Michael Menduno - The Godfather of Tech Diving Journalism

The Scuba GOAT Podcast

Michael Menduno has been diving and reporting on technical diving since 1990 when he founded the AquaCORPS magazine and its sister publication Technical Diver. A reporter, technologist and member of the Board of Directors for the historical diver's society, Michael is the editor-in-chief of Global Underwater Explorers online magazine InDEPTH. He is also a contributing editor for Dan Europe's ALERT DIVER and X-ray magazine, and he also writes for DEEPER BLUE. To top it off, Michael also worked with Captain Billy Dean to set up the first tech diving centre, based in Key West, which rapidly became a global mecca for tech diver training.

Michael is also the organiser of the Rebreather Forum, with the latest conference being RF4 (20-22 April 2023). Held in Malta, the Rebreather Forum has a stellar line-up of presenters including Mark Caney, Brian Carney or designee, Simon Caruana, John Clarke, David Doolette, Vince Ferris, Oscar Franberg, Timmy Gambin, Kevin Gurr, Richard Harris, Paul Haynes, Gareth Lock, Alessandro Marroni, Michael Menduno, Simon Mitchell, Andy Pitkin, Neal Pollock, Frauke Tillmans, and Paul Toomer. So if there is anything you ever wanted to know about rebreather diving, this is the place to be.

Topics of conversation

• Michael's background in diving
• The origins of the term "Tech Diver"
• Rebreather Forum origins and Rebreather 4
• Michael's first breaths underwater to technical diver
• Historical overview of tech diving
• The origins of AquaCORPS and InDEPTH magazines
• The background of Michael and Captain Billy Dean
• The passage of information prior to computers
• PADI joins the tech chat
• The bridging of the gap between recreational and technical diving
• The importance of Human Factors in diving
• Close Calls, authored by Stratis S Kas (Amazon link)
• 'Stoned' with Bill Stone - A harp back to the early days of reporting
• What's next for Michael?
• Links and exit.

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