SS United States: DEMA Presentation by Alex Fogg
PDR 3.0: POD DIVER RADIO
Episode 234 of PDR 3.0: POD DIVER RADIO, host Joe Cocozza takes you to the show floor at DEMA in Orlando for a live presentation by Alex Fogg, Chief of the Okaloosa County Natural Resources team. Alex walks us through how Destin–Fort Walton Beach, Florida has turned decommissioned vessels into a world-class artificial reef program—and why their newest project, sinking the legendary SS United States, is about to create the largest artificial reef in the world. You’ll hear the full story arc of the SS United States: from record-breaking transatlantic ocean liner, to asbestos-ridden...
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20 Years of POD DIVER RADIO & the NEW PDR 3.0
PDR 3.0: POD DIVER RADIO
**Launching POD DIVER RADIO 3.0: The Infocast in 2025** I’m thrilled to announce the relaunch of POD DIVER RADIO in 2025! PDR 3.0 will be a fresh take on the podcast, exploring not only scuba diving but also military history, firearms, combat sports, space exploration, current events, and politics. I started POD DIVER RADIO in 2005, inspired by stories from veteran New Jersey and New York shipwreck divers while aboard the dive boat *Sea Lion*. It began as a way to preserve these incredible narratives as an oral history of our sport. Initially modeled after public service radio shows,...
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The Battle of Midway: PBY Aviator Interviews
PDR 3.0: POD DIVER RADIO
The Battle of Midway: PBY Aviator Interviews Interviews were conducted with LtCmdr Lee McLeary USNR and LtCmdr Bill Cullen USNR, who served as pilot-navigators onboard PBYs Flying Boats during the Battle of Midway. These interviews took place in 1999 on Midway Island, during a reunion of Battle of Midway veterans. Ensign Lee McLeary, who was 21 at the time, shared the harrowing experience of his PBY being shot down, resulting in the loss of five crew members. After the crash, Lee and four other crew members survived for 2.5 days in a life raft before being rescued by the PBY navigated by...
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PDR 3.0: POD DIVER RADIO
BATTLE OF MIDWAY: June 4, 1942. The Battle of Midway was the seminal naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II. It was a battle between US Navy and Japanese Aircraft Carriers for control on the Midway Atoll 1100 miles west of Hawaii. In June of 1999, I was on the island for a reunion of battle veterans. I got to interview Cmdr Dick Best. Cmdr Best was a Dive Bomber pilot who sank two of the Japanese Aircraft Carriers.
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“Primer in Diving Physiology”
PDR 3.0: POD DIVER RADIO
“Primer in Diving Physiology” <Historical> Presented by: Capt. Marie Knafele USN MD ~ PhD NEDU Chief Medical Officer NAUI TECHNICAL DIVING CONFERENCE 2000 Army Special Forces Underwater Operations School, Key West, Florida, US November 01, 2000 Capt Knafele "Discusses oxygen toxicity, CO2 buildup, and technical diving." See the video at
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PDR 3.0: POD DIVER RADIO
The RMS Republic: The Billion dollar Shipwreck of GOLD The Backstory: The RMS Republic was a White Star Line steam-powered ocean liner built in 1903. In early morning of 23 January 1909, while sailing from New York City to Gibraltar, the Republic was in a collision with SS Florida in 1909 in which she sank in 270 feet of water aprox 70 miles off of Martha's Vineyard. At the time there where multiple reports that she was carrying gold and mixed coin worth $250,000 (in 1909 dollars) to be used as payroll for the US Navy's Great White Fleet. In addition to the US Navy coin-monies shipment,...
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PDR 3.0: POD DIVER RADIO
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PDR 3.0: POD DIVER RADIO
Technical Free-diving and shooting underwater scene for AVITAR 2. Interview with Kirk Krack of Performance Free-diving. Kirk discusses the procedure, techniques, physics and physiology of technical free diving. Kirk also discusses how he used technical free to train actors for the underwater sequences in the new AVITAR Feature Film Download past Free-diving episodes with Kirk Krack here: 1.We go "in-depth" and discuss the philology, history and mindset to succeed in the sport of Free-diving 2.Intro to Free-diving with Kirk Krack
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PDR 3.0: POD DIVER RADIO
Sep 11th 20th Anniversary Episode. Joe and Arielle talk about their recollections from the events of that day. We would like all listeners to share their stories as well. Leave comments, send us an email or an audio file.
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Human Factors in Diving: "Reducing Error Producing Conditions."
PDR 3.0: POD DIVER RADIO
Human Factors in Diving: Part 3 "Reducing Error Producing Conditions." We wrap up our Human Factors discussion with Gareth Lock. We discuss error producing conditions, network influence mapping and how to improve learning from incidents. We also preview the upcoming Human Factors in Diving Conference. In Sept 2021 there will be the online Human Factors in Diving Conference. For more info and how to attend goto:
info_outlineEpisode 234 of PDR 3.0: POD DIVER RADIO, host Joe Cocozza takes you to the show floor at DEMA in Orlando for a live presentation by Alex Fogg, Chief of the Okaloosa County Natural Resources team. Alex walks us through how Destin–Fort Walton Beach, Florida has turned decommissioned vessels into a world-class artificial reef program—and why their newest project, sinking the legendary SS United States, is about to create the largest artificial reef in the world.
You’ll hear the full story arc of the SS United States: from record-breaking transatlantic ocean liner, to asbestos-ridden “ghost ship” tied up in Philadelphia, to a carefully remediated, 1,000-foot artificial reef planned for ~180 feet of water in the Florida Panhandle. Alex breaks down the environmental cleanup, Coast Guard and EPA approvals, and $10.1M project budget, plus the nerve-wracking tow under the Walt Whitman Bridge and the final site selection about 21 miles offshore of Destin–Fort Walton Beach.
Along the way, you’ll also learn how Okaloosa County has worked with the U.S. military, ship owners, and mapping experts to create reef sites like the Mark Countess and Spirit of Norfolk, pioneered 3D photogrammetry for dive planning, and laid the groundwork for long-term research and dive safety on the SS United States—including partnerships with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, LSU, and efforts to improve hyperbaric chamber access for Gulf divers.
In this episode you’ll hear about:
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How Destin–Fort Walton Beach built a modern artificial reef program using retired vessels and military “target” ships
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The history, specs, and Cold War role of the SS United States and why she still holds the transatlantic speed record
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The remediation checklist: fuel tanks, PCBs, wiring, and why prior work in Turkey/Ukraine saved millions of dollars
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Stability tests, hull inspections, bitts analysis, and the Coast Guard’s “Captain of the Port” requirements before the tow
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How the team chose the final deployment site on clean sand, away from natural reefs and live military test ranges
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Plans for a land-based museum using the funnels, radar mast, and recovered artifacts—and “pop-up” SS United States exhibits around the region
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Long-term monitoring of the wreck, fish tagging, and what this project means for dive tourism and local economics
If you’re a wreck diver, tech diver, Florida Panhandle regular, or just a maritime history nerd, this episode is a deep dive into what it really takes to turn a legendary ship into a safe, exciting dive site.
inks & Resources (add to your Libsyn show notes)
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Pod Diver Radio – home & archives: https://www.poddiver.org/
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PDR 3.0 on Libsyn: https://poddiver.libsyn.com/
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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pdr-3-0-pod-diver-radio/id270165444
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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2k8DNUwVPwinXUzODaMASe
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Pod Diver TV (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@poddiver
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Pod Diver Lodge – Cave-country Airbnb for divers: https://www.poddiverlodge.com/