Episode 18: Found in the Wake, guest Carter Viss

What do you do when life changes in a second? In this episode, Heather sits down with Carter Viss — marine biologist, founder of the Carter Viss Foundation, co-author of Found in the Wake, and one-handed pianist — for a conversation about survival, recovery, advocacy, music, and meaning. They talk about the accident that changed his life, the people who helped save him, the work he’s doing to make waters safer, and the creativity and purpose that kept unfolding after everything changed. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:17

Welcome back to the Hidro Peter Radio Show. I'm so glad you're here. My guest today is the Marie Biologist, founder of the Carter Vist Foundation, co-author of Found in the Wake, artist, Aquarium Guy, one-handed pianist, and a YouTuber. And I tell you what, Carter, if that is not the most well-branded thing I've ever heard, because I heard that your last name is this, which means fish in Dutch. And then you end up becoming a marine biologist. I mean, how does that happen?

SPEAKER_00 0:52

Yeah. It's um a crazy coincidence, really. I uh, you know, it's it's perfect for branding, and I I love to share that fact. And uh it's just it's crazy how my life has got me in this position now. So I'm so excited to be here.

SPEAKER_01 1:11

Almost like destiny showed up early and said, We've already chosen your lane for you.

SPEAKER_00 1:16

Yeah, for real.

SPEAKER_01 1:18

So at what point did you realize that this fish thing might actually be like your whole thing?

SPEAKER_00 1:24

Um, I'd say it mainly started like when I was a very little kid in the doctor's office. Uh, they always had that like a saltwater fish tank in the front waiting room. And I absolutely just fell in love with like looking at it, seeing all the cool, uh colorful fish in it. And I knew like I didn't know anything about them then, but I knew like I wanted to learn more about this. You know, what what's all this coral about? What's all these colorful fish? What are they doing? Like it totally inspired me to get into uh fish keeping and the ocean in general.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

Well, I'm sure your mom loved you bringing in creatures and fish and turtles and everything as a kid.

SPEAKER_00 2:09

Yeah, she uh she drew the line at snakes. That's just that.

SPEAKER_01 2:15

Yes, I think I would have to do that too.

SPEAKER_00 2:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:18

So when did it go from this is something I love to this might actually be my life's work?

SPEAKER_00 2:24

Well, I think the the main distinction happened, I'd say about halfway through high school. I um I really wanted to get a larger saltwater tank. I only really had a smaller one uh for a few years. And I got this, it's a 90-gallon tank. So people who know like aquariums, that's kind of like a medium-sized tank, I'd say. But it was, you know, a lot of work. And as a high schooler, you know, I was very new to it, very inexperienced, but um, I really wanted to dedicate you know time and effort into really learning this and really getting better at it. And through a lot of kind of trial and error, I um I did get a little better at it, and it kind of gave me the drive and inspiration to say, okay, well, now when I'm done with high school, I want to go study the ocean, get better at you know, this um kind of operating aquariums, and really get into the science behind it all. And that's kind of what led me to uh university next to the beach, Palm Beach Atlantic University, uh down in West Palm Beach, Florida. And that's kind of where I found my new home.

SPEAKER_01 3:40

Oh, that's awesome. You've said your work focuses on fish health, nutrition, and improving fish farming. Help the rest of us understand what that actually looks like day to day.

SPEAKER_00 3:52

Yeah. Uh so I'm a grad student right now. I'm working for my uh master's degree. So I'm doing a lot of work on my uh master's thesis right now. And kind of looping back a bit, um, what I work in is called aquaculture. Uh that's a really common word in like the science community, but just for like anyone else listening, it's basically fish farming. Uh, it's farming with anything in water. So I work in aquaculture research and kind of more specifically, I work in uh fish nutrition. So it's basically what these fish are getting fed and how well that helps their health and growth. So what my master's thesis focuses on, kind of to put it really simply, is um in our facility, we have what's called a this is a pretty long word, integrated multi-trophic aquaculture system. So short, short is IMTA. So what it means is that there's fish, there's a lot of fish in like one large tank in the system, then like on the other side of the system, there's a lot of seaweed growing. So it's like um basically the seaweed grows by absorbing all the waste nutrients these fish produce. So basically, the system has a bunch of this seaweed that's always growing, and we don't really do anything with it. So, my thesis is more how do we incorporate this seaweed that we have an abundance of into say diets of fish in the system? So basically, we're recycling nutrients and creating more sustainable aquaculture. So that's kind of like a really short um summary of my thesis and uh kind of just the outline of what it gets in depth on.

SPEAKER_01 5:44

Sure. So how does that apply to us day to day in our grocery stores or as we eat fish?

SPEAKER_00 5:52

Uh that's a great question. Um so at the moment, most fish is um still wild caught. However, there has been a very uh significant shift in aquacultured fish showing up on the market. Um, I think since 2020, the what the industry has grown from like 4 billion to like 20 billion or something like that. So it's almost it's more than tripled in size. And uh in other countries, it's a lot more prevalent in the US. The US is actually way behind when it comes to aquaculture. And uh that's kind of where I step in with the research is you know, we want to find more sustainable, profitable ways for aquaculture and for its growth in the US because uh profitability uh kind of analysis, it's just not really meeting the mark yet. And uh what as researchers, you know, we just look for ways to help improve that.

SPEAKER_01 6:55

Well, do your fish friends ever come to you with fish questions the way people ask their doctor friends with weird rash questions?

SPEAKER_00 7:01

Oh yeah. I mean, I I am huge into fish ID. So, like if anyone's out fishing or like snorkeling or sees a fish, and like I just get texts from people, hey Carter, what's this fish? And I I can figure it out in probably less than a minute. I will that's awesome. Well my fish, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:23

So outside of the science, you've got art, music, aquariums, and a cool YouTube page called Left Hand Hobbies, which is just a fantastic name we'll talk about later. So, were you always someone who needed both logic and the creativity?

SPEAKER_00 7:38

Yeah, I'd say I was. Um through through college, I really got into playing piano. And well, I guess through my whole childhood, my mom Leela, is a piano teacher. Uh, that's that's how we got connected. And uh kind of throughout my childhood, I wasn't really too motivated to play piano, but once I got into college, I really found it as kind of a way of relaxation and getting my mind um kind of off my schoolwork for a bit. And that carried on into my post-college days, um, as well as art too. You know, I didn't do too much like painting or drawing. Um before, well, I'll get into kind of what happened to me in a bit, but before all that happened, you know, I didn't do too much art. Um, but I always had an appreciation and um kind of uh kind of an interest in it.

SPEAKER_01 8:36

Well, and I think they definitely go hand in hand, appreciation and wonder of nature and art, because nature is art in itself. So let's go on over to that. Let's go to Thanksgiving Day 2019. Public reporting says that you were snorkeling near Breaker's Reef in Palm Beach on Thanksgiving Day when you were struck by a boat. You lost your right arm, suffered severe injuries to both legs, and badly injured your left wrist. It also says that your dive buddy and a nearby paddle border were critical in saving your life. Tell us about that day.

SPEAKER_00 9:12

Yeah, it's a um you know, it's a day that obviously changed my life. And, you know, people would say that, oh, you know, it's a tragedy um that happened, and it sure was, but it also did change my life in great ways too. And I'll get to all that later. But um the uh the day itself, we went out snorkeling kind of in this reef that uh throughout college I went to probably at least like a hundred times, you know, it was right off the beach close to campus. I knew this reef like the back of my hand, and uh had the day off for Thanksgiving, and it was great ocean conditions. So my friend Andy and I we worked, we worked together and decided to go out snorkeling. And about three hours in to being in the water, we decided we're pretty much done and tired for the day. So uh I started swimming in, and that's when I heard this really loud sound in the water, um, kind of the sound of sound of a boat engine. And what's interesting is that boats, as you know, the sound travels a lot further underwater than above water, actually, like five times further. So if something's really far away, you can still hear it. Like boats um are really, really loud in the water. So, like, you know, when you hear a boat passing by from a faraway distance, it does sound pretty loud. So I always kind of heard like that sound because I would dive in like pretty populated areas, but then this sound got like extremely loud, extremely fast, and I actually looked to my right because I was swimming towards the beach, and I saw this massive hole of a boat heading straight towards me. And uh kind of just like that, I was in a life or death situation. You know, I knew that um I very, very likely could die from this. Um, you know, I need to get out of its way as fast as I can. Um I started swimming and I'd say I probably had about three seconds of like noticing the boat till I was hit. Uh so I was like trying to swim as fast as I can, try to get underwater, but it was just too fast. And kind of right before the boat hit me, um, I managed to kind of turn my body so my limbs were facing more towards the boat than like my head or my uh torso. And then I was I was hit, and the first thing I remember after the impact was uh seeing my right arm, well seeing noticing that I was missing from my uh body, and then seeing the arm itself kind of sinking down towards the reef, and uh kind of processing the absolute shock of that, you know, I noticed I couldn't really swim or move my legs, and I got a glimpse of my legs, and they were both basically dangling uh off my body. And I didn't even know at the time, but my left wrist was hit and badly broken. But obviously, since I had all these other severe injuries, like I didn't even know that at the time. And uh thankfully my friend Andy was close by. He was in absolute shock and disbelief as well when he first saw uh my missing arm and kind of what happened to me, but he managed to hold me up, uh, hold my head above water. And thankfully the boat that did hit me uh noticed what happened. They saw like all the blood in the water and heard the screaming and turned around, were able to call 911 and basically kind of like slowly backed up towards us so they could pick us up. Um that's when Andy kind of swam me to the back of the boat and uh paddle boarder nearby, her name's Christine, who was a stranger to us then, so we didn't know her at all. Uh, but she actually just about a week before this happened learned how to tie a tourniquet in a first stage class, like how to properly tie one. And she immediately kicked in to gear and saw like my missing limb, my other injuries, and uh noticed the bungee cord on her paddle board and used that as a tourniquet to tie around my arm. And that alone in itself saved my life because uh the surgeons estimated that I lost about half my blood by the time you know I got onto the boat, and yeah, I if I would have lost anymore, I probably would have gone into shock and and wouldn't be here. So uh that was just really amazing that she was in that spot at the right time to do that. And um well, the boat got me to the beach then after that and got to the hospital, and it was it was kind of a you know, a leap of faith of they're gonna put me under for surgery. I don't know if I'm gonna wake up from this, uh I don't know if I'm gonna have any limbs, but you know, I just gotta I just gotta go in and uh hope for the best and uh really trust in my faith in God in that scenario. And yeah, it was obviously a very traumatic day, and uh it's it's what really kind of projected my life uh in the direction it's going in.

SPEAKER_01 14:47

And I'm just glad that uh Christine and Andy stayed calm and they acted fast. And I also read that while you were in the water, Andy told you, God is with us. What a powerful statement.

SPEAKER_00 14:59

Yeah, yeah, it was it was when the boat was taking me to the beach. Um, you know, I was I was absolutely livid, screaming, like I'm gonna die, uh, just in complete and utter despair. And uh Andy could sense that. And you know, the words that just came to him in that moment were like, God is here, God is with us right now. And after that, it was kind of like a subtle reminder that you know God is here, and like I felt just this overwhelming peace come over me. I was just looking into the blue sky, and it was it was something that calmed my heart right, like physiologically, it definitely uh prevented me probably from bleeding out or even uh going into more panic or shock. But I just felt this moment of like clarity and peace that surpassed under all understanding, and like I knew that okay, this is God's plan for me. Um whether I like it or not, but it's um you know, it's kind of it was a reminder to keep my trust in God and that he is there, he is watching over me. And it kind of turned more into like I'm gonna die uh into like um like I'm gonna survive this. Uh I don't know what's gonna happen. It's gonna be a tough road, but I'm gonna survive this and make the best of it. And that really, that kind of like attitude shift definitely was a huge uh game changer for me.

SPEAKER_01 16:35

Well, surviving the accident is one thing and recovering from it is another. And headlines do not prepare people for the long middle, you know, the pain, the uncertainty, the repetition, the frustration, the slowness of rebuilding a body and a life. What did those first weeks and months really look like after the accident?

SPEAKER_00 16:55

So the first weeks, um, like the first two days, I was completely unconscious on a ventilator. Uh my parents got the news in Colorado, uh, yeah, on Thanksgiving Day. So they had to fly out that night, not really knowing if I'd be alive in the morning. They were a little unsure at the time about that. But thankfully, um I was, and they got to the ICU, and for a few days, yeah, I was totally unconscious. But then uh I woke up and uh saw my parents in the ICU and kind of perfectly, I'd say about perfectly recalled what happened to me. I, you know, I had a really good, clear memory of it, and just told them, you know, because of this, I can make a bigger difference now than I ever could before the accident because I, you know, I loved the ocean, I loved marine biology so much, and having an an experience in a story like this, I could really use to um to help uh make a difference. And that was kind of kind of my motivation throughout recovery. It was obviously very hard and painful um every step of the way that I was battling infections in my right arm and uh my right knee. I had to completely learn how to re-walk again, um, stand, really do anything. It was it was a complete just uh restart on everything. And there was days in the hospital that I just felt totally discouraged, but I kept hanging on to, you know, I can make a diff bigger difference now than I ever could before. And I just had to tough it through like those really tough days in the hospital.

SPEAKER_01 18:42

Sure. One of the phrases that runs through your story is time and repetition. I love that because it's it's simple, but it is not motivational fluff. It sounds like hard-won truth. And um tell us about what time and repetition has looked like in real real time.

SPEAKER_00 19:03

Well, I say I first used that when I was working on in physical therapy to to stand again um and start walking. You know, I the first time I stood up, it was extremely painful. Like, oh, I'm never gonna be able to do this, I'm never gonna be able to walk again. Um, but then the next day it was a little easier, then the next day a little easier. So I was like, okay, well, if it only gets easier, then I just need to keep doing it and give it more time. That's kind of where time and repetition just uh I started repeating that in my head a lot. And then there's a lot of other things, you know. I love to play piano, so losing an arm is just detrimental to a piano player, and you know, fishing I love to do. Um just all the things, you know, I thought I could never do again because of this. You know, I was like, well, I'm just gonna give those time and repetition as well. And that was that was kind of a motto in my head throughout my recovery is that you know, I can't the first time, yeah, it's gonna really stink, and it did. Uh, but then the second time and the third and fourth, it got a little better each time.

SPEAKER_01 20:15

So you even ran a half marathon.

SPEAKER_00 20:19

Yeah, back uh a few years ago, I did that, and you know, I was completely amazed I was able to do that, and it went from barely running, you know, a block to that, and you know, I owe that all a just time and repetition, really.

SPEAKER_01 20:34

I mean, it's just so inspiring. So I want to move into this next part of your story because it is also truly remarkable. I mean, you are remarkable. Your whole story, your life is remarkable, Carter. You are a remarkable person, and um, I love how God has just used the situation um for his glory, and you're good. The man who was driving the boat that hit you, Danny Stanton, was later charged. He took a plea deal and avoided jail time, and that outcome was in line with what you and your family wanted. The sentence included probation, a fine, and required safety-related work. And then later, the two of you went on to work together in advocacy around voting safety and diver visibility. I mean, that is not where most people would expect the story to go. Tell us about that.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

Yeah, well, it was quite the journey with that. Um, you know, the first time I ever saw him in person was during the court hearing, and it was a very, you know, emotional and hard moment for me because I didn't know how I would react when I saw him for the first time. But before that, you know, I told to told my lawyer that, you know, I really wanted something productive to come out of this. I didn't just want, you know, a punishment or a sentence. And uh I ended up coming up with this plea again. Agreements that you know he would help advocate for boating safety and help uh make a kind of a safety video with me, work with FWC, uh stuff like that, which is Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation. Um so kind of that day in court uh was was just a huge day for me of healing, especially because I got to shake his hand and I got to say, you know, I forgive you. And it was you know, those words are are very hard to say, you know, when someone's changed your life this much, but uh it was probably the most healing moment of my recovery, uh just kind of being able to say that and move past any resentment or um uh just feelings I had about him. And uh we ended up yeah, filming a video together, uh just hanging out for a bit, kind of just talking uh like normal people, and it was great. It it was kind of like a the perfect closure for um kind of my any yeah, any resentment I had. So it was it was just a very profound moment of healing, I'd say. That's the best way to describe it.

SPEAKER_01 23:18

Amazing. At what point did you realize it wasn't just about what had been done to you, but it could become part of what you were building?

SPEAKER_00 23:28

Yeah. Uh it was I mean, it was from day day one when I woke up in the recovery room. I mean, it was I can make a bigger difference now. You know, I at the time I worked at a sea turtle hospital, uh, Loggerhead Marine Life Center, and uh what I saw there was basically all our turtle patients were were affected by boat strikes in some way. You know, they were either missing flippers or had damage on their carapace or like their shell. And uh kind of seeing that, putting together what happened to me, uh was just the perfect motivation to say, okay, I want to make a full recovery, go back to working with marine life. And uh it would be a real testament towards uh kind of marine life uh perseverance and um just uh yeah, I guess that's the best way to put it. You know, it's perseverance, it's showing that uh this is not gonna stop me, this is not gonna stop my career, and it's only gonna make it better.

SPEAKER_01 24:36

What was it like the first time you were no longer dealing with Danny simply as the man who hit you, but as someone now working with you toward a safer future?

SPEAKER_00 24:46

Uh it was it was a great feeling. Um it was it was a time when um I was still going through a lot of PTSD from the incident itself, so it was it was a little like uncomfortable and hard to be around him, but at the same time it was um just extremely uh what's the best word? Like just healing. I mean it was it was so cool to hear his perspective on it and see the emotions come out of him and see how much it affected his life as well. You know, he he made a mistake that changed his life in a di completely different way than it changed mine, but um you know there's always a different perspective, and just to hear another perspective like that um really really helps you process things.

SPEAKER_01 25:42

Well, let's talk about the foundation. The Carter Biss Foundation publicly states that its mission includes helping those affected by boating-related limb trauma and promoting safe boating and diving practices. It also strongly emphasizes better diver visibility, including a three-dimensional diver buoy system instead of relying only on the traditional flat diver down flag. So, what is the core mission of the foundation today?

SPEAKER_00 26:11

So, today it is basically in line with all of that. Um, what we are mainly doing right now is developing our own 3D divers down device. So, kind of like our big achievement last year was publishing Found in the Wake with the help of my parents. And that kind of all the proceeds from sales from those books are going towards developing this divers down device now, which um I've been working with the engineering firm for about a year now and getting my second prototype soon for testing. So really hoping that the product can be out and like available on the market maybe by the end of this year, is kind of like a goal. But that's kind of where most of the uh effort in the foundation is going right now. We also uh I don't know if you saw our Instagram, but we are doing a lot of kind of like educational content through that, through like videos of me talking about like boating laws and just new um kind of updates for uh boating safety. So it's kind of like a mixture of those two things right now.

SPEAKER_01 27:21

So let's talk about diver visibility issue because I'm not a diver and this might be something that most people might not know as well. So you on the day you were hit, you had the standard diver down flag. So it's flat on the water, right? And then, but one of the big lessons from what happened to you is that the traditional flat marker can be hard to see, depending on angle and conditions, which is why you're advocating for a more visible buoy system. So talk about that a little bit, who might not know.

SPEAKER_00 27:53

So a so divers down flag is actually required for anyone who is like snorkeling or diving out in the water in Florida and anywhere in the US. And basically it's like a small, like 12-inch by 12-inch flag, um, basically a red uh rectangle with a white diagonal line through it. And it just notifies boaters or anyone that there's a diver in the water there. So I always had that flag with me when I'd go out snorkeling, and that day, you know, was no different. I had it about maybe 10 feet away from me. And kind of one of the rules for boaters or any water vessel is that you have to stay at least 300 feet away from this diver's down flag in open water if you see one. Um, but unfortunately that day it happened, the boat, um, they were going about 45 miles an hour and didn't see the flag in time to turn away based on kind of the angle of their uh vessel and where my flag was. So um kind of like right when they saw it, it was too late. You know, they were already like just a few feet away from it. And what the foundation and other companies have developed now are just the three-dimensional divers down devices that um basically instead of just a flat two-dimensional flag, it's like a either um like a circle or a pyramid triangle, any shape that's three-dimensional. Um, and that's so that boats can see it from 360 degrees instead of you know just relying on hopefully being at the right angle to see a flag.

SPEAKER_01 29:40

Right. Well, what what is one safety habit you wish every person on the water would treat as a non-negotiable?

SPEAKER_00 29:49

I'd say above anything else, it's um probably say if you're going in the water, having like a dive buddy with you. Um that even more important than, yeah, I'd say anything else, because if I was alone that day, you know, I wouldn't be here. Um you know, my diver's down flag did not protect me from the boat. Um, but having a buddy out there with me who could who was like a first responder basically, um saved my life. And that's the thing about on the water, you never know when something can go wrong. And when something does go wrong, it's usually a very, very uh serious situation. So if I was alone that day and I had no help, yeah, I wouldn't be here. So if you're going in the water, if you're doing anything water related, uh don't do it alone. Like have someone with you. Uh, it is just an absolute crucial thing that I try to um advocate for. That's wonderful.

SPEAKER_01 30:54

Now, this is the part of the story uh of your story that I love survival advocacy, but creativity after loss. I mean, just truly amazing. For listeners who may not know, your mom is Leela Viz, who is such a respected voice in the piano world. And that means music was already part of the family language long before recovery became part of the story. And after your accident, she wrote a song called Beauty from Broken just for you. What did that mean to you, not just as a pianist, but also as a son?

SPEAKER_00 31:30

I mean, it was a it was such a great honor. I mean, she fully embraced, you know, my recovery and my um kind of joint journey towards healing, and to see her kind of write and um dedicate a whole uh piano piece to me was was amazing. And kind of her, in addition to that, she really wrote all the updates about me to in our caring bridge. And she was so yeah, it was just such an honor to see such an amazing thing to see her like uh just inspire my creativity, I guess. Seeing her get creative after the accident really inspired mine.

SPEAKER_01 32:13

Well, it it was such a way, a good way for her to process grief, and and it's it's something that you could literally sit down and play the hope that she had.

SPEAKER_00 32:23

Mm-hmm. Yeah, and the song is so is so full of hope and so um just kind of kind of joyful sounding. And it's um yeah, it was it was really cool to learn it. And the way she composed it for left hand was amazing, super cool.

SPEAKER_01 32:40

One of the things that she wrote was the fact that you had bought a digital piano right before the accident, and then of course you had to learn how to play with one hand. What did piano mean to you before the accident? Were you a formal player, a casual player, a serious hobbyist? Uh tell us about your experience with piano.

SPEAKER_00 33:02

I say I was between like a casual player and a kind of a serious hobbyist. Like I loved I love classical piano mainly, um, no more so than like jazz or contemporary, and I love to learn like uh just pieces by like Beethoven or Chopin and playing uh the piano just in my apartment, kind of like before the accident, is the way I would like wind down at the end of the day. Um it was very like motivating to learn new pieces, and you know, it took me a lot of time because I would try to learn them from memory, and uh it was really something that kind of was because I wasn't in school or like didn't really have anything too like serious going on outside of work at the time, like it was a good way for me to keep my brain active and uh kind of also unleash my creativity. So sure. That's kind of what it was before the accident.

SPEAKER_01 34:04

And after the accident, how do you pr approach piano now?

SPEAKER_00 34:07

Uh I mean, I approach it in pretty much the same way. Like, you know, at first it was oh, I just want to learn simple things to be able to play again. Um but now after years and years of playing with one hand, it's I feel like if the same, if not better, than I was, you know, before the accident. And you know, I take it as just a serious hobby now, you know, I love to play more in kind of per performance settings, uh something I'd like to do more, but uh it's uh you know still a huge hobby of mine and something that I love to do. And I whenever I get time now, I sit down and just try to learn a new piece that wasn't meant for two hands, but kind of transpose it into a uh one-handed piece.

SPEAKER_01 34:57

Yeah, I've seen your videos, they're amazing. So I do have to ask one slightly mischievous question here. With having your mother who is a piano teaching influencer, did your mom have to make you practice?

SPEAKER_00 35:10

As a kid, yes, all the time.

SPEAKER_01 35:14

So, was there ever a believable way to pretend you had practiced or you couldn't get away with it?

SPEAKER_00 35:20

I could not get away with it. I mean, it was it was always a battle. Either even like I remember lessons were frustrating for both of us. Um just uh yeah, like I wish I took it more seriously as a kid. Um, you know, it was just it was something like in my DNA, so it was, you know, I didn't like actively sign up for lessons or anything. It was just kind of like laid upon me. And uh obviously I have a ton of gratitude for my mom for sticking with it with me and not giving up when you know I wanted to give up, but uh it's uh it's something that I'm so glad I have now and uh wish I would have put more time into practicing as a kid.

SPEAKER_01 36:04

Yeah, that's what they all say. I yeah, I always say if I had it just a nickel for every adult that tells me they wish they could go back in time and and had practiced more, I'd be a very rich woman. Well, let's talk about left-hand hobbies. That is your YouTube channel. I love that. You're sharing piano art, aquariums, dive footage, and it feels like more than just a typical YouTube channel. It feels more like a statement. What do you hope people see when they watch it?

SPEAKER_00 36:35

Yeah, well, it's um it's kind of a project I started this this year. Um, I realized I had all this footage of like me playing piano or diving in my aquariums. Like I'm I gotta just compile this all into one channel to show that you know I'm still doing like pretty much everything, if not more, than what I used to do uh back when I had two hands. And now it's also just kind of a yeah, a statement of this is what I can do and this is what I'm learning. You know, I'm still learning, I'm still getting better at what I do, and I just can't wait to keep making videos and to um share my experiences with everyone. You know, I I kind of did something similar to this uh a few years back with Andy. We had an Instagram called like Florida Fish Boys, where we would uh post a lot of like our fishing um encounters and stuff. And you know, it's that was such a great way to get our like uh uh interests and hobbies out to the world. And this YouTube channel is kind of like a next step, kind of like a personal uh video blog of all my uh interests, and you know, probably I'll add more like fishing to it, or who knows what other hobbies I'll get into. But you know, I'm always gonna add them to that channel and just keep uh keep sharing that with everyone because I've really enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_01 38:03

That's wonderful. So let's talk about your book, Found in the Wake. And it was co-authored with your parents, Chuck and Leela Vis. And this story is about family, faith, grief, forgiveness, and mission. What did writing it with your parents bring out that telling the story alone might not have?

SPEAKER_00 38:23

Uh it's it was all in the perspective. I mean, you can listen to me tell the story and hear, you know, you're just hearing one perspective. And when you hear my mom and my dad just talk about how it affected them, it really, really gets into the meat of how kind of devastating this was to them and how it changed, you know, not just my lives, but a lot um their lives and a lot of people around me. And to see that kind of the chapters are kind of interwoven. So, like there's one chapter written by me, then one for my mom, and one for my dad, and kind of like cycles like that. And it shows how I might be thinking one thing during the recovery, but my dad's thinking something different. Um, same with my mom. And it really weighs into kind of like any situation in life, you know, the the real truth behind any story is you know, is seeing all sides of it. And that's kind of what this book I think really highlights. Um there's obviously more perspectives than just uh me and my parents, but I think uh the stories that the three of us tell in it can really, really um give you an idea of how uh life-changing yet inspiring this whole uh situation was.

SPEAKER_01 39:46

What do you hope people carry with them after they finish the book?

SPEAKER_00 39:50

I say the main thing would be just for you know, it's it's something that's inevitable. You know, we all are gonna lose something in life. We're all gonna have something happen to us that's out of our control, that's going to change things. And you know, the way I want people to look at it is you know, don't let it change you in a negative way. Um, you know, let it let it build you, let it um ultimately change you in a positive way, like it's done for me. And you know, something so brutal and detrimental happened to me um that I can still make a full comeback from that. You know, I hope people will see see like their situation, be like, okay, well, if he can do that, then I can do this and I can push forward with this. I think that's kind of like the main main thing I want people to get out of the book.

SPEAKER_01 40:45

So what do you want your legacy to be? Maybe not just in the next five years, but way down the road. What do you hope people remember about you and about the Carter Vis Foundation?

SPEAKER_00 40:56

Yeah, that's a great question. You know, something I think about a lot. And, you know, it's something I I want a fully balanced life. You know, I want a career in uh aquaculture and marine biology. That's kind of like one legacy I want to leave behind is how you know I still pursued my career in that while at the same time being a uh a water, a major water safety advocate through my foundation, have my foundation grow to support other accident victims, um, especially uh kind of diving accident victims, just like myself, to inspire them. And then also to, you know, I I do have a family now, you know. I have two young daughters, so I want to see them um grow up and really look up to my story and inspire them to live either lives of ocean conservation or just um of just inspiration in general. So uh that's kind of like the it's kind of in different little subjects, but there's kind of the overarching legacy of just inspiration that I want to leave behind. That's great.

SPEAKER_01 42:06

All right, Carter. Every show we do a segment called Quick Fire. All right, no overthinking. We're just going on instinct and mild chaos here, okay? Sounds good. All right, here we go. Aquarium bubbles or piano keys?

SPEAKER_00 42:20

Um, piano keys.

SPEAKER_01 42:22

One fish with absolute diva energy.

SPEAKER_00 42:26

Uh queen trigger fish.

SPEAKER_01 42:28

One fish that seems sweet, but is secretly a menace.

SPEAKER_00 42:31

Uh puffer fish.

SPEAKER_01 42:33

What's more satisfying? Finishing a run, nailing a piano piece, or getting a tank exactly right?

SPEAKER_00 42:40

Getting a tank exactly right.

SPEAKER_01 42:42

Dinner is better than dessert. Defend yourself.

SPEAKER_00 42:45

Um, I could I could give like 30 reasons why. Uh let's see. I mean, have you ever had Indian food? Oh, yeah. Yeah, chicken, tika masala with rice and naan. I mean, how can a how can dessert be better than that?

SPEAKER_01 43:03

All right. What's one thing your younger self would think is very cool about your life now?

SPEAKER_00 43:08

Uh the fact that I'm uh working in re in like aquaculture research, I think as a young kid, I never would have seen myself working in research.

SPEAKER_01 43:19

So what is one thing that your mom probably said to you at the piano that still lives in your head rent-free?

SPEAKER_00 43:25

I'd say that's a tough one. Let me see. Um, practice makes perfect.

SPEAKER_01 43:33

Okay. So, did she ever use the teacher voice on you and did it work?

SPEAKER_00 43:38

Uh, I say she did use the teacher voice. I don't think it worked. I think it got more of a reaction out of me.

SPEAKER_01 43:48

And last one, what's one thing you know way too much about and are not sorry one bit?

SPEAKER_00 43:53

Uh Pokemon.

SPEAKER_01 43:57

That's awesome. Oh, Carter, thanks for the conversation today. Before I let you go, I always want to leave listeners with something they can carry. You've given us so much in this conversation, but if there are two things you want people to walk away with today, what are they?

SPEAKER_00 44:14

Uh I'd say the first thing is you know if if you have a inspiration, if if you have something in life you really want to pursue, you know, pursue that. Um just knowing that you know God will guide you in the right direction. Um, you know, going to Florida was a huge thing for me, and it kind of took a leap of faith. And if you're ever feeling that way about something, I'd say take that leap of faith because it will pan out well in the end. And then the second thing is I'd say time and repetition, you know, it's I talked about it a lot. Um, but if you apply that to anything in your life, like writing or uh schoolwork or even just any any relationships you're struggling with, you know, time and repetition will heal things, it will make things better, and it it really gives you perspective. So I think those are the two things.

SPEAKER_01 45:09

That's great. I think what makes your story so powerful is not just that you survived something catastrophic, it's that you kept becoming, you kept loving the water, you kept pursuing science, you found your way back to music, you turned pain into advocacy. And somehow, incredibly, even the legal aftermath became part of a bigger story about safety, forgiveness, and purpose. Public uh reporting supports that the story ultimately included ongoing public safety advocacy involving both you and Danny, the guy that hit you. I mean, it's just an amazing story of forgiveness and faith. It's just amazing.

SPEAKER_00 45:49

Thanks. And you know, it's I'm what 31 years old and have a long life ahead of me, and I just hope to do so much more amazing things as as the years go by.

SPEAKER_01 45:59

Yep, for sure. So before we go, tell people where they can follow your work, support the foundation, find the book, and keep us up with everything that you're doing.

SPEAKER_00 46:07

Yeah. Well, you can check out the foundation on our website, which is uh Cartervis Foundation.org. Um, you can check out our Instagram, that's where we have a lot of content. Um, also links to the website, links to the book um on there. You can find the book found in the wake on Amazon. Uh you can find my YouTube channel, Left Hand Hobbies, uh on YouTube. And let's see, I think that's everything. Everything's kind of connected in that little network there. So, best start is just CartervisFoundation.org.

SPEAKER_01 46:42

Carter, thank you. This was a great conversation. And to everybody listening, go follow his work, support the foundation, check out the book, and share this episode with somebody who needs it. This one is about purpose, mercy, creativity, and what it looks like to keep building a meaningful life after everything changes. I'll see you next time. You've been listening to the Heather Potero Show, produced by Heather Potero Studios. Connect with us on Facebook or Instagram, or visit Heatherpatero.com. Until next time, stay creative and live on purpose.