The Ocean is Scary Podcast

Audrey Mestre's tragic final dive (2002). In October 2002, elite freediver Audrey Mestre set out to reclaim the a world record in one of the world's most dangerous disciplines - No Limits freediving. Descending more than 560 feet on a single breath, everything depended on a carefully engineered ascent system. When that system failed, a record attempt became a tragedy that forever changed the freed...

Maldives Cave Diving Tragedy (2026): On May 14, 2026, a team of five that included Italian scientists and experienced divers stepped off the luxury liveaboard Duke of York to explore biodiversity of the Vaavu Atoll in the Maldives. A sequence of critical vulnerabilities—including standard recreational gear and a lack of safety guidelines trapped them in a 60-meter-deep dead end. Cave diving, by it...

Rodney Fox (1963): While defending his spearfishing title in Australia, he was severely mauled by a Great White shark. He suffered massive injuries, including a punctured lung, and required 462 stitches. Rodney Fox survived and went on to become a shark conservationist and pioneer in shark cage diving tourism. He later helped with the movie "Jaws". ⁠#ocean⁠ ⁠#sharks #greatwhite ⁠#saltwater ⁠#gonew...

Plura Cave Deaths (2014): Five professional divers decided to make one of the most difficult cave dives… the entirety of Plura Cave in Rana, Norway. Two Finnish divers met tragic ends. Their bodies were initially deemed too dangerous to retrieve, but four of their friends undertook a risky mission to recover them. Cave diving, by its very nature, offers little margin for error. A sudden incap...

(The Queen) R v Dudley and Stephens (1884): This infamous English legal case involved four shipwrecked sailors who, facing starvation, killed and ate the cabin boy. They were later rescued and charged with murder, raising profound ethical and legal questions about necessity and survival. Their moral quandary began after the wreck of the Mignonette left them stranded for weeks. #survival #necessity...

On November 1, 2020, 18-year-old Linnea Rose Mills, was preparing for a training dive. She was a newly certified PADI Open Water Diver, eager to continue her education with an advanced open water course.  But this dive was different. The location was extreme. Linnea was about to experience her first time in a dry suit, a necessary piece of equipment for where she would be diving, the frigid w...

Two stories of terrifying great white shark attacks. The tragic deaths of Omar Conger (1984) in California and Shirley Ann Durdin (1985) in Australia. Omar Conger (1984): An abalone diver, Omar Conger was killed by a great white shark off the California coast. His friend witnessed the attack, where Conger was dragged underwater and violently shaken before succumbing to his injuries Shirley Ann Dur...

Linda Carman (2016): An alleged double murder. Nathan Carman was rescued from a life raft off the coast of New England after his boat sank during a fishing trip with his mother, Linda, who was never found. Authorities later alleged that Nathan killed his mother at sea to inherit the family estate, and that he may have also killed his grandfather. Nathan denied the charges, and his case never went...

Sinking of the DSV Koosha 1 (2011) - This incident involved a diving support vessel that sank off the Iranian coast in bad weather. Six saturation divers and seven other workers perished during the sinking. #tragedy #ocean #horrific #shipwreck #scary #gruesome #alone #commercialdiving #gonewrong #oilrig #accident #scandal #scuba #diving #scary #iran #underwater #persiangulf #saturationdiving Hoste...

Two tragic stories of freak crocodile attacks… Cindy Waldron (Australia, 2016): Waldron, 46, was taken by a crocodile while swimming at night with a friend at Thornton Beach in Daintree National Park, Australia. Her remains were later found inside a 14-foot crocodile. Paul McClean (Sri Lanka, 2017): The 24-year-old Financial Times journalist was killed by a crocodile near Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka, af...

Palmyra Atoll Murders (1974): This isolated and complex case involved the disappearance and murder of Malcolm and Eleanor Graham, who were sailing their yacht, the "Sea Wind," in the Pacific. Another couple, Buck Walker and Stephanie Stearns, later arrived in Hawaii aboard the Grahams' yacht. Years later, Eleanor Graham's remains were discovered on Palmyra Atoll. Walker was convicted of her murder...

Paria Delta P Diving Incident (2022): In Trinidad & Tobago, five divers were tragically sucked into a 30-inch pipeline after a plug was deflated. Commercial diving gone wrong. #tragedy #ocean #horrific #scary #gruesome #alone #commercialdiving #gonewrong #oilrig #accident #scandal #scuba #diving #scary #trinidad #underwater Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Bluebelle (1961): This horrific true crime case involved the murder of the entire Duperrault family at sea by the boat's captain, Julian Harvey. Harvey allegedly killed his wife and the Duperrault family aboard the ship "Bluebelle" and then deliberately sank the boat, all for insurance money. The sole survivor, 11-year-old Terry Jo Duperrault, was found adrift on a raft days later and her test...

Patrice Cabanel: A French cave diver who died in 2024 while exploring an underground cave in France. He was an experienced cave diver known for his depth records and contributions to mapping underwater caves. #cavediving #france #caves #accident #nowayback #scuba #diving #scary #mystery #french #underwater #tragedy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 A US Navy lieutenant who mysteriously fell ill and died while deployed on the USS Forrestal in the Mediterranean. An autopsy later revealed he was poisoned with a lethal toxin, arsenic, administered over months. The case became one of NCIS's most notorious cold cases, with his wife, Pamela Hartley, eventually charged with his murder years later. Lieutenant Lee Hartley (1982). #murder #truecr...

Cave diving, by its very nature, offers little margin for error. A sudden incapacitation in a confined, overhead environment, far from immediate assistance, can quickly turn fatal. Plura Cave, located in Rana, Norway, is known as the deepest cave in northern Europe and one of the most challenging cave systems. Jared Hires: The general manager of the diving equipment company Dive Rite, died in...

Murders of Thomas and Jackie Hawks (2004): This tragic case involved a couple who were murdered on their yacht, the "Well Deserved," in Newport Beach, California. Skylar Deleon, a former child actor, and his accomplices tied the couple to their anchor and threw them overboard to steal their boat and money. Deleon and others were convicted of the murders. #murder #truecrime #ocean #accident #yacht...

Rob Stewart, a Canadian man who dedicated his life to shining a light on one of the ocean's most misunderstood creatures, whose career eventually ended in his tragic death. #tragic #sharks #ocean #accident #film #scuba #diving #scary #mystery #florida #shipwrecks  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A hidden lake below the desert in Death Valley; an ancient seismic event; a group of kids from Las Vegas making bad choices; and one of the rarest animals on Earth — the Devils Hole pupfish. #teenagers #diving #caving #cavediving #gonewrong #caves #disaster #tragedy #unfortunate #scary #deathvalley #jimhoutz #lasvegas #pupfish #earthquake Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform...

A Hawaiian musician and activist that just wanted to protect the environment and restore Kaho'olawe back to nature after the island had been used for years for military target practice - find out what tragically happened to young George Helm after he tried to fight for a good cause. #kahoolawe #war #scary #molokai #hawaii #islanders #alohaaina #navy #disaster #gonewrong #unfortunate #tragedy #ocea...

Natalia Molchanova (Russian: Наталья Вадимовна Молчанова) was a Russian champion free diver, multiple world record holder, and the former president of the Russian Free Dive Federation. Natalia was the world’s most decorated free diver, holding 41 world records and winning 23 gold medals during her career. Free diving is considered one of the deadliest extreme sports. Free divers may descend more t...

 On February 27, 2011, renowned cave diver Agnes Milowka took an exploratory dive into Tank Cave near Mount Gambier, Australia. Her passion for finding new passages got her into trouble when she became lost and alone in a narrow passage. Agnes gained international recognition for penetrating deeper than previous explorers into cave systems across Australia and Florida. #diving #caving #cavedi...

The 1700’s were a period of growing connectivity between towns, cities and countries in Europe. Empire and increased trade meant that a large amount of cash was available to some of the population, not all of which were particularly educated. There were vast opportunities for conmen to get people to invest in the first mass pyramid and Ponzi schemes as well as in funding somewhat schemes based on...

In July 2010, the diving industry lost one of its most beloved and talented photographers when Wes Skiles died on a seemingly routine dive off Boynton Beach, FL. A man who defied the odds by going deeper and farther than most who’d come before him, all the while delivering incredibly stunning still and video images. Wesley C. Skiles (March 6, 1958 – July 21, 2010) was an American cave diving pione...

A forgotten disaster worse than the Titanic. The most deadly shipwreck in Great Lakes history. The Eastland was docked near the Clark Street Bridge, the bow a mere nineteen feet from the wharf. Before the lines were cast, the ship rolled portside into the Chicago River where it came to rest in a muddy 20 feet of water. More than 2,500 passengers and crew members were on board, filled with anticipa...