Off Gassing: A Scuba Podcast

Article written by Natalie Gibb of Under The Jungle. March 02, 2022 Natalie Gibb lives in Mexico, where she spends every spare moment exploring caves with her exploration partner, Vincent Roquette-Cathala. When she's not exploring, she's hanging around her dive center, Under the Jungle, teaching cave courses and mentoring past students. Natalie is an amateur videographer, photographer, a...

One of my favorite quotes is, “The only time success comes before work is in the dictionary!” Continuing my conversation with Tamara Adame, I get insight into visualizing ideas into reality and the work needed to make these things happen. Through hard work and determination, she has established herself as a role model, but with this comes unforeseen responsibilities. The benefits of healthy eating...

Constantly driven to improve, Tamara Adame has become an inspirational figure. Equal to her path of self-improvement is the improvement of those around her. As she navigates her way through this industry, from unexplored places, through her writings, or the time she spends with her students, she creates an environment in which everyone feels encouraged and empowered to become better. Please enjoy...

Embracing mistakes as you go through training is a skill within itself. Mistakes will happen, especially in training. Learning, moving forward, and embracing these moments can be some of the most valuable experiences we can use as divers. Jake Bulman is someone who sees mistakes as opportunities for growth. A journey that began in the cold waters of Canada, continued growing in the Caribbean Sea,...

The importance of quality training becomes apparent as we move through the levels of the sport. Natural progression is inevitable as we gain proficiency. The unachievable becomes attainable as experience is gained. Welcoming back Jenn Thomson, I get a chance to hear about her progression. Her journey through Cave 1, settling into her role with Global Underwater Explorers as Global Project Co-ordin...

When I started my Sidemount journey, naturally, I tuned into Speaking Sidemount with Steve Davis. When creating my podcast, much of my inspiration came from listening to his show, and when choosing a shop to further my sidemount education and begin my overhead journey, once again, I have him to thank. It was an absolute honor to sit down and have a conversation with him. Please enjoy. Instagram: h...

Sabrina Figliomeni aims to give the gift she was given to allow people to do more. An instructor based out of Calgary, she is happiest when immersed in cold water environments. Scuba diving did not come easy, but through perseverance, she has managed to conquer her fears and become a mentor and role model in her local diving community. Teaching the youth, GUE pathway, project diving, positive aspe...

I have been fascinated with turtles for as long as I can remember. A blissful feeling rushes through me at every encounter with these marine reptiles. It was great to sit down with Wei Qi, a member of Bubbles Turtle Conservation located in the Perhentian Islands in Malaysia. In this episode, we speak about raising awareness, protecting habitats, securing funds, volunteering, and how making little...

At the age of 17, Greg Hilliard kicked off his journey into the sport. Now, with more than twenty-five years in the industry, he has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. Always one to speak his mind, he does not shy away from the difficult topics. In this episode, I sit down with him and hear his thoughts about progression without experience, ripple effects, mindset, Talkin Tek, Subsea Propulsion...

In this episode, I speak with Mike Basler from Switzerland. Hearing stories from his Uncle about the underwater world, along with a fascination with the ocean, it was only a matter of time before he found his way into scuba diving. At first, he was not sure if he could participate due to ear infections as a child, but when he took his first breaths underwater in a local pool, he knew this would be...

Depending on where you live or what type of diving you are doing, a drysuit might be the most important part of your diving configuration. In this episode, I get an insider’s perspective from one of the market’s most well-known and highly respected companies. I speak with Jacek Bronk, a long-time employee of Santi. His personal growth and drive have contributed to Santi becoming a leading figure i...

Article written by Marc Anderes of ProTec Dive Center for The ProTec Dive Center Chronicles. Website: https://protecdivecenters.com/blog-posts/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marc_anderes/ https://www.instagram.com/protecdivecenters/

Arkadiusz Srebnik dreamt of taking his first breaths under the water as part of the Polish Navy, but a medical evaluation would push him in a different direction. Years later, he would find himself enrolling in a course with a friend, finally fulfilling his dreams of becoming a diver. These days, you can find him in Malta, working with Zibel Non-Profit Organization, cleaning and removing waste in...

Article written by Maria Shagina of ProTec Dive Center for The ProTec Dive Center Chronicles. Website: https://protecdivecenters.com/blog-posts/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maria.shagina/ https://www.instagram.com/protecdivecenters/

A fascination with sharks would propel Marc Anderes into the underwater world. His first breaths in the aquatic environment came at the age of thirteen. A few years later while on vacation with his family in Thailand, he would earn his first certification. Diving was an enjoyable hobby for him for years before a last-minute trip with his sister ignited his passion for the sport. Soon after, he wou...

When Maria Shagina decided to pursue this new hobby of enjoying moments beneath the surface of the water, she traveled down a nontraditional route and approached the sport with a more technical-driven mindset and practice. Making her way to Mexico would introduce her to the beautiful caves of the Yucatan, Instantly, she knew this was where she needed to be. Finding a welcoming community, she settl...

While training in Mexico, I kept running into Steve Crosby at many dive sites. After a few conversations, I invited him to the podcast. Within a couple of minutes, we would realize just how small the scuba industry is. After becoming certified at an early age, he knew diving would be more than just a fun activity. After moving into a professional role, he would travel throughout Southeast Asia bef...

Due to having asthma early in life, Skanda Coffield-Feith was turned away the first time he tried to enroll in a scuba course. Years later, while on a backpacking trip, he would find himself on Koh Tao experiencing his first breaths underwater. For a time, he enjoyed diving recreationally on holiday, until a random encounter introduced him to a dive club near his home in Australia. During a trip w...

In this Takeover Episode, Tamara Adame interviews Gaëlle Giesen as she prepares for her historic attempt to break the female depth record of two hundred meters while on a rebreather in open water. They speak about the challenges, logistics, special equipment, and most importantly the mentality required for such an attempt. Her early days of diving through her progression, her joy of going where hu...

Aquatic sports always came naturally to Lilia Cabrera Gallaga. Growing up in Mexico City, she would search for ways to spend her free time in the water. Naturally, she would find her way to the world of scuba diving, which brought her to Playa De Carmen, where it was love at first visit. Here, she would progress through the sport becoming an instructor and avid cave diver. While continuing her edu...

The art of frustration is something that needs to be embraced when flirting or participating in exploration. Vincent Rouquette-Cathala, co-owner of Under The Jungle in Mexico is no stranger to exploration. Becoming obsessed with diving from an early age would eventually lead him down a path of searching for the unknown. At first, cave diving was a way to improve skills and pass the time until he c...

With a few lights, a model, and a flooded cave, Natalie Gibb captures moments and creates a narrative for viewers to explore. Images that give us a glimpse into a world that many do not see or dare go. Images that take us away momentarily from our daily lives. As co-owner of Under The Jungle, she has helped to establish her shop as one of the premier dive training destinations in the world. Design...

Originally from Finland, Arya Hintsala made a quick detour to Bali while en route to Australia. What began as a surf vacation, led her to enroll in an Open Water Course. After a few skills, she knew this was something she needed to pursue. Leaving her job at the foreign ministry, she quickly immersed herself in this newfound passion traveling to different destinations teaching, and guiding. The co...

After coming across an advertisement for a Scuba Diving course, Rory O’Keefe decided, why not? Learning to dive in Canada is not for the timid but after the course, he started diving as often as possible. With a love of trekking and this newfound passion, he would find himself backpacking through Southeast Asia in search of exotic dive destinations and volcanos. Upon returning home, he booked a fl...

During my visit to Mexico, I had a chance to sit down with Mauro Bordignon. From his first breaths while at university, he quickly became introduced to the world of overhead environments. A relentless motivation for exploration has led him worldwide to search for the undiscovered. Equally, he is motivated to instruct, mentor, and coach the next generation of explorers. Past and future explorations...