The BiG Scuba Podcast

In this episode, we chat with Dan Frolec — diver, adventurer, entrepreneur, and author of The Cave, a gripping true story that blends scuba diving with real-life tragedy and injustice. Dan has been diving for over 30 years, exploring oceans across the globe. But one trip in 2002 to Croatia changed everything. What began as a routine sailing and diving holiday turned into a nightmare when a fellow diver was lost in an underwater cave. Soon after, Dan and a friend were falsely accused of murder and imprisoned, forced to fight for their freedom against shocking claims. Dan shares the story behind The Cave, the emotional toll of the incident, and how he found the strength to keep going. Beyond the book, we also dive into Dan's life journey — from a high-level corporate career in Prague to quitting it all and moving to Bali for a different way of life. Today, he runs his own advisory business, created a fitness programme, and continues to pursue his love for diving, freediving, and adventure. A powerful episode about resilience, truth, and the unexpected paths life can take. Links: Website: www.danfrolec.com Instagram: @danfrolec LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfrolec/ Book: The Cave – The True Story of Two Mysterious Deaths in an Underwater Labyrinth   The BiG Scuba Podcast is proudly supported by Narked at 90 – "Beyond Technical." Whether you're new to diving or thinking about moving into tech, they can help guide you with the best kit and advice. 💬 We'd love your feedback! Leave us a ★★★★★ review, share with your dive buddies, and get in touch via our socials or at mailto:[email protected]   👉 Check out our affiliate links and stores:Circular & Co – use our code BIGSCUBA Insta360 Store – use our code BIGSCUBA Waterhaul link Stream to Sea McConks - use our code THEBIGSCUBA2026 Amazon Store Patreon – support the show and keep us diving!Auto-Trail - Discover the new collection from the UK's leading motorhome and campervan manufacturer.   📲 Follow us on socials: Instagram: @thebigscuba Facebook: @thebigscuba LinkedIn: Ian 🦈 Last 🌐 Website: www.thebigscuba.com   🎧 Listen to The BiG Scuba Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and all major platforms. ISSN: 2752-6127  

INTRODUCTION Ian and Gemma chat to Marcus Greatwood. He is a freediver and a Senior Coach at NoTanx.  NoTanx is a club.  Marcus started freediving in 1999, Loic Leferme said to him "you have to start a club - great things only happen when you have a group of people to make them happen" Since then NoTanx has enabled a lot of people to interact with the Oceans & Lakes.     Marcus says freediving always comes back to enjoying where you are at that moment - underwater, weightless, timeless - and that feeling is accessible by everyone. https://www.notanx.com/ https://www.facebook.com/NoTanx https://www.instagram.com/marcus_greatwood/ https://www.youtube.com/user/FreediverMIG   The BiG Bat Phone    +44 7810 005924   Please Help support us.  Become a BiG Dolphin  for just $2 and get involved in the show.  Just click here: https://www.patreon.com/thebigscubapodcast   Are you looking for a new dive camera?   Check out the range from Paralenz     Here is the link  http://www.paralenz.com?aff=11   Are you looking for a Drone?   Use these two links to make your purchase with a 5%  Discount too! DJi MAVIC AIR:                 https://click.dji.com/ALcsa3-0HfHe8tQ DJi SPARK:                         https://click.dji.com/ABz6Lk-DM4vrq3e " We are a Wavemaker Ambassador Partner for Stream2Sea.  Use this link to get 10% of your order  : https://stream2sea.com/?ref=thebigscuba     Voucher Code    thebigscuba   Electric Bike Email for further details on prices and specifications:  [email protected]   YOUTUBE  Check out our YouTube channel and watch some of our videos and subscribe.   https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBiGScuba   We love hearing from you!Contact Gemma and Ian with your messages, ideas and feedback. We look forward to hearing from you via our social media pages or just email us  [email protected]  

INTRODUCTION Ian and Gemma have put together a compilation from the author and contributors to the book "Wild and Temperate Seas"     Will Appleyard                   www.willappleyard.com Kirsty Andrews                  @kirstyandrews Dan Bolt                             www.underwaterpics.co.uk Jason Brown                      www.bardophotograhic.com Jake Davies                        www.jakedavies1996.wixsite.com/jdscuba Alex Gibson                        www.divedup.com Stuart Philpott                  @stuart_philpott Elaine Whiteford              www.sublimescubaphotography.com         Please Help support us.  Become a BiG Dolphin  for just $2 and get involved in the show.  Just click here: https://www.patreon.com/thebigscubapodcast   Are you looking for a new dive camera?   Check out the range from Paralenz     Here is the link  http://www.paralenz.com?aff=11   Are you looking for a Drone?   Use these two links to make your purchase with a 5%  Discount too! DJi MAVIC AIR:                 https://click.dji.com/ALcsa3-0HfHe8tQ DJi SPARK:                         https://click.dji.com/ABz6Lk-DM4vrq3e " We are a Wavemaker Ambassador Partner for Stream2Sea.  Use this link to get 10% of your order  : https://stream2sea.com/?ref=thebigscuba     Voucher Code    thebigscuba   Electric Bike Email for further details on prices and specifications:  [email protected]   YOUTUBE  Check out our YouTube channel and watch some of our videos and subscribe.   https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBiGScuba   We love hearing from you!Contact Gemma and Ian with your messages, ideas and feedback. We look forward to hearing from you via our social media pages or just email us  [email protected]

INTRODUCTION Ian and Gemma chat to Christine Grosart.  Christine Grosart is an offshore diver medic, working in the North Sea on vessels and gas platforms.  When she is not attending to emergencies, her whole life is dedicated to cave exploration, cave diving and any excuse to get outdoors, underground or underwater!    She is also heavily involved with Ghost Fishing UK. https://www.wetwelliescaving.com/ https://vimeo.com/374157702 https://www.instagram.com/christinegrosart/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/WetWelliesCaving https://www.ghostfishing.co.uk/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/cgrosart/   Help support us.  Become a BiG Dolphin  for just $2 and get involved in the show.  Just click here: https://www.patreon.com/thebigscubapodcast   Are you looking for a new dive camera ?   To save some money use this link  http://www.paralenz.com?aff=11   Are you looking for a Drone ?  Use these two links to make your purchase. DJi MAVIC AIR: https://click.dji.com/ALcsa3-0HfHe8tQ DJi SPARK: https://click.dji.com/ABz6Lk-DM4vrq3e   YOUTUBE  Check out our YouTube channel and watch some of our videos and subscribe.   https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBiGScuba   Contact Gemma and Ian with your messages, ideas and feedback.. We look forward to hearing from you, just email us  [email protected]    We love hearing from you.

Ian and Gemma chat to Mike Valentine.  Mike is a  renowned underwater film cameraman credited on an enviable list of A-list movies. These include Bourne Supremacy, Casino Royale, Castaway, Terminator Dark Fate.. to name a few.   With his wife, Francoise they have a production company called ValentineFilms.  They are passionate about revealing the hidden beauty of the underwater world to audiences.  GUEST  WWW    http://www.valentinefilms.com/main1280mac.html   EMAIL   Please email us on   [email protected] INSTAGRAM        We are on Instagram    @thebigscuba   @gemmkemp  @ian7last FACEBOOK          We are on Facebook     @thebigscuba   @gemma.kemp.14   @ian.last.50 TWITTER             We are on Twitter  @the_big_scuba  @gemmkemp @ianlast7 YOUTUBE            We are on YouTube     https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBiGScuba PATRON               https://www.patreon.com/thebigscubapodcast WEBSITE              https://www.thebigscubapodcast.com/ MUSIC   "Facebook    Telling Truths     @tellingtruthsband    Email      [email protected] Spotify      https://open.spotify.com/artist/4DWKXf1NaG3zhMzxmm7PyP?si=PfTwIeA1SLOQgvk04C1-hw Twitter    https://twitter.com/tellingtruthsuk Instagram    www.instagram.com/tellingtruthsband/" MUSIC   "Mammal not Fish Facebook   https://www.facebook.com/mammalnotfish/ Spotify    https://open.spotify.com/artist/5cRE7JLjt5yzvfebThlrqD YouTube   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY8F9A2AvrkeHYz_u_rz4Fw

Ian and Gemma chat to Tec Clark. Tec Clark is a renowned instructor trainer in the diving industry, and he has devoted plenty of his time into creating various projects aimed at both recreational scuba divers and those working as professional divers. These include the ScubaGuru website, The League of Extraordinary Divers podcast, the Scuba Exam app, and the Beyond the Standard vlog. The Dive Locker podcast is aimed at professional divers from all agencies. Tec is the founder and Director of Reef Ministries. He is the Associate Director for Aquatics and Scuba Diving at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he teaches and directs the Nova Southeastern University Academic Diving Program. Have a listen and let us know what you think. What do you think of the music ?

Cristina and her connection with the underwater world and its exploration, our education and its conservation.  Gemma and Ian chat to Cristina Zenato, Cristina is a recognized diving professional and shares her knowledge about the oceans, sharks, caves and scuba diving. GUEST  WWW    https://cristinazenato.com/                     https://pownonprofit.org/ GUEST TWITTER               https://twitter.com/CristinaZenato GUEST FACEBOOK            https://www.facebook.com/cristina.zenato                    https://www.facebook.com/peopleofthewater/ GUEST INSTAGRAM         https://www.instagram.com/cristinazenato/                              https://www.instagram.com/peopleofthewater/ GUEST YOUTUBE             https://www.youtube.com/user/czunderwater GUEST EMAIL     [email protected] EMAIL   Please email us on   [email protected] INSTAGRAM        We are on Instagram    @thebigscuba   @gemmkemp  @ian7last FACEBOOK          We are on Facebook     @thebigscuba   @gemma.kemp.14   @ian.last.50 TWITTER             We are on Twitter  @the_big_scuba  @gemmkemp @ianlast7 YOUTUBE            We are on YouTube     https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbKOHHItaVu2y2nZcGJBHtA PATRON               https://www.patreon.com/thebigscubapodcast WEBSITE              https://www.thebigscubapodcast.com/ MUSIC   Facebook    Telling Truths     @tellingtruthsband    Email      [email protected] Spotify      https://open.spotify.com/artist/4DWKXf1NaG3zhMzxmm7PyP?si=PfTwIeA1SLOQgvk04C1-hw Twitter    https://twitter.com/tellingtruthsuk Instagram    www.instagram.com/tellingtruthsband/ MUSIC   Facebook   Lumine   https://www.facebook.com/Lumine-811505582530562/ Website   https://www.lumineband.com/?fbclid=IwAR0-I2icdNAfIKTFWX238fm8nqeg_VBXcil7jlcks0DvkG_dFsEsROVnhbs Email     [email protected] Spotify    https://open.spotify.com/artist/3jgxO2MI9kGJ4mSHQ5pzMW  Twitter    Instagram    https://www.instagram.com/lumineband/?fbclid=IwAR0oxTwQnwdO5xHwHd6Gjmw17EtrcSG_KZFU09Ionjl1U0w3PGgRRDQllJs