UTD Scuba Diving Podcast

Send us a textJeff and Ben take on four obscure questions in technical scuba diving:Why nitrox 50 from 160ft/48m but oxygen from 130ft/39m?Why are all the deco and stage cylinders on the left?Why do we only carry one bottom timer?Why do we use SPG's, not electronic transmitters?This, plus dozens of tangents and shiny objects. Although the topics are founded in technical diving, they are appropriate to diving at every level, so regardless of your training or experience, there should be something for everyone here. 

Send us a textWell, maybe this isn't the most obscure question in scuba diving; actually, it might be one of the most common, and misconceptions run rampant. But we continue to hear about skip breathing so, here it is: Jeff and Ben on countless reasons why skip breathing is both a bad idea and a physiological non-starter. Plus, a look at why we train for multiple failures but only plan for one, a look back at Scubatics, and much more.If you have obscure questions about scuba diving (or not obscure questions that might have obscure answers) please CLICK HERE to submit them.

Send us a textOkay...the one we've all been waiting for. A deep discussion about deep stops with one of the world's foremost authorities, Dr. Simon Mitchell. In this episode, part two of our talk with Simon, we look at the objective, subjective, historical, and random concepts of deep stops during decompression.

Send us a textIn this episode Jeff and Ben do a deep, deep deep deep dive into all things decompression with renowned technical diver Dr. Simon Mitchell. Breathing, gas density, CO2 issues, body temperature, and tons more in this first half of our talk with Dr. Mitchell. Stay tuned for the next episode where we take an equally in-depth look at deep stops.Watch the podcast on YouTube:PART 1, CLICK HEREPART 2, CLICK HEREPart 3, "Deep Stops," coming soon.

Send us a textA few months ago we did a podcast called Marginal Gains in Scuba Diving (episode 18). In that podcast we looked at the little, small things you can do that, when taken together, add up to bigger gains. For us, as scuba divers, the gains we are looking for include, reduced gas consumption, longer bottom times on the same amount of gas, etc.But we quickly discovered, after that podcast, that the marginal gains did not add up to much. So we pivoted, and now Ben and I take a look at "major gains." What are the big things you can do to reduce gas consumption and increase dive time?Listen, then please let us know what you do to accomplish major gains on your dives.JeffContact Us Here

Send us a textFor decades the second step in most people's scuba training is the advanced class. But is that the best training path? In this episode Jeff and Ben look at the reasons the advanced class exists, both from a marketing and a diving standpoint. We talk about a course progression that includes the advanced class, but also some other options.Primarily, we look at the benefits of slowing down training so you not only get the most out of it, but also retain the most information and new skills. This is a candid discussion about "advanced" training – yours and ours.Have thoughts or comments? Please let us know, and be sure to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.  Click here to contact Jeff and Ben.

Send us a textDid we mention fun? In this episode Jeff and Ben are joined by UTD instructor Kim Cardenas as we take a deep dive into everything scooters – some of the history with UTD including Scubatics (underwater acrobatic competition) and Monkey Bash (one of the craziest games you can play underwater), along with the pros, the cons, the costs, and more.Here are links to some of the resources we mention during the podcast:SCUBATICS Promo Video (1:20)Sample Diagrams from Scubatics Handbook (turns)Jeff and Kim Monkey Diving the Catalina Kelp Beds (2:00)Kim's crazy Russian Monkey Diving c-cardFor More Info About Any of This, Contact Us Here

Send us a textJeff and Ben are joined by UTD instructor James Mott. James was one of the original 10 UTD instructors and has The Great Dive Podcast, one of the greatest dive podcasts out there. In this episode we explore the process of training, the idea of mastery in scuba diving and mastery in life, and take a close look at how we learn. Please join us for this exploration and let us know your thoughts. Contact us by clicking here.You can also check out our YouTube channel by clicking here.

Send us a textSometimes it's the simplest things that can be the most interesting. As we head toward winter and  water temperatures decrease, the thickness of dry suit undergarments tends to increase. In this episode Jeff and Ben look at all aspects of why dry suits keep you warm, how to choose proper undergarments, and how these suites actually work to insulate you from the cold water.Also, click here to check out our YouTube channel where Ben just released a video on how to choose proper undergarments.Have questions? Click here to contact us.

Send us a textWe talk failures, computers, checklists, and much more. This time we have a special guest, Gareth Lock from the www.thehumandiver.com about human factors in diving and what we can do to make our dives better and safer.