“I will have no man in my boat," said Starbuck, "who is not afraid of a whale." By this, he seemed to mean, not only that the most reliable and useful courage was that which arises from the fair estimation of the encountered peril, but that an utterly fearless man is a far more dangerous comrade than a coward.
Mario has written articles on boating and water safety, aquatics safety, and rescue and survival since 2007. His work has been published in professional journals and commercial magazines and newspapers worldwide. Currently, he writes for this site alone, though many of his articles are available for republishing with permission or have been released to the public domain.
Mario has lectured extensively to various organizations on a wide range of topics including drowning risk and immersion hypothermia, safety at sea, aquatic risk and safety, safe boating operations, rescue operations, lifeguard training evaluation and management, and various leadership issues. He continues to speak on rescue and survival tactics to professional organizations around the world.
Risk evaluation and mitigation services specific to your vessel or facility are available from Mario and his associates. From aquatic safety and rescue to vessel operations and handling as well as helicopter hoist and rescue procedures, we can help make your teams better.
Knowing what's missing from your standard operating procedures is almost impossible without looking at risk in a way you've never done before. Lack of failure is not the same thing as success. A safe operation always asks, "what could go wrong, and what can (or should) I do about it?" With long experience with the "what could go wrong" part, Mario can look at your operation in ways you either cannot or have not and fill in any gaps in your safety systems.
Mario is a leading expert on immersion hypothermia, drowning, sea survival, and safety at sea. His writing has appeared in Yachting Magazine, SaltWater Sportsman, Soundings Magazine, The Washington Post, and Reader’s Digest. He is a retired U.S. Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer and accident investigator.