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In this episode of The League of Extraordinary Divers I chat with legendary hyperbaric medicine researcher and diving explorer Joe Dituri.

Commander Joseph Dituri enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1985. He served continuously on active service upon various ships and shore stations where he was involved in every aspect of diving and special operations work from saturation diving and deep submergence to submersible design and clearance diving. Now that he is retired from 28 years of active service to the United States, he is the president of the International Board of Undersea Medicine. He also volunteers his time as the CEO of the Association for Marine Exploration. He is an invited speaker on motivational, sea and space related topics.

Joseph earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of South Carolina as well as a masters degree in Astronautical Engineering from Naval Post Graduate School in California. Additionally, he is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and earned a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of South Florida.

Joseph is the author of numerous diver-training manuals, a co-author of the book “Tao of Survival Underwater”, a contributing author to the Navy Diving Manual, and has been published in several journals including those produced by the American Society of Naval Engineers and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. CDR Dituri was also a member of the prestigious special operations parachute demonstration team. He is a class “D” Licensed Sky Diver, a one atmosphere suit Pilot and a Level three certified Systems Engineer and Program Manager for the Department of Defense.

Commander Dituri’s personal awards include: three Navy Achievement Medals, a Joint Service Achievement Medal, an Army Commendation Medal, four Navy Commendation Medals, a Joint Service Commendation Medal and a Joint Meritorious Service Medal.

He is also a member of the American Bureau of Shipping Special Committee on Building and Classing Undersea Vehicles and Hyperbaric Systems and the National Offshore Advisor Committee for Commercial Diving Safety. Joseph enjoys writing books, skydiving and has a long-term goal of being a civilian astronaut.

• First scuba dive while changing zinc plates at the age of 10
• Career in US Navy diving
• Finding a new species of fish
• Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and traumatic brain injuries
• Drdeepsea.com
• Undersea Oxygen Clinic
• Joe’s new book Secrets In Depth

Special thanks to our episode sponsor Aggressor Adventures

Thank you for joining me again. Do you want to give a shout out to our guest on this podcast? Leave a note in the comments section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.

Please leave an honest review for The League of Extraordinary Divers podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! And, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.

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In this episode of The League of Extraordinary Divers I chat with legendary scientific diver and explorer Jeff Bozanic.

Today’s guest is one of the premiere scientific divers and explorers on the planet.

Jeffrey Bozanic is the president of Next Generation Services, where he provides consulting and training services in the diving market. Clients include rebreather manufacturers, training agencies and legal agencies. Bozanic has participated in or led more than 70 diving expeditions in the past 30 years, to places like Palau, the Canary Islands and Antarctica.

He was certified as a NAUI Instructor in 1978 and is active in teaching cave diving, rebreather, nitrox, decompression and trimix diving courses. He has published extensively on diving education topics, with a heavy emphasis on diving safety. Bozanic has edited and reviewed many diving textbooks and is the author of Mastering Rebreathers, as well as the senior Technical Editor of the NOAA Diving Manual. He has served on several boards of directors in the diving community, including as Chairman of the NSS-CDS, Vice Chairman of NAUI and Treasurer of the AAUS.

He currently serves on the TDI Technical Advisory Committee and on multiple diving control boards.In 2007, he was honored as the DAN/Rolex Diver of the Year, and in 2015, he was the recipient of the AAUS Conrad Limbaugh Award for Scientific Diving Leadership. In 2018 Beneath the Sea selected him as the Diver of the Year Science.

• Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Inspiration
• High school scuba class
• Scuba dredging for gold camping trip
• Scouting helped with diving success
• Underwater gold mining in the Bolivian jungle
• Rebreathers in the industry
• Mexican cave adventure with a speedo, machete and poison ivy
• Antartica naked ice dive photo shoot
• Favorite diving locations
• Jeffery.Bozanic facebook
• “Mastering Rebreathers” Best Publishing
• Expeditions

Special thanks to our episode sponsor Aggressor Adventures

Thank you for joining me again. Do you want to give a shout out to our guest on this podcast? Leave a note in the comments section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.

Please leave an honest review for The League of Extraordinary Divers podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! And, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.

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In this episode of The League of Extraordinary Divers I chat with legendary photographer and expedition leader Nadia Aly.

Today’s guest is the founder and creative talent behind diving’s largest social media brand – I’m sure you’ve heard of it – ScubaDiverLife

Nadia Aly is an award winning wildlife photographer, with a focus on underwater marine life. Her primary goal is to educate people globally, about the diverse populations of sea creatures that exist in our oceans. She captures their beauty and uniqueness with her camera and then publishes these photographs and videos. She does this in an effort to raise awareness and interest in supporting efforts to conserve our oceans and their inhabitants.

As she continues to master the art of underwater photography, she takes interested clients on numerous underwater expeditions every year, through her company Scuba Diver Life Expeditions. Her specialties are the sardine run out of South Africa and the humpback swims out of Tonga, where she takes guests to swim up close and personal with the whales.

Nadia is also the owner of scubadiverlife.com an online news portal for scuba diving and ocean conservation enthusiast.

She holds a masters degree in digital media from the center for digital media in Vancouver BC. This program is a result of joint collaboration between university of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Emily Carr Institute and private industry sponsors.

• Discover Scuba at age 12
• Masters in Fine Arts
• How entering a video contest started her professional diving journey
• Traveling 10 months of the year
• Favorite diving destinations
• Scuba Diver Life
• NadiaAly.com

Special thanks to our episode sponsor Aggressor Adventures

Thank you for joining me again. Do you want to give a shout out to our guest on this podcast? Leave a note in the comments section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.

Please leave an honest review for The League of Extraordinary Divers podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! And, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.

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In this episode of The League of Extraordinary Divers I chat with legendary diving industry professional Bret Gilliam.

Todays guest has done just about everything in diving.

Bret Gilliam has been professionally involved in the diving industry since 1971, a career now spanning over 50 years. Since beginning diving in 1959, he has logged over 19,000 dives around the world. His background includes scientific expeditions, military/commercial projects, operating hyperbaric diving treatment facilities, liveaboard dive vessels and luxury yachts, retail dive store & Caribbean resort operation and ownership, as well as filming projects for movies, television series, and documentaries. He was founder and President of six multi-national diving companies including V. I. Divers Ltd., AMF Yacht Charters, Ocean Quest Cruise Line, TDI/SDI, UWATEC, DiveSafe Insurance, and four diving magazines. He is President of the consulting corporation, OCEAN TECH, since founding that company in 1971.

• Meeting Ernest Hemingway
• Worked bring fish to aquariums at 11 years of age
• Navy diving
• Filming The Deep
• Onboard The Calypso
• Creating a diving cruise line
• Starting IANTD
• Starting TDI
• Diving with Lauren Hutton
• Diving Pioneers and Innovators
• Deep Diving Revised
• Mixed Gas Diving Book

Special thanks to our episode sponsor Aggressor Adventures

Thank you for joining me again. Do you want to give a shout out to our guest on this podcast? Leave a note in the comments section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.

Please leave an honest review for The League of Extraordinary Divers podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! And, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.

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In this episode of The League of Extraordinary Divers I chat with legendary underwater photographer and technical diving instructor Becky Kagan Schott.

Today we interview another young gun legend in the diving industry. And that is Underwater Director of Photography, Photographer and Technical Diving Instructor Becky Kagan Schott.

Becky is a 5-time Emmy award winning underwater cameraman and photographer who’s work appears on major networks including National Geographic, Discovery Channel and Red Bull. She specializes in capturing images in extreme underwater environments including caves, under ice and deep shipwrecks. Her projects have taken her all over the world from the Arctic to Antarctic and many exciting locations in between. She’s filmed new wrecks, discoveries to cave exploration and even diving cage-less with great white sharks.

She’s earned a reputation for being able to bring back quality imagery from harsh conditions. Her biggest passion is shooting haunting images of deep shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. She combines her artistic style with powerful stories of tragedy, mystery and survival to ignite the viewers imagination. She’s constantly pushing the limits of technology and trying new creative techniques to capture the beauty of the underwater world.

She’s a frequent contributor to several Dive Magazines and her photography has been used in books, museums, and advertising. Becky has been actively diving for 26 years and technical diving for 22 of them. She has been an Instructor for 2 decades and is currently an active TDI Mixed Gas CCR Instructor.

Becky leads expeditions all over the world to capture unique images that inspire others to explore our planet!

• Try Scuba at 12
• Great Lakes at 13
• Cavern Diver at 14
• Instructor at 18
• Florida Aquarium
• Isle Royale National Park
• Andy Torbet
• Wheat Wreck
• Diving glaciers
• Abaco’s Crystal Caves
• Liquid Productions
• MEG Diver

Special thanks to our episode sponsor Aggressor Adventures

Thank you for joining me again. Do you want to give a shout out to our guest on this podcast? Leave a note in the comments section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.

Please leave an honest review for The League of Extraordinary Divers podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! And, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.

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In this episode of The League of Extraordinary Divers I chat with legendary diving educator Tom Leaird.

Well, today’s guest has been in my professional and personal life for 25 years. And today I’m delighted to introduce him to you. Why do I say introduce him to you? Well, because he’s one of the most humble and unassuming dive professionals in our industry, one who has done amazing things, and I’m proud to call him a mentor of mine. Well, this is Tom Leaird.

Tom Leaird had an occupation in photography with Prestige Portraits and Lifetouch from 1957 to 1988, 31 years in professional photography. Then in the US Army 1961 through 1964, he was a photo lab specialist. And then came diving. He has been a certified diver with the YMCA Scuba program since 1961.

He also became a YMCA Scuba instructor in June of 1969. He is charter president of Delaware. Dive scuba club did that in 1968 and continues to sponsor it today. He is the owner of Leaird’s Underwater Service in Muncie, Indiana. And that has been around since 1971. He was also the YMCA Scuba regional commissioner, which is also known as field coordinator from 1974 to 1986. He was a member of the YMCA Scuba advisory committee from 1980. And he was chair of the advisory committee from 1999 to 2003. Tom is also director of education and standards for Scuba Educators International. That was started after the YMCA of the USA retired its program. Tom continued that through SEI, Tom is also the CEO of PDIC international, which was purchased in 2010. Tom is also on the board of directors of the WRSTC.

That’s the World Recreational Scuba Training Council from 1996 to present and he’s been president. And he’s also member of the board of directors of DEMA, the Diving Equipment Market Association. And that’s from 2011 to present, he’s a member of the board of directors of the Muncie family YMCA, treasurer of the Muncie family YMCA, and has served as interim president C E O of Muncie Family YMCA Associations – six branches with over 125 employees. Tom has authored several books and manuals, including many of them for the YMCA the YMCA slam manual that scuba life saving and management also Institute director, manual leadership, preparation, manual crossover preparation, manual standards and procedures manual the YMCA Scuba sport diving tables, search and recovery manual. Let’s go ice diving Divemaster assistant instructor, manual diving fundamentals for leadership, and this thing called scuba diving comfort, advanced diver instructor guide learn scuba diving and learn advanced scuba diving.

He has also won the Bernard E. Empleton award for service to the YMCA of the USA. Tom has held YMCA Scuba leadership institutes at Ball State University, Oregon, Hawaii, Texas, Florida, Connecticut, Missouri, Germany, and Greece. As of December, 2021, Tom has completed over 3,750 dives that include 2000 hours underwater. And as of 2016, Tom’s local instructor group is working on class 1100. This has included over 5,000 certified student divers at the basic and advanced levels. Tom is CEO and president of Phillips Outdoor Center purchased April 1st, 2010 as a nonprofit environmental education center. That includes scuba diving scouting, public safety, and other water training. His son, Dan Leaird is a PhD in research scientist at Eglan Air Force base, and also has four grandchildren. His daughter Tamara is the store manager at Underwater Service and his wife, Bobbi, he’s been married to since 1963.

• Early YMCA – no swimsuits allowed!
• Inspired by Sea Hunt – Zale Parry
• First YMCA Scuba Instructor course
• Volunteering for YMCA Scuba Program
• Writing training and standards manuals
• YMCA Scuba becomes Scuba Educators International
• Acquiring PDIC
• Favorite diving destinations
• The dark side of public safety diving
• Diving a Mark V diving helmet
• Tips for divers
• Leaird’s Underwater Service

Special thanks to our episode sponsor Aggressor Adventures

Thank you for joining me again. Do you want to give a shout out to our guest on this podcast? Leave a note in the comments section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.

Please leave an honest review for The League of Extraordinary Divers podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! And, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.

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In this episode of The League of Extraordinary Divers I chat with legendary scientific diver and underwater researcher Michael Lang.

Hey everybody welcome to another episode of the League of Extraordinary Divers. It’s so great to have you here with me today.

Today special guest is an absolute icon in not only the scientific community but in the diving industry as well.

Michael A. Lang, Ph.D., is an environmental physiologist, marine biologist, author, and international lecturer with experience as a scientific, recreational (NAUI 5879) and commercial diver trainer.

Michael’s long-term interests in marine science, hyperbaric medicine and diving physiology allowed him to serve as Senior Vice President of OxyHeal Health Group, Senior Research Fellow at The Ocean Foundation, and currently as Co-Director of the San Diego Center of Excellence in Diving and Research Faculty in the UC San Diego Emergency Medicine Department.

Lang served as director for nonprofit organizations, including the American Academy of Underwater Sciences, Divers Alert Network, the Academy of Underwater Arts & Sciences/NOGI, chaired Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society committees, and advised as expert consultant the National Science Foundation, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Geological Survey, The Nature Conservancy, and Conservation International.

Former service as Marine Collector/Curator at San Diego State University, Director of the Smithsonian Marine Science Network, Smithsonian Scientific Diving Officer, and National Science Foundation Polar Diving Safety Officer, Lang holds a B.Sc. in Marine Biology from San Diego State University, and a Doctor Philosophiae in Environmental Physiology from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology School of Medicine in Trondheim.

He is fluent in five languages, has published over 60 scientific papers, popular articles and presented 350 seminars/papers on current marine science and diving safety topics. Lang is the chair and chief editor of 24 international, interdisciplinary symposia and workshop proceedings. His research concerns marine science with special reference to the development and use of new technologies for working safely under water in extreme and remote environments.

Dr. Lang’s 2013 Smithsonian book is titled “Research and Discoveries: The Revolution of Science through Scuba.” His honors include DAN/Rolex Diver of the Year, U.S. Antarctica Service Medal, NAUI Outstanding Instructor Award, Smithsonian Special Act Award, UHMS Excellence in Diving Medicine Award, AAUS Conrad Limbaugh Scientific Diving Leadership Award, DEMA Reaching Out Award, and the AUAS NOGI Award for Science.

• Certified to dive in 1978
• Early AAUS
• First diving computer workshop
• First ascent rate workshop
• First repetitive diving workshop
• First Nitrox diving symposium
• Polar diving
• Science diving programs
• Reverse diving profiles workshop
• Smithsonian diving safety officer
• Breatholding workshop
• Antarctic diving McMurdo Station
• A missing dive boat at Clipperton Atol
• Tip for divers

Special thanks to our episode sponsor Aggressor Adventures

Thank you for joining me again. Do you want to give a shout out to our guest on this podcast? Leave a note in the comments section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.

Please leave an honest review for The League of Extraordinary Divers podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! And, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.

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In this episode of The League of Extraordinary Divers I chat with legendary underwater creatives Cathryn Castle Garcia and Capt. Gui Garcia.

Hey everybody welcome to another episode of the League of Extraordinary Divers. It’s so great to have you here with me today.

There is a duo in our industry who has impacted the arts, and the creative side of our underwater world, through photo, video, art and writing.

Cathryn Castle Garcia and Gui Garcia are veteran scuba instructors and owners of C2G2 Productions, a multimedia company specializing in underwater and wildlife 8k film production, photography, editing and publishing.

Cathryn has served as a magazine editor for more than 20 years and edits/publishes books for indie authors. She recently launched DeeplyDesigns.com, an apparel and accessory company that creates designs for ocean lovers, scuba divers and mermaids.

Gui is an award-winning filmmaker and photographer and is also a US Coast Guard-licensed master mariner with decades of experience as a superyacht captain. He and Cathryn serve as crew on expedition yachts.

The couple also leads adventure tours and photo expeditions to remote dive destinations worldwide. Their first book, Ocean Metaphor: Unexpected Life Lessons from the Sea is available in select retail outlets and on Amazon.com.

• Published marine science author at 16
• Archeology diving on a pepper wreck
• Looking into the eye of a baby whale
• You have a baby octopus stuck where?
• Diving lava tubes
• Favorite diving destinations
• DeeplyDesigns.com
• C2G2Productions.com

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualified purchases

Special thanks to our episode sponsor Aggressor Adventures

Thank you for joining me again. Do you want to give a shout out to our guest on this podcast? Leave a note in the comments section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.

Please leave an honest review for The League of Extraordinary Divers podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! And, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.

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In this episode of The League of Extraordinary Divers I chat with kids and family diving legend Margo Peyton.

Hey everybody welcome to another episode of the League of Extraordinary Divers. It’s so great to have you here with me today.

If you’re a parent or grandparent and you’re a diver, today’s guest is really gonna inspire you in how to dive as a family.

A pioneer in the family dive training and travel market Margo Peyton is a leader in this field. As the owner and founder of Family Dive Adventures & Kids Sea Camp and (501c) Ocean Wishes, Peyton’s efforts to connect and educate families through diving around the world has done much to help grow the diving industry.

Since its inception in 2000, Kids Sea Camp is responsible for more than 7,000 youth diver certifications including some high functioning special needs adults and children. With 24 weeks a year, spanning 13 countries, it’s common to have 3 generations of divers on any given week. Her mission is to help families to disconnect from their virtual worlds and reconnect with each other through diving and travel.

Margo is a member of the Women Diver Hall of Fame, and the Family Travel Association’s (FTA) board of advisors and was initially the sole representative for the diving industry. She is also a PADI Amasadiver and member of the PADI Youth Advisory Committee. She is recognized as an industry authority on youth diver education.

Nearly every industry dive publication seeks Peyton’s expertise for family travel and youth-related articles, including DAN, Sport Diver, Diver UK, Scuba Diving, Dive News Group, Undersea Journal, Diver and Dive Training. Margo has also won 2019 Beneath The Sea Diver of the year, 2018 DEMA Reaching Out Award, two very prestigious awards in the diving industry.

Peyton also works to make a difference by providing scholarships, training grants, and internships for the next generation of divers. She financially contributes to and sponsors a variety of conservation programs that address issues like marine habitat conservation and shark protection. Peyton inspires people of all ages and has been instrumental in growing the dive industry by inspiring younger generations and their families.

• Growing up with a father fisherman
• Single mom raising two divers
• A lesson learned about feeding marine life
• Getting over fears
• Favorite dive destinations
• FamilyDivers.com

Special thanks to our episode sponsor Aggressor Adventures

Thank you for joining me again. Do you want to give a shout out to our guest on this podcast? Leave a note in the comments section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.

Please leave an honest review for The League of Extraordinary Divers podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! And, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.

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In this episode of The League of Extraordinary Divers I chat with technical diving legend Paul Toomer.

Hey everybody welcome to another episode of the League of Extraordinary Divers. It’s so great to have you here with me today.

Today’s guest is one of the most stand out, iconic figures in our industry. Paul Toomer looks more like a rockstar than an accomplished technical diving instructor trainer. His wit and his fun-loving nature are balanced by his dedication to his craft.

Paul is the President of training agency RAID, he is a working instructor trainer and expedition diver.

After living in South Africa for 23 years it’s odd that Paul discovered diving in the cold waters of Southern England. It is this kind of behavior that defines Paul and his passion for doing things differently. Within months of learning to dive he had his own center in London and rapidly progressed to Course Director before finding his passion for technical diving in 2002. Paul is an avid wreck, cave, sidemount and rebreather diver.

In 2002 Paul began pursuing his technical diving interests and rebreather diving became his main focus.

In 2007, he decided to concentrate purely on technical diver training and expeditions, and Diving Matrix Tec Lab was born. Tec Lab was innovative in its design and philosophy and set the benchmark for advanced diver training. In 2011 Paul was offered the position as Director of Technical Training for SSI (Scuba Schools International) and was responsible for writing diver and instructor manuals and training standards as well as training future technical instructors and trainers.

In 2014 Paul became a co-owner of RAID International. Initially he held the position of Training Director but in 2019 he accepted the position as President for the company.

Paul has dived wrecks and caves all over the world and also safely planned and executed many deep ocean wreck dives.

He has participated in multiple expeditions including the HMS Hampshire, Vanguard and Royal Oak in Scapa Flow. In Malta and Italy, he has worked on ancient Italian and Phoenician amphora wrecks and has participated in exploratory dives on the Polish destroyer L-72, the British submarine HMS Olympus, an American WWII B-24 bomber, and many others.

Paul regularly contributes to various dive magazines including Submerged, Diver, Sport Diver and Tanked Up. He has worked with Film and TV Companies as a diver, supplier and advisor. He has given many diving related presentations at training agency member events, OZTek, DEMA, TekDive USA, BalticTech, ADEX, EuroTek, TekCamp, the British Scuba Industry Trade Association, the London International Dive Show and global dealer Seminars.

A little boy called Sebastian, motorcycles, tattoos and playing drums are the other major influences in Paul’s life.

• BSAC dive training
• From terrified of marine animals to dive pro
• Opened a dive shop the week he became a scuba instructor
• Worst PADI Course Director application in history
• Working for SSI
• Working for RAID
• Getting through COVID
• The DEMA hotel bar
• Sardine run excitement
• Flooded rebreather loop at 110 meters
• Panic diver at 100 meters
• Pee valve practical joke

Special thanks to our episode sponsor Aggressor Adventures

Thank you for joining me again. Do you want to give a shout out to our guest on this podcast? Leave a note in the comments section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.

Please leave an honest review for The League of Extraordinary Divers podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! And, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.

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