On May 2, 2023, the world lost an exceptional human being, Howard Lewis Bayne, IV, who was better known to his family and friends as SeaJay. He was born with saltwater in his veins at the Beaufort Naval Hospital on March 11, 1970. His love for the water and the Lowcountry began in his childhood, and he spent his life exploring and preserving the beauty of the underwater world. However, his truest love and passion were his family, and his love for them was unconditional and unequivocal. In this article, we pay tribute to the life of SeaJay, who lived a life well-lived.
Early Life and Education
SeaJay graduated as a Staff Sergeant from Valley Forge Military Academy, PA, in 1988. He was an excellent student and earned his Associate’s Degree and Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a minor in Management from the University of South Carolina. He had a keen interest in Computer Science and studied it at the University of Arizona, where he spent countless hours riding motorcycles through that beautiful state. He also studied Liberal Arts and Marketing at Rutgers University in NJ.
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Diving Career and Achievements
SeaJay's love for the water began in his childhood, and he participated in his first full boat underwater recovery and salvage at the age of 13. Since then, he became a certified scuba diver and earned sixteen PADI major dive certifications, including Wreck Diver, Deep Diver, Rescue Diver, Master Diver, and Dive Master. He also studied underwater physiology at Duke University’s Hyperbaric Facility for the US Navy.
SeaJay put his education and skills to work when he founded his business, Deep South Divers, which specialized in underwater exploration and salvage operations. He was a Lead Diver for project ASSURE, a search and recovery organization working to locate the Tybee Bomb dropped from a USAF bomber after a midair accident. SeaJay also performed dives and conservation work on the H.L. Hunley recovery, a significant local shipwreck. He was an active member of Beaufort Water Search and Rescue and the Beaufort Sportfish and Dive Club. He was an aquarium diver with the SC Aquarium in Charleston as well as the Atlanta aquarium, and he was an avid underwater archaeologist and megalodon tooth hunter. Despite his dangerous profession, he SURVIVED Cancer and more than 15,000 dives.
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Family Life
SeaJay's crowning achievement was the love and passion of his life, his wife Christy, and their family. His open, honest, and unequivocal love for his family was his most endearing quality, and his time spent with them was his happiest. He shared his love for his family with his friends and followers, and his joy in his family was contagious. His family includes his parents, Howard Lewis Bayne, III, and Rhetta McAlhaney Bayne, his siblings: Beth (Troy) Musto, Matthew (Allison), his stepchildren: Dustin Slowik, Chandler Drew (Roxy), Hunter Drew, Reganne Drew, his nieces: Stella and Libby, his parents-in-law: Earl and Joyce Pope, his brother-in-law: Earl Pope, Jr (Anna), and their children Skylar, Wyatt, and Cooper. He considered all of his many friends as family too.
Celebration of Life
A celebration of life will be held at the Carteret Street Methodist church on Thursday, May 11, 2023. The church is located at 408 Carteret Street, Beaufort, SC 29902. Visitation will begin at 11:00 AM for friends.
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