This is the short and punchy version of episode 70 that gets right to the science. If you would like to listen to the full episode, you can find it in the same feed.

This month on the Deep-Sea Podcast, we chat with Jason Rodriguez, a celebrity ROV pilot whose enthusiasm for all things science, ocean, and collaboration is deeply inspiring. This extra-packed episode is filled with Jason’s love for all things tech, problem-solving on the fly and being an expansive thinker.

Check out our lovely new website where you can find more detailed notes, images and links to the wider reading.

The podcast is self-sustaining (just) thanks to our lovely listeners. Thom and Alan take no money for the show. All money is put back into running it. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us:

Vivek- Lays on the seabed fossilized for millions of years

Jem- Was perfectly preserved in a bottle of vodka

Check out our podcast merch here!

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

podcast@deepseapod.com

We’d love to actually play your voice, so feel free to record a short audio note on our brand new answerphone!

https://www.speakpipe.com/deepseapodvoicemail

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

BlueSky: @deepseapod.com

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast

Alan - @Hadalbloke

Thom - @ThomLinley

Thom - @thom.linley

Inkfish - @inkfishexpeditions

JRod - @tx_jrod

Thom @thomaslinley.com

Alan @hadalbloke

Logo image: Courtesy of Jason Rodriguez

Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

In this episode Thom gets his game on with the creative team behind the Deep-Sea inspired and supportive board game Endeavor: Deep-Sea. Join us for this behind-the-scenes chat with the developers of some deeply authentic and enjoyable deep-sea-inspired board games.

Check out our lovely new website where you can find more detailed notes, images and links to the wider reading.

Welcome back to the Deep-Sea Podcast, your punk take on all things deep sea!

In our fifth instalment of the Deco Stop series, Thom gets his game on with Jarratt and Carl, the creative duo behind Endeavor: Deep-Sea, an award-winning deep-sea inspired board game that uses real-life research and events to craft a deeply authentic gameplay akin to real deep-sea research team experiences.

The podcast is self-sustaining (just) thanks to our lovely listeners. Thom and Alan take no money for the show. All money is put back into running it. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. Check out our podcast merch here!

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

podcast@deepseapod.com

We’d love to actually play your voice, so feel free to record a short audio note on our brand new answerphone!

https://www.speakpipe.com/deepseapodvoicemail

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

BlueSky: @deepseapod.com

https://bsky.app/profile/deepseapod.com

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod

https://twitter.com/DeepSeaPod

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast

https://www.instagram.com/deepsea_podcast/

Alan - @Hadalbloke

https://twitter.com/Hadalbloke

Thom - @ThomLinley

https://twitter.com/ThomLinley

Thom - @thom.linley

https://www.instagram.com/thom.linley/

Inkfish - @inkfishexpeditions

https://www.instagram.com/inkfishexpeditions/

Thom @thomaslinley.com

https://bsky.app/profile/thomaslinley.com

Alan @hadalbloke

https://bsky.app/profile/hadalbloke.bsky.social

Endeavor: Deep Sea, Standard Edition $59USD | Burnt Island Games

Endeavor Deep Sea: Uncharted Waters by Burnt Island Games — Kickstarter

Wellycon

Discoveries from the deep – the Bounty Trough expedition | Te Papa’s Blog

Theme: Going Home by Harvey Jones

In this episode Thom gets his game on with the creative team behind two incredible Deep-Sea inspired board game: Finspan

Check out our lovely new website where you can find more detailed notes, images and links to the wider reading.

Welcome back to the Deep-Sea Podcast, your punk take on all things deep sea!

In our fifth instalment of the Deco Stop series, Thom gets his game on with the creative team behind two incredible Deep-Sea-inspired and supportive board games. We hear from Michael O'Connell, the co-designer of Finspan, who gives us an insider look into the development of this game for 'fish people' which features ocean zonation, the creation of your own personal eco-system and the midnight zone- filled with some of our favourite deep-sea cuties.

The podcast is self-sustaining (just) thanks to our lovely listeners. Thom and Alan take no money for the show. All money is put back into running it. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. Check out our podcast merch here!

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

podcast@deepseapod.com

We’d love to actually play your voice, so feel free to record a short audio note on our brand new answerphone!

https://www.speakpipe.com/deepseapodvoicemail

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

BlueSky: @deepseapod.com

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast

Alan - @Hadalbloke

https://twitter.com/Hadalbloke

Thom - @ThomLinley

https://twitter.com/ThomLinley

Thom - @thom.linley

https://www.instagram.com/thom.linley/

Inkfish - @inkfishexpeditions

https://www.instagram.com/inkfishexpeditions/

Thom @thomaslinley.com

https://bsky.app/profile/thomaslinley.com

Alan @hadalbloke

https://bsky.app/profile/hadalbloke.bsky.social

Finspan – Stonemaier Games

Sharks & Reefs Expansion - Finspan

Anarchytabletop.bsky.social

Theme: Going Home by Harvey Jones

Join Professor Alan Jamieson, one of our venerated hosts, for a special cross over episode with our friends at Oceanography. This hadal trenches primer episode is a great overview for a first time deep-diver, taking you to the deepest parts of our favorite habitat.

Ocean trenches are Earth’s deepest habitats—and they’re full of life. This episode is a guided dive into the hadal zone (6,000–11,000 meters), where tectonic plates create steep trenches that plunge toward the mantle. Learn what trenches are geologically, what conditions are like at full ocean depth (cold, pressure, darkness), and why the deep sea isn’t a single ecosystem—each trench is its own world. You’ll also get myth-busting on how “the abyss” shows up in pop culture, plus an inside look at the technology that makes trench science possible: multibeam mapping, baited landers, and human-occupied submersibles. Finally, we explore the big research questions scientists are asking about biodiversity, evolution, and connectivity across the deepest ocean.

Special thanks to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for sponsoring this episode.

Episode Guest: Professor Alan Jamieson

Browse Professor Jamieson’s publications on Google Scholar

Visit the Hadal Zone Deep Sea Research Center and follow their work on Instagram

Episode Transcript and more information on the Pine Forest Media website

Follow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmedia

Hosted, produced, and edited by Clark Marchese

Cover art by Jomiro Eming

Theme music by Nela Ruiz

Join Dr. Thom Linley, one of our venerated hosts, for a special cross over episode with our friends at Oceanography. This deep-sea primer episode is a great overview for a first time deep-diver, taking you to the very heart of our favorite habitat.

What is the deep sea — really? Deep-sea researcher Dr. Thom Linley (Curator of Fishes at Te Papa Tongarewa, National Museum of New Zealand) breaks down the deep ocean as a connected world with distinct zones, ecosystems, and rules — not one mysterious “blob.” From the bathyal and abyssal to the hadal trenches, this conversation maps what’s down there, how life survives crushing pressure and perpetual darkness, and why the deep sea functions as the engine under the hood of the entire planet.

This episode explores:

• What counts as “deep sea” (and why the definition is changing)
• The major deep-sea zones and how they blend into each other
• Whale falls — the deep ocean’s sudden “feast events” and the strange life they power
• Why trenches can be food-rich funnels (and why that matters)
• How deep-sea animals adapt at the molecular level (cells, fats, enzymes)
• The technology that makes deep-sea science possible: landers, traps, cameras, and autonomous systems
• The reality of deep-sea pollution: plastic and “forever chemicals” showing up even at extreme depths
• Why museum collections are time capsules for future ocean science

If you’re into thoughtful mythbusting, weird deep-ocean ecology, and the real logistics of studying a place humans can barely access — you’re in the right place.

Special thanks to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for sponsoring this episode.

Episode Guests: Dr. Thomas Linley

Browse Dr. Linley’s publications on Google Scholar

Episode Transcript and more information on the Pine Forest Media website

Follow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmedia

Hosted, produced, and edited by Clark Marchese

Cover art by Jomiro Eming

Theme music by Nela Ruiz