – peaceful, silent, and freeing,” she said, describing a night dive in Key Largo.“ The coral and wildlife are incredible. Shining your light through darkness and watching sea turtles glide through it. It is unreal.”
Answering the Call to Dive
While many dive for color and calm, others answer a different kind of call. For them, diving is not escape, it is service.
Cameron Corley, a multi-agency public safety diving instructor, volunteers his skills for search and recovery work.“ When we go in, visibility is often zero. We call it‘ braille diving,’” Corley said.“ I hold my computer up to my mask to read it. You are feeling your way along.” Most missions are recoveries rather than rescues, bringing closure to families when waters turn dangerous. The work also includes vehicle and evidence recovery, often alongside police and fire agencies that rely on outside specialists.
Surface coordination is just as crucial. Monika Punjack, a multi-agency dive instructor, often serves as tender, a surface coordinator who manages diver safety, communications, and boat handling.“ If we are under a tugboat during a recovery, I manage the deck crew to keep the boat still, and the diver is not pinned,” she said.“ We have communications, so I can talk to them and gauge their anxiety by their breathing. If communications fail, we use line pulls – specific tugs on the tether rope – to communicate.”
Lee McDole, firefighter, EMT, and instructor, once worked with a dive recovery team to retrieve a boat that sank.“ Watching them do that,” McDole added,“ I knew I had to learn.” Teamwork and mental health are vital.“ We evaluate divers before and after dives because it is mentally taxing.” To help share the strain of recovery work, they rotate divers so the trauma does not fall on one person.
PAGE NO. 24 NEWS AND TRIBUNE SPORTS MAGAZINE JAN / FEB 2026