Rising Tide: The Ocean Podcast
For over seven years Rising Tide has been a refreshing, irreverent dive into the lives, work, and explorations of today’s leading and diverse ocean voices.
Each half-hour episode co-hosted by David Helvarg of Blue Frontier and Vicki Nichols Goldstein of the Inland Ocean Coalition sails through lively discussions with our guests about marine life, culture, and critical issues affecting our rapidly changing seas. Informative, enlightening, and often humorous it is an invaluable resource for anyone passionate about understanding, enjoying, and protecting our salty blue world.
Nancy Rabalais Tracks the real Living Dead
Every spring, snowmelt and fertilizer runoff from half a continent funnel down the Mississippi and empty into the Gulf of Mexico — and every spring, the Gulf pays for it. In the latest episode of Rising Tide: The Ocean Podcast, hosts David and Vicki sit down again with Dr. Nancy Rabalais, the LSU marine ecologist who has spent decades mapping the Gulf's infamous "Dead Zone," a stretch of oxygen-starved water created when algae blooms — fueled by that same runoff — die, sink, and suffocate everything below.
This year's zone, by Rabalais's latest count, sprawls across roughly the size of Rhode Island. In past years, it's swelled to the footprint of New Jersey.
Rabalais walks through the chemistry behind the bloom-and-crash cycle, but the conversation doesn't stop at nutrients. She and the hosts also dig into the long tail of the 2010 BP oil spill and what a decade and a half of aftermath has revealed about the Gulf's resilience — and its limits.
It's a clear-eyed look at a disaster that unfolds every year, mostly out of sight, at the bottom of America's most productive fishery. Tune in for the full conversation with one of the Gulf's most dogged chroniclers.
The Salty Rising Tide Crew
At the heart of our remarkable Blue Frontier community are some people helping turn the tide. Our team members are multi-talented individuals & activists who have a genuine love for the ocean and intimate connection with the issues that threaten it’s health and with that the health of the planet.
David Helvarg
Host & Executive Director
Author and Executive Director of Blue Frontier, an ocean policy group, and co-host of the Rising Tide Ocean Podcast (and radio show).
Natasha Benjamin
Co-Host & Producer
Natasha has almost 20 years’ experience working in marine science and policy and a strong dedication for ocean conservation.
Vicki Nichols Goldstein
Inland Ocean Coalition
Co-Host
Founder of the Inland Ocean Coalition, and for 10 years served as Executive Director, and a lifelong ocean advocate.
Holden Hardcastle
Fluid Studios
Producer
Bringing people together through events, developing dynamic brands to change the world, and inspiring teams that yield inspirational results.
Charles Landon
Podcast Editor
A photojournalist who worked for 40 years at the CBS affiliate in San Diego. He has won numerous Emmy, Golden Mikes and a National Press Photographer award.
Nick Paz
Media Coordinator
Nick is an oceanography graduate from Cal Maritime with a passion for environmental stewardship, equitable outdoor access, and creating and fostering inclusive ocean communities.