Jim English started diving in 1958. He spent the next 55 years working in innerspace on projects spanning the globe from the high arctic to the tropics. He is a professional engineer and diver. His career has evolved from farm hand to being a Technical Director and Senior Vice President. He plied his trade at the University of Toronto Great Lakes Research Institute, the Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty of Engineering, the Can-Dive Services Ltd. - Oceaneering International - Hard Suits Inc. family of companies, American Oilfield Divers, Stolt Offshore and finally OceanWorks International that he co-founded. His specialty was running "Special Projects". These were anything with an impossible schedule and an unusual or complicated scope of work. All of them were underwater.
He has logged several thousand hours underwater and was lead diver for the world first saturation dive under polar ice in 1974. He has been involved with several other world firsts including saturation habitat operations, arctic Atmospheric Diving System (ADS) dives, arctic pipeline installations and numerous deep water ADS, ROV and manned submersible projects. He led revolutionary submarine rescue system development and operation. He has led underwater operations for scientific work in the Bahamas, Monterey Bay and Crater Lake. He has worked on movies such as The ABYSS and TITANIC and many television programs and specials. He has worked extensively in the oil and gas industry and in the support of many military customers world wide. He received an engineering Meritorious Achievement Award for his pioneering work in submarine rescue and an honorary Doctorate for contributions to the development of underwater technology in British Columbia. He has authored and published numerous papers for technical and scientific journals and conferences. He holds a variety of certificates for specialist training in offshore oil and gas technology, offshore safety and diving.

This is his story.