“ MAHANEY ’ S WORK HAS TAKEN HIM ALL OVER THE WORLD DOING A VARIETY OF JOBS , FROM INSPECTIONS TO SHIP REPAIR TO FACILITY REBUILDS .” worked for the Department of Public Works and we became friends ,” he recalls . “ I was introduced to others within the department , and they began to call me for underwater jobs .”
From there , he was introduced to engineers and construction people through Public Works , and before he knew it , he was getting plenty of new assignments . “ By that point ,” says Mahaney , “ I was making a good living .”
Mahaney ’ s work has taken him all over the world doing a variety of jobs , from inspections to ship repair to facility rebuilds . “ One company I worked for took me to Europe , across Canada , and throughout the States ,” he says .
He recalls one assignment at a Seattle prison . “ We had come from Vancouver , took a float plane , and then a boat to this island where the prison was located to do a survey ,” he says . “ It was eerie being there , and we were warned not to fraternize with the inmates , so we were always watching our backs . I like to joke that it was my time in prison .”
Mahaney also does dive jobs for West Head Boatbuilders owner Andrew Newell . “ My dad was a boatbuilder who knew Andrew ’ s dad ,” he notes . “ So we ’ ve known Andrew ’ s family for a long time . I help out with boat repairs that require underwater work , like snagged propellers .”
He also works for Newell ’ s lobster business , maintaining the seawater tanks where the lobsters are stored . “ I clean the water pumps , repair pipelines , and clear out the built-up mussels when necessary ,” he says .
Fortunately , in all his years of experience , he ’ s never been injured , but he says he ’ s come close . He recounts one instance when he was diving for jumbo lobster with wire traps under six inches of ice . Professional ice diving requires that a diver wear a rope around his or her waist and is then lowered through a hole that is cut into the ice . The other end is given to someone who keeps watch on land .
He recalls he was working underwater when he reached for his rope to go back up and couldn ’ t feel it . “ Then I remembered I had felt something brush against my leg earlier and figured that must have been the rope floating away ,” he says . He only had about 300 lbs . left on his air gauge .
Instead of panicking , Mahaney decided to remain calm and to think through the situation . He also remembers looking at the lobsters he was holding and thinking , “ So you are the last ones to ever see me alive ,” he laughs .
A few more minutes passed when , again , he felt something brush against his leg . It was the rope . This time , he managed to grab it and slowly made his way back to the opening in the ice . “ When I came out , I noticed that the guy who was supposed to be monitoring me had dropped his end of the rope and was taking a smoking break ,” he says . “ Had I panicked and pulled on the rope , I wouldn ’ t have made it out .” His composure saved his life .
An outstanding memory for Mahaney occurred when he was asked to explore a shipwrecked fishing vessel , the Miss Ally , which was located 200 miles offshore . According to Mahaney , the boat , crewed by five young men , capsized in a storm .
“ It was floating upside down , and the police and navy refused to dive and check for bodies that may have been trapped under the vessel ,” Mahaney explains . “ The community was devastated because they couldn ’ t get any cooperation from any government agency , including the Coast Guard , to check inside the boat . They felt that there was a possibility that someone could be trapped under an air pocket , and they were desperate to know if the boys were still there .”
Despite the Coast Guard stating that no one was to dive on the wreck , Mahaney and three other divers suited up . “ I said , ‘ We are going in . We didn ’ t come all this way to turn around and go back home without putting the boys ’ families fears to rest .’”
Unfortunately , all five men of the Miss Ally were lost at sea .
The government awarded the four divers with medals of bravery for their heroic actions . “ We didn ’ t think that was necessary , but they did it anyway ,” Mahaney exclaims . “ We did it to help the community and the families of the crew .”
Mahaney says he can ’ t imagine himself doing anything else . He loves the flexibility and the fact that every job brings about new challenges . “ It ’ s definitely not your typical 9-to-5 job , and I get days off to take care of other things ,” he observes . “ I also like that fact that no one can holler at you down there . It ’ s nice and quiet .”
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