The BiG Scuba Podcast

Ian and Gemma are joined by David Mason, a passionate recreational diver, experienced caver and long-time listener of the podcast. David takes us on a fascinating journey from exploring some of the UK's most impressive cave systems to discovering the incredible world of scuba diving. He shares how a life-changing health diagnosis inspired him to finally pursue a dream he' had held since childhood,...

Ian and Gemma are joined by Emma, better known as @TheGeordieShoresDiver on TikTok. Emma is a freelance podcast producer and BBC radio presenter from the North East, but above all she's a passionate scuba diver. Having initially dived exclusively around the UK coastline, she quickly became fascinated by the incredible marine life, history and hidden treasures found beneath the waters on her doorst...

In this episode, we sit down with David Swain, owner of Beyond One Bar — a family-run scuba diving business based in Leiston, Suffolk. And yes, w e recorded on location at Sizewell beach from inside the Auto-Trail Expedition 68XL campervan overlooking the North Sea! David has been teaching people to dive since 1994 and has clocked up over 30 years as a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer. In this conv...

In this episode, we chat with Rod Macdonald. Rod is an internationally renowned Scottish shipwreck explorer, undersea adventurer, maritime historian, TV personality and best-selling diving author with 13 books about shipwrecks and naval history, the culmination of a lifetime of diving. His beautifully illustrated books are the internationally accepted definitive guides to many world-famous dive lo...

In this episode, we chat with Dan Frolec — diver, adventurer, entrepreneur, and author of The Cave, a gripping true story that blends scuba diving with real-life tragedy and injustice. Dan has been diving for over 30 years, exploring oceans across the globe. But one trip in 2002 to Croatia changed everything. What began as a routine sailing and diving holiday turned into a nightmare when a fellow...

The Big Scuba podcast, hosts Ian and Gemma are joined by Mark Greaney.   What happens when a world-class thriller writer hits the water? In this episode, we sit down with Mark Greaney , the man behind The Gray Man and the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan series. We discuss his transition from tactical firearms training to recreational scuba diving and how he translates the "inner space" of the ocean into high...

In Episode 224 of the Big Scuba podcast, hosts Ian and Gemma are joined by Will Appleyard and Núria Paré Soldevila.   Will Appleyard is the creative eye behind Amphibious. His background spans a wide range of hands-on work, shaped by years of experience in diving, outdoor projects and adventure-based environments. Will has also been a brand ambassador for O'Three for over a decade.   Alongside awa...

In Episode 223 of the Big Scuba podcast, hosts Ian and Gemma are joined by TV presenter Miranda Krestovnikoff and her son, Ollie, to discuss the dynamics of a "diving family." The conversation explores how diving became a central part of their household, with Miranda's daughter, Emily, recently working as a Dive Master and Ollie emerging as an enthusiastic advocate for the sport. Miranda reflects...

This week on The BiG Scuba Podcast are on location at The Go Diving Show 2026. We carry out a number of ten minute interviews in our Auto-Trail Campervan, the Expedition 68 XL as well as carrying interviews out around the exhibition halls and we have a couple of voice mails from some friends we saw at the podcast too.   Campervan Interviews: Dominic Robinson https://www.youtube.com/@DeepWreckDiver...

This week on The BiG Scuba Podcast, Gemma and Ian chat to John Routley and Brent Hudson, the names behind Narked at 90. Brent and John are the founders of Narked at 90 and discuss their transition from hobbyist divers to leaders in the technical diving industry. They describe a history of innovating bespoke equipment, such as rebreathers and high-intensity strobes, often born from personal necessi...

This week on The BiG Scuba Podcast, Gemma and Ian chat to Helen Webb MBE and Rachel Lopata MBE. Both are British marine conservationists and co-founders of Sea‑Changers, a volunteer-led UK charity supporting marine protection projects. Helen founded the organization in 2010 with Rachel Lopata. Since 2010, the charity has distributed grants to over 500 projects across the country, helping protect t...

This week on The BiG Scuba Podcast, Gemma and Ian chat to Leanne Cullen-Unsworth. Leanne is an interdisciplinary marine scientist with over 20 year's experience working collaboratively with people and communities to help conserve and restore nature. She plays a pivotal role within Project Seagrass leading programmes that help to understand the connections between people and the environment. Projec...

In this special year-end episode, The BiG Scuba Duo — Gemma and Ian — look back on everything that made 2025 an unforgettable year. They share impressive podcast milestones, including how many countries around the world the show has been downloaded in and highlight the amazing guests who joined them throughout the year. Dive in as Gemma and Ian recount their wet and wonderful adventures — from bre...

This week on The BiG Scuba Podcast, Gemma and Ian chat to Jason Pritchard. Adventure has always been at the heart of who Jason is. Ever since His first dive back in 2009, he has been captivated by the mysteries of the ocean — from uncovering hidden wrecks to exploring the unknown. What started as curiosity soon became a calling. By 2018, Jason had earned his certification as a professional instruc...

This week on The BiG Scuba Podcast, Gemma and Ian visit the Midlands Diving Chamber and experience a 40 meter Dry Dive in the Chamber. They also sit down with Sally Cartwright, Chamber Manager and Carolyn Peel, Chamber Hyperbaric Doctor and hear more about what happens at the Midlands Dive Chamber. The Midlands Diving Chamber, a Hyperbaric decompression chamber offering NHS funded recompression to...

This week on The BiG Scuba Podcast, Gemma and Ian sit down with Scott Divitt, owner of West Coast Diving in Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland.   His whole life has been about the water. It started as a kid, messing about with boats and sailing, which led him straight into the Royal Navy after secondary school. After leaving the navy Scott started working as an ROV Pilot, and now works freelance as an ROV...

This week on The BiG Scuba Podcast, Gemma and Ian sit down with James Soos — British Army veteran, technical diving instructor, and founder of Dive With Jimmy, a thriving dive centre based in Bedfordshire. James has led teams during his military career and has dived all over the world. As an instructor with both BSAC and SSI, he teaches everything from recreational diving right through to advanced...

This week, the BiG Scuba Duo, Gemma and Ian  chat to Nick Schiller. Nick is a keen lover of being on and under the water. He is a sidemount diver and an assistant BSAC instructor. He has dived extensively in the UK as well as Egypt, Iceland, Mexico and Tobago. He loves diving with a scooter and is keen on helping people out removing tarpaulins, ropes, etc form props, searching for mobile phones an...

Episode   212                  Jo Moseley     Paddleboarder, Diver and Author   This week, the BiG Scuba Duo, Gemma and Ian chat to Jo Moseley. Jo Moseley, 60, is a bestselling award winning author of three books about paddleboarding.. At university in Scotland she also learned to dive, becoming her university club captain and qualifying as a BSAC Dive Leader in the late 80s. The west coast of Sco...

This week, the BiG Scuba Duo, Gemma and Ian bring a roving report from their Sept 2025 trip to Seahouses and diving around the Farne Islands off the North East coast of the UK. Our local dive centre   Christal Seas Scuba Norwich organised the trip using the dive boat services of   Sovereign Diving .    We mention our stop off on the way to Seahouses to see the On Freedom Wings   monument.   This i...

Episode 210 – Our Adventures in Lundy and Under Swanage Pier This week, the BiG Scuba Duo, Gemma and Ian, along with Scuba Honey, head to Ilfracombe to board the Barbara B with Lundy Diving for some unforgettable underwater adventures with the playful seals of Lundy Island. You can find out more at: https://www.lundydiving.co.uk/ From there, our journey continues to South Devon, where we dive Ches...

The BiG Scuba Duo, Gemma and Ian report live from their road trip to Seahouses, Northumberland and diving adventures around the Farne Islands with Serentiy Farne Island Boat Tours https://farneislandstours.co.uk/ They also visit https://diverstime.com/ and catch up with Scoobs at the Dive Shack and have a dive in West Lake to see the new attractions. Gemma and Ian drove the Auto-Trail Excel 620g t...

The BiG Scuba Duo, Gemma and Ian chat to Barry McGill.   Barry McGill is a deep wreck photographer and CCR instructor trainer with Indepth Technical. His main area of focus is exploration of deep-water shipwrecks around the Irish coastline, and he has been fortunate enough to discover and explore many significant previously undiscovered shipwrecks.   Exploring iconic shipwrecks such as the R.M.S....

The BiG Scuba Duo, Gemma and Ian chat to James Neal.      James has been passionate about scuba diving and the aquatic realm since childhood, having grown up watching Jacques Cousteau on TV, along with Robinson Crusoe, Stingray and such like.   He suffered a subarachnoid Haemorrhage, grade 4 bleed on the brain, fatal in 80% of cases and was told he would never dive again! That was almost 12 years...

The BiG Scuba Duo, Gemma and Ian chat to Stuart Douglas.   Stuart is an experienced mine clearance diver who served in the Royal Navy from 1982 to 1997, initially as an electronics apprentice before becoming a Ship's Diver. He later became a Royal Navy Clearance Diver, specializing in explosive ordnance disposal and supporting UK Special Forces in maritime counter-terrorism roles.   He tells us ab...