MIKE MASON
We chat to Mike Mason about being the only instructor for The Human Diver programme in the Asia-Pacific region, how his role in the RAAF aids his teaching, his love of wreck diving, and why grey nurse sharks got him back into diving. Photographs courtesy of Mike Mason
Q: What attracts you to the oceans? A: I enjoyed snorkelling as a child but always wanted to spend more time down deeper in among all the coral and fish. I first learned to dive back in the late-90s in the Caribbean. I didn’t dive again for a few years after that until a friend of mine in Australia told me about the grey nurse shark sanctuaries near where I now live. I saw his pictures of these magnificent creatures and had to see them for myself - and have been diving regularly ever since! As well as big marine life, a big attraction for me is the adrenaline rush I get when going down a shotline to a wreck. Whether it’s a new wreck for me or one I’ve done before, when I get halfway down the line so that the surface is out of sight and the line is stretching off into the blue, I can’t help asking myself ‘what’s down there?’
Mike is happy wet or dry diving
Q: What is The Human Diver and how did you become involved? A: The Human Diver was founded by Gareth Lock, who is passionate about diving and safety. He has a great deal of experience educating individuals and teams about the benefits of applying Human Factors to diving to make it safer and more enjoyable. I have lived and breathed Human Factors throughout my professional life in the military and when I came across The Human Diver website and Facebook page, it instantly resonated with me as something I wanted to be part of to improve my own diving as well as that of people diving with me. I started discussing some ideas with Gareth and am now part of The Human Diver instructor team. Grey nurse sharks got Mike back into diving
Q: How will The Human Diver Programme benefit divers? A: ‘Apply Human Factors, master the dive’ is The Human Diver’s core statement. Most accidents and incidents are not down to equipment failures or poor technical skills, they are down to things like complacency, communication breakdowns, lack of situation awareness, poor teamwork and/or leadership. These are all part of the world of Human Factors and The Human Diver offers courses, training and support that is focused on learning about and embracing Human Factors within the context of diving with the ultimate aim of making it safer. It doesn’t matter if you’re a brandnew Open Water student, you teach people to dive with rebreathers in caves or you’re somewhere in between, The Human Diver has something for you.
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