It's awesome to be able to bring you with the support of XDEEP, another great episode from the Speaking Sidemount Patreon vault. 

This episode was the first of two episodes with Steve Bogaerts I did back in 2020 and was originally released as a premium, patron-only episode. The information Steve covers is awesome, so I am pleased to now share it more widely.

In this episode, Steve and I discuss the importance of foundational skill development - buoyancy control, trim and stability, pressure test training, and ultimately how to deal with serious issues while diving.

We tie it all together as Steve shares his amazing dive to connect Dan and Ralf's Caves in Abaco Bahamas. He recounts how he dealt with having only one partially functioning (free-flowing and wet breathing) regulator as he exited a vertical, mud and clay-filled, no-mount restriction in zero visibility!! 

I then ask Steve about his cylinder management for Hypoxic trimix dives and we end with Steve sharing his future plans... Enjoy :)!

Image Credit - HP Hartmann