Deep Dive: An Interview with Dr Will Koon

More from Deep Dive Into Water Safety All episodes →

1. 

   S1 · 20 Jul 2026 · 57 min

   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 the lessons it offers for Hawaiʻi. It examines why England developed a National Water Safety Competency Framework and National Water Safety Education Pathway, bringing leading organizations together to deliver consistent, evidence based water safety education from early childhood through secondary…

2. 

   S1 · 3 Jul 2026 · 39 min

   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 Legacy in Old Hawaiʻi, shares the story behind her family's effort to protect ancestral land on Maui and the deeper journey that followed into history, identity, culture, and the responsibilities we inherit from those who came before us. Sara explains that kuleana is often translated as responsibility,…

3. 

   S1 · 29 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 5 min

   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 (IDRA). His work bridges frontline rescue operations and drowning research, including studies on drowning care, responder mental health, rip currents, and emergency messaging. Also joining the conversation was Lt. Jamie Miess of Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue. A recent high-profile rip current rescue…

4. 

   S1 · 25 Jun 2026 · 58 min

   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, Bundjalung Saltwater People Brook Silvester and his son Zane join the program to discuss the work they are doing to create new pathways into water safety for Indigenous youth on Australia's Gold Coast. Among many coastal First Nations communities in Australia, Saltwater People are those whose…

5. 

   S1 · 22 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 22 min

   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 Water Safety to discuss the science, data, and lifesaving strategies that have helped reshape drowning prevention around the world and what Hawaiʻi can learn from them. Dr. David Szpilman is a physician, founder of SOBRASA (the Brazilian Lifesaving Society), creator of the internationally recognized…

6. 

   S1 · 29 May 2026 · 43 min

   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 shares how Brighton Surf Life Saving Club grew into a major volunteer-driven organization and explains the success of their innovative “Sandhoppers” program, which teaches children ages 5–7 water confidence and safety skills alongside their parents. Tia discusses her journey from youth surf lifesaving to…

7. 

   S1 · 25 May 2026 · 1 hr 2 min

   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 existed about many nearshore species in Hawaiʻi and how long‑term research has helped improve understanding of marine mammal populations, behavior, and conservation needs. The interview explored human impacts on marine mammals and how people can interact responsibly with wildlife in the ocean. He has…

8. 

   S1 · 22 May 2026 · 54 min

   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 hypoxemia and hypercapnia during simulated snorkeling compared to conventional snorkels,” was published in Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine in December 2023. The study was led by Janneke Grundemann, with coauthors Xavier C.E. Vrijdag, Nicole Y.E. Wong, Nicholas Gant, Simon J. Mitchell, and Hanna van…

9. 

   S1 · 18 May 2026 · 1 hr 20 min

   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 continues to impact communities worldwide despite being largely preventable. Alissa shares her deeply personal journey into drowning prevention and highlights the urgent need to treat water safety as an essential life skill, just like wearing seatbelts or bike helmets. The conversation dives into the…

10. 

    S1 · 15 May 2026 · 1 hr 19 min

    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 survival long before someone reaches a hospital. Returning guests Drasko Bogdanovic and Dr. Justin Sempsrott discussed the San Luis Obispo “Roundup,” a large scale rescue training event that brought together more than 250 first responders, including lifeguards, EMS, firefighters, and rescue personnel from…