Leslie Leaney, Executive Director of the Cayman Islands' International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame (ISDHF) was recognized as the recipient of the 2016 Reaching Out Award. The Diving Equipment and Marketing Association’s (DEMA) Reaching Out Award honors leaders and pioneers in the dive industry for their remarkable contributions to the success and growth of the sport and dive community.

On Nov. 18, Leaney will be honored at the 28th annual DEMA Awards Party at The Joint at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas. He will be joined by fellow honoree, Lad Adkins of the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF), who will be acknowledged for his conservation efforts and work with invasive lionfish species.

“Mr. Leaney has been integral to the growth of the dive product in the Cayman Islands and we are proud to see his work recognized by the prestigious DEMA community,” said Rosa Harris, director of tourism. “It’s through his preservation efforts and thoughtful contributions to the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame that divers and their legacies will live on and help to inspire future generations to discover the Cayman Islands’ spectacular underwater depths.”

“It’s been both and honor and a privilege to be recognized for my contributions to the sport of diving,” said Leaney. “Throughout my time in the industry, I’ve been fortunate to not only learn from divers before me, but pass on their skills to others, allowing me to help preserve the diving heritage of the Cayman Islands for years to come.”

Leaney is renowned for his preservation of dive history through his dedication to organizations like the Cayman Islands’ ISDHF, The Commercial Diving Hall of Fame, the Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences, the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, the Historical Diving Society-USA (HDS-USA) and other educational societies. He became interested in 1969, when he became a certified as a diving officer for the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) while exploring Singapore. Since then, Leaney has led various scuba diving expeditions off of Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, England, Malta, Saudi Arabia and Oman.

Leaney moved to Malibu, California, after concluding his explorations of international waters and went on to co-found HDS-USA in 1992, which was instrumental in providing an international forum for societies to connect and learn about their dive history. Today, the HDS-USA has grown to over 2,700 members in 44 countries.

Leaney also founded Historical Diving Magazine (later renamed to The Journal of Diving History) and contributes to PADI’s Undersea Journal. He has lectured around the world on diving history and consulted for The History Channel, The B.B.C., Discovery Channel, United States Navy and more.

Currently he serves as the executive director for ISDHF, an organization dedicated to recognizing individuals internationally who have contributed to the sport of diving, are actively involved in the industry and are leaders of their local dive community. The headquarters for the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame is located in the Cayman Islands.