THE HANS HASS FIFTY FATHOMS AWARD
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SDOP 102
He later recalled:
So, I packed the whole thing up on the truck and drove up to the Meistrells( at Dive N’ Surf) and said,“ Look, I want to sell you my new surfing wetsuit business.” They weren’ t making surf suits at the time because nobody knew how to crack that market, except for O’ Neil up north because of the cold water. I took a sewing machine, a batch of rubber and by then 2,000 orders to Billy who said,“ I don’ t know.” I wanted $ 3,000 for the whole package, business and all. He ended up buying it. They called me a couple of months later to say they were making $ 5,000 profit a day each on this deal.
The suits that Morgan sold the Meistrells were called Thermoclines, but the twins changed the name to Body Glove, and the rest of that story is history.
Morgan next became Editor of Surfer magazine, dived commercially in Alaska, and worked in the rapidly expanding oil diving industry in Santa Barbara. He made freeflow fibreglass masks for abalone divers, and by adding a scuba demand regulator to the front of one, he took the step that would determine his future and separate him from the pack.
In Santa Barbara, Morgan met ex-US Navy and abalone diver Bob Kirby, who hired him to help build lightweight masks. After two weeks the divers formed a partnership blending Kirby’ s metalsmith and Morgan’ s fibreglassing skills. These talents, combined with their intuition, industrial flair and years of diving experience, led them to create equipment that would become the new world standard: Kirby Morgan.
Through many struggles, they eventually revolutionised deep-sea diving equipment that had barely changed since the mid-19th century. Kirby Morgan would ultimately become the premier
international manufacturer of surface supplied diving equipment, replacing England’ s Siebe Gorman.
Through the years, Morgan not only developed and patented the fibreglass Band Mask but also the fibreglass helmet, both of which are
06 Bev holding a commercial diving helmet
07 With longtime friend David Crosby from music group Crosby, Stills and Nash
now the industry and military standard in many countries. This revolutionised diving by eliminating the tender required for the traditional helmet, making the diver more self-sufficient.
However, even as his company passes its 50-year anniversary, his great success has not changed Morgan, who remains at heart a California beach boy. Shorts, T-shirt, the occasional Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops have remained his corporate attire. Now, with his daughter Connie running his company, Morgan has calmed down and has time to reflect on three ex-wives, a portfolio of properties, various companies and his earlier fast lane, rock-star lifestyle driving Aston Martins and Ferraris.
As he approaches his 80s, he now maintains an ultra-low and secluded profile, which keeps him off most radars. He spends time with his very close friend, fellow survivor and soul mate, David Crosby, of Crosby, Stills and Nash.
His contributions to early diving instruction, education and safety, and his central role in the revolution of commercial diving equipment are unmatched. In the international field of diving, Bev Morgan is a diver without equal.
The Hans Hass Award Committee were delighted to present Bev with the 2007 Hans Hass Award for his outstanding contributions to diving. SDOP