If you’ve lived in Gosport for any length of time, you’ve probably encountered Kevin Casey who is a fundraiser, heritage champion, former saturation diver, and the driving force behind the newly refurbished Diving Museum. He’s one of those rare community figures whose impact is everywhere, yet he’ll shrug it off with a joke and a smile.
Kevin has lived in Alverstoke since 1984, but his story begins on the other side of the world. “I was born in Melbourne in 1949 and moved to the UK in 1973 after taking a year without pay from Victoria Railways to travel. I ended up staying and did everything and anything to survive,” he laughs.
“That ‘anything’ eventually led me into the North Sea diving industry, and that became my life for 40 years, taking me all over the world. I always aspired to be one of the big divers, to make good money like the men who were teaching me,” he says. “And when I finally got there, the younger ones I was guiding wanted to be me. That’s when you realise you can never stop learning, never stop striving. Life is always pushing you toward the next milestone. It’s exhausting sometimes,” he laughs, “but it’s an exciting way to live.”
Kevin eventually found himself living in Aberdeen where he met his wife. Her sister lived in Gosport as her husband was in the Navy, so the couple decided to move closer to them for family support. “We moved to Gosport in 1984 and have been here ever since. Two children and six grandchildren later, and life in Gosport is great – but it’s very busy.
The derelict battery that became a museum
For years Kevin and his wife walked their dogs along Stokes Bay, passing the old Number 2 Battery which was a Victorian fortification that was sitting empty. “The building was sitting there doing nothing and the Historical Diving Society were looking for a home for their collection, so it made sense to explore the idea of transforming it into a Diving museum.”
By 2010 he had the keys. In 2019 the Society was granted a 99-year lease, but the caveat was to take over control of the fabric of the building, a huge gamble knowing its poor condition. It needed serious work, so what followed was a fundraising marathon. “I led on the fundraising for the building refurbishment and museum redevelopment. To date we have raised a staggering £2.1 million, which is fantastic.”
The team closed the building in October 2023 to allow for a full refurbishment to take place, including essential repairs to the battery itself to improve accessibility. “The work has paved the way for a significantly expanded visitor experience, offering far more than we could before,” says Kevin. “Parts of the building that were once too wet and damp to even step into, have now been completely restored, and for the first time they’re open for visitors to explore.”
What visitors will find inside
Kevin is proud of the museum, and rightly so. “In my opinion, it’s a top-class museum,” he says. “You get three stories: the history of the building, the history of diving, and the history of Stokes Bay. It’s all connected.” Kevin speaks with real enthusiasm about the diving galleries, particularly the display that is built around one of their most important artefacts: an original 1820s copper smoke/diving helmet designed by the Deane brothers. The helmet marks a turning point in underwater engineering and is closely tied to their celebrated work on the Mary Rose in 1836 and the Royal George.
“John Deane invented the diving helmet with his brother Charles, then moved to Gosport for 10 years” he explains. “Their compressed-air design transformed what was possible underwater and firmly established Gosport’s place in the diving history.” And then there’s the personal part. “My favourite section? The part that talks about my life in diving. I was a commercial diver for 40 years. There are photos of me, and it introduces the public to the life I had. That’s special.”
After its latest refurbishment the museum opened with a soft launch on 29th May 2026, and plans on hosting a bigger launch later in the year once the full development work is complete.
Kevin tells me that the museum charts the evolution of underwater exploration, revealing how divers operate in military missions, rescue scenarios and commercial work, and the demanding environments they face beneath the surface.
The refurbishment of No. 2 Battery has been made possible through support from Arts Council England, Historic England, Gosport Borough Council, Hampshire County Council and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. It is hoped the transformation will be something the whole community can take pride in.
“The museum has changed beyond recognition. There’s genuinely something for everyone now. Younger visitors can get stuck into hands-on activities and interactives, and there’s plenty to fascinate diving enthusiasts. Even if diving isn’t your thing, you can explore the building, learn something new and hopefully leave feeling inspired.”
I ask Kevin how many hours a week he dedicates to the museum. “I work on the museum every day,” he says. “Not full days, but every day I will do something on it.”
Kevin laughs when I ask about his fast pace of life and how he juggles all his community duties, “I try and separate my community duties from home life, for example, if I go on holiday I try and switch off and not look at my emails, but boy do I pay the price when I get back,” he laughs.
I ask what he does outside of his many responsibilities. “My family are my world, and I try and play an active role where I can. This weekend I am collecting my granddaughter from an activity camp on the Isle of Wight for example. I will drive her home and stay with my daughter for the weekend. “But come Monday, it’s back to the usual routine with the museum, Friends of Stokes Bay, and all my other activities,” he giggles.
Kevin says his health has slowed him down, but only slightly. “I had a knee replaced, then a full hip replacement last year. I’ve dislocated my hip three times since that operation, so I have to be really careful now. I can’t do half of what I did before. But I won’t take it easy. I take it careful until 100% fit again. Easy isn’t my personality,” he laughs once more.
When I ask if he has any advice, he doesn’t hesitate. “My advice to anyone is simple: never sit still. Always strive for better,” he says. “If you sit still, the dust will fall on you and you become an old person. You’ve got to keep moving – that’s the secret.”
We talk about technology and the fast-pace it is moving at, and Kevin explains how he has lived through a time when the world looked very different. It’s one of the reasons he values history so deeply.
In a world racing forward, Kevin reminds us that looking back is just as important, because the past can vanish far faster than technology ever advances.
“My grandparents were around before the car, electricity, all of it. When I was born, for the first seven years we only had the radio. We didn’t get a TV until I was nine. We never had a telephone in the house until 1962. That perspective, shaped by witnessing such dramatic change within a single lifetime, fuels my commitment to preserving stories before they disappear.”
The collector at heart
I ask about hobbies and Kevin says has always collected things. “I collected coins and stamps as a kid. Then maps. Old books – some 120 years old, and all in Australia. Then diving books and prints for the last 30 years.”
He says he misses the thrill of the hunt. “I used to travel really far just to go to bookshops, but the internet spoiled it. If I won the lottery, my wife and I would buy a van and go to auctions around the country. That’s what we’d do.”
I ask if he has any plans to go back to Australia. “I’d love another trip back to Australia to see family, but I don’t sit still for long enough,” he laughs.
A Museum reborn, thanks to a man who never stops giving
The Diving Museum stands today thanks to a committed team of people, and to one man who looked at a forgotten historic building and saw what it could become, then worked tirelessly until that vision stood in front of him.
Kevin laughs when asked how he keeps going. “I don’t know. I just do. I told you – if you sit still, the dust will fall on you.”
In Gosport, thanks to Kevin Casey, the dust never stood a chance.
For more information please visit: The Diving Museum, Gosport – The Diving Museum