Luminox: Tell us about yourself, where you’re from, what you do for a living, and your background.
Taylor: My name is Taylor North and I was raised in San Diego. I grew up surfing, playing sports, and working as a lifeguard. After high school I became a Scuba Diving Instructor and fell in love with being underwater. I now work for Oregon State University, as their previous Lead Instructor and now a current part-time instructor. I also work as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and am in the application process for both State Patrol (Police) and Fire Department/EMT. My end goal is to be a search and recovery diver for the deceased.
Luminox: How were you first introduced to Luminox?
Taylor: My Grandpa (Nick North) was the Navy SEAL in charge of finding a watch that passed all their testing; I grew up with him telling me that Luminox was the only one. When I got into diving, he gifted me my first watch, which replaced my brand new Apple Ultra (I still don’t wear it and I haven’t even paid it off yet). I started going to my Grandpa’s SEAL reunions and took him to the Luminox 30th anniversary. I was gifted another watch that day, which is the one I wear almost every day. Gladly I can say I have become obsessed.
Luminox: What first inspired you to become a fire/rescue and emergency response professional?
Taylor: I was told that some people are born to serve, and I can say that I am one of them. I have always felt the need to be a good person and better my community. I originally got my NREMT as a check on my bucket list, however after my first EMT job I completely fell in love with every part of it; the adrenaline, sirens, being first on the scene. What really sealed the deal were two very distinct calls for me; chainsaw laceration and open tib-fib fracture. We stationed a lot at different fire stations where I gained rapport with the crew, and after talking with them I wanted to try my hand in fire. I will finish my last part of testing in the next few weeks.
Pertaining to a recovery diver, as an EMT I was a DOA (Dead on arrival) magnet. This meant that I saw more dead bodies in my first five months than some people have seen working there for two-plus years. I was always warned about them; the smell, the look, but those didn’t bother me. I realized that I could do an important job that not a lot of people could stomach. Combining my love for diving and my tolerance, and some-what fascination with the deceased anatomy, I began my path towards a search and recovery diver. Some fire department and police departments have these positions available, so I am dipping my feet in both directions to see where I best fit.
Luminox: Can you share a moment on the job that has stayed with you — something that tested your limits or reminded you why you do what you do?
Taylor: This incident that stayed with me most was when I was working for Oregon State University on a dive weekend. We take the students to the hood canal and stay for a few nights while finishing our open water dives. This course was an advanced course, which has two specific dives that I ensure my students are ready for. We always brief and debrief our dives, and on the night and deep dives part of my brief includes, “This is a dive where if you have any reservations, I need to know about them before we dive. You can tell me now or find me while I am alone and we are setting up gear. With these two dives if something happens it will be harder to correct due to the increase in depth/ the decrease in light.” After stating this to my group we began to get ready, no one decided to approach me for this dive. I had my max number of students, plus a DMC (dive master candidate) and a DM (dive master). The following were the diver locations in the water: me at the front, one pair on either side of me, the other pair(s) behind them, lastly DMC and DM behind and above to watch over students and help with buoyancy issues. The dive was going great, I took them to their max depth, came up and showed them the “egg trick” and continued to ascend. I periodically would turn around to ensure all my divers were behind me and their buoyancy was correctly adjusted. One time when I turned around, one student was ascending too high with my DMC, because I could see he was correcting it I was waiting for them to come back down. They ended up landing on another student that had minor narcosis, so I moved him out of the way, made sure he was okay, and then checked on my other diver that was ascending. I signalled, “Okay?” she responded, “Okay.” I asked once more and received the same answer. At this point the water was losing clarity, and I had us continue to ascend. I looked behind again, everyone was there. When we got to the safety stop at 15ft/5m I noticed the same diver and DMC were missing. I signalled the DM to watch students (they were already certified) and went down to about 35 ft to see if I could find them. I was unsuccessful and decided to go back to my students, where our safety stop was over, so we all ascended together to the surface. At this point I remained calm and had everyone else start talking about how the dive was while I scanned the surface. I did not see bubbles or divers. As we kicked in, I kept the other divers occupied, when I heard from shore, “We have your diver.” Due to liability, I can not continue with the story, as my opinion could get me in trouble. However, as we were going to debrief in the shower, I opened the door to, “Someone slipped and fell and is unconscious.” This student suffered a moderate concussion, and with the most medical training I took care of this student while other instructors took care of the first student.
I would also like to add that this was while it was snowing, I had no shoes on and was in a one-piece bathing suit. I was very grateful for all my training that day, especially with ensuring all the other students were calm. I actually got complaints that I did not seem to be in distress when all of this was happening, which led them to believe I did not care, however I handled everything exactly how it should have happened.
Luminox: What’s one way you’ve seen your work as a fire/rescue/EMT professional make a difference in your community?
Taylor: A goal of mine is to spread happiness and kindness. Although it is a small thing, seeing my patients’ day turn around due to my kindness, or even my peers, makes all the difference. I love making glove-people for kids, even if they aren’t from the patient’s family.
Luminox: You’re also a Dive Master, PADI Instructor, and now swift water rescue — what draws you to these physically and mentally demanding pursuits?
Taylor: I like to challenge myself in every aspect of life; physically, mentally, and emotionally. I know I can make a difference in this world, and I know this world needs people like me who aren’t afraid to put their life on the line for others. There were many instances during training for River Rescue Technician where I was put out of my comfort zone, but after the support of my team, I came out of training more confident than I have ever felt. I always keep basic medical supplies in my truck in case I can respond off duty. This is another reason I try to gain as much training as I can; so I can help anyone in distress in any situation. I also must admit that I am an adrenaline junky, I have flown a CESNA with no prior training (pilot in seat next to me but I was in PIC), almost died in a cave while I was solo-kayaking, and like to test my limits with most things I do. Saving people in extreme circumstances itches this need for adrenaline.
Luminox: How did you first get into diving and what drew you to the underwater world?
Taylor: I first dove in 2020 at OSU. I went for the NROTC program but was unsatisfied with the online learning and decided to move back to San Diego after receiving my Open Water certificate. While I was back home, I found that my second cousin has his own private dive company, and I began taking more courses with him. He is an IDC staff instructor, so he was there from my advanced course, all the way to my final testing as an instructor. I am so grateful for him and his company: Underwaters. However, my first real love for diving came on my first night dive. I have seen bioluminescence before and even surfed during it (and busted my forehead open) but this was so different. Cupping our lights and having the water surrounding you sparkle blue is the most intimate thing I have ever experienced. Laying on your back and watching your bubbles sparkle blue and they expand and reach the surface. One time the water was so clear, and the moon was so bright that I was about fifty feet down and was able to dive and find my way to shore without a light in the middle of the night. I would give anything to experience that dive again.
Luminox: What’s one of the most memorable dives you’ve ever experienced?
Taylor: I was taking a tour into La Jolla Cove, where my favorite thing there is the horn sharks. Not a lot of people realize this, but San Diego is a cold-water dive location. However, on this dive I could have thought I was off the shore of Kauai. The water was so clear, we saw over ten sharks, found a shark egg, and were so mesmerized that we got a little turned around and had to surface to find our location. This was something new for me, as I can usually find my way back without my compass using natural navigation.
Another memorable dive was taking my advanced student out to the wrecks off San Diego. We have the Canadian Destroyer Escort (UKON) and the Ruby-E. This time the water was also very clear, we descended into a beautiful blue, a picture I still use as my background, and landed on this beautiful ship surrounded by fish. This was the most fish I have ever seen on the wrecks. When we did our safety stop on the mooring line, we brushed off some of the shrimp and the fish swam so close to us that we could feel them against our faces at times. During our surface interval, it seemed like the entire ocean was out for us, as we were surrounded by dolphins playing.
Luminox: In what ways has diving helped you build resilience — mentally, physically, or emotionally?
Taylor: Diving changed my life in every way. It made me confident, I was in charge of my entire safety and life, and now in charge of the lives of everyone I take with me. It taught me to slow down. I now appreciate every little thing in life, from every small bubble that escapes my first stage, to every bird I see flying in the sky. I am a happier person, a more resilient person, having to fix problems underwater with little to no communication, and an overall better person.
Luminox: Are there parallels between your diving experience and your work in rescue emergency response?
Taylor: Absolutely, if something goes awry underwater, you can not panic, and the same is true for at the surface. The more you panic, the more you lose your ability to think and lead. Pertaining specifically to river rescue, having the experience of diving and how the water works helped me with our free diving, learning about our currents and ferry-angles. I also didn’t have a fear of water, which helped during our night-ops.
Luminox: What do you love most about introducing people to diving for the first time? What advice would you give to someone curious about diving but hesitant to take that first plunge?
Taylor: I love seeing their faces the first time they take a breath underwater. I still remember mine and it was in a pool. It is such an amazing thing, it’s so quiet and peaceful and you're doing something you shouldn’t be: BREATHING UNDER WATER! I would tell them that diving isn’t for everyone and that is okay, you either love it or you don’t. I would say try to breathe normally, maybe start off snorkeling if you have any claustrophobia. My favorite thing to tell divers is, “You can end any dive, for any reason, at any time, with no explanation.” and this is very true. It’s your first time, you take it step by step if you need to. Lastly, if something happens during a dive, I would recommend getting back into the water as soon as you can. The longer you stay out the more the fear will build and it will be harder and harder to get back in the water.
Luminox: What inspired your decision to attend the Sheriff’s Academy in Washington?
Taylor: I want to be a Search and Recovery Diver. I want to allow families to have a body to grieve and allow for the victim to have a proper burial.
Luminox: How do you see this next step fitting into your broader mission of service?
Taylor: It fits every aspect, I get to serve my community, work my way towards the dive team, keep my community safe and clean, and help the wounded. This was my calling, and I couldn’t be happier, or more proud of the woman I am today, and more importantly, what I will be doing tomorrow.
Luminox: Luminox is known for watches trusted by divers and the Navy SEALs — what does it mean to you to be part of that tradition?
Taylor: It means everything, to have a watch that the bravest men in the world are wearing is special. Every time I put my watch on, I think of the sacrifice of not only the SEALs, but every personnel in the military. People are amazing, THESE people are amazing. It is such an honor that I have been asked to complete this interview with Luminox today.
Luminox: How important is reliable gear — including your watch — in the diving environment?
Taylor: Reliable gear is everything. Again, you are doing something humans aren’t supposed to; breathing underwater. At any given moment your gear could fail, resulting in an end dive with possible negative outcomes, or something more serious as a Navy SEAL. I have worn a Luminox watch every day for the past five years, whether I was rock climbing, diving, or working and it has never failed me.
Luminox: When you’re underwater and time becomes critical, how does “Every Second Counts” take on new meaning?
Taylor: Whether you are getting close to your NDL, you are waiting at your safety stop, or you’re getting low on air, time is important. As a recreational diver, our standards state we can not pass our NDL, and as a deep instructor we can get low pretty quick. With a large group of new deep divers, you can’t rely on them to tell you when their NDL gets low. This can easily drop from 99 to 2 minutes depending on someone’s air consumption and how conservative their computer is. I purposefully have mine at the most conservative level so that it is usually the quickest to drop. However, if you notice a student at 1NDL, every second you spend getting them to a safe depth is important to bump up that limit. At your safety stop, every second you spend there is letting more and more nitrogen out of your blood stream, this helps reduce the risk of DCI/DCS which can lead to death in extreme cases. Going back to the last question as well, this is why a good computer is important so it can tell you how much longer you have based on its calculations. If you leave too early, or ascend too fast, you increase the risk of a negative outcome. Here every second counts. Lastly, we practice CESA, controlled emergency swimming ascent, which is a protocol in place that you use if you run out of air and you are closer to the surface than you are your dive buddy. In this scenario, you need to let your bubbles out as slow as you can. If you breathe out too fast then you may not have enough air to reach the surface which could lead to panic. The reason it is “controlled” is because you still don’t want to ascend too fast and cause other problems.
Taylor's Pick: Master Carbon SEAL Automatic, 45 mm, Military Dive Watch - 3863
