Episode 192 Sophie Heptonstall BSAC Head of Diving and Training
Release Date: 12/02/2024
Episode 219 Project Seagrass
The BiG Scuba Podcast
This week on The BiG Scuba Podcast, Gemma and Ian chat to Leanne Cullen-Unsworth. Leanne is an interdisciplinary marine scientist with over 20 year’s experience working collaboratively with people and communities to help conserve and restore nature. She plays a pivotal role within Project Seagrass leading programmes that help to understand the connections between people and the environment. Project Seagrass Overview: Established in 2013 by a group of seagrass scientists, Project Seagrass is a global facing marine conservation organisation securing a future for seagrass. They do this by...
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Episode 218 Reflections of 2025
The BiG Scuba Podcast
In this special year-end episode, The BiG Scuba Duo — Gemma and Ian — look back on everything that made 2025 an unforgettable year. They share impressive podcast milestones, including how many countries around the world the show has been downloaded in and highlight the amazing guests who joined them throughout the year. Dive in as Gemma and Ian recount their wet and wonderful adventures — from breath-taking dives beneath the surface to exciting events, shows and destinations explored both in and out of the water. Whether it was discovering new dive sites, meeting fellow ocean lovers, or...
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Episode 217 Jason Pritchard
The BiG Scuba Podcast
This week on The BiG Scuba Podcast, Gemma and Ian chat to Jason Pritchard. Adventure has always been at the heart of who Jason is. Ever since His first dive back in 2009, he has been captivated by the mysteries of the ocean — from uncovering hidden wrecks to exploring the unknown. What started as curiosity soon became a calling. By 2018, Jason had earned his certification as a professional instructor, and today, as a PADI Course Director. He is very proud to help shape the next generation of divers through calm, safety-first guidance and real-world experience. For Jason, shipwrecks are the...
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Episode 216 Midlands Dive Chamber
The BiG Scuba Podcast
This week on The BiG Scuba Podcast, Gemma and Ian visit the Midlands Diving Chamber and experience a 40 meter Dry Dive in the Chamber. They also sit down with Sally Cartwright, Chamber Manager and Carolyn Peel, Chamber Hyperbaric Doctor and hear more about what happens at the Midlands Dive Chamber. The Midlands Diving Chamber, a Hyperbaric decompression chamber offering NHS funded recompression to divers with Decompression Sickness (DCS) together with other Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) treatments. Midlands Diving Chamber specialises in Diving Medicine and provides a 24 hour centre with...
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Episode 215 West Coast Diving Scott Divitt
The BiG Scuba Podcast
This week on The BiG Scuba Podcast, Gemma and Ian sit down with Scott Divitt, owner of West Coast Diving in Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland. His whole life has been about the water. It started as a kid, messing about with boats and sailing, which led him straight into the Royal Navy after secondary school. After leaving the navy Scott started working as an ROV Pilot, and now works freelance as an ROV Supervisor. He gets paid to drive robots and manage operations in tough marine environments! On the fun side, Scott is a massive fan of diving, especially sidemount. He is a RAID...
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Episode 214 James Soos Dive with Jimmy
The BiG Scuba Podcast
This week on The BiG Scuba Podcast, Gemma and Ian sit down with James Soos — British Army veteran, technical diving instructor, and founder of Dive With Jimmy, a thriving dive centre based in Bedfordshire. James has led teams during his military career and has dived all over the world. As an instructor with both BSAC and SSI, he teaches everything from recreational diving right through to advanced technical and closed-circuit rebreather courses. Qualified to dive to 100 metres on both open and closed circuit, he has also worked as Cruise Director in some of the planet’s most iconic dive...
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Episode 213 Nick Schiller – Sidemount Diver and WW2 Whaleback Boat Recovery
The BiG Scuba Podcast
This week, the BiG Scuba Duo, Gemma and Ian chat to Nick Schiller. Nick is a keen lover of being on and under the water. He is a sidemount diver and an assistant BSAC instructor. He has dived extensively in the UK as well as Egypt, Iceland, Mexico and Tobago. He loves diving with a scooter and is keen on helping people out removing tarpaulins, ropes, etc form props, searching for mobile phones and wedding rings. So that's how he got involved with S32 - a phone call "could you just come and inspect a sunken WW2 air sea rescue boat for us?" - a year later and Nick is very involved in trying...
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Episode 212 Jo Moseley
The BiG Scuba Podcast
Episode 212 Jo Moseley Paddleboarder, Diver and Author This week, the BiG Scuba Duo, Gemma and Ian chat to Jo Moseley. Jo Moseley, 60, is a bestselling award winning author of three books about paddleboarding.. At university in Scotland she also learned to dive, becoming her university club captain and qualifying as a BSAC Dive Leader in the late 80s. The west coast of Scotland was a favourite diving location. Jo loves wild swimming, touring the UK in her van called,...
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Episode 211 Diving in the Farne Islands
The BiG Scuba Podcast
This week, the BiG Scuba Duo, Gemma and Ian bring a roving report from their Sept 2025 trip to Seahouses and diving around the Farne Islands off the North East coast of the UK. Our local dive centre organised the trip using the dive boat services of . We mention our stop off on the way to Seahouses to see the monument. This is a full-sized, steel representation of an Avro Lancaster Bomber, elevated 15 meters high to create the illusion of flight, located on the border of Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, England The BiG Scuba Podcast is proudly supported...
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Episode 210 Our adventures in Lundy & under Swanage Pier
The BiG Scuba Podcast
Episode 210 – Our Adventures in Lundy and Under Swanage Pier This week, the BiG Scuba Duo, Gemma and Ian, along with Scuba Honey, head to Ilfracombe to board the Barbara B with Lundy Diving for some unforgettable underwater adventures with the playful seals of Lundy Island. You can find out more at: From there, our journey continues to South Devon, where we dive Chesil Cove, catch up with Colin at DIR Direct (), and bump into our good friend Dave Mason enjoying the local waters. Along the way, we give shout-outs to Glen Barnes from the Seahorse Dive Club (), coastal hikers (and fellow...
info_outlineThe 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 – Caribbean, Red Sea, Maldives and Truk Lagoon.
In 2004 Sophie became a BSAC Instructor Trainer and in 2005 was asked to be the Communications Advisor on the BSAC National Diving Committee and a few years later was elected onto BSAC Council. In 2015 she was elected as BSAC National Diving Officer, the youngest person to hold the post.
Sophie is a CCR Mod 3 diver and CCR Instructor and have also held the BSAC positions of Tech Lead, First Class Diver Chief Examiner and National Instructor Chief Examiner. All these previous roles were volunteer roles but in March 2024 her hobby became a full time job taking in the BSAC employed role of Head of Diving and Training.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-heptonstall-82a44925/
The BiG Scuba Podcast is brought to you by Narked at 90. “Beyond Technical” Narked at 90 If you are thinking of moving across to tech diving or completely new to diving, Narked at 90 can advise and guide on the best equipment and set up for your personal or commercial requirements https://www.narkedat90.com/ There is currently a code for you to use for purchases and the code is BIGSCUBA2024.
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