DIVING IN THE WORDS OF ANDRÉS MALDONADO

“Diving has represented everything that has been my life practically in its entirety since I have been diving and fishing since I was 13 years old. With commercial diving, I have been able to sustain my family and I am still doing it at 63 years old.

Safe diving for me is being able to do my job with as few accidents as possible (commonly known as bends) I have to find a way to minimize accidents as much as possible, considering the danger of my work. I use Nitrox (a breathable mixture of gases used in diving, whose proportions are: 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen, approximately) as as a resource to minimize these accidents.

Safe diving in commercial fishing? It is difficult since we are exposed to the great accumulation of nitrogen in our body on a daily basis. But over time, I have achieved a balance between repetitive diving and avoiding accidents. The essential for safe diving is to have the necessary education in diving and not to exceed the limits of no decompression. We may have the best instruction in diving, but if you dive commercial there is always risk. There are many factors that predispose to accidents.”

Andrés Maldonado has collaborated with multiple scientific investigations. Here with Leysa López, a student from the Dept. of Marine Sciences, UPRM.

Picutre provided by: Andrés Maldonado

Note: Andrés Maldonado is a commercial fisherman from Cabo Rojo, PR and is part of the CFMC Outreach and Education Advisory Panel We thank you for the expressions and photos provided