The Outlaw Ocean

Really fascinating - one of the best. It’s a journalistic, almost anthropological set of stories of cultures and economies of people working on the world’s oceans. Deeply investigated and researched labor and ecological stories. It also touches on the experiences and sometimes sacrifices of Ian Urbina and his crew.

I started this show unsure what I would think of the production quality and journalistic skill, and I was impressed beyond measure. This podcast takes you on a deep, thrilling exploration into the darkest corners of ocean crime life, and will shock you in ways you’d never expect. To many of us westerners, depravity on the ocean seems the hallmark of an era long past (i.e. pirates of the Caribbean in the 18th century), and we tend to think with a childlike sugar-coating of what crimes on the high seas might look like. This podcast bluntly shows you the ins and outs of these crimes with as much detail as Ian Urbina can give you as he personally dives into the lifestyles of different brands of ocean outlaws. I encourage any westerner to listen to this podcast to come face to face with the horrific reality that the worst behavior that humanity to offer is a normality in the modern era on deep sea waters. I have never been this captivated and addicted to a piece of journalism as I have been listening to this podcast, and season 2 is even more hard hitting and immersive than the 1st season (which was already a 10/10). Thank you Ian Urbina for your balanced, daring, journalistic integrity and skill you display for us listeners throughout this series.

I can’t say enough about how truly insightful and powerful this podcast is. The stories and issues are truly heartbreaking. Very, very well done

I loved the first season and was very excited for season 2 but for some reason on season 2 Ian’s narration is incredibly awkward with tons of pauses and this strange stop start speech pattern that didn’t exist at all on season 1. I think this is because he’s reading a script and is not a natural at it. As soon as he’s off script it flows fine but when he’s reading it’s hard to listen and really difficult to concentrate. A real shame as the reporting is exceptional.

I thought I knew how bad it can get out there …