Hi, Gayla here, Bert's wife. I'm writting my experiences with Bert in the form of very short stories. To read them as they are . ..written . . click here |
| |
|
|
Bert Kilbride March 8, 1914 - January 8, 2008 Sadly, Bert passed away in Etna, California at 8:25 am on January 8, 2008. His heart and kidneys were almost 94 years old and just couldn't support him any longer.
To see Bert's Last Dive Click Here
To see the Celebrations of Bert's Life click here
Please click this link for a wonderful poem to Bert by Barbara Kilbride
In lieu of flowers please make donations to the BVI Humane Society Click on the following button to donate online
Or send your checks or money orders to: Humane Society of the BVI P O Box 190 Road Town, Tortola British Virgin Islands
I've listened to his stories for 25 years now I want to hear your experiences with Bert. Thanks, Gayla Kilbride
"I have been a treasure seeker around the British Virgin Islands for over 5 decades where I resided from the 1950's through 2005. I have charted (in my head) 138 ship wrecks. The one that has caught my attention and has evaded me for years is the San Ignacio. It hit the Anegada Reef in 1742. It sailed from Cadiz, Spain carrying 3 years payroll for the spanish military in the form of gold and silver, not to mention the bishops prized jewels. I would call that the Mother Load! Until I find the San Ignacio I'll just have to be happy with all the artifacts I brought up from the famous shipwreck of the RMS Rhone, the Astrea, and what I call the Crown Site. The Crown Site is the location of an unknown wreck on Anegada Reef in the BVI. I have found lots of musket balls, cannon balls and flints there. Before the department of BVI National Parks and Recreation put a moratorium on anchoring on Anegada Reef I would take what I called my "VIP" guests to the Crown Site. I would make the guarantee they would bring up a cannon ball or musket ball (of course with my help) . . . . And they always did."   Click on the coin below to take a tour of my own personal artifacts museum.
"My wife, Gayla, and I have been working for about a year now compiling my stories beginning in my childhood. My next birthday, March 8th, I will be 93 years old. So you see, I have a few stories to tell." "I have been a diver for almost a century now. My mom taught me to swim before I could walk. I can't remember a time that I couldn't swim!" "I was bringing up treasures, in the form of rings and watches, from the depths of Lake Loraine in the 1920's. My mother made me a dive mask when I was only 8 years." "I have been an inventor, a builder, a contractor, and an entrepreneur. I have bought and developed two barren islands, one as a Scuba Destination hotel. I owned a SCUBA Diving tour business for 30 years. I am a husband, a father, and I'm aiming to live to be 100. I have a date with Jean-Michel Cousteau to go diving in the BVI for my 100th birthday." "In the 1960's I created the "Resort Course" for the beginners interested in Scuba Diving. It is now taught worldwide under the name of the " Introductory SCUBA Course". In 1987 I was awarded a NOGI Award for Diving Education for my Resort Course." "I was made "Receiver of the Wrecks" by Queen Elizabeth in 1967 and called a "Pirate" by others in the BVI Government when I wouldn't produce a map of the wrecks I had found on Anegada Reef."
"In the 1990's the Governor of the British Virgin Islands called me a "Living Legend" in his speech on the radio." "In 2004, for my 90th birthday, Guinness Book of World Records proclaimed me the "Oldest Scuba Diver" in the World." "I have a friend named Joe Russell that is writing a book about me. It should be ready and for sale by the summer of 2007. I will have a link to it here as soon as it is available." "There is a picture of me on page 170 in the new book by John Fine, Treasures of the Spanish Main." "Following are some links you might be interested in and my very own blog. Thanks for stopping by and Have Fun", Bert Bookmark this page and keep checking back for updates. Links
North Sound, Virgin Gorda, BVI
This site built and maintained by Gayla Kilbride. Last updated 3/10/09 |
