The Great Dive Podcast

In light of recent events in the news surrounding the Oceangate submarine tragedy, the boys visit the story of the USS Squalus. The Squalus was a US Sargo-class submarine that sank off the coast of New Hampshire during test dives on 23 May 1939. The sinking drowned 26 crew members, but an ensuing rescue operation, using the McCann Rescue Chamber for the first time, saved the lives of the remaining 33 aboard. The Squalus was salvaged in late 1939 and recommissioned as Sailfish in May 1940. The divers commissioned to rescue the trapped submariners each received the Medal of Honor. Have a listen!!

Jamesy and Brando are up in Mackinac diving and will be back with a brand new episode next week. In the meantime, take a trip back and listen to this early episode of TGDP about a Mackinac shipwreck, the Sandusky.

This week the boys revisit the old "I learned About Diving From That" section of Skin Diver Magazine to discuss an article that describes what happens to a diver who thinks "it" can't happen to me when it comes to DCS. Do you know anyone who dives with the "It Can't Happen To Me" mentality? Fact is it can happen and eventually will happen if you dive long enough and/or are careless and unaware while diving. Have a listen!

Join your favorite autodidactic podcasters, Jamesy and Brando as they celebrate another Jacques Cousteau birthday. The Undersea Research Group of Cousteau and the boys were the first to do so many things in the sea, and dispelling some of the myths of blood thirsty sea monsters was one of them.

What happens when a diver finds himself in trouble in the water and is about to lose hope? What led to what can only be called a diving miracle? What can we learn from all this as divers and as humans? Whatever the answers are, if it involves a double rainbow of dolphins, it's got to be cool! Have a listen and find out!

It's said that sharing is caring, but is that enough to make it through an out of gas situation at 170'? Listen as the boys discuss a lessons For Life article about a couple of "technical divers" that suffered an out of gas situation at 170 feet.

This week the boys finish up their 3-part series on The Octopus Alternative and round out a few more claw hammer metaphor jokes. Is the best piece of equipment any good if how to use it isn’t practiced?

The boys continue their discussion on the Ghastly Gas Share that turned tragic. They continue with the article that addresses the need for an alternate air source to donate and breathe from. But is the problem an equipment issue or is it something that will always be there unless the training is corrected?

Gas sharing seems pretty simple on paper, but when it happens in real life it can be quite a different experience. This week the boys discuss what can be learned from this real life gas sharing incident and why these real life experiences almost never unfold like they do in the book and in class. Join Jamesy and Brando for part one of a multi part series exploring this real life gas share that should have been a simple exercise of a skill that was learned in Open Water 101 but turned deadly due to simple, easy, and often made mistakes.

This week your buddies Jamesy and Brando take a look at a story about a simple dive. Typical in many ways for many divers but when one little problem starts the snowball rolling down the hill, things can go bad quickly. The problem is trying to learn from it and not letting it reinforce bad habits.

This week, Penguin and Kingfish talk about a dive to the RMS Niagra. A 100m deep shipwreck and a diver with only a year of experience. Stop. Breathe. Think. Podcast.

Panic is something that almost every diver is going to need to confront in their diving at some point. The answer is simple....Stay calm! Don't panic. But it's easier said than done for many. This week the boys examine an article that discusses this very subject. Have a listen!!

This week the boys discuss a great book by one of our listeners, Daryl Bob Goldberg, entitled "[Life] Lessons Learned Diving". In his book, Daryl relates much of what is learned as we progress through diving to important lessons that help us live as better humans. We really enjoyed making this episode and it has earned a spot as one of our favorite episodes to create. Have a listen, we're sure you're going to gain some insight and enjoy!

Another episode of TGDP and another lesson learned. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that just because you are doing a shallow dive that you don’t need to do your proper preparations. Any and every dive can be dangerous, no matter how shallow, if you and your buddies are not prepared. Listen in as Jamesy and Brando learn another diving lesson.

This week the boys channel some good ol' Jack Handey and go deep!

After a long cave month and a few weeks of heavy episodes, the TGDP boys take it easy this week. Going back to an early look at some of diving’s less glamorous sides. Pee, Snot, Spit, and Vomit. Remember if you’re not American, you’re a peein’.

In a world where it seems increasingly apparent that the wrapping of the message is more important than the message itself, the boys travel back in time to highlight a man that was concerned more about the message than it's wrapping. This week we'll wrap up International Cave Diving Month with a discussion that centers around the death of iconic cave diver Rob Palmer, and the "chaos" that ensued from comments made by another iconic cave diver....good ol' GI III... Trey...otherwise known as George Irvine III. This was the epitome of the tech/cave diving community back in it's infancy, as well as that of the Internet, and it's role in the evolution of diving to arrive at where we are today.

This week the boys continue their discussion about George Irvine and the early days of DIR. The technical diving world was in its youth, the fundamentals class was born, and so was the internet. But what was it that had the entire scuba world so upset? What was at the heart of George’s message? What was he saying?

Hop into your hot tub time machines cause were going back in time!!!! We're gonna go back more than thirty years to examine just how we got where we are with diving with regard to the DIR philosophy,and the who, when , where, and how it began!! And to begin with a bang we're discussing The Man himself... The legendary George Irvine III !! This will start a multi part series highlighting the roots of DIR and some of the divers behind it's revolutionary beginnings and influence on the industry and community as a whole... so strap in folks, here we go right into the heart of the enemy of strokery!! This is gonna be a fun and educational ride peeps!!

This week Tepezcuitnle and Brandito join Sheck on his world record breaking Deep Dive. As we wrap up Ned Deloach’s article we see and can actually feel the pressure that Sheck must have experienced 800 feet underwater in Cuidad Mante.

Have you ever wondered what Tempescuintle is? Are you wondering what it has to do with diving? Well have a listen to this week's episode and you'll find out what it is and what it meant to cave diving legend Sheck Exley as we continue our deep cave dive into with part 4 of our cave series that continues discussing "The Deepest Dive" by Ned DeLoach!

For the third episode of this year’s Cave Diving Month, the boys continue their look at world famous cave explorer Sheck Exley. In 1988, Sheck and author Ned Deloach made their way 1,500 miles from Live Oak, FL to Cuidad Mante, Mexico to try to reach the bottom of what was thought to be the deepest cave in the world.

Episode 303 – Exley’s Accident Analysis Revisited Part 2 aka Pulling A Zeppelin This week the boys dive back into the second half of Sheck Exley’s Accident Analysis Revisited article from 1990 in Underwater Speleology Magazine. The discussion moves from an associative approach to looking at causality. Other factors about diving fatalities are also discussed that effect both cave divers and open water divers as well.

This week, Ol' Jamesy and I kick off the highly anticipated International Cave Diving Month!! And we do so with none other than the legend himself, Sheck Exley! His article in the NSS-CDS Magazine "Underwater Speleology" (Vol. 17 No. 4)entitled "Accident Analysis Revisited" provides us some insight and fodder for discussion into the growth and development of Cave Diving Training. But can open water divers benefit from this approach? Have a listen as we kickoff International Cave Diving Month with this multi episode dive!

In this week's episode the boys discuss the results of several surveys from Scubanomics (https://medium.com/scubanomics)that are giving us a glimpse into the current state of the Scuba industry. Scubanomics is the creation of Darcy Kiernan & Michael Menduno as a project of The Business of Diving Institute (https://www.businessofdiving.com/)with the mission of helping with "the propagation of valuable, actionable information on the scuba diving industry, including market data and statistics, and dive industry analysis." Some of the results of these surveys is surprising. Have a listen!

Wow! 300 Episodes!! Can you believe it? TGDP wants to thank all of you listeners and supporters for making this show such a success. We went back and put together clips from our all-time top listening episodes. A little bit of recap, reminiscing, and fun along the way. This episode really shows the heart of TGDP and why we keep coming back every week and the main reason why is, YOU! The diving community. Thank you!

As we wind down 2022, we hope all of our listeners are enjoying the Season's various holidays and spending time with friends and relatives and (hopefully) also getting a bit o' time underwater! 2023 is around the corner and (again, hopefully) we want to wish everyone a Wonderful New Year!! Thank you all so much for listening and supporting us with all of the great reviews (and even the critical ones, for that is how we get better!) and a very special "THANK YOU!!" to all of you that have been able to throw us some love financially as well as the fantastic small gifts we get sent to us! Thank you!! Thank you!! This week's episode centers around proper gas planning and a few years back Ol' Steve Lewis penned an article regarding this very subject! While Steve had the quotes from Charles Dickens and even Buddha a little confused, the gist of the article was right on target!! Save more than you think you'll need and approach dive planning with the "SHTF" moment occurring at the worst possible moment and you might be adequately prepared for diving!

This week the boys take a little trip in Santa’s sleigh. Are you a naughty or nice little diver? Santa Jamesy, Brandi Claus and St. Scubalas tell a fun tale sent into us by Dr. K. Seuss.

The boys dig out the very first, “I Learned About Diving From That…” article published in Skin Diver. Too deep, too fast. This is a lesson about ego. A love story with Eric the Instructor and Patch Jacket Joyce. When you fixate on a target and the dive becomes all about a goal, you lose the importance of the journey.

We're BACK! Sorry for the delay. listener.... we encountered some challenges last week that hindered our time schedule for recording/editing/ & releasing.... our humble apologies. But we are back talking diving again and this episode we continue our topic of buoyancy control in yet another article from Bill Gleason. (Look for Friday's episode to release normally this week gang!)

This week, your buddies Jesse Jamesy and Bronco Brando, ride off into the sunset with the 3 golden rules of scuba diving. Why do mature and experienced divers get blamed for the crimes of the unsafe diver? Are we going to value this experience or hang these cowboys up Wanted Dead or Alive?

Today we are thankful for electric and hi tech undergarments! Just in time for the cold weather season, we have a short primer on cold water diving for those of us who just can't get enough of being underwater and are willing to brave the elements to enjoy our favorite activity! Have a listen!

Jamesy just got back from teaching a class in the middle of a hurricane, so the boys take a week to catch up on the recent happenings. Florida Keys, Tech classes, Dive Buddies, Ratio Deco, Unexpected Sexual Innuendos… There is no telling where this discussion may go. Join us for some fun.

This week in honor of Veterans Day, the boys interview their friends at Warfighter Scuba. Warfighter Scuba President and Lead Instructor Nick Powers and board member/Secretary and Divemaster Kevin Sheard join us to discuss who they are are and how they use Scuba as therapy for combat injured veterans returning to civilian life. Check them and all the great things they do out at www.www.warfighterscuba.org !! To all of our veteran listeners out there, Thank You for all you give and do for our country!

The boys discuss an excerpt from the pages of "The Inner Experience of Diving: A Beginner's Guide to The Water Planet", by Carlos Eyles from 1978. The idea that our mind is the source of our fears and our fears are what make us uncomfortable when diving so to overcome the fear we must master our mind. Turn on, tune in, have a listen!

Welcome back to the TGDP Halloween Spooktacular 2022. This year Jamesy and Brando talk about the eerie attraction to shipwrecks the ghostly sights of the abyss. They take a look at some literary masterpieces by Fletcher S. Bassett and William Hope Hodgson.

So if Johnny Depp were to star in a remake of the classic 'Edward Scissor Hands', would you go see it? We would.... but this weeks episode title came from a discussion while reading another great article from ol' Bret Gilliam where he talks of being an instructor and how you should probably never think that you've seen it all....because diving and students have an infinite amount of ways to surprise you!

So this week we decided to take on a subject of frequent debate and discussion in the SCUBA community, and that is FINS! Have a listen as Jamesy and Brando discuss an old equipment vs. skill topic that centers around one of the most important pieces of a diver's kit... FINS!

As the boys prepare for an upcoming Rescue class, they discuss the necessary tools and training for being a safe diver. The Rescue Diver must first be able to control and take care of themselves. This episode shares with you, 10 tips to improve your safety underwater.

This week the boys read a recent email from Bubba about a bad dive shop experience. He asks us for our opinions on the situation. What do you do when you get bad service from your local dive shop? Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code TGDP at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod

The people have spoken and TGDP has answered the call! They wanted more Lessons For Life AND they wanted more UW photography and Ol' Jamesy has pulled a rabbit out of his dive hood and found a "Lessons For Life" article that involves UW photography! Find out what can happen when two divers get buddied up on a dive boat and one is an UW photographer and the other is not!

The boys continue their trek into underwater photography with a discussion centered around the idea that underwater photographers have to be solo divers. In an article from the "Lessons For Life" section at ScubaDiving.com, a situation involving an underwater photographer and her buddy that was nearly disastrous when the two divers lose focus of each other, time, depth, and location.... which is easy to do when one diver is focused on the eyepiece of a camera and another is focused on anything else but their dive buddy. Is there a better way to approach these dives as a team or is solo diving the only answer?

This week the boys talk about getting better underwater photos. Maybe you’re trying to set yourself apart as a professional photographer or maybe the water conditions are not what you wanted, either way you still want great pictures. Sometimes you need to get creative in order for your pictures to catch any attention. Check out this article on naturettl.com by Pete Oxford, it is full of good information.

This week the boys discuss an article from Skin Diver's "I learned About Diving From That" section in their magazine detailing a divers account of fin riding on a whale shark and thus giving us all yet another reason to leave the animals alone! Have a listen!

This week the boys talk about a recent dive in Lake Huron on a couple of Advanced Open Water milk run shipwrecks, The North Star and the Mary Alice B. These are two of the most popular wrecks in lower lake huron and Jamesy and Brando joined some friends for a fun day on the water. The weather and visibility was not perfect but the boys had cameras and tried to make the best of it. Join us as we take a look at taking good photos in bad visibility. Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code TGDP at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod

CROYKEY ! Thiies wayk waeve gawt a faeh deenkum of a bloody bawnzah faw ya frawm the lahnd daown undah!! A sheila neahly carks it whaen she goes on a "trust me" doive in questionable waythah! This one comes from an article on Scuba Diver Mag.com (https://www.scubadivermag.com/dive-another-day/?fbclid=IwAR2RP3cIjBf-bfnBQpOimsC8VeJQRk0Icx505xMlj3tEevxJ5F-TWIY2k_8) and our friend Gareth Lock posted in his "The Human Diver: Human Factors in Diving" Group on Facebook. See what lessons can be learned from a near death experience resulting from a few poor decisions!

The boys wrap up the Shark Chick Series this week with a sit-down interview with three of TGDP’s favorite women of the water. Jamesy and Brando have a talk with Jamey, Stephanie, and Katie and they discuss the last few episodes. Women in diving, sexism in diving, shark conservation and a bunch of other fun topics during an evening chat. Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code TGDP at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod

This week the boys continue the celebration of The Shark! We visit a website dedicated this celebration! www.TheDailyJaws.com . Check them out!

This week the boys take a look at another shark chick, Ocean Ramsey. Many call her a shark whisperer and a conservationist, but others still find a problem with her interactions with sharks. Does she invade their space and make a bad example for others or is she showing us that just because you are in the water with sharks doesn’t mean that you are about to be eaten. Dive into this episode with us. Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code TGDP at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod

In honor of Shark Week with National Women Divers Day/Month, the boys begin a multi part series on sharks and the women who love them! Today we start with the world famous and much acclaimed, Valerie Taylor! Have a listen!