By Lambe Lamis 
Tony Wells has gone from becoming the little one of a damaged family members, to one particular who has defeat several difficulties right up until he could realize success at turning out to be the only Black American Business Deep Sea Diver to function in the demanding Offshore Oilfields in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa in the 1980s and 1990s. Alongside the way, he not only grew to become a marvelous deep sea driver, but he learned about humanity. “Black Person Below the Deep Blue Sea” is his autobiography, and he is below nowadays to tell us extra about his remarkable journey.
Tyler: Welcome, Tony. I am happy you could sign up for me nowadays. I understand the excellent modify in your daily life began when your loved ones moved to Hawaii when you had been fourteen. Would you tell us a very little bit about what your daily life was like prior to that go?
Tony: Prior to relocating to Hawaii I was joyful with the tranquil region-boy lifestyle in which we expended most of our time fishing and looking just after university and on holidays. For me there was no much better way for a child increasing up for the duration of that time.
Tyler: What about the transfer to Hawaii transformed the route of your foreseeable future everyday living?
Tony: Nicely, in Hawaii you’re on an island surrounded by the deep blue ocean so I identified it only all-natural to be attracted to it through scuba diving and surfing. Considering that I’ve generally been the adventurous variety I found it uncomplicated to remodel from exploring on land to exploring underwater. This all arrived normal to me.
Tyler: Did you get to scuba diving by natural means?
Tony: Scuba diving was my usually means to take a look at and breath underwater so I took to that like a fish!
Tyler: What about it did you obtain so satisfying?
Tony: It was like a different globe for me. A silent world that experienced unimaginable limitations and excitement and one particular which I tremendously required to explore.
Tyler: A lot of individuals go scuba diving. Why did you make your mind up to renovate it into a deep sea diving career?
Tony: Actually, when I was scuba diving in Hawaii I in no way imagined that I might someday grow to be a industrial deep sea diver doing the job in the demanding offshore oilfields abroad. Scuba diving is a completely distinct planet from industrial diving. When you are out scuba diving you are just out there experiencing your self and possessing a great time, but when you happen to be working as a professional diver, it is really not in the least bit enjoyment any longer because you are basically doing work and most of the time you’re below strain and tension from previously mentioned (the ‘topside’ personnel) to go down there and get a distinct job accomplished. You will not have any time for pleasure at all.
Tyler: What built you make your mind up to turn out to be a deep sea diver? Did you at any time dream of currently being something else?
Tony: When I was youthful we lived in Indianapolis, Indiana and the Indy 500 race observe was about a 50 % mile from my dwelling so we could listen to when the autos ended up training there. Just after my uncles introduced me there to see the apply and races I realized my future in lifetime was to grow to be a specialist race motor vehicle driver. Various several years later when my mother remarried to a navy gentleman we moved to Hawaii, and I built good friends with some fellas who raced on the oval dirt tracks there and assisted them get the job done on their cars so I nevertheless planned on turning out to be a race car or truck driver someday. Nonetheless, following I graduated from large university my family moved from Hawaii to California and I begun likely to faculty component-time and working a comprehensive time position. Immediately after a number of several years of performing this, I understood that I was bored and wanted to journey and do one thing extra thrilling for my do the job so I made the decision to enroll in the skilled professional diving study course at Industrial Diving Center in Wilmington, CA.
Tyler: Deep sea diving has experienced its harmful aspect for you at situations. Will you tell us a very little little bit about individuals hazards and why in spite of the dangers, you still discovered it worthwhile?
Tony: Very well, it’s just like any other profession, I guess. It does have its dangers but the moment you’re working underwater you just will not have time to think about all the things that could probably go erroneous. The second you start off wondering about all of that is the time you should not be a professional diver anymore.
Tyler: I understand you ended up a diver for many oil providers?
Tony: Of course, most of us were being ‘freelance’ so that means that we would work for regardless of what diving business experienced a task or, if there were being a number of simultaneous employment, then we would get the job done for whichever corporation was shelling out the best.
Tyler: What just was the purpose of your get the job done, and how did you offer with the pressure of the demanding oil companies?
Tony: We did all the issues that folks do when performing on topside work opportunities. The only change was that we were being performing them underwater. Primarily, we did oilfield help variety perform, so that included operating on oil rigs, pipe laying barges, crane barges, derrick barges and off of large boats, and so forth. Pressure from the demanding oil providers was just yet another aspect of our career. For the men who were not up to spec or who just could not get it then they possibly would have been run off (fired) or they would just up and quit that profession.
Tyler: You have also been on treasure diving hunts. Will you convey to us about these?
Tony: My most notable treasure hunt was when we ended up looking for the 500-12 months-previous Portuguese ship named, “Flor do Mar,” off the coastline of North Sumatra. That was definitely exciting and lasted for practically two decades. Another time I was employed to discover sunken smuggler’s gold off the coastline of Pakistan by the Pakistan Government and that was very intriguing also.
Tyler: How did you changeover from doing the job for oil businesses into treasure searching?
Tony: My roommate in Singapore understood some fellas who were placing with each other a crew to hunt for a 500-12 months-aged Portuguese ship that sank off the coast of North Sumatra (Indonesia) so he invited me to sign up for them. By that time I was additional than delighted to do a little something various and enjoyable in addition to the common oilfield form operate I experienced been carrying out for the earlier a number of several years already.
Tyler: I realize that you ended up when illegally detained by a international government. Will you inform us a minor little bit about that celebration?
Tony: Well, that was mainly a situation of us becoming in the completely wrong location at the completely wrong time as well as some corruption and greed manufactured up for a combination that no a single would have required to be caught up in at the time. That was off of a tiny island in Indonesia in which just about anything at all goes if the circumstances occur to be all from you as was in our circumstance.
Tyler: What form of get the job done had been you executing at the time, and why did the Indonesian authorities develop into upset?
Tony: I had some superior exploration on an English shipwreck that experienced sunk off of a tiny island in1789 that experienced shed ten chests of gold and silver cash so myself and a superior friend of mine desired to go and have a typical search at the spot to see if the venture was viable or not. Regretably, a number of times before there experienced been some other fellas in that basic spot who have been applying explosives to salvage a metal shipwreck so when the Indonesian police noticed us in that location, they assumed we were the kinds who had been undertaking the metal wreck salvaging. Hence, they took us in and detained us for questioning but even when they understood it wasn’t us, they started out viewing dollar signs as a necessity of us obtaining launched.
Tyler: Tony, how do you watch your everyday living? Your tales audio like the adventures of flicks? Did you ever wish for a peaceful life alternatively?
Tony: I look at my commercial diving daily life as really an experience and when I seem back on it all now, I can actually say that I am glad to have lived it. I am also happy to have survived via some of the numerous close calls which I seasoned on many instances. Now that I’m older I like the quiet lifetime but back in these times I appreciated the exhilaration, explorations and adventures I went as a result of. Certainly, as a matter of truth, I do believe my ebook would make a hell of a fantastic film also! Haha.
Tyler: Tony, what created you choose to write “Black Man Under the Deep Blue Sea”?
Tony: Numerous several years in the past I realized that it truly is so uncomplicated to neglect matters I had done the preceding week, or even earlier day sometimes, so for the earlier 20 or far more years I have been retaining a journal since I like to remember every thing that is transpired to me in my lifestyle. It really is not that I was all alongside setting up to compose my life’s story but when I did start off remembering and re-reading about people wild and remarkable adventures I might absent by way of I resolved that maybe I really should create my memoirs. I understood that if any one enjoys excitement, adventures and humor that they should like reading my guide.
Tyler: Why did you pick out to highlight on your own as a black man in the title?
Tony: I am a Black American so when it came to choosing the title for my reserve it was seriously easy for me. I wished it to be self-explanatory (Black Male) and also to seem enjoyable plenty of to catch the reader’s attention (Below the Deep Blue Sea). I’m hoping I have achieved that.
Tyler: Your e book also talks about the issues you have figured out about daily life and people. What would you say is the “concept” of “Black Man Under the Deep Blue Sea”?
Tony: Mainly, what I have experienced in the course of all my traveling is that most of the folks of diverse races all about the earth just want to be wholesome, delighted and have appreciate in their lives. My concept is that no subject what race or gender you are, will not permit ignorance or jealous people today set you down or notify you what you ‘can’ and ‘can’t’ do in lifetime. Anything is achievable so if you want to do anything just go out and do your very best and do it. If my e book can inspire just a person person in this entire world I would really feel pretty pleased and delighted that I did create it.
Tyler: Tony, do you have any options to generate a lot more publications?
Tony: “Black Person Beneath the Deep Blue Sea” is truly my second printed reserve. My 1st e-book is titled, “Shipwrecks & Sunken Treasure In Southeast Asia” and it came as a final result of the investigate I acquired throughout our look for for the 500-12 months-previous Portuguese ship, “Flor do Mar.” Immediately after that I wrote an book titled, “Cannon Journal-Compilation of details on bronze Asian & European Style Cannons (1500-1800’s).” If you happen to be a bronze cannon enthusiast then you would absolutely adore this guide. Anyway, the remedy to your question is a definite Indeed.
Tyler: Given that you are no lengthier a deep sea diver, how do you fill your time now?
Tony: At this time I am performing comprehensive time for a corporation in Saint Petersburg, Florida, that will make the world’s only genuine-time 3D underwater sonar. That keeps me quite chaotic. I’m also providing my motorcycle equipment shifter cushion online and am preparing on far more promoting to be in a position hopefully to boost profits so I can do that entire time just one of these times.
Tyler: Thank you for becoming a member of me now, Tony. Just before we go, will you tell our readers your web-site deal with and what type of additional information and facts they could find there about your e-book?
Tony: My pleasure, Tyler. My web website is http://www.tonywells.web and I have much more data about my history, some images of my spouse and children, and also some suggestions to up and coming writers and inventors there. I am a part-time inventor so you will find a connection to my motorbike gear shifter cushion creation, Shiftcush. There is also a backlink to my bronze cannons web site. Love!
Tyler: Thank you, Tony. I desire you several extra adventures.
Nowadays, Tyler R. Tichelaar, Affiliate Editor of Reader Sights, is thrilled to be joined by Tony Wells who is listed here to speak about his new book “Black Guy Beneath the Deep Blue Sea: Memoirs of a Black Business Diver in Southeast Asia,” PublishAmerica (2007), ISBN 9781424174225.