The Inimitable Wes Skiles

Text and images by Jill Heinerth. Header image: Wes diving at his neighborhood cave, the Devil’s System, Ginnie Springs.

Wes was one of the great catalysts in our diving family. He was a teacher from a family of teachers, mentoring and encouraging others to chase seemingly impossible dreams. Many have heard him sing at the top of his lungs or play a harmonica while stoking an inferno of a bonfire, but those that got inside his creative mind knew there was something even more exceptional.

Wes was responsible for bringing the first dynamic images and video of underwater caves to the world outside our sport. His National Geographic story brought attention to the plight of Florida’s springs. A chilling project in Antarctica delivered the first HD footage from inside the largest moving object on the planet – the B-15 iceberg. A deep dive in a Newtsuit allowed viewers to go “Walking with Sharks.” From incredible IMAX journeys into amazing caves to documentaries about polluting the fountain of youth or discovering the hidden rivers of the Maya, Wes shared secret corners of the water planet with a worldwide audience.

Wes made innumerable contributions through volunteer service, helping to develop safety and educational guidelines for the fledgling National Speleological Society, Cave Diving Section. He made endless lobbying efforts to the Florida Senate about springs protection, and he took great pride in insisting that legislators jump into a canoe with him to see the beauty, as well as the problems, first hand.

In August 2010, a courtesy copy of National Geographic arrived at his home mere days before his untimely death. His cover image and fold out spread of Dan’s Cave in Abaco would go on to become one of the most popular images ever published in the prestigious magazine.

To explore more stories, documentaries, videos and articles by and about Wes Skiles click here: Celebrating Wes Skiles

Fellow of the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame, JILL HEINERTH is an underwater cave explorer, bestselling author, photographer, speaker, and filmmaker.