The Great Dive Podcast

After a statewide extension of our Stay-At-Home order here in Michigan, Jamesy and Brando get back to what you love about your favorite dive buddies. Reading stories and cracking jokes. We talk about the 11 ways you can still stay involved with diving despite this lockdown.

Are you still out diving during the Coronavirus quarantine? Or, are you staying at home and watching a marathon of Tiger King? Jamesy and Brando meet up over Skype to stay isolated and still bring you the topics you need to hear while waiting to get back in the water. Tune in to find out our conclusions.

This interview with cave diver and instructor, Larry Green, is one that will be sure to please divers of all levels. Larry shares many old stories, exciting history and his philosophy of education with James and Brando. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

BREAKING NEWS!!! BREAKING NEWS!! Scientists have found that listening to The Great Dive Podcast may reduce your chances of getting the dreaded Coronavirus. However, it may increase your chances of drinking a Corona or three this week... because we head off to Cozumel in a story that has nothing to do with the motherf'ing coronavirus....suck it media.... Join Jamesy & Brando as they celebrate their 3rd year as "professional" (and I use the term loosely) podcasters putting out the weekly edition of The Great Dive Podcast (and they said we wouldn't last...and by "they" I mean we- Brando & Jamesy). It's been a ton of work but even more fun and that is thanks to all of our great listeners and supporters! So thank you! Hang in there folks! Maybe this'll help distract from the constant barrage of doom! Have a listen!

Join your TGDP buddies as they discuss one of Brando's favorite preaching points. Failure Points. How many of these little plastic problems are you wearing?

It's quite a philosophical question that is more appropriate for Yoda to answer than Ol' Jamesy & Brando.... but have a listen as we attempt to break down a story old as time in the scuba world. Listen as the boys examine one diver's experience of a nearly fatal accident and his "takeway" from that experience.

What's cooler than being cool? ICE COLD!! Let's go ice diving AND take some photos!! Join the boys as they discuss taking your underwater photography under the ice to get those interesting and unique shots that are available for only a short time of the year and in the cooler climates.

The boys get back to a fan favorite, underwater photography. What do you do when the dive changes? Maybe it’s because of the weather, maybe it’s because of a mechanical problem with the boat, or maybe it’s the bio-rhythms of your hard-bodied models that prevents them from diving… probably an ear problem. Anyway, when things go bad you can make some easy changes to your perspective to still come away with a great dive and some even better photographs.

In 1960, America’s Greatest Diver was lost inside of a cave near Cassis, France. The search for Conrad Limbaugh included the French and U.S. Navy, dive teams from Cousteau and a commercial company Sogetram and more. While trying to learn more about fish symbiosis and cleaning stations he ventured past the Cone of Stones and that is where he took his last breath.

The alternate title of this episode was going to be, “19 Inches of Silt.” Johnny Cash wrote a song about it. Today, Jamesy and Brando dig up a story about one of the most feared disasters while cave diving. Losing the line home. There are lessons to be learned and songs to be sung.

As a diver who do you look up to? Your Instructor? A buddy or a mentor? Who do they look up to? Chances are, no matter how good you are or how much experience or levels of certification you have there is always someone you still look up to. Cave diving has a tradition of this mentoring and building experience is favored over getting another card. Join us as we look up to the pros from an apprentice’s perspective.

As a diver who do you look up to? Your Instructor? A buddy or a mentor? Who do they look up to? Chances are, no matter how good you are or how much experience or levels of certification you have there is always someone you still look up to. Cave diving has a tradition of this mentoring and building experience is favored over getting another card. Join us as we look up to the pros from an apprentice’s perspective.

They knew it 25 years ago and yet, much has not changed. Can the recreational scuba diving world learn anything from the cave diving world? Tune in to this week's episode as the boys continue their celebration of National Cave Diving Month with a discussion centering around an article from 1995 by PADI's own Karl Shreves when he took his first Cave Diving Course and what he learned from his experience.

This week the boy's tackle the most divisive topic within the Scuba Community. No matter which side of the aisle your particular mindset has you pitching your tent, we think you'll get a "kick" out of today's episode! We went to the Internet for the idea of tackling this topic and we hope you enjoy....although we know this particular debate will never be "fin-ished". Relax and have a listen!!

In the year 2020 divers have so many resources to inform them about their amount of remaining gas, however out-of-airs still happen. Why? Join Jamesy and Brando for this self-addressed stamped episode of TGDP to find the answers.

It’s 2020 and a new year for a new you. Many divers will start off the year with a fitness plan and a fresh awareness of their health. But what is the right fitness level for safe scuba diving? Well, sit back and listen as the two fittest scuba hunks on our show, who have no fitness accreditation to their name, talk to you about breathing, heart rates and yoga.

The boys sit down and have a rap about all the fun stuff and shenanigans from 2019. The highs, the lows, the good times and the bad. We remember our favorites and take a fun look at all our fans from around the world. Thank you to everyone who listened in 2019 and we look forward to next year.

What were you doing in January of 1992? Brando was playing volleyball, James was still in High School and our subjects of today’s show were diving in a river near Glasgow, Montana. This old story gets us thinking about old lessons that were supposed to be learned, but were they? Has the thinking or actions changed in the almost 30 years since?

Ok, now I realize that this could happen any day of the year not just Friday the 13th so the title is totally not accurate....or IS IT? Today is Friday the 13th and this could happen today and even in warm water.... so maybe it is pretty accurate. Actually, if we really think about it, this title should be changed to "An Anyday, Anywhere, Any temperature Water Diving Lesson"... but that sounds ridiculous and no one will listen to it. So we'll just call it "A Friday The 13th Cold Water Diving Lesson"... but with the added caveat that it could happen on any day and in any temperature water! Have a listen!

It's time for what has become a most treasured holiday tradition at the TGDP households around the globe, the annual Christmas Wishlist!! Have a listen as the boys review the eagerly awaited Christmas Wishlist from Scuba Diving Magazine's 2019 Holiday Gift Guide!

The 29th of November, 1966 was another horrendous day out on Lake Huron. Hurricane winds and towering waves crashing in from multiple directions took down the mighty ship of the Morrell, along with the lives of 28 of her 29 crew. Today the boys discuss the sinking of the ship in much greater detail and the survival of her one soul, Dennis Hale.

The boys start off this week catching up about Jamesy’s recent trip to Orlando for the dive industry DEMA show, all the cool people he met and where the real business takes place. Eventually they get into a story about the Daniel J. Morrell, a tragic shipwreck with one sole survivor from 1966 in Lake Huron.

Don't get left out in the cold. The boys discuss Drysuit diving and some of the different myths about using them.

Join your favorite dive buddies, the November Galiest Jamesy and the Ol’ Winter Warlock Brando for this look at the worst storm ever to hit the Great Lakes. In November of 1913, hurricane winds and winter blizzards took down a record number of ships on the Great Lakes, the most damage being done on Lake Huron.

Back in the spring we released our first interview, privately to Patreon members. Now it is available to everyone. These Check Out interviews will give insight into what and how these influential divers approach their own diving habits and how they relate back to new divers. We hope you enjoy.

The boys continue their deep dive into the psyche of the diver. Listen as they wrap up their discussion to discover if divers are truly crazy or has diving made them crazy.

Soooo, tell me vhot vuzz zee velatshunsheep viss yuer muzzer liyek? Grab your notebooks and pens and take notes as the boys dive into the psychoanalysis of the diver. Are divers crazy or does diving make them crazy? Listen up and find out as Ol' Jamesy and Older Brando take deep (two part) dive into the Diver's Psyche!

The boys really get into character on this episode as they look at the dangers of taking your earthly problems underwater with you. Fixating on a goal, solo diving, lack of awareness and more; this dive takes an emotional look at diving and marriage. Warning: Strong Language

Going scuba diving means you are one of the people who get off the couch and really live your life. You are not content to sit back and watch life through the eyes of your favorite TV character, you are living your own. But that comes with a cost. The price is Responsibility.

This is probably the most important episode of The Great Dive Podcast ever produced. If you have ever wanted to pretend to be a diver or find out how to recognize a poser, then this is the episode for you! As a diver, knowing which flipper to raise when swearing the Skindiver oath is critical knowledge! Have a listen and find out what's what in the world of the Skindiver!

If schooners, islands and maroons, and Jasmine incense are your thing… then this episode is for you, me boy! Join the bootie-seeking, scallywags of TGDP on this look at the love affair of pirates and divers.

After a weekend of weather changes and allergies, the boys ran into a few divers with ear clearing troubles. Equalizing the ears is an overlooked art that many divers force into working. Learn from these stories before you find yourself with MEBT!

This time on Sealab, things don’t go so well. 100 Fathoms below the surface, when you are at 600fsw and you have problems it’s never a good day. Join Jamesy and Brando as they finish this little series about Sealab.

Leaving the warmer waters of Bermuda, Jamesy and Brando join Scott Carpenter and the other aquanauts 205 feet underwater off Scripps Canyon near La Jolla, California. Sealab 2 was bigger, better and lasted longer than the previous mission/experiment/war….

After George Bond’s famous Blow and Go from Episode 125, he started working on a new project that would have Americans living and working on the bottom of the ocean. This project would be come Sealab. Jamesy and Brando take a dip to join them on this incredible experiment.

Join your buddies from TGDP as they take a twilight zone trip with Papa Topside to make an Emergency Swimming Ascent from 300FSW. If you don’t laugh… Bad Things Happen!

Be honest, have you ever made any of these photography mistakes? James and Brando even admit to a few. Plus the boys discuss other photography crimes and classic mistakes.

Join James and Brando as they continue to celebrate "Shark Week" with a "Lesson For Life" that comes from a chance encounter with (as you would expect) a shark. This week also includes the much awaited return of "Shark Johnson". So sit back and have a listen to this episode of The Great Dive Podcast!

Shark Week starts tomorrow and TGDP kicks it off with a big bite! We take a trip to the land down under to jam with the Thunderbirds and take a swim with seals and sharks. Like they say down there, “You better pack your darkies if you’re going to swim with the sharkies.”

What is the #1 way divers die? Is it a skill issue? A mental issue? Ego? What is the difference in the mindset of a diver who dies while attempting to break the deep diver record, compared to a diver pushing their own personal limits with ego and ignorance?

Hey divers!! We have a fun one this week! Join Jamesy & Brando as we get in touch with our inner hippies and talk about astrology and scuba diving! We'll have special guest star Alayna from KOXY Radio's "AstroHo's" show guide us through the zodiac for diving! This is a fun one you're sure to enjoy... as long as you're not an over-sensitive Cancer or a Pisces with a Scorpio in Uranus.... ahahaha!

Breathe Deep… Even the most skilled divers can fall victim to panic. Jamesy and Brando recall a couple of their own moments of panic underwater and try to keep cool in the presence of clowns.

Coming from the land of the ice and snow, Jamesy and Brando plunge into a dark dive that leads to a sad fatality for a father and son dive team. What happens when the reality of your experience mixes with your good intentions of instructing someone when you’re not an instructor?

Summer is finally here, and we have your Scuba Catastrophe Survival Guide ready for your listening pleasure. Panicked Buddy! Getting Lost! Trapped! Your Computer Conks Out!! Alexa, what do I do about this shark bite? We have the answers for you.

This one is pure gold.... sit back and let this week's stream bathe your ears like a warm waterfall of relief. We tackle the always important yet rarely discussed topic of peeing in your wetsuit. Is it disgusting or is it a dire necessity? You decide as we discuss this topic as well as give a heartfelt apology to one of our dear listeners who we may have offended by confusing their name. There is no excuse for this and we are owning up to our faux pas.... but in our defense it is a common misunderstanding with this particular name.

After sharing their congratulations from PADI for 20 years of service, the TGDP boys get into a discussion about the dive tables. Are they obsolete? In todays age of dive computers and custom profiles, are the old tables wrong??

Keeping up to date on current affairs, the boys have a talk about the recent deaths at the top of Mt. Everest. There are many similarities to diving and goal-oriented diving in particular. Why do we dive? Is it for the log book or is it a spiritual achievement? Is there a bigger Mt. Everest inside of us?

The boys jump into a long-awaited topic and discuss an article by Gareth Lock, author of the new book Under Pressure. This episode takes a deeper look at decision making and the value of situational awareness, biases and heuristics, and other ways that Gareth helps us think about improving our diving.

If the boys at TGDP had $1 for every time they heard this story, TGDP would be living the sweet life down in the islands and broadcasting from the beach. It's another Lesson For Life as the local diving season kicks off.

This week we wrap up our three part series on how the scuba community nearly became yet another bureaucratic tax driven revenue system controlled by our "lords and masters" at city hall in Los Angeles during the mid 1970's. Thankfully divers united and fought against the tyranny and achieved a small victory for our freedom. We need to continue our vigilance through education and awareness and listening to The Great Dive Podcast!!