County commissioners honor Wes Skiles

By Carrie A. Mizell

The Gilchrist County Commissioners deemed December 6, 2010 Wes Skiles Day.
In passing Proclamation 2010-08, the commissioners stated that the highly-acclaimed photographer, diver and environmental advocate has been sorely missed in Gilchrist County since his death on July 21, 2010.

Gilchrist County Commissioners Tommy Langford, D. Ray Harrison, Jr., Randy Durden, Kenrick Thomas and Sharon Langford presented Proclamation 2010-08 to Wes Skiles’ business partners Georgia Shemitz and Pete Butt.

Skiles lived in Gilchrist County and operated his business, Karst Productions and Karst Environmental Services in north Gilchrist County.
The proclamation honoring Giles states, “Wes Skiles helped make Gilchrist County one of the most popular diving destinations in the state, and helped make the county and its springs known by divers worldwide.”
Skiles is also credited with helping develop safety rules and procedures in order to promote cave diving and make it a viable and popular recreational activity in the county. Prior to his death, Skiles created and produced more than a dozen films for major networks, including a four-part series, “Water’s Journey” for PBS and the influential film “Hidden Rivers of Florida.”
Though he traveled all over the world pursuing his passion, Skiles’ favorite place was Ginnie Springs, about which he once said, “If I could pick one spot to spend the rest of my life, it would be Ginnie Springs. There is nothing like it in the world.”
Through his photography, Skiles revealed the beauty and wonder of the previously unexplored Florida Aquifer, and warned citizens about the human activities that are doing great damage.
Skiles died in a diving accident off the coast of Palm Beach.