We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carter Viss. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carter below.

Carter, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

On Thanksgiving Day 2019, while snorkeling on the Breaker’s Reef in Palm Beach, Florida, Carter Viss was struck by a 36 foot Yellowfin with triple engines. He lost his right arm on impact, both of his legs were severely lacerated and his left wrist was badly broken. Carter took all of the correct safety precautions that day while snorkeling. He was snorkeling with a divers down flag and had a diving buddy with him. Despite having a divers down flag in the water, he was still struck by the boat because the driver of the boat did not see the dive flag. After making a full recovery, Carter founded the Carter Viss Foundation in 2023. The foundation’s mission is to promote safe boating and diving practices and to provide support to boating accident victims. Currently, the foundation is developing a three dimensional divers down device that is more visible to boaters, and we hope to release it in late 2025. Carter promotes safe boating and diving practices by sharing his story nationally at speaking engagements and also on numerous podcasts and radio programs.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Carter Viss grew up in Denver, Colorado. He spent his childhood catching all kinds of fish, reptiles, amphibians, and insects near his house and owned several saltwater aquariums. His love of fish was always meant to be as the last name “Viss” is translated to the word “fish” in Dutch. This passion for all aquatic animals led him to earn a Marine Biology degree at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Palm Beach, Florida. Carter immediately fell in love with the area and especially enjoyed exploring the beautiful nearshore reefs off of the beach, which is what led him to discover the Breaker’s Reef, the site of his accident.

In addition to his love of fish, Carter has a love for playing the piano. He is a gifted pianist and has learned to play many compositions with just one hand. Another one of Carter’s passions is art. While recovering from his accident in the hospital, he picked up drawing with colored pencils and has since drawn numerous aquatic animals which are featured on his foundation’s shirts, stickers, and notecards. He also recently painted a coral reef mural for his daughter, and Carter’s wife posted a video of the mural on TikTok and it received over a million views, which led a nationwide audience to the foundation’s website.

Recently, Carter had the chance to visit the Breaker’s Reef for the first time since his accident. In partnership with the National Safe Boating Council, The Qualified Captain, and The Boat Boss, they filmed boating and diving safety content at the site of the accident. Also present were Andy and Christine; the first two people to reach Carter in the water on the day of the accident.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

After being hit by the boat, my life changed drastically. I had to relearn how to walk and how to navigate life with one arm. In the hospital, as soon as I woke up, I told my parents “I can make more of a difference now than I could before.” I knew that this was a turning point and that God had spared my life for a reason. It was my mission to make our waters a safer place and to prevent this from happening to someone else.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

The foundation is in the very early stages of developing a three dimensional divers down device. We are currently in the invention phase and are working with a former inventor. After that we plan to find and work with the right manufacturer.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cartervissfoundation.org
• Instagram: @cartervissfoundation
• Facebook: Carter Viss Foundation

Image Credits

Yolanda Hill Photography
National Safe Boating Council