— a remembrance of a great friend Bret Gilliam and Fred Garth were business partners from 1994 until 2004 when their publishing company was acquired by Petersen Publishing (Skin Diver, etc.). The two ran popular diving expeditions and were the first to take Draeger semi-closed rebreathers to places like Cocos Island, Palau and the Silver … Read more
When I first met Bret, I disliked him intensely. My friend Rob Palmer, a self-effacing Englishman, had invited me over to the Bahamas for the launch of the Draeger semi-closed circuit rebreather and I found myself in the company of a group of loud-mouthed American technical diving pioneers, each competing with the other to hold … Read more
by Bill Mashek According to Wikipedia, the whale shark is the largest extant fish species and a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 18.8 m (61.7 ft) Volunteering as a diver for any marine conservation project is a wonderful opportunity for passionate divers. My passion is working as a … Read more
There were so many fishes around me in the water; at times I had trouble getting a clear view. Nothing was arranged in any orderly fashion. There were no neat schools, just thousands of fishes positioned chaotically and darting about without any common factor. I had difficulty concentrating my camera on anything in particular and … Read more
In the early ‘90s, I was so financially secure I gave up my otherwise successful career at the age of 45 to get involved in the diving industry. I was able to manufacture my job as Technical Editor of the British Diver Magazine because I could make them a financial offer they couldn’t refuse, working … Read more
