It's great to bring you Episode 108 of Speaking Sidemount, the podcast dedicated to sidemount diving and cave diving—huge thanks to our show sponsor, XDEEP.

In this episode, I interview Nick DeRutter, a Tech Instructor Trainer and the creator of the Dive Saga YouTube channel. We discuss Nick's diving journey, the ethos behind Dive Saga, and the exciting Bottom Line Projects Boh Yai Mine exploration, which is featured in an epic four-part series on Dive Saga.

The conversation delves into technical diving, storytelling in underwater filmmaking, production quality, and the challenges of monetising dive content. Nick shares insights on the importance of collaboration with experienced divers and the future aspirations for Dive Saga, emphasising the need for continuous learning and growth in the diving industry.

Enjoy :) Steve

Image credit and thanks: Carolina Wells @divewells

Thanks to Nick DeRutter @DiveSAGA

and our sponsor XDEEP https://www.xdeep.eu/

Sidemount Fundamentals eBook - https://www.sidemountpros.com/store/sidemount-fundamentals-ebook

Hey, great to bring you Episode 107 with Stratis Kas and Lionel Wolowitz. Huge thanks to XDEEP for sponsoring Speaking Sidemount.In this episode, I catch up with Stratis Kas and Lionel Wolovitz. You may remember Stratis has been on the show twice before to discuss his cave exploration in Greece and his book "Close Calls". The latter proved somewhat prophetic, as Stratis recently experienced an Arterial Gas Embolism (AGE) following a series of "deepish", long-duration dives in Mexico. The incident was life-threatening, and Stratis credits his dive buddies, Lionel and Ruben, along with the medical teams in Playa del Carmen, with saving his life.In my conversation with Stratis and Lionel, we discussed the trip, the dives leading up to the incident, and the incident itself. Stratis recounts his thought processes, the mistakes made, and then reflects on the incident. He then hands over to Lionel, who gives his account of the rescue, what they saw, how they cared for Stratis, and the terrifying transfer to the hospital and medical/chamber treatment.Stratis and Lionel are incredibly open about the mistakes they made and why they feel these happened. They share the lessons learned and how we all can take something from this incident.As a postscript, following the recording of this episode, Stratis went to DAN Europe for testing and discovered he has a Type 3 PFO that will require surgery before he can return to diving. The PFO was likely causal in the DCI incident; now, questions remain around the other factors and how they may have contributed to the incident. More to come...Enjoy SteveThanks to Stratis and LionelImage Credit - Joram MennesOur Show Sponsor XDEEP - https://www.xdeep.eu/Sidemount Fundamentals eBook - https://www.sidemountpros.com/storeLionel mentioned the RescuEAN Pod, which would have made a significant difference in their rescue efforts - more here: https://www.rescuean.com/

In this episode of Speaking Sidemount, produced with the support of XDEEP, Steve interviews Maria Bollerup. Maria is one of the world's most passionate divers and explorers. Along with her dive partner Rannva Joermundsson, Maria heads Nixie Expeditions, an explorer group focused on combining dive exploration with conservation, science, and education.Steve and Maria discuss Maria's journey into diving, and her experiences with various expeditions, including the all-female Expedition Xunaan with Robbie Schmittner. They discuss the learnings from Xunaan Ha and how this was the genesis of the ambitious Expedition Buteng in Indonesia.This episode focuses on Expedition Buteng, how it was conceived, the planning and work that brought the expedition together, and the absolute"dream team" Maria and Rannva assembled. The conversation highlights the importance of mentorship, teamwork, community engagement, and the role of science in diving. Maria shares insights on the challenges of planning and executing large-scale expeditions, the significance of conservation efforts, and the need to inspire future generations of divers.Enjoy, Steve