The Deep-Sea Podcast

Latest Episodes:

PRESSURISED: 017 - Going to sea with Larkin Dec 23, 2023

Show notes

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 17. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!

Read the show notes and find the full episode here:

https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/017-going-to-sea

We love going to sea, it is probably the best part of the job. That’s where most of our adventures happen, that’s where most of the exciting discoveries and firsts happen and it’s where we meet some of the most interesting people. We want you to have a great time at sea too and not be put off by a bad first experience. Poor packing or a faux pas could spoil the whole experience and we don’t want that. We put together some advice for your first trip. Forgive us if parts seem patronising, they are all things we have seen spoil someone’s trip and with everything else to worry about, it’s easy to forget the simple stuff.

We chat with Larkin, a deck-hand turned youtuber about life at sea and sharing that experience through her videos. What is her average day like at sea and how’s the morning commute when your office is a small response vessel chasing a submarine 10,000 m below you? How can you get a celebratory tattoo offshore from an unqualified scientist? “Don’t worry, he’s a doctor, not that sort of doctor but don’t worry about that!”

Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or you own tales from the high seas on:

podcast@armatusoceanic.com

We are also on

Twitter: @ArmatusO

Facebook: ArmatusOceanic

Instagram: @armatusoceanic

Read the show notes and find out more about us at:

www.armatusoceanic.com

Glossary

AB – Able Bodied seamen or deck hands

A-frame – type of lifting equipment, usually at the stern

Aft – towards the front of the boat

Bow – the front of the boat

Bridge – Usually at the top of the boat, where it is steered from

Bulkhead – the thick metal internal walls of a boat

Cabin – where you sleep offshore

Deck – the floors on a boat

Fore – towards the front of the boat

Head – the toilet

Mates – Officers under the captain (1st and 2nd mate)

Mess – the dining hall on a boat

Port – left side of the boat (regardless of which way you are facing), colour coded red

Rigger boots – steel toe capped safety shoes

Starboard - right side of the boat (regardless of which way you are facing), colour coded green

Zodiac – a small and fast inflatable boat

My Salty Sea Life

Larkin’s ‘a day in the life of a sailor’ video. Great prep for your first time at sea.

Larkin’s morning commute

(a keen eye may spot Alan pottering about in the background)

Credits

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image - The Deep-Sea Podcast PRESSURISED

The legendary Don Walsh with Rob McCallum Dec 02, 2023

Show notes

"Exploration is curiosity acted upon." — Don Walsh

In this month’s episode, we’re honouring the late great Don Walsh, who sadly left us this month. You may have noticed that we hadn’t heard from Don in a good few months. He had a couple of ops that required some getting over, but that wasn’t going to slow him down. In September he was going through the Northwest Passage, a trip he had attempted 2 previous times but had been scuppered by weather and vessel trouble. Don’s unwavering commitment to deep-sea exploration meant that the monthly sea stories were no longer possible but we weren’t going to let the legendary Don Walsh sneak off without some fanfare, not after everything he’s done for us.

We were putting together a Christmas episode where we could share some drinks and stories with Don and give him a proper send-off. While we were sorting out dates that everyone could do, Don passed. 92, nodding off in his favourite chair at the remote home he loved, surrounded by nature.

Over the last 3 years it’s been a privilege to have Don recount one of his endless list of stories with us every month, stories that always made us smile. In some attempt to raise a toast to him and all that he’s done for the community, we bring you this Don Special episode. He will be missed.

Legend.

Thanks again for tuning in, we’ll deep-see you next time!

Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own comments on:

podcast@armatusoceanic.com

We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!

We are also on:

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO

Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic

Keep up with the team on social media

Twitter:

Alan - @Hadalbloke

Thom - @ThomLinley

Georgia - @geeinthesea

Instagram:

Thom - @ThomLinley

Georgia - @geeinthesea

Read the show notes and find out more about us at:

www.armatusoceanic.com

Credits

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image - Life Magazine 1960 Edition

PRESSURISED: 016 - Biodiscovery with Marcel Jaspars Nov 25, 2023

Show notes

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 16. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!

Read the show notes and find the full episode here:

https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/016-biodiscovery

We are in desperate need for new bioactive compounds. Super bugs are on the rise as evolution finds a way of thwarting our antibiotics. We are also continually on the hunt for compounds that can fight disease, ease suffering or get your teeth super white. The natural world has been experimenting for millions of years and has come up with solutions far more elegant than we could come up with.

The ocean, and in particular the deep ocean, may be the best place to look for new compounds but is this a threat to the ocean? It is often mentioned alongside seabed trawling, climate change and mining as a threat to the deep ocean. Should we call it bioprospecting or biodiscovery and what’s the difference? If most of the world’s ocean belongs to everyone, who owns a discovery? How do we ensure that developed nations, who are better equipped to benefit from a discovery, don’t leave developing nations out? Are companies really patenting naturally occurring compounds? If we find something exciting, what is the process for it becoming the next wonder drug?

While they both agree that looking for new compounds in the deep sea sounds good, Alan and Thom are soon stumped by the complexities of actually making that happen in a fair and sustainable way. Luckily, they can call on Professor Marcel Jaspars, head of the Marine Biodiscovery Centre to help us through the practicalities of biodiscovery but also its political and ethical complexities.

Feel free to get in touch with questions or you own tales from the high seas on:

podcast@armatusoceanic.com

We are also on

Twitter: @ArmatusO

Facebook: ArmatusOceanic

Instagram: @armatusoceanic

Read the show notes and find out more about us at:

www.armatusoceanic.com

Links

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

The Convention on Biological Diversity

The Nagoya Protocol

The Deepest of Ironies (paywall)

Evolving Perspectives On The International Seabed Area’s Genetic Resources: Fifteen Years After The ‘Deepest Of Ironies’ (paywall)

Who owns marine biodiversity? Contesting the world order through the ‘common heritage of humankind’ principle

Corporate control and global governance of marine genetic resources

Polymers: Secrets from the deep sea

Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS)

Ocean Tool for Public Understanding and Science (OcToPUS)

Song of the Ocean – Global Virtual Performance 2021

Sharing the Benefits of the Ocean (loads of wider reading here)

Glossary

Benthopelagic - Living and feeding near the bottom as well as in midwaters or near the surface but also the depth zone about 100 metres off the bottom at all depths below the edge of the continental shelf.

Endothermy – Animals that regulate their body temperature (we used to call this ‘warm blooded’)

Geomagnetic – The Earth’s magnetic field e.g., magnetic north.

Mantle – The muscular tube that makes up a squids body.

Mesopelagic – Open water fish between about 200 and 1,000 metres (approximately 650 and 3,300 ft) down.

SoFAR channel - sound fixing and ranging channel. The SOFAR channel acts as a waveguide for sound, and low frequency sound waves within the channel may travel thousands of miles before dissipating.

Vertical migration – Every night, mesopelagic fish come shallower to feed. This is the largest migration on Earth and it happens every day.

Credits

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

PRESSURISED: 041 - Deep diving whales with Nicola Quick Nov 11, 2023

Show notes

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 41. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!

Read the show notes and find the full episode here:

https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/041-whales

We all know that Thom and Alan aren’t the biggest fans of ‘air-breathers’ aka. marine mammals like dolphins and whales, but there are a few species that are allowed into the deep-sea club. We hear from Dr Nicola Quick who researches the incredibly elusive beaked whales, a group that likely spends the majority of their time in the deep sea. These interesting whales have been seen diving to depths of 3000 m, which way exceeds the max depth of their more famous cousin, the sperm whale (who usually hang out at around 1500m deep).

We’re really trying to make this project self-sustaining so we have started looking for ways to support the podcast. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show.

Thanks again for tuning in, we’ll deep-see you next time!

Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much anticipated new design...

Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on:

podcast@armatusoceanic.com

We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!

We are also on:

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO

Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic

Keep up with the team on social media

Twitter:

Alan - @Hadalbloke (https://twitter.com/Hadalbloke)

Thom - @ThomLinley (https://twitter.com/ThomLinley)

Georgia - @geeinthesea (https://twitter.com/geeinthesea)

Instagram:

Georgia - @geeinthesea (https://www.instagram.com/geeinthesea/)

Read the show notes and find out more about us at:

www.armatusoceanic.com

FURTHER RESOURCES MORE INFORMATION ON NICOLA

https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/staff/nicola-quick

https://scholars.duke.edu/person/nicola.quick/

Nicola’s paper on tagging the deep-diving beaked whales

Nicola’s twitter

Wider reading

Credits

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image - The Deep-Sea Podcast PRESSURISED

GLOSSARY

Bounce dives - A series of shorter, shallower dives for beaked whales in between really big, deep dives to >1500 m

Cetacean - The group name for whales and dolphins

Cuvier's Beaked Whale - One of the most frequently sighted species of beaked whales in the world. They are found in most oceans and seas worldwide and have the most extensive range of all beaked whale species.

Epiglottis - The small, movable "lid" just above the larynx that prevents food and drink from entering the windpipe.

Foraging - A technical term for ‘finding food’.

Mammal - A vertebrate that breathes air, has mammary glands and three inner ear bones.

PAMs (Passive acoustic monitoring) - Surveying and monitoring wildlife and environments using sound recorders (acoustic sensors).

Pod - The term for a group of cetaceans.

VHF antenna - A VHF marine radio antenna is used to transmit and receive VHF marine radio signals enabling communication with other boats, as well as with the shore and other emergency services.

Ziphiidae - The family name for beaked whales.

Deep diving whales with Nicola Quick Nov 04, 2023

Show notes

It also turns out that we as humans have something in common with these deep diving critters: the mammalian dive response. We hear from Dr Ryan ‘Beefy’ Beecroft, a sub engineer and keen free-diver, who explains to us what deep diving feels like when you are an air breather.

What’s more, the Professor tells the story about the infamous Goblet of Hades. If you manage to see this little piece of history in the background of documentaries, please do send a pic in!

Andy Koenig | Trace Ritchey | Harley Pollitt | Alice

Thanks again for tuning in, we’ll deep-see you next time!

Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much anticipated new design...

Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on:

podcast@armatusoceanic.com

We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!

We are also on:

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO

Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic

Keep up with the team on social media

Twitter:

Alan - @Hadalbloke (https://twitter.com/Hadalbloke)

Thom - @ThomLinley (https://twitter.com/ThomLinley)

Georgia - @geeinthesea (https://twitter.com/geeinthesea)

Instagram:

Georgia - @geeinthesea (https://www.instagram.com/geeinthesea/)

Read the show notes and find out more about us at:

www.armatusoceanic.com

FURTHER RESOURCES LINKS MORE INFORMATION ON NICOLA

https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/staff/nicola-quick

https://scholars.duke.edu/person/nicola.quick/

Nicola’s paper on tagging the deep-diving beaked whales

Nicola’s twitter

Wider reading

NEWS

Andrew’s hadal coffee blog from back in the day

The blue Atacama snailfish has some fanart

The quest for the bibby. It seems to be from a RPG project called Snail Morning about hadal snailfish.Twitter & Blog

Deep-sea neutrino telescope in the Western Pacific

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-023-02087-6

https://www.shine.cn/news/metro/2310104693/

Sounds of the deep

Seals To Exploit Sparse Deep-sea Prey

SOUNDTRACK OF THE MONTH:

The Hagfish Incident by Louie Zong

Spotify

Youtube

Context:

The incident it is paying tribute to is when a truck carrying Police in Oregon were in a slimy situation on Thursday after a truck carrying 7,500 pounds of live hagfish failed to stop at a construction site and spilled its contents onto the highway and over surrounding cars.

“As the tanks fall down, slime will coat your Toyota Preus”

News report:

https://youtu.be/ctoBivu2NSE?si=oafVp4RgcWevlWbt

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/hagfish-slime-oregon-highway

Credits

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image - NOAA Fisheries

GLOSSARY

Bounce dives - A series of shorter, shallower dives for beaked whales in between really big, deep dives to >1500 m

Cetacean - The group name for whales and dolphins

Epiglottis - The small, movable "lid" just above the larynx that prevents food and drink from entering the windpipe.

Foraging - A technical term for ‘finding food’.

Mammal - A vertebrate that breathes air, has mammary glands and three inner ear bones.

PAMs (Passive acoustic monitoring) - Surveying and monitoring wildlife and environments using sound recorders (acoustic sensors).

Pod - The term for a group of cetaceans.

VHF antenna - A VHF marine radio antenna is used to transmit and receive VHF marine radio signals enabling communication with other boats, as well as with the shore and other emergency services.

Ziphiidae - The family name for beaked whales.

PRESSURISED: 015 - Space pt 2 - Extreme tech with Evan Hilgemann Oct 28, 2023

Show notes

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 15. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!

Read the show notes and find the full episode here:

www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/015-space-pt2

We are still exploring the parallels between space and deep-ocean exploration. It feels like technology and access is really accelerating in both spheres. Don calls in to teach us about the amount of water in our solar system and the potential new job title – Planetary Oceanographer.

When samples or access to a vehicle is limited, how can we ensure that resources are shared fairly? We have seen it lead to disagreements on ships. With something as singular and precious as a Mars rover, how are its objectives planned? Evan Hilgemann, mechanical engineer and Curiosity Rover driver with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JLP) joins us to share how a rover is managed. We chat about the parallels between exploring mars and exploring the deep sea, the similar issues we face, what we can learn from each other and most excitingly, where is technology heading on both fronts! These are exciting times.

Feel free to get in touch with questions or you own tales from the high seas on:

podcast@armatusoceanic.com

We are also on

Twitter: @ArmatusO

Facebook: ArmatusOceanic

Instagram: @armatusoceanic

Read the show notes and find out more about us at:

www.armatusoceanic.com

Glossary

Autonomous - Something which can get on with things without human control

AUV - Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

Distributed intelligence – a very fuzzy term but basically multiple ‘stupid’ elements working together to do complex processing or make complex decisions.

Hadal - Areas more than 6000 m deep, mainly the deep-ocean trenches

JPL - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

ROV - Remotely Operated Vehicle

Transect - A quantitative survey of an area. You fly a set path and quantify everything on it.

Links

Evan’s Twitter: @evanhilgemann

Evan’s Newsletter

Credits

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

PRESSURISED: 040 - Submarine canyons with Teresa Amaro Oct 14, 2023

Show notes

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 40. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science withut any of our waffle, this is the place to be!

Read the show notes and find the full episode here:

www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/040-canyons

Thanks again for tuning in, we’ll deep-see you next time!

DID YOU KNOW WE SELL MERCH?

Check it out here!! And please do send in any pics of you wearing the merch!

Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own comments on:

podcast@armatusoceanic.com

We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO

Facebook:DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic

Keep up with the team on social media

Twitter: Alan - @Hadalbloke, Thom - @ThomLinley, Georgia - @geeinthesea

Instagram: Georgia - @geeinthesea

Read the show notes and find out more about us at:

www.armatusoceanic.com

CREDITS

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

040 - Submarine canyons with Teresa Amaro Oct 07, 2023

Show notes

So everyone has been pretty busy but we finally got round to finishing off our deep sea habitats series with this episode on submarine canyons. We talk with Dr Teresa Amaro, from the University of Aveiro in Portugal about these hugely important habitats in the deep sea and how they influence the fauna of the continental shelf. Plus, we get to hear the infamous story of when The Professor and Teresa docked in Lisbon during a cruise and Teresa was able to clear out a bar for the whole of the crew.

Plus, the deep sea has been all over the news this month with lots of new papers being released. Magnetic bacteria have been found by the (phenomenally named) HYPER-DOLHPIN ROV, mysterious markings on the seafloor turn out to be face-planting fish, and scientists have been training jellyfish to navigate through assault courses (kinda).

The Professor’s deep sea research lab have also been busy recently with lots of exciting videos coming out from their landers. Plus, one mystery creature has the whole team stumped. Is it a nudibranch? Or is it something else entirely?

Julian Moore | Juli Berwald | Karen Pratt | Susan Casey

Thanks again for tuning in, we’ll deep-see you next time!

DID YOU KNOW WE SELL MERCH?

Check it out here!! And please do send in any pics of you wearing the merch!

Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own comments on:

podcast@armatusoceanic.com

We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO

Facebook:DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic

Keep up with the team on social media

Twitter: Alan - @Hadalbloke, Thom - @ThomLinley, Georgia - @geeinthesea

Instagram: Georgia - @geeinthesea

Read the show notes and find out more about us at:

www.armatusoceanic.com

FURTHER RESOURCES LINKS

Kelp lightbulb art exhibition at Te Papa

Big eye jellyhead spotted on Alan’s landers

Unknown species spotted on Alan’s landers

Fish have been smashing their faces into the seabed for a while

Fossil spines reveal deep sea's past

Revolutionary deep-sea habitat to be available by 2027

Magnetic bacteria in the deep sea

Learning in Jellyfish

DNA found in filter feeding sponges reveals deep-sea fish community

Incise symposium 2023

CREDITS

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image - NOAA

GLOSSARY

Canyon - Narrow steep-sided valleys that cut into continental slopes and continental rises of the oceans.

Cleft - A divide.

Continental shelf - A continental shelf is the edge of a continent that lies under the ocean. It extends from the coastline of a continent to a drop-off point called the shelf break.

Holothurian - A sea cucumber. They feed by ingesting sediment to obtain the nutrients.

Lander - A piece of deep sea equipment which free-falls to the seafloor and collects data via cameras, collection equipment etc.

ROV - Remotely operated vehicle. These are robots, tethered to the surface vessel which are used to explore an area in the deep sea, whilst being operated from the surface.

PRESSURISED: 014 - Space pt 1 - Deep sea of other worlds with Kevin Hand and Casey Machado Sep 30, 2023

Show notes

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 14. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!

Read the show notes and find the full episode here:

www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/014-space-pt1

The topic for this double episode is, as ever, the deep sea. But this time we are talking about the deep sea… Innnnnn Spaaaaaaaace! It turns out there is deep sea outside of earth in our solar system in the ice-covered moons of the gas giants. How likely are they to contain deep-sea life completely independent from the life that originated on earth? Thom chats with astrobiologist Kevin Peter Hand, author of Alien Oceans: The search for life in the depths of space, and director of NASA’s Ocean Worlds Lab. What are the best candidates for alien life in our solar system? What could that life be like and why does our own deep ocean provide a perfect test bed?

It turns out that the early versions of the vehicles which may some day explore these ocean worlds are already in development. Thom chats with Casey Machado, Research Engineer at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution about the Orpheus AUV, the first generation of such vehicle and a new asset to the exploration of our own deep ocean.

Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com

We are also on:
Twitter: @ArmatusO
Facebook: ArmatusOceanic
Instagram: @armatusoceanic

Read the show notes and find out more about us at:
www.armatusoceanic.com

PRESSURISED: 039 - Mollusc special with Kerry Walton Sep 15, 2023

Show notes

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 39. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!

Read the show notes and find the full episode here:

www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/039-molluscs

Our very special guest this month is the fantatsic Kerry Walton from the Te Papa Museum in New Zealand. Kerry talks us through the weird and wonderful world of marine molluscs, from the deep to the not so deep, and what makes them fascinating to study.

We learn about the very interesting Chainmail snail (Chrysomallon squamiferum), or as some call it ‘the scaly-foot snail’ (but we all agree that ‘chainmail snail’ is way cooler). Plus we hear all about the unbelievable species of limpets that survive on baleen from whalefalls, and those that live on human hair in estuaries (?!?!).

Thanks again for tuning in, we’ll deep-see you next time!

DID YOU KNOW WE SELL MERCH?

Check it out here!! And please do send in any pics of you wearing the merch!

Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own comments on:

podcast@armatusoceanic.com

We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO

Facebook:DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic

Keep up with the team on social media

Twitter: Alan - @Hadalbloke, Thom - @ThomLinley, Georgia - @geeinthesea

Instagram: Georgia - @geeinthesea