Episode 193 Edward Askham Spencer Commercial Diver and Magician
The BiG Scuba Podcast
The BiG Scuba Duo, Gemma and Ian chat to Edward Askham Spencer. Edward has a spirit for competition and adventure that has drawn him across the world and back again. His fiancé would say he is married to the sea. Before Ed deployed to Afghanistan as a Paratrooper in 2008 he went to Andark his local dive shop on the south coast of England to do his Padi open water. This ignited a passion for the sea that saw him defending ships from pirates and then to become a professional air and saturation diver. He is a coded wet welder, inspection diver, experienced subsea Burner, DMT, Rigger,...
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Episode 192 Sophie Heptonstall BSAC Head of Diving and Training
The BiG Scuba Podcast
The BiG Scuba Duo, Gemma and Ian chat to Sophie Heptonstall. Sophie was introduced to diving by her dad, grandad and uncle who were diving in the UK. She did a PADI Discover Scuba abroad at twelve years old and then PADI Open Water Course at Stoney Cove. At university in Wales Sophie joined the university BSAC Club and continued her diver grade training and instructor training in the club with BSAC but completed other agency specialty courses with TDI and IANTD and worked as a PADI Divemaster in the UK at weekends for a few years. Sophie then had opportunities to dive abroad...
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Episode 191 Aniela Martin – Offshore Hydrographic Surveyor and Scuba Diver
The BiG Scuba Podcast
The BiG Scuba Duo, Gemma and Ian chat to Aniela Martin. Aniela Martin is a scuba diver and an offshore hydrographic surveyor, working as part of a large team out at sea mapping the seabed and collecting geological information. Aniela has a deep passion for the underwater world that began after her first ever scuba dive whilst on holiday as a teenager. Having just finished high school she wasn’t sure what career path to take but her first adventure into the underwater world sparked a passion and strong curiosity for all things in the sea. Aniela went on to study...
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Episode 190 Georgina Miller UK Freedive National Champion
The BiG Scuba Podcast
The BiG Scuba Duo, Gemma and Ian chat to Georgina Miller. Aquacity Freedivng is based at Porthkerris dive centre in Cornwall. It is run by UK freedive national champion Georgina Miller, who is an SSI FD instructor trainer and her husband Daan Verhoeven, a well-known freediving photographer. Facebook Instagram You tube ...
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Episode 189 Lundy Diving Dive Explore Swim An update on the 2024 season
The BiG Scuba Podcast
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Episode 188 “Scoobs” Scuba Shack
The BiG Scuba Podcast
In this episode join us at “Scoobs Scuba Shack” We are on location at Diverstme Scuba Diving centre based at Spring Lakes in the UK. We enjoy a dive at West Lake guided by John and Liam and then chat to Mark, John, Liam and Lou about all they offer at the Divers Time and what West Lake has to offer to all scuba divers. We thoroughly enjoyed our day with the team who are so friendly, full of positivity and smiles. For more information follow the links below and give them a follow and book in for a dive. Website...
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Episode 187 Maria Munn Award Winning Author & Underwater Photographer
The BiG Scuba Podcast
In this episode join us in conversation with Maria Munn. Maria is a multi-award winning underwater photographer, author, journalist and shark stalker, who fell in love with whale sharks and the ocean whilst in hospital on the end-of-life pathway, after being run over for the second time and left with 15 fractures and life-changing injuries. She launched the first ever underwater photography courses in 2005, ran PADI's first ever Digital Underwater Photography Course for beginners with Emperor Divers using compact cameras and over 20 of her guests have gone on to win prizes and become...
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Episode 186 Dr. Laura Walton Are you Fit To Dive
The BiG Scuba Podcast
In this episode join us in conversation with Dr. Laura Walton. Laura is a UK-based clinical psychologist, scuba diving instructor, and the founder of Fit To Dive, an organization dedicated to promoting mental, physical, and psychological fitness for divers. With a background in both psychology and diving, Laura specialises in helping divers manage and overcome challenges such as anxiety, trauma, and phobias related to diving. I am an EMDR UK Accredited Practitioner, and uses approaches like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)...
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Episode 185 BiG Review of our Farne Islands Diving Trip
The BiG Scuba Podcast
A slightly different episode. Ian, Gemma and Honey visited the Farne Islands for a 3 day diving trip in July 2024 and give a review of their experiences. The Farne Islands are in the North East of the UK and have numerous dive sites only a short distance from the mainland and the harbour and coastal town of Seahouses. Our trip was organised by our local dive centre, Christal Seas Scuba and Sovereign Diving looked after us over the weekend. We stayed at the best B&B we know called Malabar Here are links to the dive sites around the Farne Islands and...
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Episode 184 Sally Cartwright - Technical Diver and now Manager of Midlands Diving Chamber with a love for the longevity of the diving industry and a passion for UK diving
The BiG Scuba Podcast
In this episode join us in conversation with Sally Cartwright. Saly started diving 1993 after an injury on a mountaineering trip. After a bet with a local dive club and a successful try dive, Sally took up the challenge and a new life direction. Early into her diving career she found herself using mixed gas and rebreathers. Finding herself at the bottom of Dorothea Quarry at 107m or scouring the seabed looking for new shipwrecks of the English Channel pretty much became a way of life for Sally as it does many others. Sally became involved with...
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