IN MEMORIAM: Jordi Mateo

At the age of 41 years, Jordi Mateo lost his life during a hypoxic dive. With his death the diver community lost an excellent diver and diving instructor. Many people lost a very good friend…

I met Jordi for the first time during rebreather courses. We joined DIRrebreather at the same time. We did many dives and expeditions together. The last one was to the Focke Wulf in 2011 (together with his “standard” buddy Drazen Goricki). We were going to do other expeditions this year. I know Jordi as a very conscious diver who took safety as the most important part of a dive. Furthermore Jordi was a joy during the expeditions when we were not in the water. Jordi, also know as hmdiver, heavy metal diver, enjoyed a good piece of meat. And in the team we always took care that there was enough for him. He and his buddy Drazen were two opposites: that caused many funny and cheerful moments. Jordi leaves an empty space on future expeditions. On this fatal day in 2012 Jordi went on his last expedition: one expedition we sooner or later will all make. And then I’m sure we will meet again.

Profile

Jordi Mateo was an instructor who is passionate about the rebreathers he teaches. He has been a pioneer in Spain and has definitively contributed to diffuse closed circuit technology to the Spanish speaking community in particular with his rebreather web material in Spanish. Since his first experience in 1997 with an Atlantis I, rebreathers have become an obsession to him and since then he has been an avid collector of rebreathers and intended to one day build a museum dedicated to these technological pieces of equipment. Alongside his passion of collecting rebreathers he has optimized various rebreathers applying some interesting improvements. Jordi Mateo was an Instructor in all areas of commercial semi closed and fully closed circuit rebreathers and was one of the initial TDI & ANDI & DIRrebreather Instructors in Spain. He was an Hypoxic Trimix Instructor on the Megalodon, Ouroboros, Inspiration (Classic & Vision), Evolution, Optima, COPIS, KISS, Submatix, Poseidon Discovery MkVI, Atlantis/Dolphin, Ray, Azimuth, Submatix & UBS40. He was also a Rebreather Diver of Cis-Lunar MkV Pilot #51, rEvo, RON (paSCR), HammerHead. He had a small collection of Vintage Rebreathers like FIENO, RG-UF/M, RG-UF/M (Black Version), IDA 76/AT1, FENZY 66H, IP-5, IDA 57, IDA 59, IDA 71