Edward Rasmussen

Location: USA

Occupation: SCUBAPRO Global Government Manager

Scuba Diving Since: 1986

Favorite Local Dive: Chesapeake Light Tower

Favorite Dive Location: Saipan

An Interview with Edward Rasmussen

Why did you decide to take the giant stride into the oceans?

I grew up watching Jacques Cousteau and loved being in the water. As a kid in the summer, I would spend all my time in a pond by my house. At 18 I joined the US Navy.

How has diving changed your life?

Diving has given so much to me personally and professionally. Personally, I find so much peace being in the water and I have been passing that love to my daughter who has been diving for 3 years now. Professionally, I spent 26 years in the US Navy and am now working for SCUBAPRO as our Global Government Manger. Diving has given back more than I could have ever imagined.!

What kind of diving do you like to do?

I love it all. I have done everything from diving in the cold of the Antarctic, to public safety diving in muddy water where you can’t see your hand in front of your face, to being in Saipan working to recover the remains of US service member lost during WW2.

Tell us about one of the most incredible underwater experiences you've ever had.

I think it would be the first time I saw a shark. I remember thinking, “Oh, a shark. I think I am supposed to be scared” but I wasn’t, and he just went about his business while I watched him swim away.

What are some of your favorite places underwater?

Right now I really love diving in the different Springs in Florida. The water is so clear and even when the diving is over, I like to just stay in the water because it feels so great on your body.

What is your advice to someone considering diving?

Take an intro scuba class now or even a snorkeling class when you’re on vacation. So many times I’ve had people tell me they wish they had started diving earlier in life or wish they had learned to dive at all. There are so many amazing things to see and people to be around in diving.

What would you tell people about the oceans?

We only have one and it truly is incredible to be in it. Sometimes when you go diving you are planning on seeing something and the ocean surprises you with a completely different experience that takes your breath away. So be good to it.

What does diving mean to you?

Diving and the ocean have brought so many good things into my life, including friends and many different experiences. I was at dive event in Austria a couple years ago and started talking with a diver from Chile. We didn’t remember each other at first but soon realized we had worked together 15 years earlier when I was in the US Navy and he was in the Chilean Navy. He even had a picture of us together when we finished a dive.

What's your favorite thing in your dive bag?

Hands down the SCUABPRO HUD. I love that computer. It is amazing easy to use and makes diving so much easier. A very close second are my GO Fins. I have given so many away by accident. I say it that way because I let someone try them and they never want to give them back… and most of the time I will let them keep them.

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Instagram: @ecrazz