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James Nestor – The ocean is the final, unseen, untouched, and undiscovered wilderness. In fact, we know more about other planets and stars lightyears away than we do about our oceans, which cover more than 2/3 of our planet. Join us this week as we follow author James Nestor on an amazing journey to the depths of the ocean.

James is the author of Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us About Ourselves which is ranked as one of Amazon’s best non-fiction books of 2014. The book follows clans of extreme athletes, adventurers, and scientists as they plumb the limits of the ocean’s depths and uncover weird and wondrous new discoveries that, in many cases, redefine our understanding of the ocean and ourselves.

James has written for Outside Magazine, Dwell Magazine, National Public Radio,The New York Times, Men’s Journal, The San Francisco Chronicle Magazine, and more.  Nestor’s first book, Get High Now (without drugs) humorously explores the worlds of neurology, biology, and physiology through meditations, illusions, household herbs, and some bizarre anthropological discoveries. The accompanying website, gethighnow.com, was awarded in Time Magazine’s Top 50 Websites of 2009 and receives about 200,000 hits per month.

“Our bodies are equipped with reflexes that allow us to withstand the incredible pressures of a deep dive – our bodies completely transform.  It is the most profound transformation that we can naturally experience.”

– James Nestor

Quotes from James:

[shadowbox]”I was completely amazed that the human body, on a single breath of air, can dive down to over 300 feet.”

“Scuba diving in the ocean is like going birdwatching with a leaf blower.  You are not only disruptive, but you are a menace to everything around you. If you want to connect with animals and study life in the ocean, free diving is the only way to go.”

“Once you get past 30 feet deep in the ocean, you reach what freedivers call the “doorway to the deep” where buoyancy reverses, you no longer have to swim, and the ocean pulls you down further and further.”

“Know your limits, never dive alone, and enter the ocean in peace.”[/shadowbox]

 What we learn in this episode:

• How does someone make a living as an author?
• What is the “Master Switch of Life”?
• What is the sport of freediving?
• How can the human body withstand the pressure imposed on it at 300+ feet below sea level where lungs shrink down to the size of baseballs?

Resources:

Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us About Ourselves

http://mrjamesnestor.com/index.html

Performance Freediving International

Twitter: @MrJamesNestor

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