– Ben and Tim intro the episode and Ash’s unique goal: finning across the English Channel01:14 – Comparison to Sam Penny’s Channel swim (Season 1, Episode 27)01:40 – Ash’s clearance diving background and fear of water after trauma02:45 – Military and Afghanistan service; PTSD and recovery journey04:00 – Ash joins the conversation, starts with early life and growing up in Adelaide06:00 – Competitive swimming as a teen; early struggles and successes07:45 – 2003: Racing against Grant Hackett at Nationals09:18 – Backstroke vs freestyle debate; Ash’s short course gold medal (with caveats)10:00 – Natural transition to the Navy from competitive sport11:01 – Joining as a direct entry diver and diver vs boatswain's mate decision12:01 – Clearance Diver selection process explained — 10 days of being wet, sandy, and psychologically tested14:07 – What Ash learned about focus, fatigue, and resilience during selection15:00 – 2009 shark attack incident: Ash explains what happened to Paul de Gelder17:34 – Ash’s role in the aftermath: trauma from cleaning the boat, psychological impact18:29 – Lingering fear of large bodies of water, even lakes20:00 – Later incident at Jervis Bay: panic before dive leads to difficult team moment21:12 – Realisation of responsibility and shame around not seeking help22:30 – Stigma and lack of psychological support during service23:45 – What clearance divers do: diving, EOD, underwater repair, and land-based ops25:16 – How Ash ended up doing EOD work in Afghanistan despite being too junior27:22 – Becoming the most junior sailor to deploy for combat operations in Afghanistan28:46 – Motivation to deploy: “It’s like a footballer wanting to play a grand final”29:00 – Getting targeted by an IED during deployment

About the Bushmaster

Pressure builds up

PTSD, cracks, symptoms and care

‘More to live for’ – side story

Medical discharge… and there are no protective factors in the military uniform

Role identity fusion

Finning the channelbreaking it down