UTD Scuba Diving Podcast

In our last episode about the "Thinking Diver" we talked about creating your team, or village. In this episode Jeff and Ben start to look at the practical elements of being a thinking diver – gear, gas, team, and much more. Be a thinker. Listen in. If you have any questions or comments, please let us know by clicking here. To join our mailing list, click here.

A non-car carcast. This time I woke up ready to talk about why Unified Team Diving is so important to me but I did not have any place I needed to drive, so I recorded a non-car carcast. Why do we keep doing what we do? How do I grow as a coach and instructor as you grow as a diver or instructor? What makes me tick and, in turn, what makes UTD tick. Contact us here to ask me/us anything. https://utdscubadiving.com/contact/

Learning and advancing at anything does not need to be something you do alone. Really, it takes a village. You are at the center, then your instructor or coach, but then all the other people and organizations and facilities and friends and family that guide you to becoming the most successful diver-version of yourself. In this episode Jeff and Ben help you discover how to create your village. Questions? Comments? Contact us at https://utdscubadiving.com/contact/

In any business one of the most important things is knowing who your clients are. And equally important is to know who your clients are not. In this carcast, I take an honest look at who we are for and who we are not for. It's a complex discussion about a very simple concept. Are we for you? Let us know: Click here to contact Jeff and Ben at Unified Team Diving

Is it success that's the most important thing in scuba diving? Or style? This is a discussion – actually a monologue I recorded in my car – on the issue of style vs. success or, in scuba diving, style vs. certification. Drawn from a phrase common in big wall rock climbing, style vs. success refers not to whether or not we reach our goal, but how we reach our goal. In this episode, after I apologize for the crappy audio quality, I look at style vs. success in our world of training the most stylish divers in the world.

We are Unified TEAM Diving not, as we sometimes like to say, Unified 'Go-Run-Off-By-Yourself Diving.' But what about when you are instructing students? Are they part of your team? Can they help you? What are everyone's expectations when instructing? In this episode Jeff and Ben unpack this simple, yet not so simple question. Contact us any time at: https://utdscubadiving.com/contact/

Setback happen. This is true for everything we are learning, particularly when moving to a higher level in any field. In scuba training, in Unified Team Diving, we have a thing called the "ebay dive." This is when you come out of the water after such a frustrating dive that you want to put all your gear on ebay, sell it, and take up another sport. How we deal with the frustration of setbacks in scuba also informs how we deal with setbacks in life. In this short carcast, Jeff takes a look at the frustrations surrounding a setback and talks about how he deals with the days when everything goes sideways. For more information on UTD, particularly the scuba coaching program, click here: https://utdscubadiving.com/utd-scuba-coaching/ To contact us, click here: https://utdscubadiving.com/contact/

In the late 70's or early 80's I had an opportunity to take on something that looked really cool to me but my situation at the time blocked it. I've kept that dream alive until this past weekend when I fulfilled an unfulfilled dream. What are your unfulfilled dreams? What are you missed opportunities – in scuba or in life? Do you have the chance to close the loop now? In this short episode I look at how I completed something I started almost 50 years ago. No regrets, just fun. Contact here: https://utdscubadiving.com/contact/

We are live at the DEMA show in New Orleans taking questions from the audience. Listen to Jeff and Ben answer all sorts of random questions and, finally, almost get completely stumped. Contact us with your obscure questions and plan on seeing us at DEMA 2024 in Las Vegas where we will do another live episode: https://utdscubadiving.com/contact/

Welcome to Jay Gardner, UTD's new Director of Development! Jay joins Jeff and Ben as the third member of UTD's management team, bring a lifetime of experience with companies both large and small. Jay started his journey in UTD as a coaching client, then an instructor candidate, then an instructor. After a short stint in Austin, Texas, Jay and his family are back in San Diego. We're grateful to have Jay join us. This episode serves as his introduction to our global community of divers. Welcome, Jay! Congratulate Jay here: https://utdscubadiving.com/contact/

This is a short addendum to my previous carcast on quitting. In this quick episode I add a little info, this time about when it's okay to quit. There is a time and place for everything and sometimes the best thing is to "know when to fold 'em." Thoughts and ideas? Contact us here: https://utdscubadiving.com/contact/

"Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, know when to run." Great words to live by. In this carcast, actually recorded as a "hikecast" during this year's solar eclipse, Jeff looks at some of the mental and physical elements of quitting – quitting a class, quitting a training path, quitting anything. But, more importantly, how to avoid some of the traps of quitting and what you can learn from teetering on the edge of "quit or succeed." Comments or thoughts on this one? Click here to contact Jeff. More info on the UTD Scuba Coaching program, click here.

Let's breathe without bubbles. In this episode, the first or two or three, Jeff and Ben look at all things rebreathers. In this first part: the what, why, how and the joys of diving rebreathers. In future episodes we will look at the traps of diving rebreathers, the training progression, and answer your questions. If there is anything you'd like us to talk about, send a note and we'll add it in. Contact us here: https://utdscubadiving.com/contact/

A live episode with slightly sketchy audio, although it was a technical marvel. Ben and three of his tech students in Norway, Jeff via cell phone from San Diego. In this episode we take live questions from the students who just completed their tech training. Ratio Deco adjustments, diving with non-UTD buddies after your class, and much more. https://utdscubadiving.com/utd-scuba-coaching/ https://utdscubadiving.com/contact/

Consistency and compliance. Or is it compliance and consistency? Either way, these are the two hallmarks of a great client relationship with their coach and coaching program. In this carcast, Jeff takes a look at how consistency and compliance inform the best possible training for scuba divers. If you are just chasing a certification card, the UTD Coaching Program may not be for you. But if your goals and desires are to become the best scuba diver you can possibly be, then have a listen and give us call. More on the Scuba Coaching Program https://utdscubadiving.com/utd-scuba-coaching/ Contact us here: https://utdscubadiving.com/contact/

Following two weeks of UTD classes in San Diego, and a few minutes before Ben heads back to the airport to return to Denmark, we chat about how this series of classes went for both the instructors and the students.

In this episode Jeff sits with UTD Scuba Coaching client Lisa Huynh the day after she completed UTD Essentials of Rec. Lisa explores how she got her start with coaching, the benefits of integrating UTD's in-water training with the coaching program, her experiences with her prior training, and much more. For more info on UTD Scuba Coaching, click here: https://utdscubadiving.com/utd-scuba-coaching/

The rebreather. Is it a wildly complex thing that rivals something that could fly to the moon? Or is it simply a bag you breathe into that scrubs out the CO2 and allows for longer bottom times? Or something in the middle? In this episode Jeff and Ben look at the simple yet complex story of rebreather diving...how to get started, the benefits, the dangers, the challenges, and much more. For more info on rebreather diving, contact us here.

Your "Path to Mastery" is a buzzword (or buzz-phrase) that's been around forever but, what does it really mean and how can you take your path to becoming great at one thing and apply it to becoming great at something else (like scuba)? In this carcast, recorded on an endless, rainy drive from San Diego to Las Vegas, I explore the path to becoming good at something, then how you can take the process of that path and apply it to something new. Need a new purpose? Need a new hobby? Need a new job? In this episode I define a structured way to use what you know to get really good at something else. Jeff Thoughts? Contact Jeff by clicking here.

In April this year UTD went through an audit with EUF, the European Underwater Federation and received certification that the UTD training systems are in compliance with ISO standards. ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, creates standards for many industries, including scuba training. However ISO does not certify or confirm that a company is operating with the scope of those standards. That's where the EUF comes in. EUF is a certification agency that certifies that scuba training agencies are meeting ISO standards. Which all means this is a big deal for UTD. In this episode Jeff sits down with EUF auditor Martin Denison to talk about ISO, EUF, the audit, the certification process, and how UTD met compliance.