Beneath the murky, sea-roach infested waters of the Charleston Harbor, Josh Deaton silently scrubs the hulls of sailboats and mega yachts at each marina. Aside from the occasional flurry of bubbles, you’d never know he was beneath the water. Better known Port City Diving Company, Deaton and his small team have been operating year-round in Charleston Harbor since 2017.
“When you put your hand in front of your mask it’s just pitch black, you can’t see anything,” says Deacon’s teammate and business partner, Kirk Brutosky.
According to Deaton, these sea roaches, known as Ligia oceanica, crawl inside wet suits and around mouth gear. But it’ll take more than a few slimy critters to shake the army veteran’s infinitely optimistic attitude. Deacon regularly wakes up at 5am to exercise before starting his job in the water, despite working in the blazing sun all day.
Each day before work, Deaton and his crew sip coffee on a well-worn couch surrounded by wet suites and oxygen tanks. His office feels more like a ‘man-cave’ than a formal workplace, on Facebook it’s listed as a ‘dive bar.’ Over a cup of black coffee Deacon scribbles the names of boats like ‘Why Knot’ and ‘Reely Blessed’ on a piece of cardboard.