The Grey NATO - 153 - Gombessa 6, Mysterious Rings, and Decompressing With Laurent Ballesta
This week we have something extra special for Episode 153 as the TGN boys got a chance to catch up with Laurent Ballesta while he was finishing decompression following the completion of the Gombessa 6 project. Laurent is a true explorer, photographer, filmmaker, and cutting-edge diver (not to mention a friend of the show) that has been at the helm of the Gombessa series since its inception and it’s always a treat to hear about his latest experiences exploring the world deep underwater.
For Gombessa 6, Laurent and his team – along with support from the French Navy and Blancpain – traveled to Cap Corse on the northern tip of Corsica to live and dive in saturation while researching a mysterious network of rings along the ocean floor. Operating from the Bathyal Station that the team first used for Gombessa 5, Laurent and three fellow divers were pressurized to 120 meters (~393 ft), after which they were able to complete long-duration dives without the need for a several hours-long decompression.
The project ended on July 20th and we caught up with Laurent while he waited out the final hours of decompression as the chamber was slowly brought back to surface pressure. Just like with Episode 123, when Laurent was first on TGN, it’s a thrill to catch up with Laurent and hear of his adventures, and (hint, hint) to learn of a special Blancpain prototype that was tested during Gombessa 6.
A huge thank you to Laurent, Blancpain, and the whole team involved in making this happen. Be sure to follow along on Instagram (links below) but until then just press play and let us know what you think in the comments below. Thanks so much for listening!
2:07 Martha’s episode of The Grey NATO https://bit.ly/3iueJ4C
2:49 History of Diving Museum https://bit.ly/2W44vAr
4:06 Bad Boy Burrito https://bit.ly/3wTBu72
4:52 Arthur’s Key Largo https://bit.ly/3zh29wj
8:07 Full face snorkel mask https://amzn.to/3hQIkWB
9:45 James’ SPB143 https://bit.ly/3rkJvRu
11:05 What is a beater, anyways? https://bit.ly/3rm6RWX
15:15 Jason’s Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Hodinkee LE https://bit.ly/2Tneobh
17:08 Jaiya Thai https://bit.ly/3eAh7FB
18:53 Gombessa 6 Cap Corse https://bit.ly/3za0cBQ
21:02 Gombessa Expeditions Youtube https://bit.ly/3xTfzy9
55:05 Blancpain Fifty Fathoms dive watches https://bit.ly/36OJyLP
58:50 Laurent Ballesta on Instagram http://bit.ly/2KVUZoP
1:00:47 Laurent’s website (amazing images) https://bit.ly/35iml5l
1:01:30 The Crystal Hunter’s of Chamonix (via Outside Online) https://bit.ly/2UVdhjA
1:04:10 “Water Planet: Revisiting Jacques Cousteau’s Undersea World” by Omar Montano https://bit.ly/3zgxMpM
Another great podcast. I think this should be a new series where you interview people but they have to in a diving bell at the time. 😁😁 Paul from Scurfa next please. 😄
James I just wanted to toss out a word of caution about full face snorkel masks for your kiddos, just in case you or any other listeners had not heard: many of these masks, particularly the cheap knock-offs readily available on Amazon, run the real risk of hypercapnia (dangerous, potentially lethal CO2 buildup) in users over a lengthy or strenuous snorkel session. If you decide to go with one of these, be sure to buy from a reputable snorkel and dive gear brand (Cressi, Aqualung, etc.), as these, while more expensive, are better designed to avoid this. This has been your friendly dive gear PSA...