News
Cayman Bids Farewell to Dive Legend Bob Soto, the “Father of Diving”
Dive flags flew at half-mast in the Cayman Islands recently in tribute to Bob Soto, a revered dive legend and the founder of recreational scuba diving in Cayman, who died at the age of 88. As they mourn his passing, Cayman’s dive leaders say Bob Soto’s legacy is Cayman diving’s enduring star power. The Cayman Islands nabbed the top spot as 2015 Best Overall Dive Destination in the Caribbean/Atlantic in Scuba Diving Magazine’s Annual Reader’s Choice Awards. Cayman also ranked well in the poll’s Top 100 Gold List.
It all started with Bob Soto who opened his first dive shop on the George Town waterfront in 1957. With vision, one wooden boat, several tanks and a small staff (he taught to dive himself), Soto began soliciting guests in Cayman’s hotels, and gave birth to an industry. Bob Soto personally taught and mentored several of Cayman’s current dive leaders, who then took Cayman’s dive industry to the next level, and work hard to keep it on top.
“Bob was a wonderful man and a roll model for all of us,” said Adrien Briggs, owner of Sunset House, Sunset Divers and Red Sail Sports. “He brought a lot of Caymanians into diving and showed us that we could follow our dreams, follow our diving trails – myself, Clinton Ebanks, Atlee Evans, Don Foster – we all got our start with Bob Soto.”
From one end of Grand Cayman to the other, Bob Soto influenced dive pioneers. He encouraged Nancy Easterbrook to set up Divetech in West Bay in the same building that housed a restaurant Soto owned with his wife Suzy. He knew well the excellent reefs located just offshore.
“Bobby Soto was a true visionary who created dive tourism in Cayman,” said Easterbrook. “He has become a legend for many, an inspiration for me, and a man who was a leader. He will be truly missed, one of the greats.”
“Bob was not only a pioneer in an industry we all love and made our careers, but a fascinating man who did a whole variety of dive related adventures,” said Rod McDowall, Operations Manager of Red Sail Sports. “I shared time with him telling stories from maritime treasure hunting to his involvement in land based and liveaboard diving in Grand Cayman. He was always very happy to give advice and share his years of experience.”
Bob Soto also blazed dive trails on Grand Cayman’s remote East End where Steve Broadbelt, co-founder of Ocean Frontiers, now runs a thriving dive business.
“Bob Soto put Cayman on the map and everybody in the dive business owes him an immense debt of gratitude,” said Broadbelt. “It is impossible to imagine a Cayman without Bob Soto, his vision and what he achieved. His legacy will never be forgotten.”
Soto’s legacy includes some of the most famous dive sites in the business. He and his divemasters explored the pristine and untouched coral reefs around George Town and game them names: Trinity Caves, Orange Canyon, Big Tunnel, Eden Rock, Devil’s Grotto. Peter Milburn, at Bob Soto’s side in those early days, recalls the first wall dive he made at Trinity Caves.
“It was unbelievably beautiful and breathtaking,” said Milburn. “It was like being in a forest with so many soft corals and sea fans, there was so much black coral in the crevasses then.”
Millions of visitors have enjoyed those dive sites during the past 50 years, and they are part of the reason Cayman has been voted the #1 this year by Scuba Diving readers. Subscribers and web users rate their dive experiences on a scale of 1 – 5 and the results are tabulated and published. Cayman ranked #1 in Wall Diving, #1 in Best Marine Environment and #3 in Advanced Diving, giving it the edge over all other Caribbean and Atlantic destinations.
Cayman also did well in the magazine’s “Top 100 Gold List” receiving 11 rankings based on total responses and popularity regardless of category. Divetech and Sunset House received nods for Best Dive Operator and Best Dive Resort. The Cayman rankings are as follows:
#2 BEST WALL DIVING – Bloody Bay Wall, Little Cayman
#4 BEST WALL DIVING – North Wall/ Grand Cayman
#13 BEST DIVE SITES – Devil’s Grotto, Grand Cayman
#23 BEST WRECK DIVE – Capt. Keith Tibbetts, Cayman Brac
#41 BEST NIGHT DIVE – Coral Spawning Dives, Grand Cayman
#56 BEST BEACH – Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman
#80 BEST DIVE OPERATORS – Divetech, Grand Cayman
#83 BEST DIVE RESORT – Sunset House, Grand Cayman
#87 BEST DIVE RESORT – Little Cayman Beach Resort, Little Cayman
#95 BEST BEACH BAR – My Bar, Sunset House Grand Cayman
#97 CHEESEBURGER IN PARADISE – Lone Star Bar & Grill, Grand Cayman
Dive leaders say Bob Soto should be proud of what he started on Grand Cayman. For his contributions to the dive industry in Cayman and across the world, Soto was inducted into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame. The loss of the mentor who touched so many people in Cayman is being felt across all three islands.
“It is heart-wrenching, we were very close and I learned so much from him,” said Peter Milburn.
“I learned how to be a better human being from Bob Soto,” adds Adrien Briggs.
Ron Kipp, a long time friend and the man who bought Bob Soto’s dive operation decades ago, spoke at his memorial service: “The Cayman Islands has lost a legend. Without Bob Soto, there would have been no diving industry. He will be remembered all over the world.”
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 3
Today we are diving one of the outer reefs from an inflatable. As we reach the bottom, a reef octopus eases its way into the cover of a small crack in the coral while displaying it’s incredible ability to change colour. They are arguably one of the most charismatic of reef dwellers and it is always exciting for me to simply hover and watch. I would have spent longer and waited for it to come and investigate me, but as dive time is limited we wanted to move on and find a turtle.
The waters around Somabay are well protected and hold a rich variety of marine life. The reef edges are thriving colonies of coral and shoaling fish, while nearer the sea bed plenty of wildlife is still to be found.
Then we located the turtles. They are very used to divers and so show little concern when slowly approached. In fact occasionally one will come over to see what you are doing. There is always huge excitement when diving with a turtle. The shear thrill of sharing a moment with another species.
What a fantastic way to finish a wonderful few days diving and I would like to thank SOMABAY, ORCA DIVING and THE BREAKERS for making my stay such a good one.
I had a great time, with diving everyday either on the house reef or on one of the offshore reefs by inflatable or larger day boat. Orca diving provided high quality equipment and facilities while the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. The Breakers was right on the coast with nice rooms, good food and once again friendly staff making the whole trip a real pleasure.
Soma Bay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds.
As well as scuba diving, Somabay caters for many other sports and activities, and so is perfect for families as well as individuals and/or groups. And of course there is always time to lay peacefully on the beach under the Egyptian sun.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 2
Day three of my trip to Somabay and we were spending the day on the Lady Christina and diving on the wreck of the Salem Express.
Diving wrecks for me is always one of mixed emotions. The excitement of diving a wreck is more than often tempered by the thought of loss of life when she sank. The Salem Express was a passenger ship and a roll-on/roll-off ferry travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt. Most passengers were of poor class travelling home from their holidays while around 150 people were returning home from their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ship struck a reef and sank within 20 minutes. Passengers were trapped below deck and the ship was filled with fear and panic.
The wreck area is strewn with personal belongings from the crew and passengers such as a transistor radio and a flat iron for clothes. A diver at sometime has put them in a prominent place to be seen.
Tragically only one life boat was launched while the others went down with the ship. More than 600 men, women and children lost their lives here.
It’s a stark reminder that the sea can be unforgiving and so when we dive on such wrecks we should do so with humble regard.
Returning to the surface, shoals of fish are gathered under our boat and seem to be welcoming us back into the light.
Back at the Breakers I sat in the dining area with a beer and a very good meal while my thoughts still remained with the day’s dive on the Salem Express.
Check in for part 3 tomorrow for Jeff’s last day of diving with Somabay on the off-shore reefs looking for turtles.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
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