Rowing with the Master’s program for San Diego Rowing Club in 2024 was a season of sheer domination. In rowing, being a masters athlete means that people assume you’re at the beer tent after a race licking your wounds and grumbling about how you used to be faster. Our team wanted to show that aging didn’t have to be equivalent to losing fitness. We woke up at 4:15am to row 12 miles before work and would row another 9 in the afternoon on the rowing machine.

This dedication lead to being undefeated in the men’s 8+ at National Championships against college teams and other masters programs. We also won $1,000 in prize money and lifetime individual USRowing memberships.

Season highlights:

I was Open Water scuba certified in September of 2022 through Paddi. One year later I had already accumulated over 75 dives and took advanced classes to obtain my Master Diver certification through SSI. This is the highest certification available to recreational divers and it allows me to dive to depths of 130 feet (40m), use different gas mixtures, dive during the night, and rescue other divers in emergency situations.

Being a scuba diver gives me access to an ecosystem the average person doesn’t get to see. I bring this world to you through the videos I upload on my YouTube channel.

In this video I explore the inside of an airplane. The wreck was intentionally sunk so it could serve as an artificial reef and dive attraction. It sits in 60-80 feet of water and some cool marine life hangs out around it. Fire coral grows in red patches on the side of the plane and is extremely painful if touched with exposed skin.

My favorite place to dive is from the shore in La Jolla, CA. For this dive I usually carry 140ft³ of air which allows me to stay under water for ~90-100’

As of July 2026 I have 160 recorded dives and my next certification will be the Solo Diver certification. As the name suggests, this will certify me to dive alone. In the distant future, I’ll become cave certified so that I can explore underground water networks in Florida or Mexico.

I’m an extremely strong swimmer and it’s not unusual for me to spend over 3 hours in the ocean.

For normal people this might mean standing in the surf, but for me this means being at least 500 yards offshore the entire time.

While I’m out there I dive down 30-40 feet every few minutes to checkout the marine life.

Kyle Mabry scuba diving in Jupiter Florida with a Goliath Grouper
Kyle Mabry scuba diving in Jupiter Florida with a Goliath Grouper

When I first moved to San Diego I decided to buy a wetsuit since I knew I would be spending a lot of time in the ocean.

At the shop I was able to find plenty of options for a wetsuit. However, I also saw several spearguns mounted to the wall.

I was curious about them since spearfishing in the North East is unheard of.

The shop owner told me that it’s very popular here in Southern California and directed me to a local spearfishing group that I could join.

I was instantly drawn to the idea of hunting for fish underwater. I joined the spearfishing group a few days later and I’ve been hooked since.

I’ve caught Blue Fin Tuna, Yellowtail, Dorado, Calico Sea Bass, and White Sea bass to name a few of the species.

I was a Division I student-athlete at Boston University and rowed on the Charles River.

My senior year of college I decided to train at Riverside Boat Club by myself for the single scull.

In July of 2017 I qualified for the U23 national team and raced at World Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

My best friend is a 10lb poodle mix named Gracie.

She has a crazy amount of energy and loves going to the beach to get her paws wet.

Her birthday is October 18th 2020 and I groom her myself.

I’m a photographer, drone operator, and underwater videographer.

I own all photos and videos on this site, and I’m available for hire.

Feel free to contact me if you’d like to schedule a photo shoot.

If you haven’t already, checkout my YouTube channel where I share my interesting finds while scuba diving.