In Memoriam

Monday was a hard day for us here on the Hi'ialakai. We ended the day's operations at Swains with a Safety Stand-down as we learned of the death of one of our fellow NOAA divers in Florida. Rusty Mason was a veteran diver and one of the finest members of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Mooring Buoy Team which installs and maintains the a multitude of buoys in the FKNMS which protect the fragile reefs from damage caused by vessel anchors. Rusty could always be counted on to show up with a smile and keep up everyone's spirits no matter how bad the weather got. An accomplished instructor, Rusty was often chosen to be the FKNMS diver assigned to the various VIPs visiting the Sanctuary, diving with them and keeping them safe. He will be dearly missed.

At this point we are all waiting to hear the final verdicts on the cause of the accident. At this point it appears to be medical in nature which is some small comfort. Conditions that day were perfect and it is pleasant to think that when Rusty's time came it was while he was doing what he loved best in the Tortugas Ecological Reserve, a place he dearly loved. As a child, Rusty loved the television program Sea Hunt and was known to strap a pillow to his back to perform backward roll entries off the back of the couch as if it were a dive boat. Conditions were close to perfect on Monday with over 100' of visibility, clear skies, and calm seas ... he must have been so happy.