DIVE TALK
Woody Alpern and Gus Gonzalez host a podcast dedicated to scuba diving, with a focus on cave exploration. Woody brings decades of experience as an instructor trainer with over 7,500 dives, while Gus shares his journey from beginner to cave diver. They discuss diving techniques, gear, and underwater adventures.
Episodes
Episode 35: The Jeremy Wade Reaction Debrief
A few weeks ago we filmed a reaction to a video of Jeremy Wade facing some challenges during a night dive on a rebreather where he was trying to film extremely rare Oarfish. The original episode can be found HERE.
Episode 34: An Update on our Cave DPV Certification
The Cave DPV Certification is one of the toughest technical diving certifications to attain! Those of you who have followed our podcast/ YouTube channel for a while are probably aware that we tried to achieve this certification earlier in 2021 and it was a total disaster. We discussed this on great detail the last episode of this podcast. Today we give you all an update on our progress and share o
Episode 33: Complete DISASTER during our Cave DPV Class
A few months ago Woody and Gus bought some amazing DPVs (Diver Propulsion Vehicles) with the intent of using them when diving the Florida caves which in most cases are springs and a bit of a workout to swim against. So the guys showed up to class, with minimal practice, a leaky dry suit, and new dive gear configurations, what can possible go wrong? Well, apparently, everything!
Episode 32: Diving in 'Cave Country'
Central Florida is the home of 'Cave Country' and since we live only 4-5 hours away we get to cave dive there often, but we have many friends who live in Cave Country and dive their caves constantly, almost daily in some cases. We were wondering why we and thousands of other people continue to dive the same sites over and over, and also, how come 'Cave Country' attracts so many non-cave divers? We
Episode 31: How do you know if you are a good diver?
This episode was recorded on video too! If you are interested in seeing our pretty faces and hand signals you should head to our YouTube channel and check it out! Today we talk about the main pillars of scuba diving and what can you do to conduct a self-assessment of your skills as a diver and determine whether you are a good diver and/or what areas you need to work on in order to take your skills
Episode 30: DIVER'S CEMETERY
In this episode we discuss "Diver's Cemetery" which is located in Dahab, Egypt. We discuss why it is so dangerous, why should some people stay away from the site, and why we would absolutely love to dive it!
Episode 29: DIVING COLD
We had the wonderful idea to go diving in the Gulf of Mexico, in February, on wet suits. The water temperature was 63 degrees (17 celsius) and lets just say we had some problems... We learned our lesson and wanted to share with you what happened and how you can avoid running into some of these issues.
Episode 28: DEEP DIVING
It is no secret that we are addicted to diving. And just like many divers out there we are members of Facebook groups and forums where diving is discussed 24/7. Occasionally you see questions from people asking about the limits of diving on air. We see things like "Has anybody gone past 130 ft/40 m on air? There are some wrecks I want to see but they are below those limits so I wonder what would h
Episode 27: SEPARATED DIVER
On this episode we talk about our plans over the next couple of weeks, exciting news about DPVs and lights, a failed rebreather experiment, and we cover a story detailing what happens when a diver surfaces and is separated from his boat. We also talk about the gear we use to mitigate this risk.
Episode 26: CAVE DIVING
For our One Year Anniversary episode we wanted to talk about something we are super passionate about, Cave Diving! We spent a week in Cozumel with an amazing group of divers from the KISS Rebreathers Tech Diving Team, so we invited 3 world-class Cave Divers to join us on this episode. We discuss what's the path to become a cave diver, cave diving unbreakable rules, what happened to most people who
Episode 25: New Year's underwater plus interesting articles from 2020
Here's what we've been up to over the last two weeks, pus our plans for New Year's and we review some of our favorite articles from 2020.
Episode 24: The Dive Talk Diving Challenge
Nowadays you can achieve the rank of Master Diver - or perhaps even Instructor - without ever diving in the Ocean, or at night, or deep! So we decided to come up with a challenge for divers out there...and those who can complete it will join a very exclusive club.
Episode 23: HIGHLY POLARIZING TOPICS
Today we talk about twenty polarizing dive related topics you probably have heard of on dive boats, dive forums, and online dive groups. Tune in to hear us discuss many topics that have turned many dive buddies into enemies! Special Guest: Doug Ebersole!
Episode 22: So you want to dive REBREATHERS?
It is no secret that we are HUGE FANS of our rebreathers, and a lot of of you have asked us to do an episode about rebreathers. We wanted to answer the most common questions like: How much are they? Which one should I buy? How do they work? What can I do with them that I can't do in Open Circuit? In order to share as much expertise and knowledge as possible on this episode we invited Georgia Hau
Episode 21: So you want to be a Tec Diver?
We were underwater A LOT over the last month, so we wanted to give you an update on what we've been up to, plus talk about "Technical Diving" and how can people make a transition from Recreational Diving. If you've ever been curious about what it would take to be able to dive beyond Recreational limits (I.E. Deeper, Longer, Caves, etc.), this episode is for you!
Episode 20: TWENTY SCUBA MYTHS
Scuba diving is SUPER EXPENSIVE! Cave diving is SUICIDAL! You CAN'T mix and match gear from different manufacturers! It's WAY CHEAPER to buy online vs. a local dive shop! Which ones of these are truths and which ones are myths? Tune in to find out!
Episode 19: Woody's back! Let's talk about specialties
Woody's is finally out of the water and he's back on the show talking about Dive Specialties. We discuss the ones we find super useful or even critical, and the ones that we don't find as critical.
Episode 18: Here's what happened during my Instructor Evaluation
This past weekend I attended my Instructor Evaluation. This is a two-day test where you have to prove you have what it takes to be a certified Open Water Instructor. I didn't attend the IE alone, there were two of us being evaluated, so I invited Megan Beazly to join me in sharing how our IE weekend unfolded. We ended up talking about our dive careers, why we decided to become instructors, and whi
Episode 17: Woody is Super Busy plus Must-Have Tools for a Safe Dive
Woody has been diving a LOT lately, so I took the opportunity to give you an update on what we've been up to, plus we review the Must-Have Tools for a Safe Dive according to Scuba Diving Magazine. Do you agree with this list? Article: https://www.scubadiving.com/keywords/scuba-diving-safety/26-must-have-tools-safe-dive
Episode 16: Diving in Pensacola plus embarrassing questions new divers are afraid to ask
This past weekend was a busy weekend for us, we were scheduled to go diving in North Carolina but a Tropical Storm cancelled all of our plans, so we were forced to improvise and gamble on a trip to Pensacola, FL instead. What could possibly happen when you just decide to bypass "planning and logistics" and just go with the flow? You'll have to listen to find out. We also answered 20 questions that
Episode 15: This is why we have been gone for a month
Two weeks ago there was no episode of DIVE TALK and we wanted to share the reason why we skipped an episode. We also took the opportunity to discuss and review the new dive computer from Shearwater, the Peregrine. https://www.shearwater.com/peregrine/
Episode 14: All about SCUBA GEAR
In this episode we tackle scuba gear. We discuss what is the minimum required gear to get scuba certified, the minimum recommended, and also differences between cheap and expensive gear. Gear is one of those things you have to deal with throughout your entire dive career so this episode is for everyone!
Episode 13: Georgia Aquarium Dive Safety and Operations
Although the Georgia Aquarium recently lost the title of World's Largest Aquarium, it still holds the largest exhibit in the world, the Ocean Voyager with 6.3 million gallons of water housing 4 amazing Whale Sharks, giant manta rays, and hundreds of other species. In addition to Ocean Voyager, other galleries in the aquarium such as Tropical Diver, Cold Water Quest, River Scout, and Dolphin tales
Episode 12: GOING PRO
In this episode we discuss all the ins and outs of "GOING PRO". Many divers decide to become a Divemaster or an Instructor and we wanted to dive into all the details behind requirements, best practices, and the personality and experience required to become a Dive Professional.
Episode 11: TOP 10 MEDICAL QUESTIONS ABOUT DIVING
If you are like me, you have questions about diving...questions that only a Doctor can answer. In this episode, world-class diver and Physician Doug Ebersole answers my Top 10 Medical Questions about diving!
Episode 10: SHARKS!!!
For this milestone episode we decided to talk about an amazing and absolute crucial piece of the marine ecosystem, SHARKS! We had the honor to interview William McKeever, a shark expert and author of Emperors of the Deep: Sharks-The Ocean's Most Mysterious, Most Misunderstood and Most Important Guardians. To learn more about Mr. McKeever, the book, or Sharks, visit: https://emperorsofthedeep.com/
Episode 9: Be THAT diver
Weeks ago, before the whole country started shutting down due to Coronavirus, we went on a quick trip down to Florida since Florida was reporting only a few cases at that point and everything was still working. On the last episode we talked about the things no one likes to see other divers do, this episode is the total opposite of that. This episode is all about all those things we love to see eve
Episode 8: Don't be THAT diver
Weeks ago, before the whole country started shutting down due to Coronavirus, we went on a quick trip down to Florida since Florida was reporting only a few cases at that point and everything was still working. During this trip we witnessed several things that are common with divers all around the world. And when you see those things you want to say "Hey man come on, don't be that guy".
Episode 7: Diving with Women
We started receiving suggestions via email and messages at DiveTalkMedia.com and we decided to tackle one of those suggestions on this episode. We are talking about women in Scuba diving, and we interview Terri Broome, who discusses her personal experiences and some of the challenges she has faced since she started diving.
Episode 6: Evolution of SCUBA Diving Training
In the world of SCUBA diving, gear has not been the only thing that has evolved over time. The way we teach people how to dive has also changed dramatically. In this episode we discuss the best approach to training, differences between teaching in confined water vs. open water, the role of the instructor inside and outside the class, and how inclusive can we be when it comes to people who want to
Episode 5: OUR SCUBA DIVING BUCKET LIST
In this episode, we put together our list of the Top 10 things in our SCUBA Diving Bucket List. What's on yours?
Episode 4: Where is the BEST place to go diving?
Scuba Diving Magazine published an extensive article detailing the best dive destinations, liveaboards, operators, and resorts as selected by 5,000+ divers. We go over these destinations and add our own insights and on-site experiences. Article: https://www.scubadiving.com/scuba-divings-2020-readers-choice-awards-rank-worlds-best-diving
Episode 3: Diving is NOT inherently safe...or is it? (Part 2)
This is Part 2 of our conversation regarding Scuba Diving Safety. In this episode we tackle an article from Scuba Diver Life detailing the Top 10 Rules for Safe Scuba Diving and we add our own best practices and thoughts along the way. Article: https://scubadiverlife.com/ten-rules-safe-scuba-diving/ Video mentioned during the episode: https://youtu.be/W30cufYc_ZI Please subscribe and leave a revie
Episode 2: Diving is NOT inherently safe...or is it? (Part 1)
This is part 1 of our conversation about Safety. There is a lot of content out there about safe diving and how to react in case of emergencies, but are those articles and even courses realistic? We share our thoughts on what we consider to be a safe diver in the real world, as well as some stories from real dive emergencies that sheds light into why it is so important to not be complacent and make
Episode 1: Let's talk about these Dive Agencies
For our inaugural episode, we discuss Dive Agencies, their role in our industry, and the things they do well and not so well. We will explore whether selecting a specific agency for training matters, certification reciprocity, digital training resources, and whether agencies should venture outside dive training into travel and SCUBA diving vacations. If you have any questions, suggestions, or comm
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