The Great Dive Podcast

For all our wreck diving listeners and friends (and especially Great Lakes wreck diving listeners and friends), here's our annual Gales of November shipwreck story. This one's about one of the more popular wrecks to dive in Lake Huron off the tip of the the thumb. The story of her sinking has a few twists and some drama and this coupled with Ol' Jamesy's smooth voice and talent for story telling,...

This week the boys read a story sent in by a listener. It tells the tale of a dive that doesn’t go quite as planned. Was it the buddy? Was it the dive? Was it the training that kept them alive? These are the questions you will hear. Give it listen, won’t you my dear.

Well, in honor of Veteran's Day yesterday, we begin with a flashback to Brando's good ol' days back when he was in service to our country.... and then we'll read a few emails and go on a couple more rants and wrap it up with a pretty bow as a gift for our listeners...:-).

This week the boys sit down and have a conversation about underwater photography. As Ol’ Jamesy enters this new world he seeks out the wisdom of Older Brando. But as we find out, its not as easy as buying a good camera and letting it do the work. We need to understand aperture, focal plane, and ISO. And of course, buoyancy control and good diving habits are discussed as well. Listen as the boys di...

Get ready for the most terrifying episode of TGDP ever. You may never get back into the water after listening to this Trilogy of Underwater Terror. The most frightening monsters that lurk in the deep are waiting here for you this week. James and Brando discuss the scariest things that you can find underwater.

In "light" of Jamesy's newly acquired underwater photography setup and pursuit of the "perfect shot", the boys focus this week on a true life tale of the last dive of an underwater photographer. They'll "zoom" in on what "developed" during the dive and discuss possible ways to avoid these kind of events. I "shutter"[sic] to think of how often photographers find themselves so absorbed in the photog...

Mail call!! This week the boys read a few of the many e-mails they receive every week. The boys also do a deep dive into tacos .... is it possible to have a "good" vegetarian taco? Where do digital pressure gauge transmitters fall in the taco recipe of diving? Is cilantro the DIR of the diving taco? Is diving about making them or eating them? What the hell are they talking about? Have a listen and...

In the spirit of good communication we'll be direct and to the point. This week's episode is about communication and the illusion of communication. Have a Listen!!

Finally, the long awaited part 2 of our Advanced Diver discussion. The boys sit down with some recent student who completed their Essentials course and moved on to Recreational 2. This class is the card equivalent of AOW with Nitrox, but as we can hear it was a lot more than following an instructor around in a slightly different environment. Take a listen and hear what everyone says about what it...

The boys sit down to discuss a few recent reviews, some good but one not so much…. This conversation really highlights what TGDP is all about. The fun, the culture, and the character of a diver as well as the diving towns across the world that share these with us. We hope you like our list, please let us know what your top 10 would have been.

In celebration of Labor Day here in the USA, the boys give a shout out to all the moms out there who went through labor to have babies and talk about the labor of the hard-working scuba instructor. In particular, Scuba Steve and an advanced open water class that takes a bad turn.

What does Scuba Diving, the word "gitchigami", shipwrecks, icebergs, & Miley Cyrus all have in common? They were all part of this week's episode of The Great Dive Podcast! That's right, the boys went diving in northern Lake Huron last weekend and in this week's episode we talk about that and much more!

After a conversation with a new diver about popping up to the surface, James retells the story to Brando. This discussion takes them back many years when the value of a safety stop was just being introduced. What is the most critical part of a dive and what does a No-Decompression Limit really mean? They also discuss the troubles of not having a regular dive buddy and sing a low-down and dirty ren...

This is not an episode about quagga and zebra mussels. It was supposed to be about them and diving the shipwrecks of the Straits of Mackinac, however the boys settle into another philosophic groove instead. This unscripted discussion travels from the value of experience, the selfless struggle of building a team, and ultimately tries to ask the question of, “who are we and what are we doing these d...

The boys stand on the shoulders of giants this week with a discussion about an article by Michael Menduno that he published in this month's DAN Blog. Michael interviews Human Factors founder, Gareth Lock. In the article they discuss Human Factors in Diving, which in a nutshell is the idea of making it easier to do the right thing and harder to do the wrong thing (#MIETDTRTAHTDTWT). They also highl...

This week the boys discuss an incident down in SoFlo that resulted in The Bends. Find out what may have contributed to the hit in a new diver and why you as a diver may need to educate the ER Doc on Diving Medicine. You won't find this in your dive computer instruction manual and probably not in your average Open Water 101 Course either... have a listen!

Find out what happens when shortcuts and speed become the priority with an Open Water certification course. The boys discuss posting in a Scuba forum about a common occurrence in the realm of faster training for Open Water students. E-learning combined with limited available time for practical training may not be the best way to get certified to Scuba... you be the judge!

In 1957, Carl Kohler wrote this article for Skin Diver Magazine, 20,000 Lovely Legs Beneath The Sea. It was an entertaining look at the growing participation of shapely ladies entering the water world of the skin diving man. 60 years later and just in time to celebrate International Womens Dive Day, Jamesy and Brando revisit this time in what may become the most sexiest episode of TGDP to date.

As our story moves into the 1960’s, Jamesy and Brando discuss the American Pop Culture that is happening along with the evolution of the Voit Regulators. Coming from a company that was manufacturing sporting goods like the classic American Dodgeball, Voit would eventually be purchased by AMF and further grow this iconic scuba brand.

This week on TGDP, Jamesy and Brando get into a deep discussion about diving but also about religion, and politics, and sex. What do they all have in common? Regulators and television shows and Reese’s Pieces candy? What do they all have in common? Fluoride and Scuba? What does all of this have to do with Mike Nelson? These are the tough questions that your buddies at TGDP dare to explore.

Can a nearly fatal mistake underwater be the impetus for true love? Have a listen as the boys discuss one of the most beaten to death topics in the scuba community but this time, it's different!

Your favorite dive buddies, Jamesy and Brando, have a little chat about scuba diving in the Galapagos Islands. What do you do when faced with that incredible sight? Do you make the right choice or do you just blindly go into the wild? Alone? This is a lesson about over confidence and complacency, and about what is the best regulator on the market too. P.S. Don’t forget to tip your Divemasters.

In honor of the late great manfish, Monsignor Jacques Cousteau, Jamesy and Brando tell another tale from the pen of le Capitan. Rapture consumes the team as they explore the azure depths of le Mer du Rouge. Proper planning and predive safety checks are important to the safety of the menfish. Don’t forget BWRAF- (the French version)Bordeaux, Wine, Riesling, A pack of cigarettes, Fondue. Au revoir m...

This week, the boys bring their series on education to a close by looking at E.L. Thorndike’s Laws of Learning. As an educator, it is important to understand the characteristics of the learning process and these laws help us construct our classes and better mold it to the needs of the students. Join your hosts J. I. Mott Toao and B.C. Schwartz Sr for this scholarly look at education.

This week the boys talk about old school underwater harassment training. Taking a look at an article from 1972, Jamesy and Brando discuss the difference between the mainstream positive approach of today and what triggering stress can bring into education. The term alone, harassment, brings stress into mind today. What was going on in the 70’s and what have we learned from it? All of this and more...