Real Risk

In this episode I talk with two good friends, cave divers Brian Kakuk and Dr Kenny Broad. Brian runs Bahamas Underground which offers guided diving to suitably qualified cave divers in the exquisite flooded caves on Abaco Island. But the beautiful crystal formations in the gin clear tunnels are only half the story. Amazing geology, bizarre life forms, ancient fossils and even human remains make this a natural laboratory for scientists. Scientists like anthropologist Kenny Broad, another expert cave diver, regularly dive with Brian to help unlock the secrets of these caves. 

 The guys share stories of early dives, near misses, friends lost; but mostly their passion for exploration and discovery in what can be a most unforgiving environment.

www.bahamasunderground.com    
https://vimeo.com/10402471 (The Crystal Caves of Abaco)     
https://ccs.miami.edu/team_member/kenny-broad-phd/     

At the age of 16, I wasn't thinking about achieving something incredible. My thoughts were firmly on the pursuit of the opposite sex, of SCUBA diving and the freedom of a driver's licence! Lucky for the human race some youngsters have a loftier agenda. Jessica Watson was one such girl, who with the influence of her family's love of adventure, dreamt of testing herself on the open ocean in a small boat. At the age of 16, she finally made that dream a reality when she became the youngest person to ever circumnavigate alone and unassisted.

Her quest was never easy, was always risky, and was a magnet for criticism from nay sayers who felt it was nigh on irresponsible for her adult mentors to allow the voyage, let alone encourage it. Yet she emerged stronger, more confident and a symbol of the capacity of the youngest generation to achieve their goals. With people like Jess around, I can't help thinking the planet is in safe hands.

Pick up a copy of her books "True Spirit" and "Indigo Blue" and learn more about Jess HERE

Almost every kid with a few dollars to scrape together has owned a skateboard of some kind, and pretty soon after has ridden it down a hill near their house. But a few take it to the next level, using gravity to pull them down the steepest roads at speeds that defy belief. Just inches above the tarmac, it is hard to imagine what riding at speeds of over 100kph must feel like. Clad in full leathers and a full face helmet, they race to be World Champion in a sport many people have never even heard of.

Kevin Reimer in California is one of the true champions of the discipline, and has made a career out of not only racing but designing and manufacturing skate boards and trucks. Check out the clips below and listen to see what it feels like to fly down a hill at breakneck speed.

https://www.facebook.com/aeratrucks/videos/231429824908992/  
https://www.facebook.com/aeratrucks/videos/1209665522720271/  
skateone.com

Bill is a professor of psychology at the University of Queensland. He is widely published in the literature and has authored a book called The Social Leap, an insight into how evolution has influenced our current thinking and behaviour. "Life on the sprawling grasslands precipitated a shift from individualistic ways of living to more cooperative ways. This was the birth of what you might call “social intelligence,” and it changed the way our minds work forever." It's an amazing read. 

But Bill also works with Special Forces soldiers helping them manage their perception of danger and risk, and it is this context that I was introduced to him. A risk taker himself, Bill enjoys climbing and "skiing fast" although like most adventurers he believes his activities are safe and very limited compared to other extreme athletes. 

Bill has written over 100 peer reviewed articles, has featured in the New York Times, USA Today and The Economist, a TED speaker and a regular podcast (check out The Joe Rogan Experience and London Reel) and interview guest. His insights into our need for risk taking are fascinating!

Yep you read that right, James Cameron himself joins me to wrap up twelve great episodes with gripping tales of exploring what lies in the deepest parts of the ocean. From filming historic shipwrecks like the German battleship Bismarck (16,000 feet deep) and Titanic (12,500 feet deep), to the very bottom of the world at nearly 36,000 feet in the Mariana Trench! It goes without saying that James Cameron is a good story teller and I was on the edge of my seat for every minute of this interview. An incredibly generous guy, he gave me over an hour of his time and I felt like we could have chatted about diving for another hour at least. But I was scared of his PA so I thought I better wrap it up :-).

The episode is dedicated to a mutual friend, Andrew Wight. Andrew was an Australian cave diver who who got his break in documentary film making when the cave his team was exploring on the Nullarbor Plain in Australia collapsed, trapping many of them underground. He was a great Aussie explorer and film maker and his story inspired the James Cameron feature film Sanctum. Sadly Andrew died in a helicopter crash whilst working on Cameron's Deep Sea Challenge project.

Finally a shout out to the dive companies who support my projects with their great equipment, awesome after sales service and even sometimes some good prices! Shearwater Research, O'Three Drysuits, Seacraft Scooters, KISS Rebreathers, ISC Megalodon, and Bremont watches (I'm an ambassador).

See you soon for Season 2!

There is no way short of paying for a seat on Elon Musk's Space X rocket of hitting 5 Gs, unless you get behind the wheel of a top fuel drag racer. With engines that develop over 10,000 horse power, you'll be doing well over 300 mph in less than 4 seconds and then it's time to deploy your 'shutes and hit the brakes, hoping like hell everything holds together. Sometimes the engine will simply explode and the nitromethane fuel creates a fireball that accompanies you down the track. It's not a sport for the faint hearted.

For self confessed adrenaline junkie ("I just like going fast!") Ashley Sanford, it seems like the most natural thing in the world. And in a traditionally male dominated sport, her and other women are truly making their mark in this multi-million dollar sport. Hang on and enjoy the ride because Ashley has almost as much energy as those cars!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VF0JwxQqcA Popular Mechanics and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRJ5LD1i6Ts Ashley's debut in Top Fuel

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www.speleopix.com.au

Peter Helliar is a much loved son of Australian television and comedy. He acts, performs, writes, directs and more. He doesn't really come across as your outdoors adventure type, in fact in his own words he's "a bit risk averse". So when I was looking for someone a little different to talk with about risk taking, he was the first guy I called. In fact BASE jumper Sean Chuma (EP 4) gave me the idea when he told me the thing he fears most is public speaking. In fact many people are less scared of death than giving that best man's speech! Who better than a stand up comic to help us face our most primal fear?

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www.speleopix.com.au

When you experience the worst day of your life, it is hard to look beyond it and see the positives. That's unless you are someone remarkable like Heath Jamieson, a former Australian commando sniper who was shot through the neck in 2011, in Afghanistan. Following years of rehab for a high spinal and traumatic brain injury, Heath went on to become a helicopter training pilot and a polar guide. He now inspires people young and old not to dwell on what irks or ails them, but to see the upside in everything that happens...good or bad.

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When I fly in a plane across a vast expanse of ocean, I often wonder what it would feel like to be out there alone, just you, a boat, and the elements. How would I fare facing massive storm pushed waves in the dark of night, alone and frightened as the ocean tried to consume my tiny vessel? What would I learn of myself day after day as I clear my mind of the worldly worries that consume us all, to focus on the cycle of "eat, sleep, sail".

Lisa Blair can give us the answers. She speaks of the benefits of giving one's self a seemingly impossible task, coming close to failure and then making one of the greatest comebacks of all time. Lisa speaks bravely of minimising risk, but then when everything still fails, of how she found resolve and strength that I suspect even she didn't realise she possessed. She is an extraordinary example of "what nearly kills you, makes you stronger."

*Apologies to all sailors for calling a shroud a halyard and goodness knows what else. I prefer motor boats!

https://lisablairsailstheworld.com/

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www.speleopix.com.au

There's an easy way, and there's a hard way of doing things and Tim Jarvis seems to prefer the latter. Tim's exploits in the polar regions have become almost as legendary as the explorers of the heroic period, who's fascinating but often deadly journeys he has recreated right down to the hobnail boots and reindeer skin sleeping bags. Tim Jarvis offers profound insights into the benefits of risk taking and doing hard things as he fights overwhelming obstacles that would have earned the respect of his heroes Mawson and Shackleton. The apocryphal words of Shackleton's advertisement seem just as apt for the teams he pulled together to embark on these quests...

"Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success"

https://www.timjarvis.org/

Contact me on [email protected] or 
www.speleopix.com.au