In honor of World Oceans Day, we’ve got a dive-themed episode in which Jason and James go deep (sorry) on why they love diving and how diving has enriched their lives. From the training to the gear, the amazing people you meet, and the chance at experiencing some of the planet’s most incredible animals. It’s a wonderful and flexible activity that’s also a chance to put your dive watches to good use!
Great episode! As a divemaster and watch hobbyist I really enjoyed hearing you guys hammer home the same feelings of joy and excitement I have for both. I noticed no one else responded to your call for suggestions on underwater photographers to speak with, so I'd like to recommend one. Matthew Draper is an amazing UW photographer and huge watch enthusiast, he is certainly pushing the boundaries with custom-made underwater housings to suit his craft and he has an incredible watch collection to boot. I've been chatting with him a lot lately, mostly on the latter and I think he would be great on your show. Cheers
Thanks for recomdation for on the Dogwatch podcast. Just finished listening to two episodes, before Shackleton and Zen and the art of mc maintenance. So good. Another fantastic podcast for the quiver 👍
I’ve always been fascinated by the ocean and shipwrecks but I’m just too afraid to dive. You guys always tempt me to consider it but I think I’m happy snorkeling 😅
Unrelated question, does anyone have a recommendation for getting an Aquastar Deepstar serviced? Something US-based (I live in Minneapolis) would be great, but not sure if I need to consider anything about the movement, the unique caseback, etc. (I submitted a question to Aquastar a few weeks ago but haven't received a reply.)
I really enjoyed this episode. Inspired by y'all, I've been wanting to try diving for at least 4 of the 5 years that I've been listening to you, and I really need to just knuckle down and do it. There's a beautifully clear man-made lake less than an hour from me with a submerged town, an old summer camp, vehicles, etc, and a dive shop on the shore, so I've got no excuse.
On a related topic, can we persuade Jason to do a head-to-head review of the current Citizen Aqualand JP2000 and the new Seiko ani-digi divers with depth gauge? You're the only one who could do this topic justice!
So… the chicken or the egg? … I mean the dive watch or the diver? It’s fascinating that a cutting-edge luxury dive watch catalyzed Jason’s passion for diving., including ice diving, Great Lakes wreck diving, and becoming a (the?) go-to dive watch journalist. Not what I would have guessed…
Rewind to early 2016 and you’ll find me discovering TGN ep.1, falling headlong down the watch rabbit hole, voraciously over-studying for my open water cert (I get it, James) while also reading Shadow Divers, all in a 6-month period that will culminate in me taking my first giant stride from a dive boat that June, off the coast of NJ. Later that year I’d also buy a Doxa Sub300 50th Anniversary Professional, my first “nice” watch. In hindsight, I might be the TGN mascot.
But truly, for the last 6 (!) years the entire TGN milieu has brought me so much joy and even real fulfillment. Unlike any other podcast, where the joy is in the listening, the joy in TGN has been in the living, and that has shown up for me nowhere more than in my continued pursuit of diving. Today I’m a NAUI master scuba diver, preparing to head back to Jersey, this time to descend a 2hr boat ride off the coast to the wreck of the City of Athens in 110 fsw.
I still feel like my underwater journey is just beginning, and that’s what makes diving so wonderful to me. It’s a disciplined pursuit in which the learning never ends. It’s surely the most gear-intensive sport on the planet. It’s human beings pushing hard against the limits of the natural world in order to experience things that relatively few ever will. It’s *absolutely* the flow state. It’s real freedom.
I look forward to seeing you boys (as well as many other familiar TGN faces) in Chicago, shaking your hands and thanking you for accompanying, supporting, and feeding my journey into the “silent world.” And when we get the TGN dive expedition on the books, you already know you can count me in.
And in movie news: "Roadrunner" (Anthony Bourdain, HBO) and "long way up" (Ewan McGregor and his friend Charley Boorman travel on electric Harley-Davidsons 13,000 miles through Central and South America - Apple+) are finally streaming. The latter is a motorcycle adventure, but if it is anything like the previous two (long way down, long way round), it certainly will be in the TGN wheelhouse. James - thanks for the work on the streaming. Got the supporter feed on Pocketcast before 8am two weeks in a row now. Its working!!!
Great show, I started diving the same as Jason in Mexico doing a try dive and went on to become a master scuba diver. Not dived for some years but you have fired me up
Regarding headlamps, on the old British motorcycles I work on the actual glass lens has a pattern which shifts the low beam to one side depending on the intended market. The idea being that it would avoid blinding oncoming traffic, while still giving a good view of the road. They used different headlamp reflectors based on where they were intended to be sold. It’s not something that is adjustable.
I remember when I was a kid that people who took their cars over to mainland Europe would use black tape to cover part of the headlight to combat the dazzle from the main beam being the wrong way.
Very neat, had read about some cars have left and right side beam shaping before normal adjustability was available, but I hadn't come across it in a single motorcycle lamp. Very cool.
Exactly. I'd be surprised if Jason did not have DOT headlights - and lord knows oncoming traffic will let you know if you have UK headlights (unless they are as weak as Jason says they are, LOL). Stop the truck 10 ft in front of your garage (or any blank wall) - does it throw a lot of extra light to the right (US shoulder) or to the left (UK shoulder). Easy inexpensive change, but ya have to change the whole housing (perfect time to get some up to date halogen (or heaven forbid, LED - no scratch that on the Rover)).
Great episode as always guys! I saw this come up this morning before leaving for work, and it inspired me to wear a fun diver to work today: https://imgur.com/a/GUFhcpq Not sure if you guys care about sharing watch pics here, but I figured why not???
I have basically zero experience in the water. My snorkelling experience is limited to small lakes in Ontario in about 5 feet of water, but there's just something so magical about it. Like being somewhere you don't belong but it feels right.
Also great excuse to test all your dive watches to .01% of their capabilities!
Great episode! As a divemaster and watch hobbyist I really enjoyed hearing you guys hammer home the same feelings of joy and excitement I have for both. I noticed no one else responded to your call for suggestions on underwater photographers to speak with, so I'd like to recommend one. Matthew Draper is an amazing UW photographer and huge watch enthusiast, he is certainly pushing the boundaries with custom-made underwater housings to suit his craft and he has an incredible watch collection to boot. I've been chatting with him a lot lately, mostly on the latter and I think he would be great on your show. Cheers
https://mattdraper.art/home
Thanks for recomdation for on the Dogwatch podcast. Just finished listening to two episodes, before Shackleton and Zen and the art of mc maintenance. So good. Another fantastic podcast for the quiver 👍
I’ve always been fascinated by the ocean and shipwrecks but I’m just too afraid to dive. You guys always tempt me to consider it but I think I’m happy snorkeling 😅
Loved the episode!
Unrelated question, does anyone have a recommendation for getting an Aquastar Deepstar serviced? Something US-based (I live in Minneapolis) would be great, but not sure if I need to consider anything about the movement, the unique caseback, etc. (I submitted a question to Aquastar a few weeks ago but haven't received a reply.)
Thanks!
I really enjoyed this episode. Inspired by y'all, I've been wanting to try diving for at least 4 of the 5 years that I've been listening to you, and I really need to just knuckle down and do it. There's a beautifully clear man-made lake less than an hour from me with a submerged town, an old summer camp, vehicles, etc, and a dive shop on the shore, so I've got no excuse.
On a related topic, can we persuade Jason to do a head-to-head review of the current Citizen Aqualand JP2000 and the new Seiko ani-digi divers with depth gauge? You're the only one who could do this topic justice!
https://www.fratellowatches.com/citizens-promaster-aqualand-depth-meter-2022/
https://www.fratellowatches.com/seiko-hybrid-ani-digi-divers/
In early 2018 I read an divewatch article on Hodinkee from Jason nd it inspired me to go diving.
A buddy of mine and I booked a ticket to Curaçao and I got certified.
So thank you guys for the Inspiration!
PS i couldn‘t find the specific article…
So… the chicken or the egg? … I mean the dive watch or the diver? It’s fascinating that a cutting-edge luxury dive watch catalyzed Jason’s passion for diving., including ice diving, Great Lakes wreck diving, and becoming a (the?) go-to dive watch journalist. Not what I would have guessed…
Rewind to early 2016 and you’ll find me discovering TGN ep.1, falling headlong down the watch rabbit hole, voraciously over-studying for my open water cert (I get it, James) while also reading Shadow Divers, all in a 6-month period that will culminate in me taking my first giant stride from a dive boat that June, off the coast of NJ. Later that year I’d also buy a Doxa Sub300 50th Anniversary Professional, my first “nice” watch. In hindsight, I might be the TGN mascot.
But truly, for the last 6 (!) years the entire TGN milieu has brought me so much joy and even real fulfillment. Unlike any other podcast, where the joy is in the listening, the joy in TGN has been in the living, and that has shown up for me nowhere more than in my continued pursuit of diving. Today I’m a NAUI master scuba diver, preparing to head back to Jersey, this time to descend a 2hr boat ride off the coast to the wreck of the City of Athens in 110 fsw.
I still feel like my underwater journey is just beginning, and that’s what makes diving so wonderful to me. It’s a disciplined pursuit in which the learning never ends. It’s surely the most gear-intensive sport on the planet. It’s human beings pushing hard against the limits of the natural world in order to experience things that relatively few ever will. It’s *absolutely* the flow state. It’s real freedom.
I look forward to seeing you boys (as well as many other familiar TGN faces) in Chicago, shaking your hands and thanking you for accompanying, supporting, and feeding my journey into the “silent world.” And when we get the TGN dive expedition on the books, you already know you can count me in.
And in movie news: "Roadrunner" (Anthony Bourdain, HBO) and "long way up" (Ewan McGregor and his friend Charley Boorman travel on electric Harley-Davidsons 13,000 miles through Central and South America - Apple+) are finally streaming. The latter is a motorcycle adventure, but if it is anything like the previous two (long way down, long way round), it certainly will be in the TGN wheelhouse. James - thanks for the work on the streaming. Got the supporter feed on Pocketcast before 8am two weeks in a row now. Its working!!!
Great show, I started diving the same as Jason in Mexico doing a try dive and went on to become a master scuba diver. Not dived for some years but you have fired me up
Regarding headlamps, on the old British motorcycles I work on the actual glass lens has a pattern which shifts the low beam to one side depending on the intended market. The idea being that it would avoid blinding oncoming traffic, while still giving a good view of the road. They used different headlamp reflectors based on where they were intended to be sold. It’s not something that is adjustable.
I remember when I was a kid that people who took their cars over to mainland Europe would use black tape to cover part of the headlight to combat the dazzle from the main beam being the wrong way.
Very neat, had read about some cars have left and right side beam shaping before normal adjustability was available, but I hadn't come across it in a single motorcycle lamp. Very cool.
Exactly. I'd be surprised if Jason did not have DOT headlights - and lord knows oncoming traffic will let you know if you have UK headlights (unless they are as weak as Jason says they are, LOL). Stop the truck 10 ft in front of your garage (or any blank wall) - does it throw a lot of extra light to the right (US shoulder) or to the left (UK shoulder). Easy inexpensive change, but ya have to change the whole housing (perfect time to get some up to date halogen (or heaven forbid, LED - no scratch that on the Rover)).
https://www.headlampconverters.co.uk/
Do yourself a favor and read Firefox. Movie does it a huge disservice.
Charles! I had no idea it was a book. Thank you for this comment.
+1 for the TGN dive trip!
Great episode as always guys! I saw this come up this morning before leaving for work, and it inspired me to wear a fun diver to work today: https://imgur.com/a/GUFhcpq Not sure if you guys care about sharing watch pics here, but I figured why not???
Great looking Zodiac!
I have basically zero experience in the water. My snorkelling experience is limited to small lakes in Ontario in about 5 feet of water, but there's just something so magical about it. Like being somewhere you don't belong but it feels right.
Also great excuse to test all your dive watches to .01% of their capabilities!