Life’s Tough, Explorers Are TOUGHER!
“Exploring is an innate part of being human.” Richard Wiese, spends 30 minutes every week with some of the world’s most compelling adventurers, explorers, and socio-environmental advocates, listening to their distinct adventures, unique discoveries, projects & goals, while discovering their multitude of challenges, surprises, triumphs and set-backs they encounter along the way. Join Richard as he pulls back the curtain on what it’s like to travel around the world and beyond; explore some of the most exotic and often dangerous places; and uncover what makes people, places and our planet so special.
Life’s Tough, Explorers Are TOUGHER!
Sea Serpents to Science: Adrian Shine’s Loch Ness Journey
In this episode of Life’s Tough: Explorers Are Tougher, host Richard Wiese journeys across Scotland’s legendary Loch Ness with renowned naturalist and monster hunter turned scientist, Adrian Shine.
Adrian’s name is synonymous with the Loch Ness investigation. Over the last five decades, he’s gone from wide-eyed believer to skeptical researcher, leading sonar sweeps, underwater camera dives, and ecosystem studies to uncover the truth. He tells the story of his early encounter with what appeared to be a massive creature—only to discover it was a rock—and how that moment changed his approach to science and storytelling.
Together on the water, Richard and Adrian explore why humans want to believe in monsters, how Scottish folklore adds fuel to the myth, and why perception often shapes reality more than fact. Adrian explains his shift from monster hunting to studying mud, plankton, and human psychology—and and why Loch Ness remains a mystery not because of what it hides, but because of what we hope to find.
Whether you believe in Nessie or not, this episode is a masterclass in observation, humility, and the true meaning of exploration.
“If I can’t believe my own eyes, I shouldn’t believe anyone else’s.” — Adrian Shine
This is Life's Tough, Explorers Are Tougher, with your host, Richard Weiss. Scratch the surface of an explorer and you'll find an adventure and a great story. This show is about their tales.
This podcast is a proud supporter of the Explorers Club and the EC50 Initiative. 50 people changing the world that the world needs to know about. For more information, go to explorers.org.