The dive industry, particularly the technical fraternity, are mourning the passing of technical-diving pioneer Nancy Easterbrook, who sadly died this morning.
Nancy got hooked on diving back in 1973 and it became her true passion, so much so that she moved with her two children, Brandee and Walker, to the Cayman Islands in 1994. She was a force of nature who, when she started Divetech on Grand Cayman, created what many fondly look back on as the epitome of what a top-notch dive centre should be, and something that centres throughout the Caribbean, and beyond, sought to emulate.
She was a true pioneer in the world of technical diving, in particular with rebreathers, but she was also very influential in the sphere of freediving, co-authoring several training manuals on breath-hold diving.
Nancy founded Inner Space in 2004, a dedicated week that brought together CCR divers from around the world to come and dive the incredible deep walls of Grand Cayman. It ran successfully until 2019.
She also left a legacy for recreational divers in 2011, after being at the forefront of the eight-year project to obtain and sink the Chanticleer-class submarine rescue vessel USS Kittiwake as an artificial reef. She and her husband Jay also sank the imposing Guardian of the Reef sculpture on the reef off Lighthouse Point in 2015.
I first met Nancy on my first trip to the Cayman Islands back in 2000, and dived with her and Divetech on several subsequent return visits. Her and husband Jay were always extremely welcoming and friendly, and we enjoyed some memorable evenings together.
Our thoughts are with her family and friends. It has been a tragic couple of weeks for the diving world – the sad news of Nancy’s passing comes soon after the news of the deaths of two other renowned industry stalwarts, Jerry Beaty and Michael Menduno.
Photo credit: Facebook / Womens Divers Hall of Fame
