Capt. Michael R. Ange, Ph.D.
Overview
When the outcome of a diving or maritime case turns on technical facts, retained counsel needs an expert who has lived those facts — not just studied them. With nearly three decades of active case work spanning the United States, Caribbean, and Latin America, Capt. Michael R. Ange, Ph.D. brings a depth of operational and academic credentials that is exceptionally difficult to challenge on voir dire.
Over a career spanning independent instruction, retail dive center ownership, University Diving Safety Officer, instructor trainer, equipment design and development including production designs recognized with international industry awards, manufacturer management, and forensic repair technician work, Capt. Ange has experienced the diving industry from virtually every professional vantage point — giving him an unusually complete perspective on how accidents occur and how liability is distributed across the chain of instruction, equipment, and operations.
Capt. Ange has served as expert consultant and expert witness in diving and maritime litigation for plaintiff and defense counsel alike, from Massachusetts to California and internationally. His forensic work encompasses accident investigation, equipment failure analysis, standards of care, diver training competency, and maritime operations.
Qualifications at a Glance
- Ph.D., Adult Educational Psychology — research focused on diver training effectiveness and critical incident response
- U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Marine Master License — power, sail, and commercial towing endorsements
- Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator
- Founder, Emergency Response Diving International (ERDI) — the world’s largest public safety diver training agency
- Global Training Director, Technical Division, SCUBA Schools International (SSI), 2009–2012
- Managing Director, U.S. divisions for SiTech AB, Waterproof Diving International, and Green Force — European life support and diving equipment manufacturers
- 160+ international diving certifications at instructor, master instructor, or instructor trainer levels from 9 certifying agencies
- Author, Diver Down: Real World SCUBA Accidents and How to Avoid Them (McGraw-Hill, 2005) — the definitive recreational diving safety reference
- Author of 9 diving training and instructional texts including student manuals and instructor guides, published by international certification agencies and used worldwide
- Project Faculty, Underwater and Hyperbaric Medical Society — serving on the teaching faculty for “The Medical Assessment of Fitness for Diving,” a qualifying seminar for physicians on recreational, technical, and public safety diving medicine and diver fitness standards.
- Contributing Technical Editor and Contributing Training Editor, Scuba Diving Magazine (2001–2009) — author of dozens of published diving accident case studies and training analysis articles, the majority of which remain accessible in the magazine’s online archive, representing one of the most widely read bodies of recreational diving accident analysis in the industry
- Training or safety board service for 5 international diving agencies
- Scientific Diving Instructor, American Academy of Underwater Sciences
- Visiting Faculty, Scientist in the Sea Program — a joint sponsored US Navy and Florida State University scientific diving program, providing instruction and operational oversight for scientific diving operations
- Advanced EMT (ALS level) and Advanced Diving Medical Technician/Chamber Operator
- Over a decade in law enforcement including years in narcotics and criminal investigations, with training from several certification and qualification schools including investigations and evidence processing courses from the State of North Carolina, the U.S. Army, and the FBI Law Enforcement Officers Training School — with sworn testimony experience in adversarial proceedings
- Sworn testimony before U.S. Congress and Presidential Advisory panels on the health and social effects of Gulf War service, contributing to the legislative recognition of Gulf War Illness, Washington, D.C., 1994 & 1995
Note: Upon semi-retirement from active instruction, certain certifications and licenses are maintained in current status while others have lapsed due to changes in employment, contractual relationships, or absence of operational need. No certification or license held by Capt. Ange has ever been revoked, suspended, or denied.
Technical & Equipment Credentials
Instructor Trainer certification in gas blending and oxygen equipment service through TDI and IANTD, two of the largest technical diving agencies in the world — including Nitrox Gas Blending, Advanced Gas Blending, and Equipment Oxygen Service currently active through TDI, and Trimix Gas Blending and Life Support Service Technician held historically through IANTD. Contaminated gas supplies and gas blending errors represent a significant percentage of diving fatalities and serious injury cases.
Manufacturer service technician certifications held throughout his career with documentation in hand from Dräger Dive Americas (rebreather and open circuit, separate certifications), Poseidon Diving Systems, Si Tech AB, Scubapro (Professional Technician, Oxygen Cleaning for Regulators, and Theory and Operations), Aqualung, Cressi Sub, Ocean Edge, Sherwood/Harsco, Interspiro, and Kirby Morgan Commercial Life Support Systems — encompassing repair, maintenance, and user certifications across recreational, technical, and commercial diving equipment.
Investigative & Forensic Capabilities
Prior to his diving career Capt. Ange served a decade as a law enforcement officer, including years in narcotics and criminal investigations. That background shapes every investigation he conducts — evidence handling, chain of custody, documentation methodology, and courtroom presentation are not academic concepts but practiced skills honed under oath in adversarial proceedings. He has worked alongside law enforcement agencies worldwide and trained hundreds of public safety divers and public safety diving instructors — the majority of them active firefighters, emergency medical personnel, and law enforcement officers.
Through TDE, Inc., his consulting firm established in 1996, Capt. Ange has provided risk management, expert consulting, and product development services to major diving industry manufacturers and certification agencies for nearly three decades — including Dräger Safety, Poseidon Diving Systems, and Waterproof Diving International. Critically, this work has included drafting training standards that became the basis for global certifications in recreational, technical, and public safety diving — giving him an authoritative perspective on the standards of care that govern diving instruction and operations worldwide. Expert witness services are retained through Mike Ange LLC.
In-house forensic inspection facilities are available for physical examination and documentation of diving equipment in evidence — this work is never farmed out.
Case Scope
Capt. Ange is available to retained counsel for matters involving:
- Recreational, technical, and commercial diving accidents
- Public safety and emergency response diving incidents
- Diver training standards and instructor negligence
- Equipment failure, malfunction, and product liability
- Maritime operations and vessel-related incidents
- Drowning and near-drowning investigations
- Standards of care across all diving disciplines
Engage Capt. Ange
CV and references are available upon request. To discuss your case:
Email Mike
Capt. Michael R. Ange, Ph.D. accepts cases on behalf of both plaintiff and defense counsel. All inquiries are held in strict confidence.