Ashley Semmens is a former Royal Australian Navy Clearance Diver who served for 18 years, specialising in explosive ordnance disposal. He has deployed multiple times, including to Afghanistan, and participated in Australia's military withdrawal in 2021. After surviving trauma from an IED attack, a sniper incident, and a horrific shark attack aftermath in Sydney Harbour, Ashley was medically discharged due to PTSD. Now, he's preparing to swim the English Channel — not just any swim, but on his back, using fins. It's a fundraising mission for the Navy Clearance Diver Trust and a deeply personal journey into fear, resilience, and purpose.

In this episode, Ash opens up about overcoming fear of the water, losing close mates, post-service mental health, and how he’s turning pain into a platform for support and recovery.

Key Moments

00:00 – Ben and Tim intro the episode and Ash’s unique goal: finning across the English Channel

01:14 – Comparison to Sam Penny’s Channel swim (Season 1, Episode 27)

01:40 – Ash’s clearance diving background and fear of water after trauma

02:45 – Military and Afghanistan service; PTSD and recovery journey

04:00 – Ash joins the conversation, starts with early life and growing up in Adelaide

06:00 – Competitive swimming as a teen; early struggles and successes

07:45 – 2003: Racing against Grant Hackett at Nationals

09:18 – Backstroke vs freestyle debate; Ash’s short course gold medal (with caveats)

10:00 – Natural transition to the Navy from competitive sport

11:01 – Joining as a direct entry diver and diver vs boatswain's mate decision

12:01 – Clearance Diver selection process explained — 10 days of being wet, sandy, and psychologically tested

14:07 – What Ash learned about focus, fatigue, and resilience during selection

15:00 – 2009 shark attack incident: Ash explains what happened to Paul de Gelder

17:34 – Ash’s role in the aftermath: trauma from cleaning the boat, psychological impact

18:29 – Lingering fear of large bodies of water, even lakes

20:00 – Later incident at Jervis Bay: panic before dive leads to difficult team moment

21:12 – Realisation of responsibility and shame around not seeking help

22:30 – Stigma and lack of psychological support during service

23:45 – What clearance divers do: diving, EOD, underwater repair, and land-based ops

25:16 – How Ash ended up doing EOD work in Afghanistan despite being too junior

27:22 – Becoming the most junior sailor to deploy for combat operations in Afghanistan

28:46 – Motivation to deploy: “It’s like a footballer wanting to play a grand final”

29:00 – Getting targeted by an IED during deployment

31:30    About the Bushmaster

34:42    Pressure builds up

39:30    PTSD, cracks, symptoms and care

44:00    ‘More to live for’ – side story

49:10    Medical discharge… and there are no protective factors in the military uniform

51:00    Role identity fusion

54:30    Finning the channel- breaking it down

 

 

External Links

• Navy Clearance Diver Trust


• Paul de Gelder – Shark Attack Survivor & Advocate


• S1E27 – Sam Penny swims the English Channel

Contact Us

www.unforgiving60.com

Email: debrief@unforgiving60.com

Instagram & Twitter: @Unforgiving60

 

Music

With thanks to: The Externals – available on Spotify