Bill High of Kenmore has put in 20,000 hours of SCUBA diving. He’s dived off of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, on the high seas near the Galapagos Islands, Malaysia, Japan, Okinawa, Mexico, the Caribbean, Pacific and Aleutian Islands, and has created undersea labs/habitats in the Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Florida and the North Atlantic.

This month, Bill is being honored in Orlando, Fla., by the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association, as recipient of the Reaching Out Award, the diving industry’s highest recognition. This is given to those who have long served and made significant contributions to the diving industry worldwide.

When asked what Bill has done to earn this award, Mark Gresham, his business partner, answers in a simple, “What hasn’t he done!”

Bill’s resume is more than overwhelming, but we have to thank him, in particular, for contributing so much to creating and enforcing diving’s safety regulations and promoting diving to many marine science agencies as a research tool. These agencies include U.S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries and National Marine Fisheries Service where he served as National Diving Safety Officer, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) serving as their National Diving Coordinator, and also diving consultant to the United Nations.

We can also thank Bill High for joining the tuna boat crew and diving, as Mark says, “In a soup of sharks, dolphin and tuna” to redesign the tuna net, making it dolphin-safe.

“A lot of things we do in the diving industry are due to Bill,” says Mark, adding, “His work is far-reaching, very much behind-the-scenes.”

Both Bill and Mark are consultants for NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, where astronauts train for space walks in a pool, using diving.

“The space suit makes the best diving suit,” says Mark.

Bill began diving in the 1950s as a fisheries biologist, which was an easy choice.

He says, “Any dedicated fisheries biologist should want to go to where the fish and other creatures live.”

Bill, a University of Washington grad in marine science, developed an interest in fisheries working as a commercial fisherman in Alaska while in high school. But, since then, a lot has happened.

He’s authored books, “Beneath the Sea” and “Inspecting Cylinders,” and more than 130 articles promoting dive industry safety in sport, science and technical diving. National Geographic, Newsweek and the Encyclopedia Britannica have published his underwater photography.

Bill is now President of PSI, Inc., a training company for inspectors of high-pressure cylinders. He began training cylinder inspectors in 1983 and set the SCUBA industry standard for technical inspections. He presently consults to more than 70 cylinder inspector trainers in North America and internationally — cylinder inspection that includes cylinders on NASA’s space stations.

The Reaching Out Award will shine right alongside his other honors that include three NOGI (New Orleans Grand Isle) awards for sports education, science and distinguished service. NOGI is the oldest award in the diving industry. This recognition has been presented to the likes of Jacques Cousteau …and the only living person to receive three NOGI awards — Kenmore’s Bill High.

Mark indicates Bill has made such a difference, “And can be so silent about it.”

You may run into Bill around town at a City Hall meeting or at a planning meeting regarding Kenmore’s new fire station. A Kenmore resident for more than 50 years, Bill always has something to contribute to our community.

If you or a family member SCUBA dives, Bill is the person to thank for making the industry safer.

Congratulations, Bill High, on your well-deserved award.

Suzanne G. Beyer is a Bothell resident.