Meet todays featured diver, Mungo Finlayson who is 23 years old and living in Aberdeen. Despite a not so pleasurable experience during his try-dive, Mungo went on to know that a career in diving was certainly for him!
Full Name: Mungo Finlayson
Age: 23
Live In: Aberdeen, Scotland
Working For: Scuba Duba Dive
Diver Qualifications: PADI Divemaster & BSAC Professional Underwater Videography
When and where did you start diving?
Nasonisoni Island, Fiji – January 2008
Why did you start diving?
I’D finished school and wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do. I worked for 6months at a local hotel before setting off travelling for originally 6 months at the start of January 2008. My first ever time diving was in Zanzibar, Africa- I didn’t enjoy it at all. I felt the operation was very unprofessional and I don’t feel at ease in the water. I enjoy all the marine life though so I thought to myself I would give it another try, so I signed up to a 10 week marine conservation project in Fiji along with learning how to dive.
What made you choose to become a dive professional?
After my time in Fiji and then working in Australia, I absolutely loved diving. The feeling of being underwater and breathing was amazing, each dive was never the same with various marine life at each dive site. I was hooked so signed up to do my PADI Divemaster course on Koh Tao, Thailand- a divers paradise. I’ve worked and trained in diving ever since then.
Which is your favourite dive site and why?
Barracuda Point, Sipadan- As soon as I dropped down for my first dive on Barracuda Point I was amazed. The colours and corals where amazing, the marine life even more so. You didn’t know where to look within a 360 degree view there was a few black tip reef sharks, turtles, barracuda, bump head parrot fish and lots more. Sipadan Island is a place I’d very much like to go back and dive again.
What has been the most memorable dive of your life and why?
I would have to say it was a dive I did in June 2010 off Lossiemouth, Scotland. We were on a charter boat for a day, doing two dives. Both wreck dives the first being a deep dive and the second not being as deep. I was quite comfortable doing dry suit dives, the first dive all went to plan, conditions and visibility where really good. After lunch I jumped in for the second dive of the day, descended and everything was OK. I’d gone round the wreck and had started to ascend to just above the wreck. I felt something was wrong, I started to feel my dry suit filing with air and I was ascending. Trying to signal to my buddies with my dive torch but didn’t have any luck, I tried all the usual methods to deflate the drysuit, nothing was working. I soon found myself shooting to the surface, from about 20 metres to the surface in under a minute. While ascending I was rolling to try and slow the ascent down, I knew there was a boat above somewhere but not 100% sure where, I was relieved to reach the surface unharmed but I knew what had just happened wasn’t great at all. I boarded the boat and went onto 100% O2, the ambulance was radioed and waiting for the boat after we got back into the harbour. I then spent the next 8 hours in hospital as a precautionary measure. I believe the valve on my dry suit was sticky but to this day I’m not 100% sure. I dived 3 weeks after the incident in warm waters, I’ve never dived dry suit since but I’d like to get back into dry suit diving due to the diving being so good in Scotland. Every time I go diving after not being in the water for a while I think about this dive.
If you would come back as a marine life form in your next life, what would that be?
I’d like to be a whaleshark as I think they’re the gentle giant of the ocean.
Who is your dream dive buddy?
Sir Richard Branson, I admire what he’s done with his life and how many successful businesses he has set-up. I don’t think I’d ever run out of things to talk to him about during a surface interval.
What dive locations are on your dream “bucket list” and why?
Similan Islands, Thailand- As its know for its excellent marine life and range of swim throughs
Yak, Micronesia- purely for the stories and pictures I’ve seen from other people diving in Yak. Mill Channel is home to Manta Rays and that’s something I’ve never dived with.
The Wreck of The Zenobia, Cyprus- After recently started wreck diving, I think exploring the deck with all the lorries etc would be an amazing dive.
What is on your bedside table right now?
Clock Radio/ 3 Bottles of After shave/ My padi open water card and contact lenses
What is your favourite piece of diving equipment and why?
It has to be my Body Guard Camo 5mm Rash Vest-I’ve used it for majority of dives I’ve done and its still going strong since 2008- Lot’s of people always ask where I got it from.
If you were to launch a campaign to raise awareness on a specific issue that affects divers, the oceans or marine life, what issue would you target and why?
Snorkelling boats and teaching their customers never to stand up. After working on snorkelling boats in Australia it always really annoyed me when people thought they could stand up onto some coral. I think a standard briefing should be brought onto snorkelling boats and fines imposed on boats and their customers who fail to stick to the rules.
Where will you be in 10 years and what will you be doing?
Hopefully still in the scuba diving industry with Scuba Duba Dive grown on the number of destinations we can offer. Specialising in the professional training sides of the business and holidays offerings grown.
Learn more about Mungo and Scuba Duba Dive at http://www.scubadubadive.com
