James F. Cahill

James F. Cahill (1926 – February 28, 2008) was one of the pioneers of scuba diving, in essence helping to create the sport and industry.

Cahill was the first man to scuba dive in New England waters, one of the first UDTs and a co-founder of the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) according to published accounts.

Career Cahill served as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy in both World War II and the Korean War, and joined one of the first classes of the U.S. Underwater Demolition Team, code-named the "Amphibious Rogers", which preceded the formation of the Navy SEALs.

In the 1950s, Cahill founded the Hui Kai scuba training camp on Children's Island in Salem, MA along with his business partner Buster Crabbe, the then well-known original Tarzan actor. He also served as a consultant to the actor Lloyd Bridges during the popular television series of the late 1950s, "Sea Hunt." Cahill then founded and served as the president of New England Divers, Inc., headquartered in Beverly, MA which became the nation's first and largest chain of commercial scuba diving stores and training centers. Cahill expanded New England Divers' operations to locations throughout the United States.

As a pioneer of scuba diving, he assisted many state and local police departments, as well as the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and Air Force in early underwater investigations, rescue missions and training sessions, many of which received broad media coverage. One case that received headlines at the time, was the Clark murder case, where Cahill recovered the murder weapon that had been discarded in the Merrimack river. The Navy also hired Cahill to photograph the Texas Towers off the Atlantic Coast—and he was placed in charge of the recovery mission for the Texas Tower 4 collapse, below sea level, coordinating both Navy and New England Divers personnel in the mission. Cahill and his team made more than 25 dives to 200 feet for the mission.

Cahill was also active in promoting scuba diving, serving as a member of the founding board of directors of the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) along with Jacques Cousteau. This award, which was first presented in 1960, is voted on solely by the surviving prior recipients. It was presented to Cahill for his reputation as a leader and innovator within the scuba industry.

Cahill was also Harbormaster for the City of Salem from 1981 to 1991, and the main subject of the book, Diary of the Depths.