Bret Gilliam

Who is Bret Gilliam?

Bret Clifton Gilliam is a pioneering technical diver. He is most famous as the founder of TDI, and as the one time holder of the world record for deep diving on air. He is also one of diving's most popular writers.

Gilliam is a multimillionaire from the sale of several businesses that included Technical Diving International, V. I. Divers Ltd., AMF Yacht Charters, Ocean Quest Cruise Lines, G2 Publishing, Sea Ventures Ltd., and Uwatec. Several of his companies grew into multi-national conglomerates and two were taken public in major sales while others were sold to private investment groups. Gilliam formed the consulting service Ocean Tech in 1971 and currently provides expert witness testimony for diving and maritime related legal cases. Since 1973, he has appeared in 269 cases, nearly exactly evenly divided between defense and plaintiff litigation. Gilliam has also testified in criminal trials and been Congressionally appointed to military court martial proceedings for the U.S. Marine Corps. Special Consultant in various capacities for the U. S. Navy, U. S. Coast Guard, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Central Intelligence Agency.