Divers Gay Morse and Kameron D’Hue will be the latest local divers to be inducted into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame at a ceremony later this month.
Four international divers, who were nominated and chosen back in 2020, before COVID-19 hit, will also be inducted at the 29 Sept. event at The Westin resort.
Morse worked as a dive master and resort manager of Pirates Point resort on Little Cayman for three decades, and is also an author, marine conservationist and restaurant owner.
In 2015, she was a recipient of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association’s Long Service Award in 2015, and the Stingray Diamond Award in 2019.
Currently, Morse is a guide for Little Cayman Divers and dives multiple days a week.
D’Hue is being honoured in the Local Emerging Honouree category, which was established in 2017 and recognises young and upcoming Caymanians making significant contributions to the industry.
D’Hue, who comes from a family of seamen, received the Bob Soto Memorial Scholarship in 2019/2020, which enabled him to complete the Inspire Cayman diving training programme. D’Hue completed his dive master training as part of the National Tourism Training Programme administered by the Ministry and Department of Tourism.
In a press release announcing the honourees, Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan said, “Along with our vibrant marine environment, the people who work in our local dive industry are what make the Cayman Islands a leading global destination for diving. Their expertise and enthusiasm have visitors returning year after year to experience what the islands have to offer.
“I’m proud that the ISDHF recognises local individuals, like Ms. Morse and Mr. D’Hue each year, and look forward to seeing them honoured at the ISDHF induction ceremony.”
The hall of fame does not yet have a physical location. Plans were announced previously to convert part of Pedro St. James into a hall of fame and diving museum. A Department of Tourism spokesperson told the Compass this week that the hall of fame is “on track to open later this month”, adding that an update on this will be provided in the coming weeks.
The hall of fame was created in 2000 to honour divers around the world. Though technically based in the Cayman Islands, it has never had a physical home, operating instead through its website, with induction ceremonies being held each year at local hotels.
Since it was established, more than 100 divers from 32 countries have been inducted into the hall of fame.
The organisation’s executive director, Leslie Leaney, who had served the hall of fame for 19 years, resigned from his position last year.
International inductees
At the ceremony this month, Avi Klapfer (Israel, for Cocos Island), Jim Gatacre (Canada), Jill Heinerth (Canada) and Tom Ingram (USA), as well as the US-based Divers Action Network, will be inducted.
Klapfer is an Israeli underwater photographer based in Costa Rica who has explored and protected the remote Cocos Island since 1990.
Gatacre is the founder of the Handicapped Scuba Association, which has enabled thousands of people with disabilities around the globe to dive.
Cave diver and filmmaker Heinerth holds the woman’s world record for deep cave penetration, set in 1998, and received the OZTEK Media Excellence Award for significant contributions to technical and exploration diving in 2013.
Ingram, who has more than 40 years of experience in the recreational diving industry, including dive leadership, retail and retail management, education and marketing, has served as the president of the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association since 2002.
The Divers Alert Network, known as DAN, was established more than four decades ago, and is best known for its 24-hour emergency hotline which has been a lifeline for more than 100,000 injured divers worldwide.
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