Speaking Sidemount

This episode is brought to you with the awesome support of XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Huge thanks to both, their support makes this podcast possible. Great to give you Episode #70 Christine Tamburri - "Passion Plus". Christine is a young woman hailing from the US Northeast. She has not been diving long, but as you'll hear, she has developed an exceptional attitude to both her diving and progress as a technical and cave diver. Attitude is one thing but Christine's passion for all things diving is a thing to behold and incredibly compelling, hence my episode title... "Passion Plus"!! Christine and I get into how she got into diving and sidemount, her cave training with Roger Williams in Mexico, how she prepared for her course and how she came to meet Tom St George resulting in some award-winning cave photographs. We talk about her work with DAN Americas and how badly she suffered from altitude sickness as a test subject for a hyperbaric research project requiring her to live for days at an altitude over 12,000ft (3,658m). We then get into Christine's plans for further diving and training and finish with some advice on how to progress your diving. Enjoy !! Steve Davis Thanks to: Christine Tamburri Image credit and thanks - Tom St George Our Sponsor - XDEEP

This episode is brought to you by XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Huge thanks to both for their support. In part 2 of my discussion with Prof Simon Mitchell, we get into the negative impact of increased gas density, particularly at depth. We muse on the impact of gas density and CO2 retention with it likely being a factor in dive accidents such as that of David Shaw, and then I get to rant a bit and ask Simon about the benefits of streamlining with respect to work of breathing. From there I ask Simon about the relationship between CO2 and panic relating my thoughts on the relationship between the psychological aspects of an issue in the water and the physiological responses to these stressors. Simon gives some advice for divers in a panic situation and also for rebreather divers faced with a CO2 issue. We hit on some misconceptions or poorly understood areas such as reverse profiles, the issues with multiple deco dives in one day... We talk NDL for recreational divers and what it really means, we chat about free diving after a scuba dive and then Simon shares his extensive experience on applying human factors in the surgical operating theatre and how human factors apply to diving.

This episode has been produced with the support of XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Huge thanks to both for their support. In this episode, I catch up with fellow Kiwi and world-renowned Hyperbaric Physician, Prof Simon Mitchell. In this, the first of two special episodes with Simon, we discuss his background and how he got into diving medicine, how his service in the Royal New Zealand Navy shaped his career, we reminisce on our military service and then draw a line under the stellar work that Simon has done in synthesising the research and evidence on Deep Stops before we get into other factors that might influence our decompression including PFOs, dehydration, diver temperature, working at depth, and light physical activity while decompressing. Simon is an amazing technical diver in his own right and has a great talent for explaining complex topics in a way that can be easily understood and applied to our diving. Enjoy Steve

Hey, here it is. "Skanda Strikes Back"... with the support of XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Huge thanks for the amazing support of this podcast :)!! In Episode #67 Skanda 2 - KISS Sidewinder Exploration, Skanda shares more on his very best cave exploration projects and in particular, we investigate how the KISS Sidewinder rebreather is enabling the Protec Tulum team and others to go deeper and longer in pursuit of places unseen by any human. Huge thanks again to Skanda for sharing with all of us and to XDEEP and our patrons whose support makes all of this possible. Enjoy and PLEASE SHARE 🙂! Steve BIG thanks to: Skanda Coffield - http://www.protectulum.com/ Image Credit & Thanks to - Alvaro Herrero Our sponsor - XDEEP https://www.xdeep.eu To become a patron of Speaking Sidemount and support the show go to - https://www.patreon.com/speakingsidemount

This episode is brought to you with the support of our brilliant sponsor XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Huge thanks to both. A few weeks back I received a message from Patrick Widmann asking if I had seen the efforts of Skanda Coffield... and for sure I had seen him featured in a couple of Phillip Lehman's Somos Los Cenotes videos most notably the Blue Abyss dive which was just stunning... If you haven't seen it... Check it out on the DRLocal YouTube channel - Somos Los Cenotes Episode 10. Patrick related that Skanda had knocked out over 700 hours of exploration on the KISS Sidewinder in the last 18 months and is one of the most active cave explorers on the planet... He had me at Sidewinder... So I reached out to Skanda and we got into it... so much so that we have two episodes of amazing material for you all. In this the first... Skanda and I discussed... His background in diving, how he came to base himself in Mexico, his work at Protec Tulum, and then we dive deep into his exploration projects how he uses the KISS Sidewinder to go places no human has been before. To round it all out, Skanda shares his best and worst moments in diving... All this and much more... Image credit and thanks to - Joram Mennes and Alvaro Herrero. Become a Patron - https://www.patreon.com/speakingsidemount Speaking Sidemount - https://www.facebook.com/speakingsidemount #xdeep #sidemountpros #sidemountdiving #cavdiving #skandacoffield #protectulum

This episode is brought to you with the support of our sponsor XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Huge thanks to both :)!! Late last year I was honoured to be invited to speak at the FLOW Sidemount event in Cala Gonone, Sardinia. The event was originally slated for June this year but moved to October due to COVID. Conceived and organised by Stratis Kas my guest way back in episode #38 along with Daniele Pontis and Mariona Yepes Daviu from Bluforia Diving Centre, this event will be a must-attend for sidemount divers based in Europe and the UK and definitely also for anyone wishing and able to attend from other parts of the world given COVID travel restrictions. You may remember, I travelled to Sardinia back in 2019 and caught up with Thorsten Toddy Waelde and Brian Starnes for some brilliant cave diving so I can recommend Cala Gonone from personal experience as a top cave diving destination and an awesome place to stay. To our knowledge, this is the first Sidemount specialist event in Europe and it's intended to cover the full gambit of sidemount from recreational diving open water through to tech diving in open water, wrecks and of course caves. Cala Gonone, Sardinia is an absolutely ideal location for such an event and it is no surprise that XDEEP is onboard to support the show. Speakers include and I am sorry if I miss anyone but I can't wait to meet and learn from the former guests on Speaking Sidemount including Garry Dallas, Mikko Paasi, and Christina Zenato add to that amazing list... the man who coined the term Technical Diving, Michael Menduno, and TV personality, author and explorer, Andy Torbet. So with all FLOW Sardinia in front of me, I thought it would be a great opportunity to catch up with Daniele Pontis to learn more about his diving, Bluforia dive centre, how he set it up and the diving they do, his philosophy teaching sidemount diving... And then given Daniele is an Instructor Trainer on the KISS Sidewinder, I asked him more about this amazing Sidemount CCR including somewhat selfishly for me, the transition from Open Water Air diluent level to Cave CCR and Normoxic trimix. Daniele and I both feature in Stratis Kas' book Close Calls so I asked Daniele to relive his near-miss, share what he learned, and how he applies this in his own diving and interactions with his students on courses. And of course, we talk about FLOW and what you can expect if you come to meet us and attend this event... Cheers Steve

Awesome to be able to share Episode #64 - Mikko Paasi brought to you with the support of XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Huge thanks to both for their support. By now the name Mikko Paasi is, or should be well known to all of us as a key member of the support diver team that contributed massively to the positive outcome of the Thai Cave rescue. Hailing from Finland, Mikko owns Kho Tao Divers in Thailand and beyond his exploits in the rescue, Mikko is a cave diver and dedicated wreck explorer. In particular, he is involved in a number of awesome shipwreck exploration projects in SE Asia under the auspices of Bottomline projects. In this episode, Mikko shares on his background in diving, how he ended up in Thailand and of course his reflection on the Thai Cave Rescue nearly three years later. Mikko tells us about his experiences returning to the Tham Luang cave system and seeing the passages dry after the floodwaters had receded. We talk about his new venture in Malta and then cover plenty on sidemount diving, sidemount rebreathers including the SF2 and KISS Sidewinder and then look forward to meeting up at the FLOW Sidemount event to be held in Sardinia later this year... Thanks again for your support :)! Cheers Steve

Welcome to the 2021 season of Speaking Sidemount brought to you with the support of XDEEP and our patrons. In this episode, I catch up with renowned cave diving photographer, Laurent Miroult. Huge thanks to Stratis Kas for the introduction. Laurent and I dive into... his background and how he got into sidemount and cave diving, how he balances his career as a doctor with diving, and his training and mentoring with Rob Neto. We learn more about how Laurent captures his amazing images... his equipment, his photographic process, the importance of safety, and his advice for aspiring cave photographers. We talk a bit about COVID and vaccines and muse on goals for older divers, before Laurent and I share our favourite caves we have dived and the locations that we are itching to get to once we are able to travel again. Enjoy!! Steve

It's awesome to be able to bring you with the support of XDEEP, another great episode from the Speaking Sidemount Patreon vault. In this episode, I catch up with my old friend Matt Jevon, just a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic. I first met Matt Jevon back in late 2015 when I was being taught and mentored by Tom Steiner at Gozo Technical Diving. Matt and I teamed up on a bunch of awesome dives and also did our fair share of après-diving at a few of the great restaurants on Gozo. Matt is the founder/instructor at South West Technical Diving in Kinsale Ireland where teaches the full gambit of tech courses including sidemount, cave, and rebreather courses. He is also a sports psychologist, rugby and conditioning coach and consults to businesses on strategy at senior management and board levels. As you'll soon hear, Matt was seriously infected with COVID-19 a few months back which included a period of hospitalisation. Matt shares his first-hand knowledge of the virus and also what he has learned during his recovery and his research into the longer-term impacts for divers. We also discuss our time at Gozo Technical and what we learned being part of and observing dive training there. Matt tells us about the diving in Ireland including the Lusitania and the wrecks of Malin head. We get into Matt's thoughts on sidemount in a variety of environments, sidemount CCR and his work with the Divesoft Liberty. We close with a discussion using Matt's knowledge and experience as a psychologist on how to best deal with the current pandemic and its effect on our lives.

As our summer hiatus continues, it's awesome to be able to bring you with the support of XDEEP, another great episode from the Speaking Sidemount Patreon vault. This time I catch up with PJ Prinsloo. PJ is a technical diving instructor trainer and the Director, Technical Diving for RAID South Africa. As you'll hear, he is passionate about the benefits of sidemount and has a wealth of knowledge from the perspective of a sidemount diver, instructor, instructor trainer, and in his role at RAID. Last year PJ was inducted into the prestigious Explorers Club and in this episode, we go deep into his involvement in the stunning exploration of the Phoenician Wreck in Xlendi Bay off the island of Gozo, Malta. As you know, I spent two amazing seasons at Gozo Technical Diving and this is definitely a place very close to my heart. The exploration dives were at depths over 110m with 3-4 hour dive runtimes which took an immense amount of planning and attention to detail to execute safely. We also discuss sidemount diving and continue our voyage into the state of sidemount diving and instruction. We talk about what it takes to be a great sidemount instructor, the economic argument for focussing on smaller class sizes and more attention to course quality, PJ's thoughts on optimising your sidemount setup, sliding d-rings. We continue discussing sidemount CCR and how he sees this through the students that come on his courses. We finish reminiscing about our trips to Chuuk and the wrecks of Truk Lagoon.

I'm super excited to publicly release Episode #50 with Chris Jewell. Previously this episode was only available to Patrons of Speaking Sidemount and is brought to you with the support of XDEEP. Chris is a member of the British Cave Diving Group and was part of the team involved in the acclaimed Thai Cave rescue. Chris took part in the actual extraction dives of the rescue and in doing so became part of history as a key part of one of the greatest rescues of modern times. Awards, accolades and numerous TV and speaking appearances followed and so it was awesome nearly 2 years later to catch up with Chris and ask him about how he got into cave diving, his experience in training and becoming part of the CDG, the importance of mentoring to the CDG training process. Chris reflects on his experience in Thailand some two years after the rescue, and he shares more on his terrifying lost line episode while extracting one of the boys from the cave. Chris and I discuss the distinctions between sump diving and traditional cave diving, how this then drives decisions about your equipment configuration. We dive into detail on Chris' UK sump diving sidemount set up, we talk conceptually about carrying a long hose, gas sharing scenarios, and some of Chris' favourite cave exploration projects. Enjoy, Steve

Hey all, Happy New Year. I hope that wherever you are, that you are well and doing OK. Excited to provide the first episode of 2021 brought to you by XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Thanks so much to both for their support. In this episode, I catch up with Florida based, cave instructor, explorer and author, Rob Neto, Rob has just released the 2nd edition of his book "Sidemount Diving, The Almost Comprehensive Guide". Despite the title, this is, without doubt, the most complete written work on sidemount diving with over 300 pages of how-to and the whys behind all of it. In this episode, Rob and I get into the book, chat some on different aspects of sidemount before he shares on his cave exploration exploits in Cozumel. He has graciously shared a discount code for all of you which is valid until the end of Feb. Just go to his website at https://bit.ly/38XOK1Q and use the coupon code speakingsidemount for a $15 discount. Cheers Steve

Here it is... the last episode of 2020 with Speaking Sidemount Gold Patron, Sean Wheller. Sean and I have been communicating online for well over a year, and in fact, he was one of the very first patrons to support the show. He's a sidemount diver, a decompression and cave diver and continues to progress his training with PJ Prinsloo in South Africa. In this episode, Sean and I chat about his diving, how he started in sidemount learning from Steve Martin's videos, his training with PJ Prinsloo, how he has worked to develop his diving and overcome mental challenges as he addresses cave training in particular. We talk about the benefit of a variety of instructors and also get into diving in South Africa, in particular, Sodwana bay and Komati Springs. Wishing you all an awesome holiday season and all the best for next year. Thanks again for the support :)!!

This episode is sponsored by XDEEP and supported by the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. I'm really excited to share this episode with you featuring my chat with Tamara May. I first sighted Tamara on YouTube, I think about 5 or 6 years ago as the star of an excellent sidemount configuration and skills video shot in Mexico. The skills were excellent but as I was taken with the video flow, the camera and editing work which really made the video incredibly compelling. More recently I saw Tamara listed as one of the exploration divers on Robbie Schmitter's all-female cave exploration team for the Xunaan-Ha Expedition in 2021. I thought this was a great initiative bringing together a group of great divers with disparate experiences and skillsets to complete a new exploration project under the guidance of an experienced cave explorer. In this episode, Tamara and I discuss: how she got into diving and it became her life's passion. We discuss her travels to various parts of the world to train, work and develop as a diver and instructor. We get into her work at Protec Mexico with Patrick, Kim and the Protec team and also how she set up her own diving brand... Dive like a Ninja. We chat about her upcoming Xunaan-Ha Expedition project with Robbie Schmitter. Check out here for how you can support the team in this awesome project - https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-xunaanha-expedition

This episode is sponsored by XDEEP and supported by the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Victor Tovar is the principal of Cave Tribe through which he provides specialised and personalised diving training with an emphasis on sidemount and cave courses. Victor is passionate about foundational skills and as you'll hear in this episode he focuses on progressively building foundational skills while gaining experience and comfort in the environments his students wish to explore. In this episode Victor and I discuss... His background in diving and how he got into sidemount and cave diving. We discuss and he shares more on his philosophy in developing divers, we talk about the importance of selecting the right equipment... The traps for instructors in forming relationships with equipment manufacturers, and then we go deep and far into Victor's home cave, Cueva Del Agua... We talk about what makes it different and how it's unique challenges make it a great cave for both new and seasoned cave divers... We discuss the difference between exploration and sport cave diving and then finish with an update on the current extent of exploration of Cueva Del Agua... All this and much more... #XDEEP #SidemountPros #Sidemountdiving #Cavediving #Cuevadelagua #Cavetribe

This episode is sponsored by XDEEP and supported by the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. This is the second episode in this series where I catch up with renowned cave explorer Steve Bogaerts. Over the past two years, Steve has had it pretty tough with respect to diving. A series of DCS incidents, on successive dives, each a little worse than the previous, has led Steve to hang up his fins and retire from diving. Just the thought of one of the world's great cave explorers having to quit under circumstances such as this is gut-wrenching but to his credit, Steve has continued to be active and regularly shares enlightening posts of various topics related to sidemount. Cave diving and exploration. In this episode, Steve and I discuss his DCS incidents, what he has learned about them, his thoughts on the possible cause, his advice for professional divers, and his plans for the future. #XDEEP #cavediving #sidemountdiving #stevebogaerts #sidemountpros Sponsor - www.xdeep.eu To support the show go to www.patreon.com/speakingsidemount To contact Steve Bogaerts [email protected]

Great to release Episode #55 with our VIP Patron of the Month, Matt Burdon. Matt is a Public Safety Diving Team Leader, Tech Dive Instructor, VIP Patron of Speaking Sidemount, and survivor of a serious infection of COVID-19. Matt graciously joined me to share in detail his experiences contracting COVID-19, from the knowledge that it had infected his workplace to seeing a colleague die, to his own battle with COVID, including 17 days in a coma. Matt's story is both frightening and inspiring. You'll hear about his symptoms, admission to hospital, and intensive care... His family and friends being told that he won't make it, to the medical team pulling out the stops and saving his life. Matt talks about the after-effects, his rehab, and his path back to diving. Matt and I then share our thoughts on the global pandemic and the responses of various countries around the world. This episode is a must-listen for all divers and huge thanks again to XDEEP for their support of speaking sidemount and to our growing Patron community who graciously contribute to the production of every episode.

In this episode, brought to you by XDEEP with the support of the patrons of Speaking Sidemount, I catch up with British cave diver and instructor Robert Thomas. Robert has had an extraordinary beginning to his dive career, first diving at the age of 6... Joining the ranks of certified divers at the tender age of 10 before starting to cave dive in his teens. At 18 as soon as he was old enough he joined the ranks of the famed British Cave Diving Group and a year later he qualified as a full member. He's now the secretary for the Somerset Section of the CDG and when he not diving or teaching diving, he's dry caving in the caves of the UK. Robert has progressed under the expert tutelage of his Dad, Michael Thomas and in Robert's words... has also been passed around to learn and develop with many other great divers and instructors including my guest in Ep# 33, cave explorer and shark conservationist... Cristina Zenato. As you'll hear in this episode, there's an old head on those young shoulders and you can feel and hear the depth of thought and also training that has gone into his diving to date. It was interesting to get Robert's perspective as a young diver and instructor on the state of diving and training and where he sees things going in the future. I also take a moment to ask him about some of his recent videos on British Cave diving techniques, how these differ from what you'll see in other parts of the world, how dry caving helps cave diving, and we discuss his sidemount set up before reminiscing about our dives in Gozo Malta. Become a patron here - https://www.patreon.com/speakingsidemount

This episode is brought to you with the support of XDEEP and our amazing patrons, which makes everything you are about to listen to possible. If love Speaking Sidemount and would you'd like to know more about how you can support the show by becoming a patron, go to www.patreon.com/speakingsidemont This month's VIP Patron of the Month and my guest on this episode is Brendon Allen. Brendon is based and works as a commercial pilot in the UAE. But he also is a passionate diver and instructor and through his business Desert Reef Dive Systems, he is bringing top shelf, sidemount, recreational, and technical dive training to the region. He's a RAID Instructor Trainer and is passionate about the future of sidemount diving. We've been discussing this very subject for some months, that is how can we improve the standard of both instruction and diving in sidemount. In this episode, Brendon and I freewheel a bunch of ideas and share our thoughts on this, looking not only to address the issues but to come up with some solutions that might help to fix sidemount.

I'm super excited to release Episode #50 as our very first premium episode available exclusively to patrons. This is an extended trailer brought to you with the support of XDEEP. To access the full episode go to - https://www.patreon.com/speakingsidemount In this episode, I speak with British cave diver, Chris Jewell. Chris is a member of the British Cave Diving Group and was part of the team involved in the Thai Cave rescue nearly 2 years ago now. Chris took part in the actual extraction dives of the rescue and in doing so became part of history as a key part of one of the greatest rescues of modern times. Awards, accolades and numerous TV and speaking appearances followed and so it is awesome nearly 2 years later to catch up with Chris and ask him about how he got into cave diving, his experience in training and becoming part of the CDG, the importance of mentoring to the CDG training process. Chris reflects on his experience in Thailand some two years after the rescue, and he shares more on his terrifying lost line episode while extracting one of the boys from the cave. Chris and I discuss the distinctions between sump diving and traditional cave diving, how this then drives decisions about your equipment configuration. We dive into detail on Chris' UK sump diving sidemount set up, we talk conceptually about carrying a long hose, gas sharing scenarios, and some of Chris' favourite cave exploration projects. Enjoy, Steve

Thanks so much to XDEEP and also to the patrons of Speaking Sidemount whose support enables this podcast. In this episode, I catch up again with Brian Kakuk of Bahamas Underground and he shares the emotional story of his recovery following Hurricane Dorian and how he is dealing with the current COVID lockdown. We also get into his exploration of the Crystal Caves of Abaco, Sidemount CCR, using the Shearwater NERD 2, and Brian's involvement in Jonathan Bird's brilliant IMAX feature... Amazing Caves. Thanks again to Brian for sharing. Thanks also and image credit to Jill Heinerth - Into the Planet, and Nancy Albury.

In this episode sponsored by XDEEP, I interview David Debruyne of Outcast Explorers in Belgium. Huge thanks to the patrons of Speaking Sidemount who are helping to produce the episode you are about to listen to. David teaches sidemount and cave diving in Belgium and other parts of Europe. We catch up and discuss his experiences training with Garry Dallas, how Outcast Explorers was formed, how he configures his sidemount gear, how he teaches sidemount, sidemount boat diving in the North Sea, his exploration of the mines of Belgium, and then we talk sidemount rebreathers and the KISS Sidewinder... All this and much more in this episode of Speaking Sidemount. Become a patron - https://www.patreon.com/speakingsidemount

As I've mentioned a few times, I am often frustrated with the level of criticism and lack of respect shown on some of the sidemount Facebook groups. I guess there's an element of human nature in there and also comments are taken out of context or misunderstood due to language barriers or the limitations of the written word. You do see genuinely helpful comments but these are also sometimes shouted down or lost in the dross of the string. So I took note when a while back when Florida based Dive Instructor Ryan Custureri offered to do a live session free of charge for a new sidemount diver looking for some help. I thought that was very cool and I have seen Ryan referenced positively many times by his students and his videos are top-notch. So... I thought I'd reach out to Ryan to ask his thoughts on sidemount diving, equipment set up, how he boat dives in Florida, how to choose your instructor, and his advice for instructors looking to set up on their own... All this and much more in this episode of Speaking Sidemount. Huge thanks to XDEEP for their support of Speaking Sidemount.

In this episode sponsored by XDEEP, I catch up with Sandra Clopp. Sandra is an exceptional diver, instructor, adventurer, and role model for aspiring divers. I seriously enjoyed our discussions and the depth of thought and practice she has put into her growth as a diver and teacher. She walks the talk and by that I mean, she hones her skills through regular practice, she seeks out and forms relationships with mentors from whom she can learn and follow. And then ultimately, she travels the world enjoying adventures that enrich her own diving. In this episode, Sandra and I discuss, how she got into diving and sidemount diving. How seeking out cave diving instruction benefits your diving at all levels, we talk sidemount boat diving and introduce how we are diving the KISS Sidewinder from boats. We discuss sidemount setup and contrast Florida and Mexico style sidemount diving, and we talk at length about Sandra's upcoming training and her work as a KISS ambassador... All this and much, much more... Thanks to: XDEEP - https://www.xdeep.eu/

In this episode sponsored by XDEEP, I catch up with Mexico based cave diver, explorer, and instructor, Roger Williams of Xoc-Ha. We talked about how Roger got into diving, cave diving and instructing. We contrast the paths that you can take in diving - becoming an instructor or... focusing on developing as a diver through tech training. I get Roger's perspectives on sidemount and how he dives sidemount in the caves of the Yucatan Peninsula. We discuss the importance of using local guides to build knowledge of a new area and then we cover the local line committee who make collective decisions on permanent lines and markers for the region. We finish by getting Rogers perspective on the "Somos Los Cenotes" initiative and the importance of conservation with respect to real estate development. #somosloscenotes #Xoc-Ha #cavediving #sidemountdiving #sidemountpros Xoc-Ha - https://www.xoc-ha.com/ Sidemount Fundamentals eBook - https://www.sidemountpros.com/store

In this episode sponsored by XDEEP, I catch up again with Toddy and we talk all things caves in Sardinia. We then go deep into his staggering cave exploration Project Utopia where Toddy is set to break cave exploration distance records while employing cutting edge decompression strategies to accomplish these amazing dives. Listen in to hear how Toddy is doing this and also how he is helping to develop the next generation of Cave Explorers at Protec Sardinia. #XDEEP, #SupramonteKarstExplorationProject #ProtecSardinia #ProjectUtopia #SidemountPros #cavediving #caveexploration https://www.xdeep.eu/ https://protecsardinia.com/

In this episode sponsored by XDEEP and Shearwater Research, we "turn the tables" and Audrey Cudel interviews me! We talk about, my vision when I started Speaking Sidemount, how I develop episodes and find interview guests, how my own knowledge has grown through the interviews. We discuss the diving here in NZ and the sidemount training courses that I run. We cover my experience training on the KISS Sidewinder with Edd Sorenson, and plans for future CCR diving, diving the XDEEP Stealth 2.0 Tec with the Sidewinder, and we finish with my thoughts on the current state of sidemount diving. #XDEEP #Shearwaterresearch #sidemountdiving #cavediving #sidemountccr #KISSSidewinder #Sidemountpros #Stevedavis #audreycudel

In this episode sponsored by XDEEP, I catch up with Chris Dawson to discuss his experiences dealing with PTSD and depression following two operational tours in Iraq with the British Army. In this inspiring story, Chris shares his journey from rock-bottom to recovery through diving and how he has become involved with the organisation, 'Dive Against Depression' where he is working to help others affected by mental health issues. Chris and I also discuss sidemount diving, cave diving, and our recent transition to diving sidemount CCR. Sponsor XDEEP - https://www.xdeep.eu Dive Against Depression - https://www.facebook.com/diveagainstdepression/ #xdeep #ptsd #depression #mentalhealth #diveagainstdepression #sidemountdiving #cavediving #sidemountccr #sidemountpros

What you are about to hear is the first-hand account of the experiences of Richard "Harry" Harris during the Thai cave rescue. His excitement at the opportunity to participate was quickly replaced by the trepidation of what the rescue team faced. They almost certainly would witness the deaths of the 12 boys and their coach and there was little hope that they would be successful. But they had to try. Harry had to deal with ethical dilemmas as he agreed to the plan to anesthetise the kids and then submerge them underwater for up to 3 hours to transport them out of the cave. This account focuses on the events and also on the diving aspects of the rescue. How they actually accomplished the dives, the equipment they used the conditions they faced the skills sets, what went well and the near misses that occurred. All this and much more... Sponsor: XDEEP - https://www.xdeep.eu/ #XDEEP #Sidemountpros #sidemountdiving #cavediving #Caveccr #sidemountccr #Thaicaverescue #Richard Harris #Againstallodds

In this episode sponsored by XDEEP and Shearwater Research, I sit down with Edd Sorenson and discuss my experiences training and diving with him on the KISS Sidewinder mCCR. I spent a brilliant two weeks with Edd at Cave Adventurers, Marianna, Florida so we had much to discuss and cover: Sidemount vs. Backmount CCR Why a sidemount CCR can be your first choice Myths and reality re the KISS Sidewinder My experiences with the KISS Sidewinder and how they aligned with my expectations How we progressively planned and built our dives post-course Combining the Shearwater NERD 2 with the KISS Sidewinder All this and much more... Sponsors: XDEEP - https://www.xdeep.eu/ Shearwater Research - https://www.shearwater.com/ #XDEEP #Shearwater #KISSCCR #KISSsidewinder #Sidemountpros #Caveadventurers #EddSorenson #sidemountdiving #cavediving #Caveccr

In this episode sponsored by XDEEP, I catch up with Gareth Lock of "The Human Diver" and author of the book "Under Pressure". We discuss Gareth's application of human factors principles taken from the aviation industry in diving and their subsequent benefit in supporting dive safety. While not a specific sidemount episode, this is important for all divers and particularly those involved in technical diving. Sponsor: XDEEP www.xdeep.eu The Human Diver - www.thehumandiver.com #Humandiver #XDEEP #Sidemountpros #sidemountdiving

In this episode sponsored by XDEEP, I interview Greek cave diver and instructor, Stratis Kas. Stratis is a professional fashion photographer and videographer who successfully combines his profession with his passion for sidemount and cave diving. He is a super cool guy and I really enjoyed his perspectives on sidemount, cave diving, videography, and learned heaps about the caves of Greece. #XDEEP #shearwater #sidemountdiving #cavediving #Sidemountpros #stevedavis #stratiskas #Intothewildadventures #Infiniteliquid #Somosloscentoes Sidemount Fundamentals eBook - https://www.sidemountpros.com/store

In this episode sponsored by XDEEP, I catch up with Richard "Harry" Harris. A key member of the Thai Cave Rescue, Australian of the Year and cave explorer, Harry is one of the nicest guys I have ever met. Harry and I discuss, how he got into diving, cave diving and exploration, the connection between anaesthesiology and diving, how the cave exploration group... The "Wet Mules" was formed... Harry shares on his experiences diving to over 220m in Pearse Resurgence, his partnership with Craig Challen, how being named joint Australian of the Year has affected his life, and how he is using this platform to promote outdoor and adventure pursuits to our kids... All this and much more in this episode of Speaking Sidemount. #XDEEP #sidemountdiving #sidemountpros #stevedavis #richardharris #cavediving

Recently a group of dedicated cave explorers and instructors from the Yucatan created an awareness campaign to highlight uncontrolled development of the Muyil region, south of Tulum, Mexico. Somos Los Cenotes... "We are the Cenotes" is the campaign and we invite your support by sharing as much of our and your own content as you can with the hashtag #somosloscenotes. In this episode sponsored by XDEEP, I interview Phillip Lehman, Natalie Gibb, and Vincent Rouquet-caltha and we discuss the caves of the Muyil region, the issues with development, why the caves are worth supporting, why you should dive them, and what you can do to support. In addition, Phillip shares more on the KISS Sidewinder sidemount CCR, and Vince and I discuss his background and work in Yucatan, Mexico. #somosloscenotes #XDEEP #underthejungle #DRSS #sidemountpros

Steve Lewis is an absolute industry veteran and a passionate sidemount, CCR and cave diver. He has been at the forefront of instructor training since the early 90s working with TDI right from its formation and more recently becoming the Director Diver Training for RAID. Steve is an author, a member of the explorers club and as we'll learn, he led the early exploration of the Bell Island Mine in Newfoundland on the east coast of Canada. In this episode Steve and I discuss his background, his experiences as an instructor trainer, we talk about diving the mine and shipwrecks at Bell Island. We discuss why we love sidemount diving and then the issues we see with sidemount diving and instruction and how these issues might be solved all this and much more in this episode of speaking sidemount.

Marissa Eckert and James Draker are the owners of Hidden Worlds, Fort White Florida and extraordinary sidemount/cave divers and instructors. In this episode, they share their passion for cave diving and instructing and their love of dive travel. We talk about their backgrounds, philosophies around teaching sidemount and cave diving, why it is important to streamline stages, deco cylinders and bailout, and about their recent dive travel to Abaco in the Bahamas, Mexico, Little Cayman and Orda Cave in Russia... plus we talk sidemount rebreathers and much more... Featured: Hidden Worlds - https://www.dive-caves.com/ Sidemount Fundamentals eBook - https://www.sidemountpros.com/store Truk 2020 - https://www.sidemountpros.com/calendar

Cristina Zenato has dedicated her life to the protection and conservation of Caribbean Reef Sharks. From her home in the Bahamas, she has spent over 25 years interacting and learning about these amazing animals, to the point where she has real relationships with individual sharks demonstrated by their interactions with her in the water. Cristina is world renown for her work with Sharks but she is also a Sidemount and Cave Instructor and a dedicated explorer of the caves of the Bahamas. In this week's episode we meet and talk about Cristina's work with Sharks, we share our perspectives on why they are so misunderstood, about what we can do to educate others on sharks, about the issues with and value of shark feeding and shark tourism, and then we talk cave exploration on Grand Bahama Island, about Cristina's use of the KISS Sidewinder CCR, and what I can expect, when I head to Florida to train with Edd Sorenson later this year... All this and much more in this episode. Featured: Sidemount Fundamentals eBook - https://www.sidemountpros.com/store Cristina Zenato - https://cristinazenato.com KISS Rebreathers - https://www.kissrebreathers.com/

Finally... in this episode sponsored by XDEEP, I got the chance to meet one of the world's great photographers... Becky Kagan Schott. We had a great time discussing; how Becky got into diving and photography, about Liquid Productions and their award winning features. We discuss diving the wrecks of the Great Lakes in North America, what it takes to be a great photographer or videographer, some tips from Becky on how to improve your images and then we learn of Becky's use of OC sidemount and her recent transition to sidemount CCR. Featured: https://www.xdeep.eu/ http://liquidproductions.com/ https://www.sidemountpros.com/

This episode is very close to my heart!! I had the great pleasure to catch up with Yvonne Press an awesome sidemount and tech diving instructor based in Bali, Indonesia. We had a great time discussing; sidemount for open water dives, what it takes to be a good sidemount diver, how she teaches sidemount, CCR and sidemount CCR, and much more... Featured: https://www.xdeep.eu/ https://www.facebook.com/yvonnepresstechnicaldiving/ https://www.sidemountpros.com/ Join me in Truk 2020 - https://www.sidemountpros.com/calendar/2020/5/29/truk-lagoon-sidemount-group-june-2020

In this episode, I speak with Tom Steiner of Gozo Technical Diving. I was fortunate to get to know Tom very well during my two seasons training and working at Gozo Technical. Tom is an instructor trainer for a number of agencies and an absolute consummate instructor and diver both in sidemount and backmount diving. In this episode, Tom and I discuss his background in diving, how he got into sidemount diving, his work supporting deep diving world record attempts, he is an absolute decompression diving expert... so I get his thoughts on decompression diving, I asked him how to establish a world class destination tech diving centre, his approach to training divers, and we discuss Truk 2020 with Pete Mesley's Lust4Rust... Featured in this episode: https://www.gozotechnicaldiving.com/ Truk 2020 - https://www.sidemountpros.com/calendar

In this episode sponsored by XDEEP, I speak with cave diving legend, Edd Sorenson. In addition, to his exploration of the caves of the Florida Panhandle, Edd was one of the original members of the International Underwater Cave Rescue and Recovery team. He has been involved in several successful cave rescues and sadly a number of cave recoveries. In particular Edd is renown as having the temperament and skill set to be able to undertake cave recoveries that are at the very limits of what is possible. In this episode we'll learn more about Edd's background in diving, what it takes to make a successful cave rescue, the skill sets that he employs to undertake recoveries that are beyond the scope or ability of other cave rescue teams and then we go into some detail regarding the recent recovery of the two divers who perished in the caves of the Dominican Republic. A word of warning... Edd goes into detail as he describes the recovery. If you have been affected by this loss or the loss of a friend or loved one in similar circumstances, you may wish to skip this section of the podcast which is between 10:15 - 18.15 We also talk about the KISS Sidewinder Rebreather, about Edd's approach to CCR, cave and DPV training and lastly, we discuss the importance of fitness for divers... and much more! Featured in this episode: Sponsor - XDEEP https://www.xdeep.eu www.caveadventurers.com www.kissrebreathers.com

In this episode sponsored by XDEEP, I catch up with Dharshana Jayawardena or DJ. DJ is a pioneering underwater explorer in Sri Lanka. In addition to being an author, he is the founder of DiveSriLanka.com and is also a field editor for Asian Diver magazine. DJ has identified the origins of several mystery wrecks; among them the World War I SS Worcestershire and a World War II Catalina patrol bomber. Recently he has ventured into cave diving and discovered Sri Lanka’s first major underwater cave system among its scenic mountains. In this episode DJ and I talk about his background in diving and sidemount, his exploration of Sri Lanka's many shipwrecks, his recent cave exploration project in the Sri Lankan mountains and his upcoming presentation on shipwreck exploration at ADEX Singapore, and much more... Featured in this episode: Sponsor - XDEEP https://www.xdeep.eu/ https://www.divesrilanka.com/ The Canterbury Wreck - A Diver's Guide - www.sidemountpros.com/store/the-canterbury-wreck-a-divers-guide Sidemount Pros YouTube Channel - www.youtube.com/sidemountpros

In this episode, I catch up with Matteo Varenna. Matteo is a terrific sidemount diver and instructor and a great guy as well. In this episode we go deep into: his background in diving and sidemount what is wrong with Sidemount Specialty Instructor training and how this can be fixed why he decided to become a Sidemount Essentials instructor the importance of video feedback in dive courses the problems with social media and forums his XDEEP presentations on set up and fixing issues and much more... Featured in this episode: Sponsor - XDEEP https://www.xdeep.eu/ Sidemount Essentials Training - https://www.sidemounting.com/in-water-training/ Sidemount Fundamentals eBook - https://goo.gl/Davqc1

In this week's episode kindly sponsored by XDEEP, I interview Micke Tilja of Expedition Bjurälven, a project now in its 12th year undertaken by a team of awesome divers and support crew who brave the height of the Swedish winter exploring the Bjurälven cave system in the Swedish mountains. Micke and I go deep into: his background in diving and sidemount how Expedition Bjurälven came about the equipment they use the skill-sets required to dive in these conditions what they have discovered so far, and what they hope to achieve this year and beyond Plus we talk Baltic wreck diving and about Micke's Podcast and much more... Featured in this episode: XDEEP - https://www.xdeep.eu Expedition Bjurälven - https://www.facebook.com/ExpeditionBjuralven Divers Community Scandinavia - https://www.dykarna.nu

When it comes to the history of sidemount diving, all roads lead back to the UK and the sump divers of the Cave Diving Group or CDG. The CDG gained world-wide attention and recognition following their stellar contribution to the Thai Cave rescue. In this week's episode kindly sponsored by XDEEP, I interview Michael Thomas. Mike is the Training Officer for the Somerset Section of the Cave Diving Group (CDG) and a TDI Sidemount and Cave Instructor. Mike and I go deep into: his background in diving the CDG, their approach to cave diving, training and equipment the differences between cave, mine and wreck diving the KISS Sidewinder rebreather Mike's recent discovery of Roman artifacts in Wookey Hole and much more... Featured in this episode: XDEEP - https://www.xdeep.eu/ CDG - https://cavedivinggroup.org.uk/ Michael Thomas Diving - www.facebook.com/michaelthomasdiving/

In this week's episode, I interview one of the world's top divers and explorers Thorsten Waelde or "Toddy". Toddy is the owner of Protec Sardinia and the inventor of the "Toddy Style" sidemount systems and a great guy as well. In this episode Toddy and I go deep into: his background in diving about Toddy Style sidemount diving in beautiful Sardinia, Italy the exciting T-Reb sidemount rebreather and much more... Featured in this episode: Protec Sardinia - https://protecsardinia.com/ Sidemount Fundamentals eBook - https://goo.gl/Davqc1

Every now and again a dive image captures your attention and you say "WTF"!! One from a few months back was the expedition into Cocklebiddy Cave, Western Australia by a team of three divers, Stephen Fordyce, Liz Rogers and Ryan Kaczkowski. The pic was taken by Liz and features Ryan and Stephen towing a literal mountain of equipment into Cocklebiddy... I thought... That is seriously badass... So when Brendan Moore suggested that I reach out to Ryan I was straight on it. Ryan lives in Mt Gambier, South Australia... cave country for that part of the world and cave exploration is his passion. Ryan is a super cool person and has some brilliant insights to share on sidemount diving, his cave exploration projects and what it takes to dive in these amazing places. and much more.... Look out for: Sidemount Fundamentals eBook - https://goo.gl/Davqc1 Truk 2020 Sidemount Group - https://goo.gl/V8Hhrq If you like the podcast, please share with your friends and consider leaving us a 5-star review.

Many thanks to Rebecca Barrett who introduced me to Peter Norris... a cave explorer from British Columbia, Canada. She mentioned Peter was involved in some pretty cool projects and had discovered a unique cave system on Vancouver Island called "Wet Dreams" so with that... I just had to learn more. Peter's a caver who became a sump and cave diver to extend his capabilities in exploring cave systems. Sidemount was an absolute necessity in this... Not only to enable him to pass restrictions but also to allow him to carry dive equipment through dry cave passages to reach the next sump. In this episode, we discuss Peter's background in caving, his progression to cave diving and sidemount diving and we delve into his exploration projects, we each recount stories of getting trapped and how we dealt with that, we talk decompression, and to top it off we share our thoughts on AI for technical and sidemount diving. and much more.... Look out for: Sidemount Fundamentals eBook - https://goo.gl/Davqc1 Truk 2020 Sidemount Group - https://goo.gl/V8Hhrq If you like the podcast, please share with your friends and consider leaving us a 5-star review.

Let's face it, we all love to tinker with our sidemount equipment so in this episode, Andy Goring of SUMP UK and I discuss modifying your sidemount equipment. We cover: Andy's background in diving How he conceives, develops and produces his custom parts How small customisations can make a big difference in your comfort and much more.... Featured in this episode: SUMP UK - https://bit.ly/2sYE6lv Sidemount Fundamentals eBook - https://goo.gl/Davqc1 Truk 2020 Sidemount Group - https://goo.gl/V8Hhrq If you like the podcast, please share with your friends and consider leaving us a 5-star review.

In this our 20th episode, sponsored by XDEEP, I discuss what it takes to complete decompression courses and dives in sidemount. I cover: Why additional training is necessary for multi-cylinder sidemount Choosing your cylinders Why traditional stage rigging is not recommended How to rig and don sidemount deco or stage cylinder Deco/stage regulator set up and stowing Weighting, trim and stability with 3+ cylinders How to complete a deco ascent "in the blue" How to complete a NOTOX gas switch and much more.... Episode Sponsor: XDEEP - https://www.xdeep.eu/ Featured in this episode: Sidemount Fundamentals eBook - https://goo.gl/Davqc1 Truk 2020 Sidemount Group - https://goo.gl/V8Hhrq If you like the podcast, please share with your friends and consider leaving us a 5-star review.