PODCAST · sports
Deep Dive Into Water Safety
by Kauaʻi Community Radio - KKCR
Deep Dive Into Water Safety is a podcast dedicated to to one powerful truth: Drowning is preventable. Hosted by Kauaʻi waterperson Margaret Wright, the show features conversations with experts and community leaders from around the world who are working to save lives in and around the water. Together, we explore practical strategies to prevent drownings, educate swimmers, keiki, and parents, and create clear, culturally grounded messaging that makes a difference. Deep Dive is guided by Hawaiʻiʻs first statewide Water Safety Plan, a plan built on the realities that Hawaiʻi has the second highest drowning rate in the United States and that we can do better.Deep Dive Into Water Safety is produced on Kauaʻi by Kauaʻi Community Radio - KKCR, Kauaʻiʻs independent, non-commercial, listener-supported community radio station. kkcr.org.
Episodes
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Chris Harkness
Episode Notes Beyond Swim Lessons: Building Lifelong Water Safety What does it really mean for a child to be safe around water? Chris Harkness, President of SafeSplash Swim School, talks about why learning to swim is only part of the answer. He explains the Safer Swimmer Promise, the self-rescue...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Nathalie Martin
Episode Notes Beyond the Plan: Turning Water Safety Into Action Drowning prevention does not begin with a swimming pool. It begins with knowledge, local leadership, and the willingness to use the resources a community already has. Nathalie Martin discusses how her work in aquatics, research,...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Kurt Lager
Episode Notes August 16, 2026 Before the Rescue: Can Hawaiʻi Become the World’s Model for Water Safety? Chief Kurt Lager on the Future of Ocean Safety in Hawaiʻi What if the future of ocean safety begins before anyone needs rescuing? Honolulu Ocean Safety is entering a new era. Now operating as…
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Kanesa Duncan Seraphin
Episode Notes What Nine Championships Teach You About the Ocean: Kanesa Duncan Seraphin Nine-time Molokaʻi to Oʻahu prone paddleboard world champion Kanesa Duncan Seraphin has spent a lifetime learning from the ocean. A Hawaiʻi Waterman Hall of Fame inductee, marine scientist, educator, and host…
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Alissa Magrum and Norm Reitter
Episode Notes July 30, 2026: Alissa Magrum paddles with Kalani Vierra for Paddle for Life The conversation focuses on drowning prevention through awareness, collaboration, and data-driven solutions. Alissa Magrum (NDPA) discusses her participation in the Paddle for Life event, a 100-mile paddle...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Sam Johnson
Episode Notes Building Water Competence: What Hawaiʻi Can Learn from England Every child deserves the knowledge and confidence to make safe decisions around water. But what is the best way to teach it? This episode explores England's nationally coordinated approach to water safety education and…
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Sara Kehaulani Goo
Episode Notes **What's Your Kuleana?The Question Hawaiʻi Asks the World What does kuleana really mean? In this thought provoking conversation, award winning journalist Sara Kehaulani Goo, President of Creator Content at The Washington Post and author of Kuleana: A Story of Family, Land, and…
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Sam Proffitt
Episode Notes Beyond the Rescue: What One Rip Current Incident Teaches Us About Saving Lives This episode features Sam Proffitt, Ocean Rescue Director for Wrightsville Beach, firefighter, paramedic, veteran lifeguard, researcher, and member of the International Drowning Researchers' Alliance...
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Deep Dive: Brook and Zane Silvester
Episode Notes ** Eyes for Lives: Building the Next Generation of First Nations Lifeguards What if one of the most effective ways to prevent drowning is not a new rescue technique, but helping people reconnect with culture, community, and the ocean? In this episode of Deep Dive Into Water Safety,...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Dr David Szpilman
Episode Notes June 4, 2026: Dr David Szpilman: Drowning Is Preventable: What if one of the biggest barriers to preventing drowning isn't a lack of rescue skills, but how we think about drowning itself? Physician, researcher, and drowning prevention pioneer Dr. David Szpilman joins Deep Dive Into...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Dr Will Koon
Episode Notes June 1, 2026: Dr Will Koon: Beyond Warning Signs: Rethinking Drowning Prevention in Hawaiʻi Dr. Will Koon is a drowning prevention researcher with Royal Life Saving Australia whose work focuses on understanding who is drowning, why they are drowning, and how communities can reduce...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with David and Tia Samuel
Episode Notes David and Tia Samuel In this episode of Deep Dive into Water Safety, Margaret Wright speaks with David and Tia Samuel from Brighton, England, about how surf lifesaving, family involvement, and early education are changing the way communities approach drowning prevention. David…
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Robin Baird
Episode Notes March 3, 2026: Robin Baird, PhD Marine Mammal Researcher Robin Baird is a marine biologist with the Cascadia Research Collective who has been studying dolphins and whales in Hawaiian waters since 1999. During this interview, he discussed how little scientific information previously...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Dr Hanna Van Waart
Episode Notes Research, CPSC Warning, and Manufacturer Responsibility Hanna Van Waart PhD Exercise Physiologist at the University of Aukland discussed full face mask safety, her research and manufacturer’s responsibility The research article, “Full-face snorkel masks increase the incidence of...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Alissa Magrum, 2026
Episode Notes April 8, 2026 This episode of Deep Dive into Water Safety explores a critical truth: drowning is not random, rare, or inevitable; it is a preventable public health crisis. Alissa Magrum, Executive Director of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, will unpack why drowning...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Drasko Bogdanovic and Dr. Justin Sempsrott
Episode Notes Inside the Roundup: Drasko Bogdanovic and Dr. Justin Sempsrott on the Critical Minutes That Save Lives — “Micro Delays Matter” This episode of Deep Dive Into Water Safety focused on what happens in the first minutes after a drowning rescue and why those moments can determine…
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Ralph Goto
Episode Notes April 26, 2026 From Rescue to Prevention: Ralph Goto on Snorkeling Safety in HawaiʻiUnderstanding the risks behind snorkeling incidents and the future of ocean safety through research, education, and lifeguard leadership This episode explores the evolution of lifeguarding in Hawaiʻi...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Mark Haimona
Episode Notes May 5, 2026 Kia Maanu, Kia Ora! Stay Afloat, Stay Alive ! Mark Haimona is a leading Māori water safety educator and researcher from Aotearoa New Zealand whose work has helped reshape Indigenous drowning-prevention strategies through culturally grounded education and community...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Dr Morgan and Adrian Mayhew
Episode Notes Standardization of Practice and Lifeguards should be First Responders and Families should know Pushy Pushy Blowy Blowy Sparky Sparky In this episode, internationally recognized experts Dr. Patrick Morgan Medical Director to His Majesty’s Coastguard. He has been a key contributor to...
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Deep Dive: A Recap and Interview with Mayor Derek SK Kawakami
Episode Notes 4.17.26 For the live show, Margaret catches up with outgoing Kauaʻi Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami, an avid waterman and surfer, on the collaborations and progress that the Kauaʻi Lifeguard Association has made in the past year. Says Kawakami about the visit that the Okinawan Lifeguards...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Allison Schaefers
Episode Notes Resident not just visitors account for nearly half of ocean drownings in Hawaiʻi, about 49 percent, challenging one of the most common assumptions about who is at risk. Even more sobering: drowning remains the leading cause of death for Hawaiʻi’s children ages 1 to 15. Allison...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Dr Laura Trapani
Episode Notes Dr Laura Trapani The Safety Risks of Full-Face Snorkeling Masks, particularly for Children This interview is based on research presented by Dr. Laura Trapani a pediatrician and clinical researcher affiliated with the IRCCS Burlo Garofolo children’s Hospital and the University of...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Colleen Saunders
Episode Notes “Drowning Isn’t Inevitable It is Preventable.” - Dr. Colleen Saunders Dr. Colleen Saunders is a leading researcher in drowning prevention whose work is helping to reshape how we understand water safety on a global scale. Her journey into this field didn’t begin in a laboratory it...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Rob Brander
Episode Notes 2.15.26 Professor Rob Brander is an internationally recognized coastal geomorphologist and one of the world’s leading experts on rip currents and beach safety. His research has played a major role in reshaping scientific understanding of rip current behavior and how people respond...
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Deep Dive: Taishi Otono
Episode Notes 2.19.26 Taishi Otono is a respected leader in ocean safety and lifesaving in Okinawa, Japan, and an emerging international voice in collaborative drowning prevention. Through his work with the Okinawan lifesaving community, Otono has helped strengthen professional guard training,...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with ILCIRA
Episode Notes Why aren’t lifeguards first responders? This interview is focusing on a part of aquatic safety that is often overlooked but critically important the psychological impact of critical incidents on lifeguards and aquatic professionals. This conversation is about evidence…
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Jamie MacMahan
Episode Notes 2.14.26: Jamie McMahan, a leading researcher whose work focuses on how people experience and survive rip currents in real-world ocean conditions. Jamie is a professor of oceanography at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. His research has helped reshape how...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Ian Couch
Episode Notes July 18, 2025 Extra Interview: Margaret talks in studio with Ian Couch, the water safety expert for Worldʻs Toughest Row. The Toughest Row folks were on Kauaʻi receiving teams of rowers who traveled from Monterey, CA to Hanalei Bay. Ian talks about making safety a culture and how...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with John Kalei Clarke
Episode Notes September 16, 2025 John Kaleimakaliʻi Thornton Clarke, who happens to be the grand nephew of Duke Kahanamoku, is an accomplished waterman in his own right and a researcher with the Hawaii Department of Health. He epically swam around Maui to bring awareness to the fact that native...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Nicki Roderick
Episode Notes August 15, 2025 Niki Roderick is the founder and CEO of Free Dive Safe and is the NZ record holder for free diving. A dedicated ocean woman, she is also a strong advocate for water safety in schools. But not only for children, for adults and all ocean lovers. Her work supports free...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Chris Pico
Episode Notes Margaret invites North Shore lifeguard Chris Pico in studio to share about the importance of water safety from the lifeguard’s perspective and to share about the free app Pulse Point. What’s charming is that Chris’ daughter, Harper, was in studio as well, watching her show and…
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Duane DeSoto
Episode Notes July 18, 2025 Full On-Air Show: Duane DeSoto called in to the studio. He is instrumental in the Hawaii nonprofit Nā Kama Kai, which focuses on connecting keiki to the ʻāina and the kai. Duane is working hard to promote a safe water culture among the people of Hawaii and his message…
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Drasko Bogdanovic
Episode Notes Drasko Bogdanovic Reframing Water Safety Drasko Bogdanovic is a California State Parks ocean lifeguard, flight paramedic, educator, and the founder of The Lifeguard Project, a national storytelling and advocacy platform focused on reframing how lifeguarding and drowning prevention…
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Deep Dive: An Interview with George Centeio
Episode Notes January 14, 2026. George Centeio works with the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education as an Educational Specialist for Physical Education, supporting schools across the state in helping students build healthy, active lives. His work connects physical education, student well-being…
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Female Lifeguards
Episode Notes January 13, 2026. This show brings the conversation home to Kauaʻi. Iʻm honored to be joined by four professional female lifeguards who protect our islandʻs beaches every day: Sanoe Hookano, Lei Deguchi, Lemon Holliday, and Aarya DeBaldo. Each of these women brings deep local...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Adrian Mayhew
Episode Notes October 23, 2025 Adrian Mayhew brings insight into the latest research and applied physiology in flood rescue, technical rescue, and water safety management. He is deeply involved in bridging operational lifesaving practices with research and evidence-based training across...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Mike Tipton
Episode Notes July 18, 2025: Professor Mike Tipton MBE is a Professor of Human & Applied Physiology at the Extreme Environments Laboratory, School of Sport, Health & Exercise Science at the University of Portsmouth in the UK. He was kind enough to speak with us about the physiology of drowning....
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Kalani Vierra
Episode Notes November 21, 2025 Kalani Vierra is the Chief of the Kaua‘i Ocean Safety Bureau and one of Hawai‘i’s most respected and accomplished watermen. Kalani is internationally recognized for his expertise in rescue watercraft (jet ski) operations, and he has trained lifeguards across…
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Dr Angel Yanigahara
Episode Notes October 5, 2025 Dr. Angel Yanagihara is a leading biochemist and toxinologist internationally recognized for her groundbreaking work on venomous marine invertebrates—particularly the box jellyfish (Alatina alata) and bluebottle (Physalia physalis). Based at the University of Hawai‘i...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Kaina Makua
Episode Notes September 23, 2025 Kaina Makua is a kalo farmer, cultural practitioner, educator, and actor from Waimea, Kauaʻi. He is a cofounder and executive director of Kumano I Ke Ala which uplifts Hawaiian youth through ʻāina -based education. He operates Aloha ʻĀina Poi Co. which distributes...
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Deep Dive: An Interview with Bruce Hopkins
Episode Notes Bruce Hopkins, head lifeguard at Bondi Beach in Australia. A media personality as well as award-winning lifeguard, Bruce has appeared in 18 seasons of the Australian TV show “Bondi Rescue”. He talks to us today about effective swimming, but even more importantly, effective floating....
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Deep Dive Into Water Safety is a podcast dedicated to to one powerful truth: Drowning is preventable. Hosted by Kauaʻi waterperson Margaret Wright, the show features conversations with experts and community leaders from around the world who are working to save lives in and around the water. Together, we explore practical strategies to prevent drownings, educate swimmers, keiki, and parents, and create clear, culturally grounded messaging that makes a difference. Deep Dive is guided by Hawaiʻiʻs first statewide Water Safety Plan, a plan built on the realities that Hawaiʻi has the second highest drowning rate in the United States and that we can do better.Deep Dive Into Water Safety is produced on Kauaʻi by Kauaʻi Community Radio - KKCR, Kauaʻiʻs independent, non-commercial, listener-supported community radio station. kkcr.org.
HOSTED BY
Kauaʻi Community Radio - KKCR
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