The Great Dive Podcast

In 1957, Carl Kohler wrote this article for Skin Diver Magazine, 20,000 Lovely Legs Beneath The Sea. It was an entertaining look at the growing participation of shapely ladies entering the water world of the skin diving man. 60 years later and just in time to celebrate International Womens Dive Day, Jamesy and Brando revisit this time in what may become the most sexiest episode of TGDP to date.

As our story moves into the 1960’s, Jamesy and Brando discuss the American Pop Culture that is happening along with the evolution of the Voit Regulators. Coming from a company that was manufacturing sporting goods like the classic American Dodgeball, Voit would eventually be purchased by AMF and further grow this iconic scuba brand.

This week on TGDP, Jamesy and Brando get into a deep discussion about diving but also about religion, and politics, and sex. What do they all have in common? Regulators and television shows and Reese’s Pieces candy? What do they all have in common? Fluoride and Scuba? What does all of this have to do with Mike Nelson? These are the tough questions that your buddies at TGDP dare to explore.

Can a nearly fatal mistake underwater be the impetus for true love? Have a listen as the boys discuss one of the most beaten to death topics in the scuba community but this time, it's different!

Your favorite dive buddies, Jamesy and Brando, have a little chat about scuba diving in the Galapagos Islands. What do you do when faced with that incredible sight? Do you make the right choice or do you just blindly go into the wild? Alone? This is a lesson about over confidence and complacency, and about what is the best regulator on the market too. P.S. Don’t forget to tip your Divemasters.

In honor of the late great manfish, Monsignor Jacques Cousteau, Jamesy and Brando tell another tale from the pen of le Capitan. Rapture consumes the team as they explore the azure depths of le Mer du Rouge. Proper planning and predive safety checks are important to the safety of the menfish. Don’t forget BWRAF- (the French version)Bordeaux, Wine, Riesling, A pack of cigarettes, Fondue. Au revoir mes amis.

This week, the boys bring their series on education to a close by looking at E.L. Thorndike’s Laws of Learning. As an educator, it is important to understand the characteristics of the learning process and these laws help us construct our classes and better mold it to the needs of the students. Join your hosts J. I. Mott Toao and B.C. Schwartz Sr for this scholarly look at education.

This week the boys talk about old school underwater harassment training. Taking a look at an article from 1972, Jamesy and Brando discuss the difference between the mainstream positive approach of today and what triggering stress can bring into education. The term alone, harassment, brings stress into mind today. What was going on in the 70’s and what have we learned from it? All of this and more is waiting for you in this week’s episode.

The boys piggy back their series on Mastery with a discussion guided by some wisdom from the book "Force of Nature", by Laird Hamilton. Laird's own life is an example of mastery and the pursuit of excellence as he has distinguished himself as one of the world's greatest surfers. His book gives insight into how his pursuit of excellence on the waves has served as a guide in pursuit of excellence in life.

This week, Jamesy and Brando dive back into the book Mastery by George Leonard. The boys discuss Instruction, Practice, Surrender, Intentionality, and The Edge. These 5 keys will set you on a lifelong path to underwater happiness while you are on your quest of scuba mastery.

In this week's episode the boys begin with a magazine article from "the good ol' days" discussing the ancient practice of "harassment training". This holdover from the military diving programs that naturally became part of the civilian training programs in the early days of SCUBA training has, for all intents and purposes, been eradicated from modern training. But, was there a benefit from it? It doesn't really matter anyway because the topic goes off track and the boys get deep into the subject of Mastery and what is the true meaning of life... or some crap like that....LOL! Have a listen, we think you'll enjoy!

G'die mites! Croikey we've gawt a grite epeesode thiies wayk! We received a laettah frawm the Lahnd Daown Undah frawm ol' Crocodoile Chahlawtte! Chahlawtte wroites abeow' hah fuhst baowt doive roigh' aftah open wottah clahss. She queeckly foinds eow' haow ill praepaehd she is faw the doive and leahns some good laessawns the hahd why. Grahb a Vaeguymoigh' sahndweech and a Faowstahs and hahve a leesten as the boys deescuss Chahlawtte's expaerience! (Translation: G'day mates! Crikey we've got a great episode this week! We received a letter from the Land Down Under from Ol' Crocodile Charlotte! Charlotte writes about her first boat dive right after open water class. She wuickly fins out how ill prepared she is for the dive and learns some good lessons the hard way! Grab a Vegamite sandwich and a Fosters and have a listen as the boys discuss Charlotte's experience!)

If you can't handle the truth (about Air McDoodles)then maybe you're out of order!! This week the boys discuss an article from the DAN (Divers Alert Network) detailing a near miss and the star of the article is the ever funny and entertaining "Air McDoodle!" If you object to funny and educational episodes your Honor, then you might be found guilty by reason of insanity if you don't listen to this gem!

Meet Dick. Dick considers himself an advanced diver with over 100 dives. Dick takes a 2 year hiatus from diving. Dick jumps back in the water on a deep advanced level dive thinking, "what could go wrong?" Dick dies. Dick should have listened to The Great Dive Podcast. Don't be a Dick and instead have a listen as the boys discuss another avoidable tragedy on this episode of The Great Dive Podcast!

Jamesy and Brando get back to the fan favorite of looking at tragic disasters. After a few weeks of looking at the state of education, the boys discuss an accident and the breakdown of mindset, or should we say the lack thereof.

After a couple weeks of looking at the original US Scuba Training Program based out of Scripps, your buddies Jamesy and Brando take an updated look at what it means to be a great scuba instructor. The pursuit of excellence in education can sometimes be difficult, costly, and time consuming. The balance between getting the student “done” and making certain they are ready to be certified can sometimes get blurry. In Simon Pridmore’s book “Scuba Professional” he gives us 13 things to consider when teaching to help you produce better divers. Get your copy at simonpridmore.com

Get your fix of the history of Scuba Diving in today with this part 2 of The First US Scuba Training Program at The Scripps Institute of Oceanography. The boys continue their discussion of the development of the first training program for Scuba in the US. Lots of rudiments for everyone in this one!

The boys sit down to discuss the very first established scuba training program in the United States. Based out of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Jamesy and Brando dive into Andy Rechnitzer and Connie Limbaugh’s original training program. This original class was developed out of necessity because nothing existed yet and much of that program is still in effect today.

In honor of International Women's day, the boys celebrate one of the greats in diving, Dottie Frazier! Have a listen as they talk about her upbringing, who she was, what she's contributed to diving and to the world.

The boys sit down and recap their recent trip up to Lake Charlevoix, Michigan to do an ice dive on the shipwreck Keuka. Along the way they start up a 1970’s style quiz show to prove who is the real genius of The Great Dive Podcast.

Ice Ice baby!! It's that time of year gang and the boys are heading out to dive the ice covered waters of Northern Michigan. This week we'll discuss some of the ins and outs of ice diving and why folks do it. Join us for a fun little chat about what's involved with an ice dive and why people love it!

Jamesy and Brando are back for the final week of the 2021 National Cave Diving Month, celebrated world-wide. This week, the boys dive into the world famous Peacock Springs, now the Wes Skiles State Park, to look at the early days of American cave diving. With the help of Sheck Exley, this system with over 30,000 feet of passages and rooms have been mapped and are all nearly 100% always underwater. Join us for a few exciting tales from Peacock.

Due to some unforeseen family emergencies, we are re-releasing our favorite cave diving episode. We will be back next week to finish Cave Diving Month. Our apologies.

Join the boys as they continue to celebrate Worldwide Cave Diving Month!! This week we get schooled from 2020's Pandemic Madness Champion, world class diver, and one of our favorite people, Larry Green. We'll examine and discuss an article from Larry that will enlighten and enrich your diving experience! Have a listen!

This week we jump into Brando’s Hot Tub Cave Diving Time Machine for a look back at underwater education. The pivotal change in the mid-1970’s. Was cave diving the way to ecstasy or certain agony? Tune in to find out.

Its National Cave Diving Month, once again on TGDP. Your buddies, Jamesy and Brando, start it off talking about Flattening The Curve. No, not that curve, the other one. The fatality curve. Join them as they discuss how things have changed over the decades to make diving and in particular cave diving a safer sport for all of us to enjoy.

Sacrebleu!! It's Friday again and time for another episode of The Great Dive Podcast!! Don your béret and grab a baguette Mes chères for we are venturing into French territory! Join the boys as they discuss more lessons for life!

Jamesy and Brando dive into 2021 with high hopes and a deep understanding of where 2020 left us. With the help of a positively buoyant article from Dive New Wire, they reflect on what 2020 meant to us divers and where we can go in 2021. Be the fin.

The boys sit down and recap the crazy year that was 2020. Life before the pandemic, the coming of Covid-19 and what it did to the year and how TGDP grew along the way. Here are a few of our favorite memories from Mad Dog 2020.

Saint Brando and Krampus James sit down and discuss the Do’s and Don’ts of scuba diving to see who gets put on Saint Brando’s naughty list.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, a priest and a rabbi and two podcasters walk into a bar… True story! So there I was… Jamesy and Brando sit back and have a few laughs as they start to wrap up 2020. Join them as they tell a few of the best scuba diving jokes you’ve ever heard.

This week the boys take a quiz to find out exactly what level diver they are.... follow along and see where you rank... Expert? Novice? Take a quiz and find out. Don't worry... it's not a test. It's a quiz so it's short and sweet! Have a Listen!

This week the boys have a talk about deep sea commercial diving. Brando get nostalgic about hard hats, DDCs and the Grem-Bird. While talking about a new movie on Netflix, they also discuss a book sent to them, Salvamar- A Tale of Salvage and Deep Diving, by Dominic Miller. Join them in this exciting episode about being trapped at the bottom of the North Sea. Here is a link to the book. Get your copy and tell Dominic you heard about it on TGDP. https://www.amazon.com/Salvamar-Tale-Salvage-Deep-Diving-ebook/dp/B07ZH9XNYG?fbclid=IwAR3cyog-yJdbW92ud0A_f6mTVa865KW-sRK0perrt3jJ8NQmeJ8MqLHIkL8

Hey everybody, it’s Black Friday and you know what that means. It’s time to get that special scuba diver in your life some holiday presents. Not sure what to get for your loved one, well TGDP is here to help you spread some holiday cheer. Join us as we go through this new Holiday Gift Guide from the gang over at DeeperBlue.com

This week the boys get back to the business of diving. We love to get listener email and we love it even more if we can turn it into an episode where we can all take something valuable from the lessons contained therein. This episode is exactly that... we'll take some listener e-mail and talk about the important aspects of learning to dive well and learning how to build trust with your dive partner. Have a listen!

It’s Friday the 13th and the winds are howling, because the November Witch is stealin’. Join the boys as they take another looks at the source of so much of Great Lakes shipwreck diving, the gales of November. When the late Caribbean tropical storms travel north and collide with Arctic storms moving south, they can create a whole new level of hurricane on our inland seas. Dive into the deadly Great Lakes.

Ever thought about going pro? The boys continue their discussion about going the instructor route with your diving. What to expect and what should be expected out of a real "pro"! Have a listen!

Do you believe in ghosts? Well it is Halloween time and this week Jamesy tells Brando a horrifying tale. Ghosts, ghouls and candy bars. Underwater serpents, cities and Smarties. Join your TGDP buddies for the story of the time Jamesy nearly gave up his flippers and said he will never dive again.

After two weeks of looking at arguments about the necessity of a diving certification, the boys take a closer look at what it means to actually “Go Pro.” Becoming a diving professional takes a lot of work and dedication, especially if you are going to do it for a long time. If you really have an interest in diving education, here are a few things you will need to consider.

In Part 2 of Is Certification Really Necessary, James and Brando try to work their way to the bottom of this controversial thread. Like many discussion boards, this one is full of twists and turns and dances around the root question. What is the definition of a diver? Have we evolved? Where are we going? Will these comments and questions get you as fired up as they did Brando? What will we find in the bottom of Pandora’s dive bag?

While mourning the loss of Rock Guitar Legend Eddie Van Halen, the boys came across a discussion about the validity and necessity of dive certifications. If the certification is the identification of skill mastery, why is there still an obvious lack of ability on the dive sites? This post started a large thread and many interesting points, Jamesy and Brando take a look at both sides of this very long discussion.

This week Jamesy and Brando try to lighten up the current political tension in the country with an old scuba magazine quiz. What kind of lover are you based off of your BCD choice? Which Kardashian would make your best dive buddy? You know, the good juicy magazine quizzes you see at the grocery check-out line. Also, the boys hint at dropping their names in for the upcoming presidential election.

This week the boys examine an article that addresses the increasing dependence on technology in the SCUBA community. Ol' Jamesy and Brando discuss the double edged sword of technology. Often, it can greatly help us do much more and do it faster and more efficiently but it also makes us reliant on it and lends to our complacency. From the individual to the agency, technology has had a huge impact on the way we dive as well as the way we live... but if it's going to remove all risk and do all the work, then what's the f'ing point? Have a listen and find out!

Have you ever dived a, “Dive of a Lifetime?” What is a dive of a lifetime? Jamesy and Brando have a little bit of free talk about diving the not so glamorous dives. But also, why are some of those dives memorable too. How can you know you just did the dive of a lifetime if you’re still diving?

Two things you never want to hear your dive buddy say are, "Uh, oh...." In today's episode the boys discuss a couple laws of knowledge. Like Brando's Law and the show specific Hoot's Law. Humans make mistakes but it's what happens next that really matters.

What happens when you become one of the irresponsible idiots that you routinely make fun of? Am I talking about 2 divers from this weeks story or the friends and fans that joined us for this Zoom party? You’ll have to listen to find out. We had a lot of fun recording this with you all, but this episode is Explicit and inappropriate at times. All in good Zoom Happy Hour Fun!

Everybody's got one....but listen in as we address a discussion by two divers at an airport VIP lounge. Both have very strong opinions about controversial diving topics but are either of them right? Is there a right or wrong? Should any diver's opinion be the basis for restricting a diver's liberty concerning the way they conduct their dives? Is their a middle ground where each view is right and "not so right"?? Is being at the far end of a pole regarding any topic "good" for people? Where does the need for "safety" outweigh personal liberty? It's a slippery slope once we begin to sacrifice personal freedoms in the name of safety, after all, once the laws go in they are rarely removed. What kind of world would it be if their is no more "risk"? Keep in mind, we can't live forever (why would we want to??)and no one gets out of here alive...hahaha! Have a listen and decide for yourself!

Is assuming anything with diving bad? We don't think so... after all, momma always said, "diving is like a box of chocolates....ya never know what you're gonna get..." Find out what happens when you assume nothing will go wrong on the dive... in this week's episode of The Great Dive Podcast!!

Do you know any crazy divers? Are they crazy because they are divers? Or, did diving make them crazy? Jamesy and Brando are getting the band back together and singing the blues. The post-dive, am I bent, blues. Is there a link between DCS and psychosis?

Thank you to everyone of our fans, this show wouldn't be possible without you. We've been here for 175 weeks straight. Well ok, a couple filler episodes here and there. Ok sure, this might be another one, but we have a good excuse. We're out diving. Please enjoy this episode, it's one of our favorites. Safe diving, folks. Lots of love from your buddies at TGDP.