Underwater Cave Photography Discussion of Underwater Cave Photography with Marissa Eckert of Hidden Worlds Diving. For more info about cave diving instruction or to hire Marissa as an underwater photographer contact her at: - https://www.dive-caves.com/ - 610-310-8210

Sidemount + rebreathers = the modern cave diver's playground. In this episode, Joe sits down with cardiologist, tech instructor, and KISS instructor trainer Dr. Doug Ebersole to unpack the design, history, and real-world use of KISS's two sidemount rebreathers: the Sidekick and the Sidewinder. Doug walks through how the original Sidekick evolved from a semi-closed cave exploration tool into a full CCR, and how a custom project for a double-amputee Marine, Josh Houghtaling, led to the creation of the Sidewinder—now one of the most popular sidemount CCRs in the cave community. You'll hear how each unit is configured, how counterlung placement impacts work of breathing, what's involved in trimming and weighting, and when you might choose a Sidekick over a Sidewinder for extreme restrictions. Doug also shares how some divers use the Sidewinder as a bailout CCR or even convert it into a lightweight "backwinder" for long recreational boat dives. If you're a cave or tech diver eyeing sidemount rebreathers—or trying to decide which KISS chassis matches your mission—this episode will give you a clear, practical comparison from someone who teaches and dives both.

Broadcast from High Springs in the heart of North Florida cave country, this episode of Pod Diver Radio goes deep into cave diving etiquette, culture, and how tech training has changed over the last few decades. Joe sits down with his original cave instructor, Terrence Tysall – now NAUI's Director of Training and VP of Operations, Cambrian Foundation co-founder, former Texas A&M DSO, and long-time explorer. They look back at the early days of cave and trimix diving, mentorship from legends like Tom Mount, Bill Hamilton, and Sheck Exley, and how today's gear and training culture have reshaped who's going into the overhead. Using real recent dives at Ginnie Springs, Little River, and Peacock as case studies, Joe and Terrence break down what good cave etiquette looks like – exits having priority, scooter behavior in the Eye, not dropping on top of someone's deco, and how to interact with open-water divers in caverns without being "that" cave diver. Terrence also tackles bigger questions: – Why are some instructors only tech diving when they're teaching? – How social media and ego are driving Dunning–Kruger in the caves – Why checklists, gas analysis, and old-school line protocols still matter in a high-tech world – Five practical ways we can bring the community spirit back to cave country If you dive caves—or want to—this episode is a reality check on how we treat each other underground and how to keep the culture from devolving as the sport grows.

Interview with Cardiologist Doug Ebersole MD talks about PFOs (Patent Foramen Ovale) which is a suspected risk factor for DCS (Decompression Sickness). PFO is a relatively benign cardiac defect that creates a passage in a wall that normally separates the left and right upper chambers of the heart. PFO is found in about 25 percent of adults. If gas bubbles form after a dive, the venous bloodstream will carry them to the right side of the heart. In divers with PFO, the bubbles could pass through the opening, bypassing the lungs and theoretically putting the diver at an increased risk of decompression sickness (DCS). For info about the study. https://dan.org/alert-diver/article/study-update-pfo/

Sub Surface Ecology in the Underwater Caves of the Rivera Maya Interview with Dr David Brankovits PhD about the cave ecology and the food web in the underwater caves of the Yucatan Peninsula. Dr Brankovits is a Cave Diver and Biogeochemist. In his aquatic cave field work, he has made important discoveries of the food webs of underwater caves. He is currently working at Texas A&M University. Also he an expert in Marina Chemistry and an investigator for Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. His paper on anchialine fauna from the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, can downloaded here: https://checklist.pensoft.net/article/19103/

Shipwreck Diving the Warships of Guadalcanal Exploration Leader Terrence Tysall recounts the expedition to the World War 2 shipwrecks of Guadalcanal. Terrence discusses the history of the battle and the diving technology required to dive shipwreck in the 450fsw depth range. We also discuss the genius of a plan to go back to Guadalcanal...... The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal consisted of a series of sea engagements related to the Japanese effort to reinforce their land forces on Guadalcanal. The Japanese under Admiral Yamamoto Isoruku organized a convoy, embarking 7,000 troops. In conjunction with their troop landings, Japanese naval forces were to bombard US Marines in order to destroy U.S. aircraft that posed a threat to the Japanese ship movements. Ultimately, U.S. naval forces prevented the Japanese bombardment and sank most of the enemy troop transports. The only two U.S. Navy flag officers (Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan, Rear Admiral Norman Scott) to be killed in a World War II surface engagement were lost in this battle. Two U.S. light cruisers, four destroyers, and 35 aircraft were lost; three destroyers were damaged. The Japanese lost two battleships, one heavy cruiser, three destroyers, eleven transports, and 64 aircraft. Japan's defeat also ended the enemy's final significant attempt to dislodge the Allied forces in the eastern Solomons.

The OPTIMA CM: Chest Mounted CCR Interview w/ Lamar Hires of Dive Rite about the development and applications of Dive Rite's new chest mounted CCR. For more info check out: https://www.diverite.com/products/uncategorized/o2ptima-cm/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/267267033283934

CAVE DIVE DISCUSSION at the Pod Diver Lodge. Interview with Woody and Gus of the DIVE TALK podcast. The guys came down for a week of diving in North Florida Cave Country and they stayed at the Pod Diver Lodge. Check out there podcast at: https://divetalkmedia.com. Check the YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb9sy84UQUOAL5To0IPotpw For more info about staying at the Pod Diver Lodge goto: www.poddiverlodge.com

Scuba Diving after COVID SHOW NOTES: Interview with Cardiologist Doug Ebersole MD about the medical implication of scuba diving after COVID. Dr. Ebersole graduated from the University of Miami Leonard M Miller School of Medicine in 1986. He works in Lakeland, FL and specializes in Cardiovascular Disease, Internal Medicine and Interventional Cardiology. Dr. Ebersole is affiliated with Lakeland Regional Health and Sarasota Memorial Health Care System. He is an avid technical and cave diver as well as a CCR trimix instructor and cardiology consultant to Divers Alert Network (DAN). His medical background and diving experience gives him a unique perspective on diving physiology. For more info on scuba diving after COVID check out Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society https://www.uhms.org/ Divers Alert Network https://dan.org/ International Assoc of Nitrox and Technical Divers https://iantd.com

Interview with Mike Ange about the 1996 NOAA Expedition to dive the wreck of the USS Monitor. From the early days of technical diving. #USNavy #TechDiving #Trimix #NOAA