Terry Kerby

Terry has been the Chief Pilot for HURL since 1981 and has completed over 900 submersible dives around the Hawaiian Islands and Central Pacific. Prior to his arrival in Hawai‘i, Terry distinguished himself in several ways. In 1970 he joined the Coast Guard and was awarded the Commendation Medal for a nighttime rescue of two people trapped beneath a capsized boat in the waters off Puerto Rico. After leaving the Coast Guard, Terry worked as a professional diver and submersible pilot for a variety of operations until 1980. He then worked as ship operations director, dive master, safety supervisor, and even stunt double for the motion picture industry, participating in films such as For Your Eyes Only, and The Abyss.

Terry's skill and talent, however, is not limited to guiding ambitious scientists and filmmakers into the depths of the ocean. The combination of his explorer's perception and his desire to bring perspective to the images of exotic environments he visits has unleashed his artistic nature. Terry created a series of paintings that combine scientific acuity and stunning imagery. On the following pages you will find images of the Pisces V submersible, as it has been impossible to see, working in its environment thousands of feet below the surface. Terry has recreated scenes of many areas in the Hawaiian abyss that are impossible to photograph because of the limitations of light and space, adding the vehicle to each scene to provide the perspective element that is missing from so many images of the deep-sea.

Kerby Illustrations

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