International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame Appoints New Executive Director

The Ministry of Tourism and Ports and the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism have appointed Mr. William Cline as the new Executive Director for the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame (ISDHF). The Executive Director is responsible for working with the Department of Tourism on the strategy and development of the ISDHF and ISDHF Museum. Mr. Cline assumed his responsibilities on 1 February 2024.

“The International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame is an important element of our tourism product and one of the ways that the Cayman Islands differentiates itself within the scuba diving industry. Mr. Cline’s extensive knowledge and expertise in the industry is an asset and we look forward to working with him to continue enhancing the impact of the ISDHF and ISDHF Museum,” said Hon. Kenneth Bryan, Minister for Tourism and Ports.

Mr. Cline brings over 30 years of experience to this role as he owns and manages a scuba diving marketing firm, Cline Group, and has served on the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association (DEMA) Board of Directors as Vice-Chairman and many other board committees.

He was responsible for the annual Bahamas Dive Symposiums, a government-sponsored initiative which offers formal classroom training and hands-on diving experiences to promote the destination. The symposiums were attended by over 100 dive retailers, travel sellers, and media each year. Since his company’s inception, Mr. Cline worked with clients ranging from The Bahamas, including Stuart Cove and The Atlantis Resort in Nassau, to governments and private sector entities in Grenada, Barbados, Turks & Caicos, Cozumel, Mexico, Curacao, Aruba, and the Cayman Islands.

He has worked with numerous tourism groups and dive-related organizations throughout his career, including DEMA (2013-2023), Ministry of Tourism for The Bahamas (1990-2020) and Bonaire Government and Hotel and Tourism Association (2010-2012).

“It is an honor to be appointed as the Executive Director for the ISDHF, which recognizes the history of scuba diving and its pioneers - past and present. The Cayman Islands is the perfect place for the ISDHF being its reputation as one of the top scuba diving locations in the world” said Mr. William Cline. “I look forward to working with the government and private sector on some exciting initiatives to promote scuba diving in the Cayman Islands.”

“With his passion for scuba diving and experiential insight, the ISDHF Board of Directors is excited to see what Mr. Cline will accomplish as Executive Director of the ISDHF,” said Mr. Stephen Broadbelt, Chairman of the ISDHF. 

Mr. Cline attended Beneath the Sea, the largest consumer dive travel show in the United States, in Secaucus, New Jersey from the 22-24 March with representatives from the Department of Tourism to introduce him to the industry in his capacity as Executive Director for the ISHDF.