UTD Scuba Diving Podcast

Our first in a series of UTD Scuba Diving Podcasts in Italian with UTD Instructors Martina Carelli and Mattia Popesso. Ma la decompressione è davvero solo questione di tempo e profondità? Quali sono gli altri fattori che possiamo controllare e che influenzano l'efficacia decompressiva?  Dovremmo davvero iniziare a parlare un po' di più di sforzo respiratorio e di densità dei gas?  Inizia...

Why are we doing yet another podcast about side mount? Good question. We now have the new system completed dialed in, new content online in the UTD Side Mount Mini and Essentials of Side Mount online courses, and we have lots of people diving the new system. So in this episode Ben and I go back over the journey to get to this new, amazing side mount system – some of the history, where we are today...

The UTD Scuba Coaching program has been running successfully for almost two years now so, it's time to meet some of the clients. In this episode Jeff sits down with Team Austin: Jay, Chris, and Xiangfei. Listen as they take an in depth look at their experiences in the coaching program, their recommendations for anyone considering coaching, and a look forward to see how coaching is helping eac...

How many obscure, or not so obscure, questions can Jeff and Ben address in one episode? Tune in to find out as we tackle questions on weighting, SMBs, toxing diver recovery, rebreathers, gradient factors, rock bottom, emergency gas planning, and much more. This is our first "rapid fire" episode. Let us know if you'd like more! https://utdscubadiving.com/ Contact us – click here. Sen...

We always get questions about Ratio Deco, and particularly about changes to Ratio Deco 3.0. In this Obscure Questions episode Jeff and Ben are joined by UTD instructor (and technical diver) Martina Carelli. Martina went through the complete Ratio Deco online course and created a list of real-world questions. We answered these, plus a few that came in from other students and podcast listeners. Chec...

The UTD Skills Camps are three to five day camps where you will hone your personal and dive skills while working with a team of UTD instructors. The next camp is March 31 – April 4, 2022 in San Diego, California. Your instructor are Jeff Seckendorf, James Mott, Tom Carr, and Kim Cardenas. In this episode Jeff, James, and Tom give you their take on the what, the why, and the how of UTD Skills Camps...

ESM, or Extreme Scuba Makeover, the UTD Scuba Diving buoyancy and proper weighting course, has been game changing for so many divers. People come into ESM at every level but with the same goals...increase buoyancy skills and dial in their weights. From new divers with five dives to tech divers and instructors, everyone benefits. In this episode Jeff and Ben delve into ESM – its history, evolution,...

We are back home and recovering from a long week at the DEMA scuba trade show in Las Vegas and, we think, it was a very successful show.  Jeff and Ben sit down for a short podcast where we lay out our thoughts about the show, the future, and answer the one remaining question from the live "Obscure Questions" episode we recorded at the show. For those of you who missed the DEMA show this...

Recorded live at the DEMA show in Las Vegas, Jeff and Ben answer your questions with a standing room only live audience: Does the color of an SMB matter? Can you use an uncompensated regulator on your argon bottle? Why is the long hose on the right post? When should you ditch your weights? This, and much more, live from Las Vegas! Send us Fan Mail Also check out our youtube channel:  https://www.y...

Ben Bos, UTD Training Director, on the current state of side mount in recreational diving, presented in the Technical Diving Resource Center at the DEMA show in Las Vegas, November 16, 2021: Side mount has taken the scuba industry by storm over the past few years. At UTD we saw the potential of including this cave-born way of diving into our open water recreational and technical curriculum. Howeve...

Jeff Seckendorf's presentation on Scuba Coaching in the Technical Diving Resource Center at the DEMA show in Las Vegas, November 16, 2021: Great scuba training does not have to be focused on the outcome. It can be about the process. If we take a page from coaching in almost every other discipline, coaches make athletes better. It is not just about making a runner or cyclist faster; it’s about...

Because what happens in Vegas, shows up on Facebook. For the first time since Covid became our new normal, we're going back to the DEMA show. DEMA, or the Dive Equipment and Marketing Association, is an annual trade show for all things scuba. It alternates between Las Vegas and Orlando, so this year it's in Las Vegas. We will be talking about coaching and our new version of side mount, w...

In our last episode – "The Most Obscure Questions in Scuba Diving, The Tech Episode," we specifically left out the questions about diving doubles. So now Jeff and Ben devote the whole episode to doubles...the good, the less good, and the really good. Lots of facts, and lots of opinions. If you dive doubles, or are considering it, this is your episode Send us Fan Mail Also check out our y...

Jeff and Ben take on four obscure questions in technical scuba diving: Why nitrox 50 from 160ft/48m but oxygen from 130ft/39m? Why are all the deco and stage cylinders on the left? Why do we only carry one bottom timer? Why do we use SPG's, not electronic transmitters? This, plus dozens of tangents and shiny objects. Although the topics are founded in technical diving, they are appropriate to...

Well, maybe this isn't the most obscure question in scuba diving; actually, it might be one of the most common, and misconceptions run rampant. But we continue to hear about skip breathing so, here it is: Jeff and Ben on countless reasons why skip breathing is both a bad idea and a physiological non-starter. Plus, a look at why we train for multiple failures but only plan for one, a look back...

Okay...the one we've all been waiting for. A deep discussion about deep stops with one of the world's foremost authorities, Dr. Simon Mitchell. In this episode, part two of our talk with Simon, we look at the objective, subjective, historical, and random concepts of deep stops during decompression. Send us Fan Mail Also check out our youtube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/c/UnifiedTea...

In this episode Jeff and Ben do a deep, deep deep deep dive into all things decompression with renowned technical diver Dr. Simon Mitchell. Breathing, gas density, CO2 issues, body temperature, and tons more in this first half of our talk with Dr. Mitchell. Stay tuned for the next episode where we take an equally in-depth look at deep stops. Watch the podcast on YouTube: PART 1, CLICK HERE PART 2,...

A few months ago we did a podcast called Marginal Gains in Scuba Diving (episode 18). In that podcast we looked at the little, small things you can do that, when taken together, add up to bigger gains. For us, as scuba divers, the gains we are looking for include, reduced gas consumption, longer bottom times on the same amount of gas, etc. But we quickly discovered, after that podcast, that the ma...

For decades the second step in most people's scuba training is the advanced class. But is that the best training path? In this episode Jeff and Ben look at the reasons the advanced class exists, both from a marketing and a diving standpoint. We talk about a course progression that includes the advanced class, but also some other options. Primarily, we look at the benefits of slowing down trai...

Did we mention fun? In this episode Jeff and Ben are joined by UTD instructor Kim Cardenas as we take a deep dive into everything scooters – some of the history with UTD including Scubatics (underwater acrobatic competition) and Monkey Bash (one of the craziest games you can play underwater), along with the pros, the cons, the costs, and more. Here are links to some of the resources we mention dur...

Jeff and Ben are joined by UTD instructor James Mott. James was one of the original 10 UTD instructors and has The Great Dive Podcast, one of the greatest dive podcasts out there. In this episode we explore the process of training, the idea of mastery in scuba diving and mastery in life, and take a close look at how we learn. Please join us for this exploration and let us know your thoughts. Conta...

Sometimes it's the simplest things that can be the most interesting. As we head toward winter and  water temperatures decrease, the thickness of dry suit undergarments tends to increase. In this episode Jeff and Ben look at all aspects of why dry suits keep you warm, how to choose proper undergarments, and how these suites actually work to insulate you from the cold water. Also, click here to...

We talk failures, computers, checklists, and much more. This time we have a special guest, Gareth Lock from the www.thehumandiver.com about human factors in diving and what we can do to make our dives better and safer. Send us Fan Mail Also check out our youtube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/c/UnifiedTeamDiving

It is the little things that matter. Ask any performance athlete or engineer. Whether you are trying to squeeze the most speed out of your bicycle or motorcycle, or the best aerodynamics out of your Formula 1 car, the small things add up. The "marginal gains" movement has taken hold in performance sports over the past decade like never before, and now Jeff and Ben bring these concepts to...

Imagine yourself 100 meters underground, tucked into a little trolly, racing down rail tracks in an abandoned mine – bullets flying, snakes biting, the heroine captured, and time running out. That's mine diving. Except for the bullets, snakes, and heroine. But the rest of it is still there, sitting as it sat when the mine was closed and flooded years, sometime decades, ago. In this episode Je...