ISSUE 16 ARCHIVE - NON-CELEBRITY DIVER

Tracie Podger

Where do you live?

Gillingham, Kent

Qualification

IDC Staff

Dive club

Oasis Scuba

Total dives

Lost count after 1,000 (does that sound cool?)

Max. depth

48m in Truk whilst being dynamite fished upon

Most expensive piece of kit

My lovely Beuchat stuff

Coolest thing seen underwater

Mum and baby dolphin swam around me within arms reach whilst I was teaching a horrible person to do mask removal skill and she had her eyes shut and missed the whole thing. Ha ha, I love revenge

Non-Celebrity moment

Seeing the look on my people’s faces when I take them on their first dive trip after learning in Leybourne Lake! They never believe me when I say, you can see fish and it is warm in other parts of the world!

Would never dive

The Sahara

BBS (Best Bacon Sarnie)

My own – nobody makes a bacon sarnie like me. Loads of good quality butter on fresh cut bread and fruity brown sauce mmmmmmmmm.

Best buddy

Myself!

Worst buddy

My mother!

Life-changing bizarre dive moment

Being at 30 meters in a ripping current on a wreck in the Maldives on my own because everyone sodded off and then deciding what religion I should be. Buddism is favorite at the moment ‘cos I want to come back as a whaleshark

Favourite UK dive location

Cornwall, Capernwray and, of course, Leybourne Lake

Favourite overseas dive location

Palau, Egypt, Maldives and many more

Still wanna dive

The rest of the world

Air or Nitrox?

Both

Tanya Streeter or Miranda Kresovnikoff?

Miranda, ‘cos she dives everywhere, warm or cold and I can watch her on telly

Monty Halls or Nick Baker?

If I live by the coast Monty can go fishing and provide me food, and if I live inland Nick can find edible bugs

Anything else to add

You must be mad if you don’t include me in your magazine. I am just great!