Scuba Divers, Soviet Spy Movies, and a Splash of History

Sketch and Coffee Live at 5:30am Texas time

Today’s random object was a plastic scuba diver from the early days of recreational diving. I kicked off the stream with a few gremlins and a strong suspicion that Mercury was in Uranus, astrologicaly speaking. Once the cameras cooperated, we got into the history of diving, from the Bajau people’s DNA-deep breath-holding skills to the murky, near-fatal use of diving bells in the 1700s. We talked about the underwater caverns that are beautiful and very much like cathedrals, and how many people die cave diving.

I sketched while talking about Jules Verne’s influence on Cousteau, the Aqua-Lung, and how the military picked up on Lambertson’s bubble-free rebreathers for stealth operations. We even hit the science fiction side like The Abyss’ liquid-breathing tech and the Soviet Union’s very real reaction to James Bond’s very fake mouthpiece. And finally how those underwater caves would be perfect for vampire cities.

Click here to watch the recording