Why Sink or Swim Scuba Supports Both Recreational and Public Safety Diving

Brent Clevenger   May 17, 2026

Sink or Swim Scuba was built from both recreational scuba diving and public safety diving experiences throughout North Carolina.

 

Why Sink or Swim Scuba Supports Both Recreational and Public Safety Diving

One question people sometimes have about Sink or Swim Scuba is why our business seems to focus on both recreational scuba diving and public safety diving.  

The answer is actually pretty simple.

Both are part of my story as a diver.

When I was a kid, I remember seeing a scuba store in a local mall. At the time, scuba diving seemed exciting and mysterious, but it also felt out of reach. My family probably could not afford something like that, and eventually I forgot about it for a while.

Years later, while attending Western Carolina University in Sylva, North Carolina studying Criminal Justice, a girl I was dating bought me scuba lessons at a dive shop in Asheville.

That experience changed my life.

Not long before graduation, I was hired by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office and was assigned to the dive team. At the time, the department had little or no budget for diving equipment, so almost everything we used was personally owned gear.

We still dove every chance we got.

One of my best friends and mentors at the time was my sergeant, Scott Buttery. Scott was a former Navy rescue diver and rescue swimmer and had an enormous impact on me both professionally and personally.

At the time, I thought all the specialized gear and training was the coolest thing in the world. Looking back now, what mattered most was the mentorship, teamwork, and training culture surrounding it.

That experience shaped a lot of how I view diving today.

Years later, I moved to the Gastonia Police Department. Unlike my previous agency, Gastonia had an actual budget for training and equipment. Much of my scuba training during those years came through Sharky's Dive Center in Gastonia under Allen Reese.

Allen was not only a mentor to me, but later became my Instructor Trainer as I continued developing professionally in diving and public safety operations.

He had a major impact on my growth as both a diver and instructor, and I will always appreciate the role he played in my career and in the local diving community.

That dive shop taught me a lot about scuba diving, but it also showed me how difficult it could sometimes be for public safety teams to work with traditional dive shops.

Many dive shops at the time focused primarily on retail sales. Public safety teams often needed something different. They needed partnership, support, flexibility, and someone willing to help solve problems instead of simply selling equipment.

Part of the foundation of Sink or Swim Scuba came directly from those experiences.

We never wanted to become just another vendor to public safety teams.

We wanted to become a resource and a true partner.

Sometimes that means helping teams locate equipment quickly during budget issues. Sometimes it means helping with service, training, logistics, or finding creative solutions when funding is tight.

Even well funded teams occasionally experience budget freezes, delays, or equipment shortages. Sink or Swim Scuba works hard to help teams through those situations whenever possible.

Sometimes those conversations honestly become:

Tell me what you need and what your budget looks like, and we will figure out a way to make it work.

That mindset is a major part of our public safety diving background.

At the same time, recreational diving has always remained at the heart of why we love this industry.

When I was a young diver and a newer police officer, I could not afford exotic dive travel or expensive dive vacations. I understand where many newer divers come from because I came from the same place.

I still remember how exciting local diving felt when I was first learning.

That passion never went away.

Whether we are teaching a ten year old student in a pool, helping divers train at a quarry, or traveling internationally with divers on tropical trips, we genuinely love introducing people to scuba diving and helping them grow.

As Sink or Swim Scuba has grown, we have built an incredible staff and team around that same passion.

Many of our instructors and staff focus heavily on recreational scuba diving, travel, training, and helping divers enjoy the underwater world.

I still spend a large amount of my time supporting public safety dive teams, consulting with agencies, and helping teams solve operational problems.

To us, those two worlds are not separate.

They are connected.

Public safety diving requires discipline, professionalism, and trust.

Recreational diving builds confidence, adventure, friendships, and enjoyment.

Both come from a shared passion for diving and helping people succeed underwater.

Today, Sink or Swim Scuba supports both recreational divers and public safety dive teams throughout Charlotte, Gastonia, North Carolina, and beyond.

That is what Sink or Swim Scuba has always been about.