Episode #101 Gus Gozalez - Dive Talk

It's great to bring you Episode #101 with Gus Gonzalez, one-half of the dynamic duo behind the YouTube phenomenon, "Dive Talk”

Gus and I discuss his journey from novice diver to prominent figure in the diving community through the YouTube Channel, "Dive Talk". We learn how Gus and Woody met, the evolution of Dive Talk, and the chemistry that makes their show unique. Gus shares insights into his diving experiences, the challenges of balancing a professional career with diving, and the importance of delivering value and the content his audience wants.

We discuss the challenges in delivering thoughtful reactions to incidents and respect for fellow divers. We explore dealing with criticism and haters, highlighting the significance of focusing on constructive feedback. We learn about the development of the Dive Talk Go rebreather with Mike Young, and the mission behind the Dive Talk Academy to ensure quality instruction in diving education. We continue discussing the success of the annual Dive Talk Meetup events, which have proved incredibly popular with over one hundred attendees. The conversation also touches on plans for diving events and opportunities for divers to connect and improve their skills.

 Cheers Steve

Watch or Listen on Spotify

Watch on YouTube

thanks to:

Podcast Sponsor - XDEEP

Episode Sponsor - Seacraft

Gus Gonzalez and Dive Talk

Episode #100 Josh Richards - Mount Gambier Cave Discoveries

Hey, it's great to bring you... Episode #100!!! Six years, a lot of blood sweat, and tears as the saying goes but a huge amount of learning, growth, and fun... I've loved every moment.

I want to acknowledge the support of XDEEP who had the vision to join us early as the show sponsor and have been with us every step of the way. I am incredibly grateful to Piotr, Patrick, Bart, Magda, Barbara, and the wider XDEEP team for their support.

Other sponsors have also supported us... Shearwater, Seacraft, SEAL Drysuits, Fourth Element... and you'll hear it here first, Insta360. They are all fantastic brands that I love. Most of them I was diving before Speaking Sidemount and I'm very proud and thankful for their support.

And then there is all of you. Thank you so much for your support as patrons. You are the group that helps with production costs so you are part of this team and I appreciate the support :).

In this episode, sponsored by XDEEP and Seacraft, I catch up with one of the most interesting people I know... Josh Richards. Josh and I have known each other for five years and have knocked out some terrific dives together in some of the premier caves of Mount Gambier, South Australia... an area known as the "Limestone Coast".

Josh and I delve into his fascinating journey from military service to stand-up comedy, to being in line for a one-way trip to Mars, and ultimately to becoming a prominent figure in Australian cave diving exploration. We discuss the intricacies of diving, the importance of teamwork, and the skills necessary for technical diving, particularly sidemount diving. Josh shares his experiences in discovering new cave systems in the Mount Gambier region and the dynamics of his team, the Soggy Wombats. Josh's stories emphasise the collaborative spirit of exploration and the joy of sharing discoveries with the diving community.

Enjoy :)

Steve

listen to the audio episode

watch the video episode

Episode #99 Stefan Panis - Shipwrecks of the Dover Straits

Hey great to bring you Episode #99, thanks for your support and thanks also to XDEEP for sponsoring the show.

This episode features our latest Sidemount Diving Secret - Cylinder Section: "Are You Diving the Wrong Cylinders?” Big thanks to Seacraft for sponsoring this segment.

In this episode, I meet Stefan Panis, a Belgian wreck, mine and cave diver, professional underwater photographer, and author. Stef got into diving at a young age through his parents, who were divers. He progressed from recreational to professional diving and eventually became a wreck diver. He combined his passion for diving with photography and started documenting shipwrecks.

Stef's favourite exploration project is the Dover Straits in the UK, which has a high concentration of shipwrecks. He wrote a book called 'The Shipwrecks of Dover Strait' that combines history, pictures, and stories of his dives. Stef also enjoys mine diving and believes that Belgium's proximity to various diving sites contributes to the popularity of technical diving in the country.

Stef started as a wreck diver but later discovered the thrill of diving in slate mines, which led him to pursue cave training. Stef and his team now explore and document mines in Belgium, providing valuable information for speleologists and emergency responders. He also organizes the Dive Expo Belgium, a dive event that brings together divers from all backgrounds.

Stef discusses the challenges of transitioning from warm to cold water diving and highlights the benefits of DPVs in his diving projects, particularly the Seacraft GO.

Thanks and enjoy :) Steve

Listen to Audio

Watch the Video Episode

Episode #98 Por Parasu Komaradat - "Thai Sidemount Diving"

Great to bring you Episode #98 Por Parasu Komaradat - "Thai Sidemount Diving". with the support of XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Huge thanks to both for their support of this podcast.

In this episode, I introduce a new segment 'Sidemount Diving Secrets' where I'll share some inside tips and tricks that I've picked up over the 11 years now that I've been diving sidemount around the world. Inside the episode, I'll give an overview of the tip, and given we are producing both video and audio episodes, I'll point you back to the Sidemount Pros YouTube channel for the detailed video of each "Sidemount Secret". Let me know what you think and also drop me a note back if you have a tip you'd like to share, or have an aspect of sidemount diving you'd like me to explore.

To get us started, this month's Sidemount Diving Secret is regarding the routing of your drysuit inflator hose and is brought to you by Sidemount Pros and is featuring my eBook, "Sidemount Diving Fundamentals" which is available complimentary for Gold patrons and for purchase/download via Patreon or the store on my website.⁠ You can check out the Sidemount Secret video here.

In this episode, I catch up with Por Parasu Komaradat. Por hails from and is based in Thailand an absolute global mecca for all things diving, from beautiful reefs, to wreck diving. As we'll hear, a heap of caves and mines are being explored and opened up to suitably qualified and experienced divers.

Por shares his background in mathematics and software engineering before transitioning to full-time diving. How he learned sidemount diving from Lamar Hires and went on to also train in Mexico. Por has been working as a technical diving instructor for 16 years.

I share my own experience transitioning from software engineering to diving. We discuss the similarities between the two fields and the importance of having mentors in diving.

Por also talks about the caves and mines in Thailand and the challenges and differences of diving in each. Por also shares his perspectives on the Mine Diving cross-over course and how important it is to understand how mining is conducted and how mines are created in safely conducting mine dives.

Por shares his active projects, including exploring caves in Sulawesi and caves and mines in Thailand. He emphasizes the importance of teaching and building dive communities in the region.

Enjoy Steve.

Thanks to:

Our Guest - Por Parasu Komaradat https://www.facebook.com/PORDIVE

Our Sponsor - XDEEP

#xdeep #xdeepsidemount #sealdrysuits #sidemountpros #sidemountdiving #cavediving #minediving #porparasukomaradat #

Episode #97 Jacek Konikowski - "A Dive into the KISS Sidewinder 2"

It's great to bring you Episode #97 with the support of our brilliant sponsor XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount, huge thanks to both for their support that makes everything you are about to listen to, possible.

If you'd like to support the show become a patron for as little as $5 per month and get early access to every episode plus other benefits… pop over to www.patreon.com/speakingsidemount (http://www.patreon.com/speakingsidemount) for all the details.

Welcome to our first video podcast episode. I'm excited that we're now adding a different media format for the podcast. We will focus more on video from here on, plus the normal audio format we've been doing for many years. Video episodes will be available both through Spotify and YouTube. It's an exciting new era for Speaking Sidemount, so I hope you enjoy it. Please give me your feedback in the comments. I'm interested in everything... the quality and whether you enjoy seeing video more than just listening to audio. I'd like to know where you're consuming the podcast. Are you usually at home or on the move? Do you use a laptop, or TV, or watch on a mobile device? I'd love to hear your thoughts :).

This month's episode is with Jacek Konikowski, an instructor trainer evaluator and IT for CCR CAVE, CCR Trimix levels, and the KISS Sidewinder.  Jacek has chosen to specialise his teaching in the two areas of diving that he loves… Cave Diving and the KISS Sidewinder and as he describes, this match gives him the best of both worlds.  Jacek shares his background and how he decided to base himself in Isla Plana to be close to an amazing cave, Cueva Del Agua. We get into a massive discussion on the KISS Sidewinder and Jacek's contribution to the pre-production testing of the exciting new Sidewinder 2.

We go deep into the Sidewinder 2, covering the new features and the training. Would you believe it, heresy as well!! Jacek and I get into the backmount version of the Sidewinder 2. I think it's pretty exciting that we are looking here at what I consider the world's best side mount rebreather, but it's got a backmount mode. And as much as I said, it's heresy, I think it's going to be awesome to be able to have that opportunity to be able to have a backmount mode alongside sidemount. Jacek and I discussed when the Backmount mode might be useful and what is required to set it up and train on this mode. In addition, Jacek and I chat about Cueva del Agua and the special features of this cave.

Enjoy Steve

Episode #96 Steve Martin & Vas Proud - Educating Sidemount Part 2

Great to bring you episode 96 with the support of our brilliant sponsor XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount, huge thanks to both for their support that makes everything you are about to listen to, possible.

Note: this episode is the first to go out via Spotify for Podcasters... you can listen there, or via your favourite podcast platform. Just search for "Speaking Sidemount".

We had a phenomenal response to part 1 of my interview with Side Mount Scuba Diving - Steve Martin and Vas Proud of Sidemounting.com. Thanks to everyone who followed up with me for the discount code. I am sure you all will benefit greatly from the online video training.

In this part 2 of the interview, we discuss:

The path to getting better as a sidemount diver, the value of using video to improve, how to get back into sidemount diving after a break, how the online video training really focuses on the essentials of good diving regardless of the configuration, how a control line supports fast skill development, and we contrast different styles or configurations of sidemount.

I am an absolute advocate of the sidemounting.com online

video training. I honestly believe it will help any sidemount diver or instructor to improve their diving and as such, I have negotiated a special offer for all listeners of Speaking Sidemount – you can get a 15% discount on any of the training materials if you contact me directly for an exclusive promotional code.

This offer is only available via Speaking Sidemount and again by contacting me personally via DM or email to steve@sidemountpros.com. Full disclosure, along with your discount Speaking Sidemount will also benefit financially from every purchase generated which will contribute to the ongoing production of this podcast. I sincerely appreciate your support.

Cheers

Steve

Huge thanks to Steve & Vas

https://www.sidemounting.com/

#xdeep #sidemountdiving #sidemountpros

Episode #95 Steve Martin and Vas Proud - "Educating Sidemount Part 1"

Awesome to bring you Episode #95 Steve Martin and Vas Proud - "Educating Sidemount Part 1" with the support of our brilliant sponsor XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Huge thanks to both for their ongoing support of this podcast.

I've spoken many times on this show about how I got started in sidemount. Steve Bogaerts' Ponderosa skills video was the trigger but quickly after that, I found Steve Martin's website. He was the first to promote the benefits of sidemount diving to a global audience. His content, images and video were incredibly compelling and form the basis of much that you will read to this day about sidemount diving.

While I didn’t get the opportunity to complete a course with Steve, it was his recommendations and testimonials that led me to Tom Steiner and Gozo Technical Diving in Malta. I subsequently, had the good fortune to meet and dive with Steve while I was working and training with Tom.

Just a year or so later Steve released his first online video training series. In my opinion, it was a watershed moment in sidemount. From the beginning I was taken with the level of detail in each of the video modules describing everything from setting up your harness, regulators and cylinders to putting it in the water with details on how to weight check properly, diver trim checks and fixes, propulsion training, base sidemount skills, and emergency drills.

Over the subsequent years, Steve partnered with his former student Vas Proud to enhance and grow the online video training to the point today where it includes hundreds of hours of content including Intro to Sidemount, Sidemount Essentials, Sidemount Instructor modules, and a whiteboard series covering a huge array of tech diving content plus soon a cave diving series.

I have used the videos to improve my sidemount diving and as a basis for my courses and instruction. It is in my opinion an essential part of any sidemount divers toolkit.

Now in this episode which is part 1 of a two-episode discussion with Steve and Vas, we go into their backgrounds, how the video series came about, the thinking behind it and the benefits it provides, how the online video training compares and should be used alongside instructor-led training and we catch up and have a few laughs along the way.

As I've described, I'm an absolute advocate of the sidemounting.com online video training. I honestly believe it will help any sidemount diver or instructor to improve their diving and as such, I have negotiated a special offer for all listeners of Speaking Sidemount – you can get a 15% discount on any of the training materials if you contact me directly for an exclusive promotional code.

This offer is only available via Speaking Sidemount by contacting me personally via DM or email at steve@sidemountpros.com. Full disclosure, along with your discount, Speaking Sidemount will also benefit financially from every purchase generated which will contribute to the ongoing production of this podcast. I sincerely appreciate your support.

 Enjoy Cheers

Steve

Episode #94 Florian Symoens - "Transitioning to a Full Time Instructor"

Hey, great to bring you Episode 94 Florian Symoens - "Transitioning to a Full Time Instructor" with the support of our show sponsor XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Huge thanks to both for their support which helps to make this show possible.

Well, there must be something in the water in Belgium. For such a small country, located in northern Europe… there seem to be so many divers from there doing great things. To date I've interviewed David DeBruyne 48, Laurent Miroult 63, Sanne Volja 74, and Ellen Cuylaerts 91… and for some time now I've been following the exploits of Florian Symoens.

Florian is an ISE Tech and Cave instructor who for many years juggled his diving passion with his hospitality business. Surprisingly during COVID while his "nightlife business" was in lockdown, Florian's diving activities boomed with more courses and the time to explore the mines in Belgium with Sanne.

As the world opened up so did the possibility that Florian could transition from his nightlife business to becoming a full-time Technical Diving instructor. As Florian and I discuss, there are so many of us who juggle our careers and diving so it was outstanding to hear his story and his plans for the future.

In this episode, Florian and I discuss his diving background, the Inner Space Explorers or ISE Agency, and ISE's take on sidemount diving. We get into how Florian became a cave instructor and given that much of the diving in Belgium is mines, we contrast cave, wreck and mine diving, covering the similarities and the differences we need to be aware of.

Florian takes us through the sale of his business and his progression to a full-time Tech instructor. We talk mine exploration in Belgium and then the tools required including the KISS Sidewinder rebreather on which Florian is now an instructor.

Florian has experience on a bunch of rebreathers so we compare and contrast a few, in particular, the Dive Soft Liberty before we share our excitement on the upcoming release of the second generation KISS Sidewinder or Sidewinder 2.0

We close on Florian's plans for this year and beyond.

Enjoy :)

Steve

Episode #93 Tamara Adame - "The Path to Cave Instructor"

Hey, I hope you are having a great start to the year :)!! It's awesome to bring you Episode #93 Tamara Adame - "The Path to Cave Instructor". Thanks again for your support.

Huge thanks also to XDEEP for sponsoring the show. Their support has been instrumental in the success of this podcast and it is sincerely appreciated.

One of the pinnacles in the application of sidemount diving is of course cave diving and cave exploration. It's an addictive pastime to research and then ultimately physically search for and then investigate flooded holes in the ground in an attempt to find that euphoric "never seen before… virgin cave passage.

Many cave explorers either started their journeys as sidemount and cave instructors or found their way to this profession as a way to pay for their passion. For the vast majority, it's a match made in heaven where they get to earn a living sharing and teaching about how to dive caves and then applying their skills to their exploration. Teaching is also the perfect way to keep their cave diving skills current and built into muscle memory.

The path to becoming a cave instructor is long. There's joining courses with other instructors, observing their teaching styles and content, having your skills reviewed and critiqued, then when you are ready… assisting on courses, being evaluated and then eventually qualifying as a Cavern instructor, teaching, building experience and then repeating this process twice more to reach the coveted level of Full Cave instructor. I'm using the TDI agency levels here but they map easily to the levels of other agencies… long story short… it's a journey full of pressure, failures, learning, and ultimately I am sure one of satisfaction when achieving a pinnacle level in the dive profession.

In this episode, Tamara Adame joins me to share her journey along this path to cave instructor under the mentorship of Patrick Widmann of ProTec Playa. I had the good fortune to meet and hang with Tamara a bit while I was at ProTec training with Patrick. She's an amazing person, a great diver, and has a real passion for caves and diving.

Tamara talks about growing up around the ocean in Mexico and how this shaped her love of everything aquatic. She shares on her time in Belgium building her career before she found herself back in Mexico and ultimately falling in love with caves and cave diving. She shares on how she met Patrick and how he guided her on her path to becoming a cave instructor. Tamara goes into how she came to work at Protec and the standards-driven focus of the team there.

We discuss the challenges, failures and ultimately achieving the standards required in cave instructor training and where Tamara is taking her diving including her scientific diving work and the search for "Tamara's Cave".

Enjoy :)!!

Steve

Episode 92 Pepe Tiburon: "Tren Maya - A Disaster in the Making"

Great to bring you Episode #92 Pepe Tiburon: "Tren Maya - A Disaster in the Making". Big thanks to all of you and also to our brilliant sponsor XDEEP. Your support makes this podcast possible.

Many of you will be aware of the environmental issues and development pressures experienced on the Yucatan peninsula in the area spanning from Cancun to Tulum. This area encompasses the largest cave systems in the world, many of which are also of huge archaeological and environmental significance, playing home to rare species of flora and fauna, Mayan artefacts, and geological features dating back millions of years. On top of that, the caves are aquifers that carry the water supply for all life in the region.

Development pressures and the lack of adequate development controls have already damaged the region recently the Mexican Government's plan to build a train loop from Cancun to Tulum directly through the pristine jungle and above the precious caves of the region has caused huge concern and opposition. Known as Tren Maya, the train was originally planned to run along the highway meaning its impact would be manageable however, following opposition from the hotel industry, the Government decided to move the train 7km inland through the jungle and yes directly over some of the best-flooded caves on the planet. All cave divers should be concerned about this but more than that, the loss of jungle habitat, endangered species, and the ongoing and increasing damage to the water supply should worry us all.

I have covered this topic in other episodes notably EP #36 Somos Los Cenotes with Phillip Lehmann, Natalie and Vince of Under the Jungle and also with Alessandra Figari #77 and Robbie Schmittner #85 but when Stratis Kas provided an introduction to Jose Urbina Bravo or Pepe Tiburon as he is known I took the opportunity to meet and find out more.

In this episode, Pepe takes us through the background and history of Tren Maya and then describes the issues and terrible outcomes likely if this project is allowed to continue. He speaks not only of the damage caused by the Tren Maya project itself but also of the "Cancer" that will result in terms of additional development surrounding the train and environmental damage in these last remaining pristine jungle regions of Mexico.

Pepe updates us on his progress including winning a legal injunction to stop the project before this was overridden by the Government. He talks of the ongoing battle to oppose the project and his recent trip to Mexico City to meet with the Government face-to-face. But Pepe also provides balance to the discussions with ways in which development might occur in the region where technology and modern techniques might both reverse current issues and allow for responsible development in the future.

Lastly Pepe shares with us ways in which all of us who love this region and care about the environment might assist and support the fight to oppose the Tren Maya project in its current form.

So sit back and join me with Pepe Tiburon in this episode of… Speaking Sidemount.

Watch a video of Pepe showing the damage.

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Episode #91 Ellen Cuylaerts - "The Power of Positive"

Hey, great to bring you Episode 91 Ellen Cuylaerts - "The Power of Positive", with the support of our sponsor XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Massive thanks to both for their support :)!

Of all the disciplines associated with diving, photography and videography have always been special to me. The ability to capture that perfect moment, underwater, in often challenging conditions, dealing with lighting and composition and the technical requirements of the camera in an underwater environment. Add the dive skills to be stable in the water while seeking "the shot".

I love shooting GoPro videos of my dives, clipping images and editing them into almost a video logbook of where I have been and dived and sharing them on the Sidemount Pros YouTube channel is satisfying. But like anything, there are levels to this, and in photography, capturing images worthy of magazine spreads or covers and winning awards against their peers is the pinnacle.

Many great photographers and videographers are out there, and I have had a few on the show… Laurent Miroult, Stratis Kas, Phillip Lehman, Natalie Gibb and Becky Kagan-Schott. Some have also worked on conservation and wildlife photography in their work.

My guest in this episode is very much in this vein. Ellen Cuylaerts hails from Belgium and is an award-winning photographer focused on ocean wildlife photography. She has a unique perspective on her work as she seeks to develop deeper connections between humanity and nature through her images.

Ellen is also a cave diver and now an explorer. She was part of the all-female Xunaan Ha project under the tutelage of Robbie Schmittner my guest in Episode 85.

As we talk of Ellen's diving and her work we can’t help but touch on the many challenges that she has faced being a mother to two high-functioning autistic children, losing her partner to suicide and a type 2 DCS incident that left her with paralysis. Through all of this, Ellen has shown extraordinary strength, resilience, and an amazingly positive attitude and outlook. She now applies this to her work and conservation efforts, where she is a leading speaker and voice for the environment.

Please sit back and enjoy my conversation with Ellen in this episode of… Speaking Sidemount.

Cheers Steve

Episode #90 Thorsten Waelde - "Exploring the Bel Torrente Cave"

This episode is brought to you by our brilliant sponsor, XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Huge thanks to both for their support that makes this podcast possible.

 In this episode, I catch up for the third time with Thorsten Waelde or Toddy as he is known. I first met Toddy in Episode 24 when we did a deep dive into Toddy Style Sidemount. We caught up again in episode 44 to talk about his Utopia Exploration project in Sardinia only a few months after I had returned from my trip there. I've since been following Toddy's exploits with interest and when I saw the stunning work he was doing on the Bel Torrente exploration via a video on Toddy's YouTube channel (See link below), it was time to catch up and hear more. The amazing part of this project is that it is a multi-sump or siphon project where the cave under exploration has dry sections connected by flooded passages. The penetration length requires the exploration team to live underground for several days, staying at base camps in the dry sections as they progress further into the cave. This creates massive complications to the project, especially the logistics of moving the equipment required and the physical and mental application required is immense.

In this episode, Toddy gives us an overview of the Bel Torrente project. He talks of the team he has assembled, the skills required before we get into the logistics of this project, the equipment, and the evolution of their procedures as they encountered new challenges and requirements at each section.

We talk cave geology and the risk and danger of an accident deep in the cave before Toddy explains how he uses Seacraft Dive Propulsion vehicles and the new lightweight Seacraft GO that is easier to carry across the dry sections.

We finish discussing the Cave Camps that Toddy runs at Protec Sardinia, where qualified cave divers can experience aspects of these projects by diving into a cave and spending a night at a base camp. The Cave Camps include workshops on how to use dry tubes to take equipment into the cave and a heap of time exploring the beautiful dry sections of the caves in Sardinia. I am super excited to check these out.

Enjoy, cheers!!

Steve

Thanks to:

Our Sponsor - XDEEP

Thorsten "Toddy" Waelde - Protec Sardinia

YouTube Video - Follow the Conger: Exploring the Bel Torrente Cave

Episode #89 Turk Vangel - "Sidemount Fundamentals"

Here's Episode 89 brought to you by our sponsor XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Thanks so much for your support. 

Over the past 88 episodes, cave diving has featured heavily and that's no accident. As you'll be aware, sidemount diving grew from the requirements of early flooded cave explorers, firstly the CDG in the UK, with others around the world following and eventually building on sidemount diving, equipment, and techniques to give us what we have today. In many ways, sidemount diving has evolved to the requirements of cave divers however sidemount diving today is enjoyed by many who never have, or in some cases never intend to dive caves.

Given the large percentage of Sidemount divers diving open water, I thought it was time we pulled together another episode on the Fundamentals of Sidemount diving and what it takes to get good at sidemount. As you may have noted, I don’t tend to get into debates on sidemount on Facebook or other online sites, but I recently had a discussion, let's call it, on the benefits or otherwise of sliding d-rings with Turk Vangel of Prana Divers in Bali. Turk goes by the handle Turk Diggler... an awesome nickname by the way and a great play on the star of the movie Boogie Nights if you didn’t get it.

Even though I didn’t completely agree with him, Turk was making some solid points, so I thought why not get him on the show and together go through our thoughts on what it takes to be good at sidemount… from soup to nuts, beginning to… we'll, there's never an end to learning… as we'll find out.

As a side note and I guess a shameless plug, much of what I am covering here is also available in my eBook "Sidemount Fundamentals" which you can check out and purchase via my website at www.sidemountpros.com/store

With that said… sit back and join me with Turk on the Fundamentals of Sidemount Diving.

Cheers Steve

Thanks to:

XDEEP for their support - XDEEP

Turk (Diggler) Vangel:

www.pranadive.com

https://www.youtube.com/@pranadive

Instagram - @prana_dive_amed & @scubawithturk

Episode #88 Scott RG - "The Mines of Scotland"

This episode is brought to you by XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Huge thanks to both for their support, that makes all of this possible.

It's my great pleasure today to bring you episode #88 on the fifth anniversary of the founding of this podcast. If you told me on those nervous days starting on this venture that we'd still be pumping out episodes five years later and that I would have produced this many episodes, talked sidemount with so many great divers, and then have the good fortune to meet and dive with some of them in person, we'll to be honest… I probably hoped for some of this… but in short, I am very proud of what we have accomplished.

I'm not sure there's been a lot of recognition of the podcast in mainstream technical diving but for me personally, to be listed in the InDepth magazine Who's Who of Sidemount Diving for the contributions this podcast has made to Sidemount Diving, was hugely satisfying.

Along with producing Speaking Sidemount, I think a massive benefit to me personally through the podcast, has been the growth in my own diving knowledge. There's no doubt that talking to and hearing the thoughts and experiences of the very best is a fantastic way to expand our thinking on sidemount diving and I sincerely hope that many of you have also learned something through listening to each episode.

But… there's much more to do and interestingly, this August is also the tenth anniversary of my first steps into sidemount and cave diving. When I think of my path, from my Sidemount, Cavern and Intro to Cave Courses, and then spending two years floundering at times trying to take what I learned in the warm freshwater cenotes and caves of Mexico and apply it to temperate saltwater diving in Northern California and New Zealand, going from Aluminium cylinders to steel, wet suit to dry suit, grabbing what I could from the internet and YouTube, failing, refining, and eventually making progress, before I went to Gozo and trained and worked with Tom Steiner at Gozo Technical Diving. Over the 2 seasons I spent there I was able to make massive progress working with some phenomenal role models including Tom, Audrey Cudel, Steve Martin, Vas Proud, Peter Tschannen and Thorsten Mewes.

I see many others taking a similar path and so, in this episode, I meet and chat with a man that I can only describe as a great guy. Scott RG hails from the highlands of Scotland and like me dovetails his professional career with a massive passion for diving. Scott can be found early in the mornings diving in the mines of Scotland and the caves of the north of England. His passion for diving has led him to make a massive commitment to dive training completing instructor training before discovering sidemount and cave diving. He trained in Mexico with Tristan Termat moving thorugh Sidemount, Cave and Advanced Sidemount training and then applied this to the frigid waters of Roscobie Limestone Mine in Scotland and another mine that Scott only describes as Project X. Having hit the limits of Open Circuit diving Scott decided to train on the KISS Sidewinder rebreather with Jacek Konikowski. The sidewinder has opened up longer and as Scott and I discuss, safer dives. Scott has now installed 5000m of line into Project X. That's a lot of string as he describes it.

Sit back and enjoy with me our 5th-anniversary episode… Scott RG - "The Mines of Scotland". Thanks for your support…


Episode #87 Arielle Ginsberg - "Belize Cave Exploration"

Great to share Episode #87 Arielle Ginsberg - Belize Cave Exploration, brought to you by our sponsor XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Huge thanks to both for their support.

I recently picked up a Facebook post by XDEEP describing the exploits of Arielle Ginsberg. Arielle is a founding member of the Belize Cave Diving Society and is its first female member. The project sounded amazing but a shared post by Arielle's exploration partner Ben Popik really got my attention…

This is my badass cave diving partner and bestie Arielle getting the attention and praise she deserves!

In the photos below, you can see her bravely exploring just a couple of the many cenotes we've found together on Ambergris Caye. While I’m constantly talking about our cave diving explorations, I often leave out the part about how Arielle always goes in first (because she's way braver than I am and *marginally* less afraid of crocodiles). She’s easily one of the toughest people I know — weighing in at a mean 98 lbs

This is the first of many cave-diving accolades for Arielle, and I couldn't be prouder to be her teammate and friend!

Now I'm not sure if it tops that, but I learned that Arielle is also a scientist… an immunologist, specializing in flow cytometry and bioinformatics and now, I just had to hear more, if only to learn what the hell flow cytometry really is :)

In this episode, Arielle and I discuss how she got into diving, and how she melds her scientific work with diving. Arielle shares how she moved to Mexico, fell in love with the caves and was set on a path to become a cave diver. She tells us about her training and mentoring with Natalie Gibb of Under the Jungle who was of course my guest in Episodes 18 and 36… before we get into the fantastic exploration of Systema Paloma in Belize. We each share a heap of stories including a few on those moments in cave diving that let's politely say got us somewhat concerned, and we close with Arielle sharing on the support that they have received for the Systema Paloma project, and where they still need some help…

Enjoy, and thanks for your support :)!!

Image Credit - Natalie Gibb

Episode #86 Michael Menduno - InDepth on Sidemount

Awesome to bring you this episode sponsored by XDEEP and with the support of the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Massive thanks to both for making this podcast possible.

A couple of episodes back, I let you all know that I was working as guest editor along with Stratis Kas, with none other than Michael Menduno to assist in producing what I think is going to be a groundbreaking issue of InDepth Magazine entirely devoted to Sidemount diving. To say this is a coup for the sidemount diving community is a massive understatement and I think it's a real coming of age for sidemount in general.

The issue will be out in early July and will be available to the InDepth Magazine email list and via their website. This issue aside, InDepth is in my opinion, the very best technical diving resource going. If you are not already a subscriber, do yourself a favour and go to the GUE website, Blog page where you'll find InDepth. It's free to subscribe and you'll find a treasure trove of back issues there as well. https://gue.com/blog/

Now given the enormity of this InDepth issue for sidemount, I thought it made sense to get Michael Menduno on the show to not only talk about the Sidemount issue itself but also to learn from his incomparable depth of knowledge on both the history and current state of technical diving.

In addition to being a capable technical and rebreather diver, Michael is renowned as a pioneer in technical diving media and is, without a doubt, one of the world’s leading dive media personalities.

In this episode, Michael talks about his start in diving and how this led to a career in dive media. I ask Michael how he coined the term, “technical diving”. Michael shares with us about the progression of technical diving from a few disparate groups to today, where we dive with equipment, processes, and training that has made technical diving safer and also, more capable.

And then we talk at length about the stunning decision to develop an entire Sidemount issue for InDepth, how this came about, and what we can expect to see in this issue. We end with Michael musing on taking a sidemount course himself.

Enjoy :)

Episode #85 Robbie Schmittner - "Understanding the Caves of Yucatan"

Hey, great to bring you Episode 85 with the support of our sponsor XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Massive thanks to both for their support of the show that makes all of this possible.

It was super cool to do this episode with renowned cave explorer Robbie Schmittner. Robbie has spent the last 25 years exploring the caves of the Yucatan peninsula and has mapped literally hundreds of km of flooded passage. Along the way, he has been responsible for connecting cave systems that have become the largest explored cave systems in the world including Sac Actun and Dos Ojos.

This experience has given Robbie a unique perspective on cave exploration and a deep understanding of the caves of the Yucatan and how they are formed.

In this episode, Robbie gives us some background on how he came to Mexico and then we discuss his early days of cave diving including his time with cave legend Bil Phillips. We discuss many of Robbie's achievements including the Sac Actun-Dos Ojos connection before Robbie provides what I can only describe as an unbelievably compelling view into his theories on how the caves of the Yucatan were formed. He tells us how he is using this information to inform his current exploration. Robbie has published a paper on his theories and I will try and get this to you all separately.

We talk about the all-female Xu nan Ha expedition before Robbie gives us his perspectives on the use of closed-circuit rebreathers in cave diving and his recent experiences training with Edd Sorenson and Patrick Widmann on the KISS Sidewinder.

Thanks again, Steve

Episode #84 Patrick Widmann - KISS Sidewinder 2

Image Credits - Alfie & Mekan

The KISS Rebreathers team recently set Facebook "on fire" with their teaser posts on the new Sidewinder 2. To say that the new changes are innovative and revolutionary feels inadequate. Many of the changes are in the process of being patented and there is even a patent pending on the entire concept by which this rebreather operates. By definition, this means that the KISS Sidewinder 2 will bring new and unique features not seen before and will be a huge step forward in the world of sidemount rebreathers.

It's great to release Episode 84 sponsored by XDEEP with the support of the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Huge thanks to both for their support which makes this podcast possible.

In this episode, I catch up with Patrick Widmann, Training Director for KISS Rebreathers who has been heavily involved in every aspect of the redesign and testing of the Sidewinder 2.

Patrick and I discuss the history of the Sidewinder, Patrick's own journey with this unit, and the acquisition of KISS rebreathers, and then we move around the loop, or closed circuit of the Sidewinder 2 and discuss each of the changes and what this will mean for the new unit.

We finish with Patrick sharing on the new instructor and training tools that appear to be as innovative as the Sidewinder 2 itself and we also discuss the pros and cons of a Bailout Valve (BOV) for the Sidewinder… Enjoy

Episode #83 Demis Farrugia - "Unlock Your Full Potential"

Great to bring Episode #83 to you with the support of XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Huge thanks to both for their support that makes this podcast possible.

Demis Farrugia and I first started chatting online around 5 years ago. I could tell immediately he was committed to training, diving and ultimately becoming an instructor and was prepared to put in the hard yards to become as good as he possibly could. It has been awesome to watch his progress and to see him become now a highly proficient sidemount diver and also a gifted and committed instructor.

Also given that Demis is from Malta which has a very special place in my heart and my own dive career… I thought it would be awesome to get Demis on the show and chat about all things sidemount including his journey and thoughts on what it takes to be a good sidemount diver and then learn more about the amazing wreck diving in Malta. We also discuss DPV Diving and the KISS Sidewinder.

Enjoy :)

Steve

Episode #82 Jake Bulman - “Aspiring to Excellence”

Great to bring you Episode #82 with the support of XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Massive thanks to both for their support that makes all of this possible.

I am still coming down from my nearly 3 weeks in Mexico last November. I went primarily to train with Patrick Widmann, co-owner of ProTec Dive Centers and the Training Director for KISS Rebreathers along with the many… many other things this amazing guy does.

I went to do the KISS Sidewinder 60m course often called the MOD 2 and also to do the CCR Full Cave Diver course. I had good reasons for wanting to do both courses to continue my own development as a diver. You'll know from the many conversations that I've had on the Sidewinder on Speaking Sidemount that I chose this tool both as my Cave rebreather and also as a rebreather I could use to dive shipwrecks and deeper open water dives. It is in my opinion the best tool for both Cave and wreck penetration diving primarily due to its tight profile and robustness. Open water is a bit of a push but as I dive more from boats, I'm developing my techniques for entries and exits and figuring out how to manage the width of the Sidewinder on boat decks.

I chose Patrick as my instructor for obvious reasons, but I'll share them anyway. I did my Air Diluent Sidewinder course with Edd Sorenson. As you've heard me say, it was absolutely brilliant. I learned so much and Edd is a phenomenal diver, instructor and really good to hang with… his stories are epic, to say the least!!

But I've always wanted to have the broadest possible experience base, including learning from a range of really good instructors. It was a no-brainer in that sense to go to Patrick and see what he had been working on for KISS Training and gain from his experience and skillset… which to be honest, is immense. From being near motionless in 2m of water doing no fins skills to his tight and on-point skill processes for cave drills, to his CCR weighting which makes it way easier to hold shallow stops on a rebreather, to the ratio deco strategies we used to recalculate our deco on the fly… it was all amazing!!

In trying to explain the experience to people I say… it was like taking tennis lessons with Roger Federer!!

Now at Protec, Kim and Patrick have been for many years developing the next generation of world-class instructors. I've had Skanda Coffield on the show twice and in this episode, I am really pleased to introduce to you, Jake Bulman.

Jake has been a Protec for five years and has literally become Patrick's understudy, teaching Cave Diving, KISS Sidewinder courses, Cave CCR and soon the Sidewinder 60m course.

He is renowned as a consummate instructor and an absolute master of no-fins training. Given we met, albeit briefly in November, I took the opportunity to get Jake on the show to talk about his diving, how he teaches and in particular some of the details around my Cave CCR and Sidewinder Mod 2 that was let's say surprising to me and fundamental to the way Protec teaches these courses.

Enjoy, cheers!!

Steve

Learn to Sidemount Like a Pro