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In 1972 off the island of St. Croix, Gilliam's dive buddy Rod Temple was attacked by oceanic whitetip sharks during a project and was killed. Gilliam was cited for heroism by the Virgin Islands' Governor for his attempt to save Temple when he broke off his decompression and swam back into the attack.
A 12-foot white-tip shark had bitten into Temple’s left thigh and was tearing violently at his flesh. Clouds of blood mixed in with the bubbles. The second shark appeared and made a blinding strike, ripping into Temple’s calf. Gilliam grabbed Temple by his shoulder harness and tried to pull him free.
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How did Bret Gilliam survive a shark attack?
Who is Bret Clifton Gilliam?
When did John Gilliam start scuba diving?
What happened to Gilliam's dive buddy Rod Temple?
Bret describers the attacking shark as a 12-foot animal. As someone who started diving in the mid 70’s, I remember well the primitive nature of the equipment compared to that of today. Bret’s tragic dive was a couple of years earlier than my first and from his comments, it sounds as though he was using the best equipment available.
August 9, 2009by Bret Gilliam. A call I got recently from Dr. Chip Scarlett of Austin, Texas got my attention. “You have to drop what you’re doing and check out these white shark photos on this guy’s website,” he gushed enthusiastically into my speaker phone. “C’mon, Chip,” I yawned.
Oct 9, 2023 · Bret Clifton Gilliam, a pioneering figure in the world of technical diving and a prolific writer, has passed away. He was born on February 3, 1951, and his remarkable life was filled with groundbreaking achievements and contributions to the diving community.
Nov 1, 2023 · Bret Gilliam (1951-2023) was one of the true pioneers of scuba diving. He worked for the U.S. Navy before moving to St. Croix and becoming a dive shop owner. In the Caribbean, he later ran liveaboard dive boats, including the 550-foot Ocean Quest, the largest such vessel ever dedicated to diving.
Oct 9, 2023 · Gilliam’s diving successes straddled most aspects of the sport. Physiologically unfazed by deep-diving without the help of mixed gases, he at one point held the world record for deepest scuba diver on air, descending to 138m in Roatan in 1990 and later extending this record to 145m.
