Show Notes
Sheck Exley didn't just push the limits of human exploration—he redefined them. Today we dive into the life of the man widely regarded as the greatest cave diver who ever lived.
From his first cave dive at age 16 to his record-breaking descent past 800 feet into Mexico's El Zacatón, Exley spent three decades exploring the most dangerous underwater caves on Earth. Along the way, he developed the techniques, equipment, and safety protocols that made modern technical diving possible.
But his obsession with the depths would ultimately cost him everything. On April 6, 1994, Exley attempted to reach the bottom of the world's deepest underwater sinkhole—a dive from which he would never return.
Watch the podcast
Fight me at war of the barons
Check out my trips with me here
Check out my merch here
Check out our sister podcast the Mystery of Everything
Coffee Collab With The Lore Lodge COFFEE
Bonus episodes as well as ad-free episodes on Patreon.
Find us on Instagram. Join us on Discord.
Submit your relatives on our website
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from History of Everything
He was a Japanese doctor who went to treat leprosy and ended up irrigating 16,000 hectares of Afghan desert. Afghanistan called him Kaka Murad — "Uncle Murad."
Want to enter the giveaway? Check out my merch here!
In 1975, a French mercenary named Bob Denard landed on the beaches of the Comoros Islands with a handful of men and changed the course of African history. Then he did it again. And again. And one more time for good measure. This is the story of how one man overthrew the same government four separate times, ruled an island nation as a puppet master for over a decade, and somehow died peacefully in France instead of prison.
Normally when one describes a dictator they will talk about murder, violence, oppression, coups, but not usually willingly giving up power. The dictator of Seychelles is perhaps one of the most rare examples of exactly that in history.
After World War II, Japan was devastated. Food was scarce, morale was low, and the country needed something—anything—to rebuild. That "something" turned out to be a simple bowl of wheat noodles in broth.