Speaking Sidemount

In this week's episode kindly sponsored by XDEEP, I interview Micke Tilja of Expedition Bjurälven, a project now in its 12th year undertaken by a team of awesome divers and support crew who brave the height of the Swedish winter exploring the Bjurälven cave system in the Swedish mountains.

Micke and I go deep into:

• his background in diving and sidemount
• how Expedition Bjurälven came about
• the equipment they use
• the skill-sets required to dive in these conditions
• what they have discovered so far, and
• what they hope to achieve this year and beyond
• Plus we talk Baltic wreck diving and about Micke's Podcast

and much more...

Featured in this episode:

XDEEP - https://www.xdeep.eu 

Expedition Bjurälven - https://www.facebook.com/ExpeditionBjuralven

 Divers Community Scandinavia - https://www.dykarna.nu 

When it comes to the history of sidemount diving, all roads lead back to the UK and the sump divers of the Cave Diving Group or CDG. The CDG gained world-wide attention and recognition following their stellar contribution to the Thai Cave rescue.

In this week's episode kindly sponsored by XDEEP, I interview Michael Thomas. Mike is the Training Officer for the Somerset Section of the Cave Diving Group (CDG) and a TDI Sidemount and Cave Instructor.

Mike and I go deep into:

• his background in diving
• the CDG, their approach to cave diving, training and equipment
• the differences between cave, mine and wreck diving
• the KISS Sidewinder rebreather
• Mike's recent discovery of Roman artifacts in Wookey Hole

and much more...

Featured in this episode:

XDEEP - https://www.xdeep.eu/

CDG - https://cavedivinggroup.org.uk/

Michael Thomas Diving - www.facebook.com/michaelthomasdiving/

In this week's episode, I interview one of the world's top divers and explorers Thorsten Waelde or "Toddy". Toddy is the owner of Protec Sardinia and the inventor of the "Toddy Style" sidemount systems and a great guy as well.

In this episode Toddy and I go deep into:

• his background in diving
• about Toddy Style sidemount
• diving in beautiful Sardinia, Italy
• the exciting T-Reb sidemount rebreather 

and much more...

Featured in this episode:

Protec Sardinia - https://protecsardinia.com/

Sidemount Fundamentals eBook - https://goo.gl/Davqc1

Every now and again a dive image captures your attention and you say "WTF"!!

One from a few months back was the expedition into Cocklebiddy Cave, Western Australia by a team of three divers, Stephen Fordyce, Liz Rogers and Ryan Kaczkowski.

The pic was taken by Liz and features Ryan and Stephen towing a literal mountain of equipment into Cocklebiddy... I thought... That is seriously badass... So when Brendan Moore suggested that I reach out to Ryan I was straight on it.

Ryan lives in Mt Gambier, South Australia... cave country for that part of the world and cave exploration is his passion. Ryan is a super cool person and has some brilliant insights to share on sidemount diving, his cave exploration projects and what it takes to dive in these amazing places.

and much more....

Look out for:

• Sidemount Fundamentals eBook - https://goo.gl/Davqc1
• Truk 2020 Sidemount Group - https://goo.gl/V8Hhrq 

If you like the podcast, please share with your friends and consider leaving us a 5-star review.

Many thanks to Rebecca Barrett who introduced me to Peter Norris... a cave explorer from British Columbia, Canada. She mentioned Peter was involved in some pretty cool projects and had discovered a unique cave system on Vancouver Island called "Wet Dreams" so with that... I just had to learn more.

Peter's a caver who became a sump and cave diver to extend his capabilities in exploring cave systems. Sidemount was an absolute necessity in this... Not only to enable him to pass restrictions but also to allow him to carry dive equipment through dry cave passages to reach the next sump.

In this episode, we discuss Peter's background in caving, his progression to cave diving and sidemount diving and we delve into his exploration projects, we each recount stories of getting trapped and how we dealt with that, we talk decompression, and to top it off we share our thoughts on AI for technical and sidemount diving.

and much more....

Look out for:

• Sidemount Fundamentals eBook - https://goo.gl/Davqc1
• Truk 2020 Sidemount Group - https://goo.gl/V8Hhrq 

If you like the podcast, please share with your friends and consider leaving us a 5-star review.

Let's face it, we all love to tinker with our sidemount equipment so in this episode, Andy Goring of SUMP UK and I discuss modifying your sidemount equipment.

We cover:

• Andy's background in diving
• How he conceives, develops and produces his custom parts
• How small customisations can make a big difference in your comfort

and much more....

Featured in this episode:

SUMP UK - https://bit.ly/2sYE6lv

• Sidemount Fundamentals eBook - https://goo.gl/Davqc1
• Truk 2020 Sidemount Group - https://goo.gl/V8Hhrq 

If you like the podcast, please share with your friends and consider leaving us a 5-star review.

In this our 20th episode, sponsored by XDEEP, I discuss what it takes to complete decompression courses and dives in sidemount. 

I cover:

• Why additional training is necessary for multi-cylinder sidemount
• Choosing your cylinders
• Why traditional stage rigging is not recommended
• How to rig and don sidemount deco or stage cylinder
• Deco/stage regulator set up and stowing
• Weighting, trim and stability with 3+ cylinders
• How to complete a deco ascent "in the blue"
• How to complete a NOTOX gas switch

and much more....

Episode Sponsor: XDEEP - https://www.xdeep.eu/

Featured in this episode:

• Sidemount Fundamentals eBook - https://goo.gl/Davqc1
• Truk 2020 Sidemount Group - https://goo.gl/V8Hhrq 

If you like the podcast, please share with your friends and consider leaving us a 5-star review.

In this week's episode sponsored by XDEEP, I share my experiences sidemount diving at Niue Island in the South Pacific including a really cool interview with Shannon Hunter, owner of Buccaneer Adventures Niue Dive.

I cover:

• Background on Niue Island and what makes it so special
• Considerations traveling as a sidemount diver
• Questions to ask dive operators in remote locations
• How get the operator "onside" and actually enjoy having you dive sidemount
• The skills you need to have to ensure a smooth sidemount diving experience
• Your chance to join me to dive/train sidemount in Niue Sep 2019. 

and much more....

Episode Sponsor: XDEEP - https://www.xdeep.eu/

Featured in this episode:

• Buccaneer Adventures - http://www.niuedive.com/ 
• Sidemount Fundamentals eBook - https://goo.gl/Davqc1
• Truk 2020 Sidemount Group - https://goo.gl/V8Hhrq 

If you like the podcast, please share with your friends and consider leaving us a 5-star review.

In this week's episode sponsored by Shearwater Research, I speak with Natalie Gibb, consummate sidemount diver, cave instructor, explorer and co-owner of dive shop "Under the Jungle", Mexico.

We cover:

• How Nat got into sidemount, cave diving, and cave instructing 
• Her cave exploration projects in Mexico
• Building diving skills as you conduct exploration projects
• Nat's philosophy re sidemount and cave diving training
• The importance of natural navigation in cave diving
• Why cave divers should try dry caving
• Use of AI transmitters for sidemount and technical diving

and much more....

Episode Sponsor: Shearwater Research - https://www.shearwater.com 

Featured in this episode:

• Under the Jungle - https://www.underthejungle.com
• Sidemount Fundamentals eBook - https://goo.gl/Davqc1
• Truk 2020 Sidemount Group - https://goo.gl/V8Hhrq 

If you like the podcast, please share with your friends and consider leaving us a 5-star review.

In this week's episode sponsored by XDEEP, I share my experiences sidemount diving at Truk Lagoon with Pete Mesley's Lust4Rust.

I cover:

• History of Truk Lagoon and Operation Hailstone
• My planning to complete sidemount trimix dives in tropical conditions
• Using Michur's XDEEP Stealth 2.0 Dual Bladder configuration for managing trim
• Travelling to Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia
• Our base and the dive facilities at Blue Lagoon Resort
• The wrecks, dive planning, decompression planning and executing our dives
• My personal favorites of the Truk wrecks
• Planning for a sidemount group to join the June 2020 trip 

and much more....

Featured in this episode:

Sponsor: XDEEP - https://www.xdeep.eu/

Pete Mesley's Lust4Rust - https://www.petemesley.com/lust4rust/ 

If you like the podcast, please share with your friends and consider leaving us a 5-star review.