Santa Barbara to Unveil Deepwater Diving Monument

The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) is proud to announce the unveiling of the Deepwater Diving Monument, a long-overdue tribute to Santa Barbara’s rich heritage as the birthplace of deepwater diving. The monument will be revealed in a special ceremony on Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 4:30 p.m., next to the Santa Barbara Harbor and SBMM.

The monument will depict a professional diver from 1982, wearing a Kirby Morgan® Superlite® 17 Diving Helmet, a revolutionary design that set the world standard for commercial divers. This iconic figure will stand as a symbol of Santa Barbara’s pioneering role in shaping the global diving industry.

In the 1960s, local abalone divers transitioned to deepwater oxy-helium diving, revolutionizing commercial and military diving by enabling safe exploration of much deeper waters. This transformation was ignited by Hugh “Dan” Wilson’s historic 400-foot dive off Santa Cruz Island on November 3, 1962. Conducted in secrecy, Wilson’s groundbreaking achievement, using mixed gas instead of air, launched what became known as the “Santa Barbara Helium Rush.”

Santa Barbara quickly became a hub for innovation in diving technology. Companies like DIVCON, California Divers (Cal Dive), and Oceaneering International emerged, with Santa Barbara Harbor serving as their operational base. These pioneers, along with Santa Barbara-based Kirby Morgan Dive Systems®, whose helmets have become the international standard, cemented the city’s global impact on the diving industry.