Welcome to ScubaBoard, an online scuba diving forum community where you can join over 205,000 divers from around the world discussing all things related to Scuba Diving. To gain full access to ScubaBoard (and make this large box go away) you must register for a free account. As a registered member you will be able to:
Participate in over 500 dive topic forums and browse from over 5,500,000 posts.
Communicate privately with other divers from around the world.
Post your own photos or view from well over 100,000 user submitted images.
Gain access to our free classifieds marketplace to buy, sell and trade gear, travel and services.
Use the calendar to organize your events and enroll in other members' events.
All this and much more is available to you absolutely free when you register for an account, so sign up today!
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact the ScubaBoard Support Team.
Thursday would’ve been James Acevedo’s 61st birthday. He’s been gone for over 4 months, and although I have missed him every single day, I haven’t felt the urge to write this till now.
Jim was a great diver and dive buddy. You may not know him, but if you have gone diving at Breakwater in Monterey (and what Northern California diver hasn’t?), you probably saw him there. He loved to dive, diving several times a week, and Breakwater was his favorite spot. He logged thousands of dives and sometimes dove for his job. He always had this beautiful glow after diving.
Jim worked for 35 years in law enforcement. Before he retired, he was a sergeant for the San Francisco Police Department and the Training Coordinator for their Underwater Recovery Unit. On reporting his passing, the paper for the SF Police Officers Association said, “He was much respected by his co-workers and represented all that is good in a San Francisco Police Officer.”
Jim could charm the socks off a shoeless person. He loved to make people feel good, and he was genuine. He even befriended a notoriously cranky shop owner (you Breakwater frequentors KNOW who I mean).
He liked to have the “best” equipment and loved to buy new gear, especially certain brands. Glenn at Aquarius (the dive shop at Breakwater) would tease and say he would take “ordinary” gear and paste one of Jim’s favorite brand’s sticker on it, mark up the price, and Jim would buy it.
Jim would talk to anyone at anytime (much to my dismay because people would inevitably come up just as we were getting to dive, and I would be tired, hot, and impatient). He always answered any question patiently and thoroughly. He made friends really quickly.
I met Jim here at Scubaboard. I sent him a PM about one of his posts. We wrote a while and then met at Breakwater for a dive. I thought our first dive was our last dive. He was a “turbo diver” (y’know, the kind that likes to dive fast) and I was a pokey photographer-wanna-be, but we ended up diving together for 4 years.
Two of his proudest moments were when his teenaged grandson got certified and started diving, and then later when his son started diving, too--three generations of Acevedo men diving and enjoying each others’ company. I was fortunate to be allowed to tag along on most of their dives.
Jim had pancreatic cancer and volunteered for experimental treatment. He fought hard and bravely but died on Dec. 6, 2010. Afterwards I thought I couldn’t dive any more (diving and Jim were so intertwined), but I dove once with the remaining Acevedo divers. I hope to dive regularly again soon. He would want that.
Jim taught me a lot about diving, about equipment, thinking ahead, and being prepared (he had redundant equipment for his redundant equipment). He was the best navigator and always safety-conscious. He looked out for others. He often helped people he didn’t even know.
James Acevedo was my mentor, dive buddy, and dearest friend. I miss him.
A very great tribute that I am certain was well deserved!
Thank you for posting and we all morn together when we loose one of our own.
I have heard some say that dive buddies / mentors live on in us and those we pass the knowledge we learned onto others.
That is the gift we pass on to fellow divers!
I can confirm that Jimmy was liked and respected by all those he worked with,,,,,,me included. He was a great cop!
I have always had an interest in Scuba and recently decided to act on it. While doing some research on the net I came across this great forum. Then I came across this touching post. This post made me register immediately so I could respond. I am proud that my first post (probably first of many....all questions) is regarding Jimmy.
3Likes
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote
