Tom Mount

[Trace Malinowski]

This is my favorite photo of Tom. He shared it on Facebook on November 1, 2021. At the time, I replied that he looked like a movie star. If "Planet of the Apes" was about cave divers emerging into a different world, Tom could have played Charlton Heston's character Taylor. LOL!

 

[wnissen]

I`d asked of author of this photo. She`s confirmed free NONcommercial usage of this photo just with two condition:
Always use with name of the author - Lubov Gomareva
and only for NON commercial usage.
speliou - her page

Hi, thanks. Wikipedia does not allow the restriction of non-commercial, so I used a different picture. I was able to clean up the page quite a bit, overall. If anyone has Sheck Exley's "Caverns Measureless to Man" and is willing to send me a copy of pages 283 and 294 where he talks about Tom Mount, that would be helpful.

 

[Germie]

I was his last student where he dove with. So I am happy I met him. He was already 77 then. And with that cert I became the first ccr cave instructor in the Netherlands.

 

[Kay Dee]

Well shite, late to the party again having just heard the disappointing news, so figured I best come outta hibernation and pay my due respects.

As the OP said, a true legend in the diving world, and a giant on whose shoulders all technical divers stood, whether they knew it of not.

But knowing Tom as well as I had back in the day, I know he wouldn't want us to be crying about his passing, more would wish us to celebrate a life lived with far more experiences crammed into that one life than most people would ever experience in multiple lifetimes. [But as Jim Morrison of 'The Doors' so tellingly once sang "nobody gets outta here alive".]

However, Tom often liked to say that it was the quality of life, not the quantity that mattered, yet he was fortunate enough to have had both! I bet him, Mimms and Sheck have already done their 'first' dive again together.

Pic below taken on, IIRC, his 60th birthday back in ‘99. RIP Tom, and thanks for teaching me how to rely on no one but myself underwater.

 

[Roz]

I never heard of Tom Mount but it sounds like any rec diver who dives nitrox owes him at least a small debt.

That Wikipedia page needs some help, though. @АлександрД or @Roz , would you be willing to license your pictures? I can walk you through it. I'm not an official Wikipedia anybody, but I've been an editor for a long time and can help get that article in shape. At the moment it looks like it may be in danger of getting deleted altogether. If anyone has links to news stories about him, you can DM me or post them here.

 

[Roz]

I never heard of Tom Mount but it sounds like any rec diver who dives nitrox owes him at least a small debt.

That Wikipedia page needs some help, though. @АлександрД or @Roz , would you be willing to license your pictures? I can walk you through it. I'm not an official Wikipedia anybody, but I've been an editor for a long time and can help get that article in shape. At the moment it looks like it may be in danger of getting deleted altogether. If anyone has links to news stories about him, you can DM me or post them here.

Of course you can use my images. V fond of Tom Mount. You are most welcome to upload these to Wikipedia. I give you my full permission to do so. If there is a credit then please ensure it is "Rosemary E Lunn". The photo on the right hand side was taken at DEMA 1999 in New Orleans and it was the first time I met Tom. I think I was trembling because I was so nervous. Thank you for doing this! Much appreciated.

 

[Roz]

DIVE Magazine in the UK has just published my tribute to Tom Mount. He made a massive impact on us Brits and technical diving in the UK!

Tom Mount - a tribute to a tech diving legend

Rosemary E Lunn looks at the impact Tom had on the development of tech diving both globally and on the UK tech scene

divemagazine.com

 

[Kay Dee]

For a little more info on Toms's pre IANTD days see the article linked in my post at top of page here............

Tom Mount

Tom's pre IANTD background is covered in some detail in this recent article by Simon Pridmore. https://gue.com/blog/tom-mount-brought-considerable-depth-and-experience-to-technical-diving-1939-2022/

scubaboard.com