BRIAN WIEDERSPAN

Brian was born and raised in California, but it wasn’t until he was living in Seattle, and took a vacation in Cozumel in January 2000 that he learned to dive. He was immediately hooked, and after returning to Seattle he immediately started diving, often.

He became a dive instructor in 2004, and a technical/trimix instructor in 2007. He's a UTD Technical Instructor Trainer, Trimix Instructor, Cave Instructor, member of the UTD Training Advisory Board, and is a member of The Explorers Club.

Brian coaches his students to become safer, more competent and confident divers and explorers. His dedication to his students is his first and foremost priority. His teaching style is more of a mentoring - he teaches as if he's building his own team, which is often the end result, as many of his students join him in his explorations and projects. When teaching, he draws from his own extensive experience and explorations, providing the students with realistic training, helping them to develop skills they'll use in their own dives and explorations.

He's trained the Seattle Aquarium's dive staff, and has helped to integrate team diving techniques & procedures into their dive operations and program. The training has included Essentials, DPV 1 and Tech 1. By incorporating their new training into their field operations, the Aquarium's staff/field divers can now extend their operating range to deeper depths, with the added safety of helium-based bottom breathing gas and oxygen for accelerated decompression, while increasing their efficiency by including DPVs and team diving protocols.

He's also trained Renton Fire Department's Water Rescue Team.

EXPLORATION | PROJECTS | MEDIA

Camera / Team Member | Vanilla Sky Project 2020

Camera / Team Member | Vanilla Sky Project 2019

Concept & Camera | GoPro's Searching the Maya Underworld

Camera / Team Member | Sac Actun / Dos Ojos Connection

Exploration Diver / Camera | Red Sea Wreck Exploration Project

Camera / Team Member | Vanilla Sky Project 2018 / O'ho Tucha Exploration

Exploration Diver / Camera | Olympic National Marine Sanctuary Project

Interview / Commentary | Wildlife Detectives: Mystery Sharks of Seattle

Exploration Diver / Camera | Vancouver Island Exploration Project 2017

Exploration Diver / Camera | Shipwreck of the GeneralExploration

Diver / Camera | Mine Exploration Project

Exploration Diver / Camera | Shipwreck Exploration Project

Camera / Team Member | Vanilla Sky Cave Exploration Project 2017

Camera / Team Member | Gran Acuifero Maya (GAM)

A true explorer at heart, Brian has been an exploration diver and camera operator on many projects. He has a true passion for documenting exploration, as it happens. His footage has been featured on National Geographic, CNN, BBC, Reuters and Associated Press. He’s won several GoPro Awards and his footage has been used in GoPro commercials and promotional / launch videos and he is currently sponsored by GoPro's Media Team. He's a team member and camera operator for Gran Maya Acuifero, whose mission is exploring, understanding, and protecting the Great Mayan Aquifer, one of the largest underground aquifers in the world and is a member of The Explorers Club.

He developed the initial concept for GoPro’s “Searching the Maya Underworld – Quest for the Earth’s Biggest Cave” and worked as the primary underwater camera operator on the 14 day project, one of GoPro’s most successful “long” projects.

He was a team member and primary camera operator for the Sac Actun / Dos Ojos Connection Project, which created the world's longest underwater cave system in Jannuary 2018.

He appeared in, and was interviewed in KCTS’s 2016 Edward R. Murrow Award winning documentary “Wildlife Detectives: Mystery Sharks of Seattle

OTHER INTERESTS

Running/fitness/health, videography & video editing and music. From childhood, music has played an important role in his life.

EQUIPMENT

REGULATORS

Backmount - Apeks DST/TX50

Sidemount / Cave - Apeks DST/ATX50

Deco/Stage - Apeks DST/XTX50, DST/ATX50 & DST/XTX40

EXPOSURE

Rofos/UTD RS350 / XM450

DUI FLX Extreme Expedition / MK2 (Cave)

BACKPLATES / WINGS

Backmount - Fred Tagge & HOG plates, Agir-Brokk, Dive-Rite, Golem, HOG & Halcyon wings

Sidemount (cave exploration) - Custom using UTD Z-Harness & Z-Tec Pro Wing, Agir & Sump UK hardware and DGX Butt Plate

LIGHTS

UTD, Light Monkey & Salvo primaries & DRIS and BigBlue backups

GAUGES

Shearwater and DiveSoft

DPV

Dive-Xtras CUDA 400

VIDEO

GoPro HERO8 cameras, Golem Housings and BigBlue VL5800P & VL15000 Pro lights