Open your Spotify, Stitcher, or Apple App and search for SCUBA  Podcasts and you’ll see that dozens of them will come up.  They are a fantastic way to learn about more about diving. Podcasts are a personal preference thing. Much like beer or blue jeans… one size does not fit all.  For this reason I’m not a fan of the “Top 5”  or  lists of “Best” Podcasts about a subject. My top 5 is just that, mine.  Your top 5 will be uniquely yours.  What this article intends to offer is a list of  the most educational  podcasts for divers looking to advance their skills and knowledge.  Some of these podcasts are geared towards technical and cave diving and some are not.  You’ll find wealth of information  about new gear configurations, diving sites, training agencies and  dive procedures in all of them.   I’m 100% sure I haven’t listened to every SCUBA related podcast out there so my list has, and will change with time.  If you know of a Podcast you think would be a good fit, drop me a line and tell me about it!

1.   Speaking Sidemount – Host Steve Davis–  This one earned the title of my favorite even though I’m not a sidemount diver, nor do I plan on sidemount training anytime soon.   Steve puts together extremely professional and organized episodes with top quality content.  His own experience couples well with his guest interviews to provide an outstanding  resource for not only sidemount divers but anyone interested in increasing their skill level and knowledge.  His guest list reads like a who’s who of the diving world with names like Brian Kakuk, Steve Boegarts, Simon Mitchell, Becky Kagan Schott just to name a few.  The topics covered are very broad and diverse ranging from decompression sickness incidents to underwater photography.  There’s lots of discussion about cave exploration as well as in depth conversations about dive destinations around the globe.   Speaking Sidemount is at the top of my list for 2 main reasons: First being the quality of information  offered, second being the lack of filler and non SCUBA related chatter that’s found in many other series.  Check out this podcast here https://www.sidemountpros.com/speakingsidemountpodcast

2.  Pod Diver Radio- Host Joe Cocozza–  While early episodes are a little cluttered with jingles and intro theme songs for my taste, Joe eventually got his format dialed in and produces an excellent show.  The  topics discussed and the guest interviews are what draw me to this podcast.  Many of these episodes are rebreather-centric, but are delivered in a way that non rebreather divers can still comprehend what is being said.  I like the fact that that Joe shows no bias to a specific rebreather unit and discusses them all with an open mind and even has the designers/manufacturers on the show to talk about them.  You’ll find episodes on the Inspiration,  HammerHead, Evolution, Optima , Hollis, and many more rebreathers.  There are some niche episodes such as “cave diving as an amputee” and “Rebreather accident analysis” that you wont find much information on elsewhere.  You can find more info on Pod Diver Radio at https://www.poddiver.org/

3.  The Leauge of Extraordinary Divers- Host Tec Clark–  No other podcast can compare to the caliber of guests that this show features.   True pioneers of SCUBA diving like Lamar Hires, Michael Menduno, Dick Rutkowski and Hal Watts share their incredible stories of how they got into SCUBA diving and what they accomplished in their careers.  There’s also a good mix of explorers, videographers, and conservationists that share their incredible underwater journeys on the show.  Even if you haven’t heard of names like Rosemary Lunn, Al Hornsby, Jarod Jablonkski, and Mark Evans, you have probably seen and been inspired by their work.  These shows are well thought out and are real conversations, not chopped up clips.  They focus on the entire story of the guest instead of one topic, which I really like.  For a complete list of the shows, take a look at https://scubaguru.com/league-extraordinary-divers-podcast/

4.  The dive Locker- Host Tec Clark–  This one is for the dive professional or those interested in taking a divemaster or instructor course, although the average recreational diver might find the topics interesting. The episodes are packed full of useful information about teaching Open Water, Rescue diver, divemaster and instructor courses as well as as general teaching techniques and industry standards.  Tec is not afraid to call out practices and teaching methods that are outdated or less than optimal.  I gained a lot of tips, tricks and insight from listening to this series and I implement a lot of it into my teaching.  You will hear interviews with guests as well as Tec speaking about various topics and issues that are centered around making you excellent at teaching techniques, risk management and the business of diving. You can find more info on this podcast at https://scubaguru.com/the-dive-locker-podcast/

5.  Coming Clean with The Dirty Dozen-Host Aron Arngrimsson–  This one would be higher on my list if there were more episodes.  What  this show lacks in volume it quickly makes up for in quality of content.  The episodes are lengthy and lead straight into interviews with high profile dive professionals.  Aron’s background in leading dive trips to Trukk Lagoon and Bikini Atoll make this podcast especially prevalent for wreck divers, but his interviews with Jill Heinerth, Kevin Gurr, and Mark Powell offer great material to all divers.  I admire  how this show was born from the Covid lockdowns and commend Aron and his team for this effort during those trying times.  I love the episode with Gabriel Pineda from Shearwater Research because of the insight he gives into gradient factors and the use of Shearwater Dive Computers.  Myself, like many others are looking forward to more of these shows. I highly recommend subscribing to this one on your preferred listening format.  https://thedirtydozenexpeditions.com/blog/6xtpp9a3ehd7ysnsz8xa6a9phka4gs