The Bottom Dwellers Dive Shack

Our second update on the Dive Student Deaths in Jacksonville, Florida at CDA Technical Institute. A hard hitting episode on trade school instruction as a whole. We talk about what could have led to the drowning death of Steve Martins at CDA and how to prevent incidents like this. A sobering look at the poor learning environment of students at trade schools such as CDA Tech. We also get to know a l...

It is with an extremely heavy heart that we are reporting on the recent diver deaths at CDA, a commercial diving school. While death and injury is part of any trade, whether it be on the job or in training exercises, it is never easy to bear. The loved ones left behind, the unanswered questions, the shock and pain is felt by all in our small community of divers. This report comes from sources at t...

We talk with Artis and Valentin of Novikontas Diving in Latvia. They tell us about the state of Dive affairs in the Eastern European countries and Baltics. They are doing great work trying to make conditions better and training divers. We also talk about regulations and what happens to safety standards when governments change regimes. We also talk about the amount of work for divers after the fall...

Jascon 4 survivor Harrison Okene joins us in the dive shack. Harrison was trapped at the bottom of the sea in a capsized mooring ship for 3 days. In pitch black and freezing cold this man survived with his faith keeping him alive. A miraculous story told by the survivor himself. He tells of the horrors he faced and the eventual triumph over his fear of returning to the sea. A powerful tale of fait...

Dive School episode featuring John Wood of The Ocean Corporation! We travel to Houston, Texas and visit The Ocean Corp. A great episode that tells you about the industry and what to expect as a dive student at The Ocean Corporation. A great episode for alumni and prospective students looking to get into the field of commercial diving. We had a blast travelling to Texas and recording this episode o...

Live from Sugarland, Texas! We talk with 84 year old dive legend Ray Spillers. The original North Sea Cowboy! He was on the first ever oil rig in the North Sea. Listen as he takes us on his dive adventures all around the world! An episode that is a must listen! Big thanks to Ocean Corporation dive school and Les Joiner for getting us out to Texas and documenting the story of Ray Spillers!

We give our die hards some updates and plans for the future. We are also on TikTok live this episode so bear with us lol a fun little look into the plans and behind the scenes of BDDS!

We visit Jon Council at the Avalon Dive Museum on Catalina Island. He talks with us about the Historical Dive Society and what they are all about! We had a blast talking with Jon about his mission and passion in diving. A great episode full of amazing stories you will want to listen to over and over. Please visit HDS.org for more info and to become a member! We feel that preserving our Dive histor...

We love talking to our young up and coming divers! Topside welder, super scuba diver turned commercial diver scumbag. DIT graduate, Jollie, comes on the show and talks about life as a commercial diver in his first two years. This dude has done a lot in his first two years and tells us all about it.

Double snaps! We talk diving, guns, and policing with Jack AKA Ambrosia Terrebonne, Instagram and YouTube personality. A subject matter enthusiast, commercial diver turned police officer joins us in a special cross pod episode with law enforcement podcast, Blueline Millenial. Fun episode and great information for anybody interested in commercial diving, police work, or 2nd amendment rights. An ama...

We talk about diving in the sh#t, literally. Poop diver extraordinaire, former pilebutt (piledriver) apprentice by way of So Cal, we welcome Alex Carrasco, 2 year diver. He talks about the challenges, excitement, and expectations after graduating from DIT. A great story for any young tradesman wanting to make the jump into commercial diving. 

We sit down and talk with Christopher Martin and Joe Dituri about starting a national diver's union in the USA. Many commercial divers are unrepresented and fall victim to unsafe working conditions. Listen as Deep 6 plans to fix all that. An episode that’s sure to further the discussion of diver wages and accountability in maritime accidents. Please log onto Deep6divers.org for more information ab...

We welcome our listeners back for another season! We start off with a very important episode. Joining us is Eric Kampert, the director of OSHA, (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), maritime and executive director Phil Newsum of ADCI. We talk about the recent diver deaths and the steps being taken to stop Delta P fatalities.  This is also the debut episode of new co-host Christopher Lem...

What to expect in the upcoming season of the Bottom Dwellers Dive Shack. A season two trailer with some big news! Stay tuned for new episodes of BDDS!

On September 18, 2012, while doing routine maintenance work on an underwater structure at the Huntington oilfield in the North Sea, Chris Lemons' dive umbilical was severed almost 100 meters down. With his main breathing gas cut off and only about 6 minutes of gas left in his bailout, Lemons soon fell unconscious. Freezing and alone in the dark, things definitely looked grim for Chris. Despite bei...

Our one year anniversary special!! We talk about our first year doing this commercial diving podcast. We talk about our great guests and episodes. Join us as we look back on a year of our commercial dive podcast!

We have a fun conversation as Marni comes into the dive shack. She is the first female commercial saturation diver in the Gulf of Mexico. She tells us about her journey starting out and where she is now. She talks about the trials and successes from the field into the office. She’s an amazing woman and blue collar through and through. She talks about her love for diving and life in sat. She also t...

Listen as we talk about the amazing book The History of Oilfield Diving with author Christopher Swann. He tells us about the process in documenting the stories of some of our great pioneers in commercial diving. " The History of Oilfield Diving chronicles one of the greatest adventures of the 20th Century. A story of human endeavour, physical danger and breakneck technological development, this is...

The Bottom Dwellers record live on location at SBCC and speak with program director Geoff Thielst. He tells us the cold hard truth about diving education and shares some insight into how he trains future divers. He shares some great dive stories that you are sure to appreciate. A great time and a truly educational experience.

Everything you wanted to know about underwater welding and then some! Jordan shares his expertise and insight in this great episode that's beneficial for the youngsters in the trade. We break down some of the myths and misconceptions as well as talk about some cold hard truths related to welding and burning underwater! This episode is brought to you by Ocean Eye Inc. ( OceaneyeInc.com ) and Delise...

How can we prepare and protect ourselves when working a hurricane? Is this the big one for divers? Maybe? What lessons can we learn from Katrina 16 years ago? Be sure to check out our YouTube as well! https://youtu.be/-IFgGB8UuoU Thanks to Bobby Delise for coming on! O8jkYaLUAVcUS3o59Tsr

We speak with Robert Trahan, a saturation diver from the 70's and 80's. A truly amazing story about grit and bad assery! You will love this episode about a real diver from the golden age. 

Part two of our interview with Dave Dodd. We talk about his career in the Army and his role in the ADCI. A great episode and conclusion to his interview. Dave tells us the story of his flight in the WASP while working with the Army and Oceaneering on a secret salvage mission.

An episode near and dear to me with my mentor, instructor, and friend David Dodd. We reminisce about diving in Florida and talk about Dave's career as an Army Diver, Instructor, and commercial diver. Currently serving as the Vice President for ADCI. Don't forget to visit our sponsors for this episode RentalToolsOnline.com and PressureJunkiez.com Please leave a review, follow, subscribe! Very impor...

We sit down with Les Joiner. One of our diving pioneers and a master educator. Les was the president of Ocean Corp in Texas for over 30 years. He talks about the early days, talks about dive schools, and shares a heartwarming story about our friend Les Gorski. Les also has a great talk with me about alcohol dependency. He talks about his ongoing battle with alcohol and how to get off and stay off...