Meet John Hadfield | SCUBA Diver, watersports enthusiast, and retail shop owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with John Hadfield and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, what role has risk played in your life or career?
As a general rule in life, I’d rather fail at something than look back and wonder if I could have succeeded. I often found that the scariest part of any endeavor is just making the decision to do it. Life without any risk is a pretty boring concept. It’s just a matter what level of risk you’re willing to take. I’ve always been a bit aggressive in decision making, whether it’s going for it on 4th down, doubling down on 11, or deciding to start to start a business. If it’s something you want, you just gotta go after it. After all, if you don’t get in over your head once in a while, how will you ever know how tall you are?

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Sea, Key West is often referred to as a dive shop. I, however, prefer to call the shop a recreational watersports equipment store because we represent all of the fun things you need to get in the water, paddleboards, snorkeling equipment, spearfishing, swimming, and of course diving. It’s been important to us since day one to be supportive of the local community, so wherever possible, we source products locally and support brands that are giving back to the community and our marine environment. You’ll find our store filled with cool local brands that can only be found here in Key West and the Florida Keys. It’s important that were not just a store that’s in the community, but one that’s a part of it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, the obvious is going to be to get in the water! Go diving. Go snorkeling, Go jet skiing, parasailing, whatever, just get wet. Fort Zach, as the locals like to call it, along with Higgs beach are a couple of my favorite snorkeling spots. Of course there are a lot of great charters that will take out to reef for an amazing dive or snorkel experience as well. Key West also has a rich history and lots of cool attractions to go with it. Mel Fisher’s Museum, The Hemingway House, and The Butterfly Conservatory are a few my favorites, No list of things to do in Key West would be complete without mentioning our legendary nightlife, dinner a few drinks downtown while topping it off with some late night karaoke is the way to go!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I actually give a large amount of credit to those who advised me against doing this, the ones doubted, and the people and organizations who weren’t willing to take a risk to support me. I am very much driven by my desire to prove them wrong, if only in my own mind. Of course, I also have a great network of support from family and friends who have been full of encouragement and willingness to help out when I need it. My wife, mostly, who has taken on a larger portion of our financial needs while the business gets off the ground and has put up with me during this whole process.

Website: https://www.seakeywestlocal.com/

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