Legendary scuba pioneer Dick Rutkowski, a trailblazer in hyperbaric medicine, diving medicine and modern diver training has officially joined the upcoming feature film, “Sharing Air.”
“Sharing Air” is inspired by real-life experiences in adaptive diving and the healing power of the underwater world. Jason Griffith, Mike Markoff, Katherine Cozumel, Karen Ma, Dr. Ian Brown, Stephanie Lee Bourgeois, Loren Jones, Leslie Logan, Bernard Lyles, Dan Barrett, Cristina Salvesen, Christopher Block, Joy Khalil, France Jean-Baptiste, Diana Simonzadeh, Valerie Perona, Tinamarie Hernandez, Pete Bernal and Dougie Long will star in the film.
Rutkowski, whose work has helped define safety standards in recreational and professional diving, operates a hyperbaric decompression chamber in Key Largo, Florida that continues to serve divers who experience decompression sickness, commonly known as “the bends.” This chamber plays a vital role in emergency dive medicine by increasing atmospheric pressure around the body, allowing nitrogen gas bubbles that have formed in tissues and the bloodstream to safely dissolve back into solution. Once stabilized, the nitrogen can be naturally eliminated through normal respiration, preventing serious injury or long-term damage.
The decompression chamber will make an appearance in the opening sequence of “Sharing Air,” grounding the film in real-world diving science. Rutkowski has not only granted the production access to his operational chamber, but has also agreed to make a cameo appearance in the film himself.
Filmmaker David Marsh and Diveheart founder Jim Elliott visited Rutkowski in November 2025 to see the chamber firsthand and spend time with the man whose contributions have saved countless lives.
During the visit, Rutkowski asked the filmmakers one simple question:
“So when are you going to be filming?”
Upon hearing the schedule was still a few months away, Rutkowski, then age 95, was
met with a smile and a firm handshake from Marsh.
“It’s a few months down the road,” Marsh told him, “and we want you to be in our film. Don’t you go anywhere.”
Rutkowski laughed and agreed.
For more info about the film, go to sharingairmovie.com.
