Clive Webb is what you might call a late bloomer in the dive industry. Although he is now the dive supervisor at Red Sail Sports, his working life began very differently across the pond. It’s hard to imagine how blue skies, clear waters and soft sand managed to drag him away from the office buildings of good old Blighty, but somehow his arm was twisted and here he is!
Clive was born in Margate, Kent. When he left school he went straight into the working world, making his way up in Granada TV until he attained the position of area manager. He also spent some time at the old Pru as a financial consultant. Sometimes when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade - Clive got divorced when he was 28 years old, and instead of reflecting on the negatives, he used this change in his life to tackle something new and exciting.
A friend who worked in Bermuda had been going on about Scuba diving for some time, and it was a sport Clive had always wanted to try, particularly after watching all those Jacques Cousteau programmes when he was a youngster. He contacted dive shops in the UK and abroad, and finally decided on Meldives in Malta (owned by a man called Mel, go figure.) He immediately signed up for Open Water and Advanced certification courses, and that first time in the water was like an epiphany - this is what he had been missing.
Over the next couple of years Clive was back and forth between the UK and Malta, going through his Rescue, Divemaster, and finally Dive Instructor courses. At this stage he and Mel were very well acquainted, and so he was offered a job at the very shop where he had done all his training.
For the next three years he worked as an instructor before figuring that it was time he moved on to other pastures. It took a while to find a position, but a friend working at Red Sail Sports in the Cayman Islands suddenly opened an avenue for him and he jumped at the chance. He arrived on Grand Cayman in 1998 and has remained ever since.
Obviously Hurricane Ivan dealt a cruel blow to all businesses in Cayman, and Red Sail Sports was no exception. It took a while to recover, but recover they did, and they are now stronger than ever with a presence in four resorts on Seven Mile Beach, and two in East End.
Although Clive spends more time in the shop these days than he does on and under the water, he still gets many opportunities to get out there and remind himself why he chose to leave the world of finance behind for a life of diving. He loves captaining the boats, leading dives and generally spending every minute he can in the briny depths. The odds are good that he won’t be leaving this profession any time soon, so expect to see him discovering new sites and revisiting old ones for years to come.
Sign up with Red Sail Sports today and ask for Clive. Not only will he show you all the majesty of the marine critters surrounding these shores, he’ll also give you an impeccably detailed bill at the end of your trip. I guess finance and diving can mix after all!
Dive Sites:
West Side – NorthWest Point
The pin is in 65ft of water, so this is quite a deep dive. From the pin head almost directly west. You’ll find a couple of nice swim-throughs at this site, but the main attraction is the phenomenal condition of the coral, sponges and fans that can be found everywhere. You are almost guaranteed to see a turtle, an eel or two and maybe even a nurse shark. Make sure you watch the currents as they can sometimes be strong here, making this a difficult or inadvisable dive on such days. Make your safety stop before returning to the boat.
North Wall – Black Forest
The pin is in 50ft of water and is on top of the wall. Again the condition of this site is terrific, with Gorgonias aplenty. You’ll see a pinnacle right off the edge and head down to about 75ft. There are a few gulleys and canyons to explore and look out for lobster and eagle rays. Take your time as you make your way so you don’t miss the small stuff. Safety stop and back to the boat!