Offshore Commercial Diving and Starting a Business in Panama, Tony Stead

Tony Stead was an offshore commercial diver, working on oil rigs in th Gulf of Mexico in the years before and after hurricanes Rita and Katrina. After this episode of his life, he started a scuba diving operation in Bocas del Toro, Panama. I met him surfing here in Bocas. He is one of the friendliest and most generous people I have met and is a good friend. His stories of commercial diving are captivating, and his advice for starting a business in a foreign country is valuable to anyone with that dream.  We talk about becoming an offshore commercial diver, the training and education, the work, the gear, the dangers, the incredible underwater scenery, the partying, blowing money on stupid stuff, the Shell Mars, his first dive, the benz, triggerfish bites, manta rays, how the work changed after hurricanes Rita and Katrina,  the BP spill and how it changed the indusrtry, doing cocaine, moving to Panama and starting a dive shop in Bocas del Toro, getting sober, finding out who his real friends were, two big mistakes people make when starting a business in a foreign country, and more.  Links and photos are on the podcast shownotes page Support the show through Patreon