Scuba Goat

Today, we are thrilled to have a distinguished guest with us a man whose passion for diving spans over three decades and has led him to become one of the most skilled technical divers and instructors in the southern hemisphere. Google the name of Pete Mesley, and you'll find his namesake website, which contains his passion in life, two of which are the list first and shocking or big animal diving. And if that's not enough...

Ladies and gents, welcome to the Scuba GOAT podcast.  Last year at the OzTek dive show in Melbourne, I had the pleasure of meeting Nathalie Lasselin. Our introduction was brief, but it was enough to pique my interest in her inspiring story and make me realize that she needed to be featured on the show.  In this episode, join me as I chat with Nath and uncover her motivations for venturing into the uncharted waters of the Arctic, sp...

Welcome to the latest episode of Scuba GOAT! In this episode, we talk to Vanessa Torres Macho and Talia Greis, the founders of Liquid Lens, a project promoting and encouraging women in underwater photography. Vanessa is a 20+ year dive professional and the owner of Underwater Imaging Australia, while Talia is a scuba and photography enthusiast who started diving 7 years ago.

Vanessa and Talia share their love for the oceans and phot...

Are you intrigued by the complexities of underwater photography? Nicolas Remy (multi award-winning underwater photographer and founder of The Underwater Club) joins me in the studio to shed some light on this intricate art.

Nicolas and his wife Lena caught my attention initially with their stunning photos and furthermore because they dived on rebreathers. To me, rebreather diving to photograph marine life makes inherent sense, and I...

 Are you a fan of scuba diving or luxury watches? Well, Sean Clements certainly is, and a few years ago, he found a way to combine his passions and create a path for the future away from the corporate rat-race. Sean's vision led him to create SDC Watches, a dive watch brand that offers luxurious watches for everyday dive adventures.

What sets SDC Watches apart is their commitment to protecting the oceans. Sean recognized that t...

Don Silcock, Senior travel editor of Scuba Diver magazine, owner of Indo Pacific Images and my good mate joins me in the studio for a long overdue catch-up, a good yarn and a couple of beers. 

Join me as we discuss Don's travels and many other topics;

• travelling through India by motorcycle, 
• collecting photogrammetry images in Papua New Guinea with Sean Twomey, 
• South Australia - sharks and cuttlefish,
• Tasmania in sea...

Dan Johnson is the man in charge of MV Oceania, co-owner, and captain of this beautiful vessel, and joins me to kick off Season 4. MV Oceania is a liveaboard scuba diving vessel that operates out of Walindi Plantation, New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

Papua New Guinea, located in the Coral Triangle of the Asia Pacific region, is situated just south of the equator and 100 miles north of Australia. The country encompasses the eastern si...

Dan Johnson is the man in charge of MV Oceania, co-owner, and captain of this beautiful vessel, and joins me to kick off Season 4. MV Oceania is a liveaboard scuba diving vessel that operates out of Walindi Plantation, New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

Papua New Guinea, located in the Coral Triangle of the Asia Pacific region, is situated just south of the equator and 100 miles north of Australia. The country encompasses the eastern si...

Nusa Penida is a stunning island off the east coast of Bali– one look at the dazzling cliffs, hidden coves and secret beaches, and you’ll think you’ve stumbled into a spectacular island paradise.  Each time I visit I am blown away by the location, the people, and the diving.  This location benefits from several powerful currents that bring nutrient-rich waters, which support a vast array of marine biodiversity and reef growth. 

In m...

Josh Richards may not have decades of caving experience under his belt, however what he does have is a love for Wombats and the desire to act like one at times.  Joking aside, Josh's thirst for adventure started whilst diving as a kid with his father, continuing into a military career as a soldier and Royal Marine, a comedian, a science geek, and even as a candidate with a one way ticket to inhabit Mars!

Josh talks op...

Jolyon Collier is the founder of Counting Coral, a not-for-profit organisation bridging the gap between conservation, art, corporations, tourism and local interests.

As a highly successful businessman, Jolyon created his wealth in the construction industry.  Over the years his success has fed his appetite to be in the ocean, initially as a surfer, then videographer and diver, and now conservationist.  As a young man, Jolyon found hi...

Michael Menduno has been diving and reporting on technical diving since 1990 when he founded the AquaCORPS magazine and its sister publication Technical Diver. A reporter, technologist and member of the Board of Directors for the historical diver's society, Michael is the editor-in-chief of Global Underwater Explorers online magazine InDEPTH. He is also a contributing editor for Dan Europe's ALERT DIVER and X-ray magazine...

"Not all heroes wear capes." This is so true... they sometimes wear fins too!

Lyndi Leggett wears fins, and to many she is an absolute superhero.  A few years ago, sick of the corporate world Lyndi was trawling through social media and came across an article about David J Lawrence Sr and his son, Scuba Junior.  Following surgery, David Jr was rendered disabled, paralyzed from the neck down.  Today, albeit he is ...

Lady Elliot Island is a destination that epitomises eco-centric tourism.  It is a true reflection of the dedication, hard work, focus and drive afforded to her by so many people over the years, past and present, and none more so than the island's current custodian, Peter Gash.

I am elated to host Peter on the show and discuss not only his success in realising his dreams so far but also the island's successes.  Pe...

Nays Baghai is a young and impressive director with an exceptionally keen and creative eye.  His feature film debut, Descent, won the Best Australian Documentary award at the Oscar-qualifying Sydney Film Festival and has gone on to be available on Amazon Prime ANZ. Having been screened at numerous other film festivals such as, the International Film Festival, Hot Docs and Raindance, Nays’ is taking his directing skills forward as h...

Stephen Fordyce is sometimes described as a mad professor and I can't help thinking that there is some truth in that.  When it comes to listening to his explorations deep beneath the surface of the earth and then beneath the surface of the water therein.  Scuba diving is a relatively niche sport, and within it there are many more niche areas and I think Stephen has found the pinnacle of niche as a 'sump diver.'   Spe...

OZTek Advanced Diving Conference & OZDive Expo is a major international event that, since its inception in 1999, has done more to highlight the adventure and excitement inherent in diving than any other show. The show continues to play a key role in creating broad awareness of new techniques and technologies which transform and push back the boundaries of underwater knowledge.

Produced by divers for divers, both OZTek Conference...

Gareth Lock and Mike Mason return to the Scuba GOAT podcast for a catch up on the latest in human Factors in diving.  Recently Gareth invited me to complete the remote training package "Essentials of human factors in diving" followed by a 2-day face-to-face course held at Dive Centre Bondi. 

The course delves deeper into the meaning of Human Factors and how it relates to the dive industry and how it can be used ...

Dr Leonardo Guida, shark scientist and shark conservation lead at the Australian Marine Conservation Society joins us in this episode to talk through a variety of topics ranging from personal experiences swimming and diving with our apex predators to the conservation efforts currently in place throughout Australia and across the globe.

Leo is actively involved in many projects including the "Nets out now" call for shark ne...