Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast
Host Jason Elias
Scuba Diving, Freediving, Surfing, Ocean Environmentalism, Marine Science. Big Deep is about people who have a deep connection to our world’s oceans, connections strong enough that they have dedicated some part of their lives to being in or working on behalf of the water. In each episode, we speak with the most interesting people, from scuba diving crime fighters and record-breaking freedivers to marine biologists and ocean advocates - even a real-life mermaid. So we invite you to join us on this journey as we explore the ocean through the stories of people who love it.
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Top 10 Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Where The Story Ends - Maritime archaeologist Jim Delgado on the magic of stories revealed, what shipwrecks can tell us, and his time exploring Titanic
Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast
05/03/22 • 18 min
In today's episode, I speak with maritime archeologist, historian, author, television host, and explorer Jim Delgado. Jim's work has taken him around the globe, and he has known is one of the world's foremost experts in underwater archeology. And his CV reads almost like the greatest history of that field.
He started with the National Park Service in San Francisco, then went on to work for NOAA as the Director of Maritime Heritage, was Executive Director of the Canadian Maritime Museum, and headed the Institute of Nautical Archeology. At the same time, he was a TV host for Discovery, History Channel, A&E, and National Geographic.
Most recently in 2017, he left to become a senior vice president at Search Incorporated, a maritime archeology company. That was one of the leads on the recent discovery of Ernest Shackleton's Endurance. But beyond all the titles. When I spoke with Jim, I found him to be super fun to talk to, as he was an excellent storyteller. And he spoke about his beginnings as a teenage amateur archeologist, the reason why maritime archeology initially caught his attention, and what it was like to be the lead science officer on the most well-known shipwreck exploration of all time.
Scuba Diving, Free Diving, Ocean Environmentalism, Surfing, and Marine Science.
Please give us ★★★★★, leave a review, and tell your friends about us as each share and like makes a difference.
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Passage to the Underworld - Adventurer and Journalist Michael Menduno on a life of exploration and an underwater swim beneath a temple
Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast
03/08/22 • 11 min
Today I speak with Michael Menduno, one of the most accomplished ocean technology and dive reporters for the past 30 years.
Michael’s work is everywhere. He is editor-in-chief of Global Underwater Explorers InDepth magazine, a contributing editor for DAN Europe’s Alert Diver and X-Ray magazine, and is on the board of directors for the Historical Diving Society.
Michael is also very active in the technical and exploration diving worlds, which focus on more extreme forms of diving, from deeper depths to mixed gas diving to simply pushing the boundaries of where humans have been underwater.
When we spoke, Michael discussed how he came to journalism around diving, what he has discovered about why humans get in the water, and an incredible cenote dive in Mexico that took him back more than a millennium in time.
Scuba Diving, Free Diving, Ocean Environmentalism, Surfing, and Marine Science.
Please give us ★★★★★, leave a review, and tell your friends about us as each share and like makes a difference.
Uncovering the Outlaw Ocean: Ian Urbina, Pulitzer Prize winning author, on how the open oceans shape human beings
Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast
02/22/22 • 19 min
In today's episode, I speak with New York Times Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ian Urbina. Ian’s investigate journalism about the intersection of the human species and the lawless frontier of the open ocean, most often appears in the new york times, but he frequently writes for the Atlantic and the New Yorker, and culminated in his Times bestseller, “The Outlaw Ocean."
Most often, the people I speak with in this show have a deep passion for the ocean itself and somehow deviate their lives to it. What was intersection about Ian, and why I reached out, was for a slightly different perspective, in particular how the ocean itself shapes human beings, particularly the culture and nature of those who work and live their lives on the open seas.
Most of this takes place in International waters, starting just 12 miles offshore, where no country’s laws are in effect and there is no real jurisdiction protecting workers such as fishermen or long haul cargo shippers, nor the world’s marine life.
Ian readily admits his work trawls darker areas of the human experience as he works to expose the hidden exploitation of sea workers and the ocean environment. But I also found Ian to be a very smart and incredibly warm person, who talked about his path to the work he does, why “here be dragons” resonated with him and an incredible moment in the north Atlantic when the world turned upside down for him.
Scuba Diving, Free Diving, Ocean Environmentalism, Surfing, and Marine Science.
Please give us ★★★★★, leave a review, and tell your friends about us as each share and like makes a difference.
Whale 2.0: Shane Gero on decoding the language and culture of sperm whales (Part Two)
Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast
01/07/20 • 19 min
Part Two of our conversation with Behaviour Ecologist, Shane Gero, on his research efforts to decode the sophisticated language and culture of one of the deepest divers in the ocean - sperm whales.
Floating In A Galaxy Of Stars: Pier Nirandara on Swimming With Sharks In Hollywood And Drifting With Sardines Off South Africa
Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast
10/31/23 • 19 min
In today's episode, I speak with award-winning author, film producer, and underwater photographer Pier Nirandara.
Pier's connection to the ocean started as a young girl growing up in Bangkok, Thailand, with weekend family trips to a nearby beach house. Her time there sparked an interest in storytelling, which led her to writing a trilogy of novels about mermaids when she was just 15 years old. And, remarkably, all three novels went on to be number one national bestsellers in Thailand. From there, her path took her to college in the US and a successful career as a film producer at studios in Hollywood.
But her connection to the ocean never left her and I first heard about her in an article in the Hollywood Reporter about a private dive club she had started for studio executives in the entertainment industry, which she called Hollywood Sharks. So I reached out to Pier and she responded immediately, as she was always open to raising awareness around the world's oceans. And of course, the interview was fantastic.
Pier was thoughtful, funny, and kind, and over the course of our interview, Pier discussed where she initially found that connection with the water, the surprising parallels between aspects of the world's oceans and her inspiration for literature, and an unexpected life-changing moment she had in a sardine run off the coast of South Africa.
Chasing A Mirage - Pro surfer and journalist Jamie Brisick on finding meaning in a life amongst the waves
Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast
03/22/22 • 20 min
In today's episode, I speak with former pro surfer, surf journalist, and Fullbright scholar Jamie Brisick.
I originally met Jamie as he grew up in Southern California with a close friend of mine, who thought he might be a great guest for the show. And he was, both contemplative and fun to talk to.
Jamie told me how he discovered his lifelong passion for surfing at an early age in Malibu, and before long he was traveling the world on the pro surf tour. After years of surfing on the tour, he then began writing about the tour, which lead to the next stage of being a surf journalist and his work has appeared in the New Yorker, the Guardian, the New York Times, and the Surfer's Journal.
And in our discussion, Jamie talked about the amazing times of what it was like to be a pro surfer and the demands that it made, how surfing the ocean helped him through a tragic time in his life, and an incredible insight he had one night while chasing waves in the Maldives.
Scuba Diving, Free Diving, Ocean Environmentalism, Surfing, and Marine Science.
Please give us ★★★★★, leave a review, and tell your friends about us as each share and like makes a difference.
Just Over The Horizon - Explorer, adventurer, and NOAA scientist Dr. Steve Gittings on a life spent chasing adventures under the seas
Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast
04/19/22 • 15 min
In this episode, I speak with Dr. Steve Gittings, chief science officer for NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. In addition to overseeing science at all 14 United States Marine sanctuaries, and being on numerous boards for ocean environmental organizations, he lives one of the most eclectic lives I know.
As an example, he spent time recording and studying humpback whale songs off Hawaii with National Geographic photographer, Flip Nicklin; became a self-identified garage-ineer as he created a deep water trap for invasive lionfish; and he's even spent substantial time as an underwater aquanaut in the undersea research center, Aquarius. He's even recently become a member of the Explorers Club after being nominated by none other than Sylvia Earl.
But even with that resume, the reason I did this interview with Steve was because he is just one of the best guys you could meet, and we spent a few nights carousing in a dive industry convention, and just kind of hit it off.
When we finally did our interview, Steve spoke about where his deep passion for the ocean started, why he loves piloting submarines, and an incredible evening dive off Little Cayman to watch a massive grouper spawn.
Scuba Diving, Free Diving, Ocean Environmentalism, Surfing, and Marine Science.
Please give us ★★★★★, leave a review, and tell your friends about us as each share and like makes a difference.
Legacy Of The Sea - National Geographic photographer and co-founder of SeaLegacy Cristina Mittermeier on the meaning in telling ocean stories
Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast
02/22/22 • 16 min
In today's episode, I speak with National Geographic Photographer and marine scientist, Cristina Mittermeier.
Cristina started her career as a marine biologist but quickly discovered a passion for photography, which in many ways shaped the rest of her life. She has traveled the world documenting the state of our world’s oceans and was awarded Smithsonian Conservation Photographer of the year, recognized as one of the World’s Top 40 Outdoor photographers by Outdoor magazine, and was named one of the National Geographic Adventurers of the Year in 2018.
Along with her life partner, fellow National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen, Cristina founded the environmental organization Sea Legacy, dedicated to protecting the world’s ocean through storytelling.
With Cristina’s full calendar it took time to organize the interview, and we scheduled our recording for late-march 2020, unknowing that a worldwide pandemic was about to hit.
And even with the world seemingly crashing down around us she spoke honestly about the meaning of being a photographer, why telling marine stories was so important to her, and a day in the Galapagos that encapsulated the entirety of why she gets in the ocean.
Scuba Diving, Free Diving, Ocean Environmentalism, Surfing, and Marine Science.
Please give us ★★★★★, leave a review, and tell your friends about us as each share and like makes a difference.
The Deepest Man in Holland: Daan Verhoeven and how freediving opened up an understanding to his late father's legacy
Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast
11/01/19 • 14 min
Dutch freediver and photographer Daan Verhoeven. When Paul sat down to talk with him, Daan discussed how exploring the depths of the ocean while free diving had unlocked a way of dealing with his recurring depression but had also led to the discovery of a special connection to his late father, a renowned Dutch philosopher in the most unusual of places.
The Wild Place - Underwater cinematographer Doug Anderson on how the ocean has defined his life on films such as "Our Planet", "Frozen Planet", and "Life"
Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast
04/12/22 • 17 min
In today's episode, I speak with Doug Anderson, considered to be one of the world's best underwater cameramen.
Doug works on primarily what are called blue chip wildlife films, which try to tell compelling stories focused on a specific animals in magnificent pristine landscapes, and have budgets in the area of $1 million per hour or more.
For Doug, this has meant traveling the world to film in the world's most rugged and remote oceans for such films as BBC's Our Planet, Frozen Planet, and Life. And then more recently, David Attenborough's high profile Netflix series Our Planet.
But for someone who has had such incredible career success, Doug was tremendously down to earth, and fun to talk with. And he shared stories about why it's so hard to shoot in the underwater environment, how he approaches being so close to large wild animals in the ocean, and an incredible moment of filmmaking he had off Antarctica with what is sometimes called the finger of death.
Scuba Diving, Free Diving, Ocean Environmentalism, Surfing, and Marine Science.
Please give us ★★★★★, leave a review, and tell your friends about us as each share and like makes a difference.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast have?
Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast currently has 44 episodes available.
What topics does Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast cover?
The podcast is about Scuba Diving, Ocean, Diving, Swimming, Environment, Podcasts, Water, Sports and Wilderness.
What is the most popular episode on Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast?
The episode title 'Where The Story Ends - Maritime archaeologist Jim Delgado on the magic of stories revealed, what shipwrecks can tell us, and his time exploring Titanic' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast?
The average episode length on Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast is 16 minutes.
How often are episodes of Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast released?
Episodes of Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast?
The first episode of Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast was released on Sep 24, 2019.
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