nkw5
Contributor
Thursday wouldve been James Acevedos 61st birthday. Hes been gone for over 4 months, and although I have missed him every single day, I havent felt the urge to write this till now.
Jim was a great diver and dive buddy. You may not know him, but if you have gone diving at Breakwater in Monterey (and what Northern California diver hasnt?), you probably saw him there. He loved to dive, diving several times a week, and Breakwater was his favorite spot. He logged thousands of dives and sometimes dove for his job. He always had this beautiful glow after diving.
Jim worked for 35 years in law enforcement. Before he retired, he was a sergeant for the San Francisco Police Department and the Training Coordinator for their Underwater Recovery Unit. On reporting his passing, the paper for the SF Police Officers Association said, He was much respected by his co-workers and represented all that is good in a San Francisco Police Officer.
Jim could charm the socks off a shoeless person. He loved to make people feel good, and he was genuine. He even befriended a notoriously cranky shop owner (you Breakwater frequentors KNOW who I mean).
He liked to have the best equipment and loved to buy new gear, especially certain brands. Glenn at Aquarius (the dive shop at Breakwater) would tease and say he would take ordinary gear and paste one of Jims favorite brands sticker on it, mark up the price, and Jim would buy it.
Jim would talk to anyone at anytime (much to my dismay because people would inevitably come up just as we were getting to dive, and I would be tired, hot, and impatient). He always answered any question patiently and thoroughly. He made friends really quickly.
I met Jim here at Scubaboard. I sent him a PM about one of his posts. We wrote a while and then met at Breakwater for a dive. I thought our first dive was our last dive. He was a turbo diver (yknow, the kind that likes to dive fast) and I was a pokey photographer-wanna-be, but we ended up diving together for 4 years.
Two of his proudest moments were when his teenaged grandson got certified and started diving, and then later when his son started diving, too--three generations of Acevedo men diving and enjoying each others company. I was fortunate to be allowed to tag along on most of their dives.
Jim had pancreatic cancer and volunteered for experimental treatment. He fought hard and bravely but died on Dec. 6, 2010. Afterwards I thought I couldnt dive any more (diving and Jim were so intertwined), but I dove once with the remaining Acevedo divers. I hope to dive regularly again soon. He would want that.
Jim taught me a lot about diving, about equipment, thinking ahead, and being prepared (he had redundant equipment for his redundant equipment). He was the best navigator and always safety-conscious. He looked out for others. He often helped people he didnt even know.
James Acevedo was my mentor, dive buddy, and dearest friend. I miss him.
Jim was a great diver and dive buddy. You may not know him, but if you have gone diving at Breakwater in Monterey (and what Northern California diver hasnt?), you probably saw him there. He loved to dive, diving several times a week, and Breakwater was his favorite spot. He logged thousands of dives and sometimes dove for his job. He always had this beautiful glow after diving.
Jim worked for 35 years in law enforcement. Before he retired, he was a sergeant for the San Francisco Police Department and the Training Coordinator for their Underwater Recovery Unit. On reporting his passing, the paper for the SF Police Officers Association said, He was much respected by his co-workers and represented all that is good in a San Francisco Police Officer.
Jim could charm the socks off a shoeless person. He loved to make people feel good, and he was genuine. He even befriended a notoriously cranky shop owner (you Breakwater frequentors KNOW who I mean).
He liked to have the best equipment and loved to buy new gear, especially certain brands. Glenn at Aquarius (the dive shop at Breakwater) would tease and say he would take ordinary gear and paste one of Jims favorite brands sticker on it, mark up the price, and Jim would buy it.
Jim would talk to anyone at anytime (much to my dismay because people would inevitably come up just as we were getting to dive, and I would be tired, hot, and impatient). He always answered any question patiently and thoroughly. He made friends really quickly.
I met Jim here at Scubaboard. I sent him a PM about one of his posts. We wrote a while and then met at Breakwater for a dive. I thought our first dive was our last dive. He was a turbo diver (yknow, the kind that likes to dive fast) and I was a pokey photographer-wanna-be, but we ended up diving together for 4 years.
Two of his proudest moments were when his teenaged grandson got certified and started diving, and then later when his son started diving, too--three generations of Acevedo men diving and enjoying each others company. I was fortunate to be allowed to tag along on most of their dives.
Jim had pancreatic cancer and volunteered for experimental treatment. He fought hard and bravely but died on Dec. 6, 2010. Afterwards I thought I couldnt dive any more (diving and Jim were so intertwined), but I dove once with the remaining Acevedo divers. I hope to dive regularly again soon. He would want that.
Jim taught me a lot about diving, about equipment, thinking ahead, and being prepared (he had redundant equipment for his redundant equipment). He was the best navigator and always safety-conscious. He looked out for others. He often helped people he didnt even know.
James Acevedo was my mentor, dive buddy, and dearest friend. I miss him.
