Safety Diver for Film, TV, and High-Action Water Productions
Professional Freedive Water Safety, Rescue Coverage, and Marine Set Support
I’m Ryan Rush — a Florida-born ocean professional with decades of water-centric experience across freediving, lifeguarding, spearfishing, marine operations, and safety leadership. I provide professional freedive safety diver and water rescue support for film, television, commercials, cliff diving, ocean stunts, and remote-location productions. My priority on every shoot is to prevent incidents, reduce risk, shorten response time, and keep the production moving safely and efficiently.
I bring real-world safety execution, exceptional communication skills, and calm, decisive responses in high-stakes water environments. I’m available for domestic and international assignments, travel-ready with a professional crew mindset.
About Me
I’m a true North Florida native whose lifelong passion for the ocean started early. Spearfishing and surfing came before I mastered my multiplication tables, and I learned water skills around docks and boat ramps while others played on land. I grew up as a second-generation dive instructor, using freediving for hunting, underwater photography, and reef research, and I transitioned from an ocean rescue lifeguard to assisting my father in teaching scuba before turning that passion into my career.
I co-founded a family dive shop in St. Augustine, Florida and now own and run SAVAGE DIVING, where I teach freediving, spearfishing, reef research, and run spearfishing excursions across Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Asia and Europe.
Qualifications:
Master Freedive Instructor
Emergency First Responder Instructor
Dive Master
United States Coast Guard (USCG) Captain
United States Lifeguard Association Lifetime Member
Underwater Videographer/Photographer
Founder and President of the North Florida Reef Research Team
Commercial Spearo
Services for Productions
Freedive Water Safety and Rescue
Primary and secondary safety diver coverage
In-water standby positioning and rapid intervention
Impact-zone control for cliff jumps and water entries
Blackout prevention and extraction readiness
Coordination with surface teams — boats, jet skis, lifeguards, rescue leads
Underwater Production Support
Water-aware positioning for talent, athletes, and camera teams
Timing, marks, seas, and current tracking
Underwater navigation and hazard avoidance
Underwater shot support that protects safety without disrupting production
Safety Planning and Operational Support
Pre-shoot risk assessments (currents, visibility, bottom hazards, exit points)
Safety briefings for talent/athletes and crew
Communication workflows (hand signals, radios, safety triggers)
Emergency action plan integration and extraction procedures
Medical and Emergency Readiness (Set-Focused)
I integrate with existing medical plans or help refine them for water sequences. This includes extraction workflows, handoff coordination, and remote-location contingency planning.
Red Bull Cliff Diving and Event Familiarity
I have firsthand experience supporting Red Bull-style ocean and cliff diving projects, including safety coverage at Dean’s Blue Hole in January 2026 — a location known for deep water and high-stakes dive logistics.
Red Bull Cliff Diving has officially announced the 2026 World Series locations, featuring iconic venues across the globe including Copenhagen (Denmark), Polignano a Mare (Italy), Stari Most in Mostar (Bosnia & Herzegovina), St. Petersburg, Florida at the world-famous Tampa Bay Pier (USA), El Nido (Philippines), and Muscat (Oman). Previous stops have included Nazare at Forte de Sao Miguel Arcanjo, among other high-risk, open-water environments. The first confirmed stop for the 2026 season is Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia.
As a professional safety diver for high-risk aquatic productions and extreme sport events, I specialize in in-water safety operations, freedive rescue, and underwater coordination in challenging environments — including deep water, strong currents, low visibility, and cliff diving scenarios. With experience supporting major productions and working alongside elite athletes, understanding the level of precision, timing, and risk management required for Red Bull Cliff Diving events.
Booking and Availability
To request availability, send:
APNEAAID@GMAIL.COM
Domestic and international travel available
How I Run Water Safety on Set
Pre-Production
Assess risk zones: entries, impacts, currents, bottom hazards
Define roles: primary/secondary safety, surface support, comms lead
Establish rescue triggers and egress/extraction plans
Rehearsal
Confirm talent timing and camera lanes
Validate intervention routes and standby positions
Align team on signals, comms, and contingencies
Execution
Maintain camera-aware safety positioning
Track talent/athlete status continuously
Intervene early when necessary and coordinate surface support
Post-Run
Quick debrief to improve safety and production flow
Typical Sequences Covered
High-performance water entries
Open-water stunts and swim sequences
Surf features and nearshore current environments
Underwater breath-hold scene support
Remote islands and limited-infrastructure locations
Service Area and Travel
Based in Florida, I travel for productions worldwide. I’m experienced in remote environments and can either integrate into existing safety systems or help build one.
Booking and Availability
To request availability, send:
APNEAAID@GMAIL.COM
Domestic and international travel available