Anyone remember when...

[Luis H]

My first depth gage was a ScubaPro capillary depth gage (1971).

Sometimes it even worked. Most of the time I ignored it 'cause we dived depths we knew in advance with hard bottoms, and we were pretty good at guessing. My first SPG was... well, actually, back then we didn't use an SPG. Didn't need it. We had watches and knew about how long those 72's would last at those shallow depths we dived (usually less than 60'). Besides, we just dived until the reg started getting hard to pull air through and then pulled our reserve lever on the J valve and went straight up.

No computers, no compass, no spg, no octos, no auto-inflate BC's.... And we were teenagers so we knew we were going to liver forever anyway.
But what we lacked in gear, we made up for in goodie bags full of abalone we harvested.

Oh my god! And you didn’t die either…lol…


Yes not only we were bulletproof, but we were not afraid of the water back then either...lol...

 

[Stu S.]

That gage was within everybody's price range. Watches (that didn't leak) were really expensive. Ever try to make your own dive watch? Behind the bar, at a place in Maryland, they had all this stuff. Pocket combs, red eggs, hav-a-hank, Anacin, and these $4 pocket watches. An old-man's-type bar. I had a couple of beers and an idea. I went into the men's room and bought a latex item from a machine. It cost a quarter. Then I bought the $4 "bulls-eye" watch.

Before diving, I wound the watch and shoved it into the latex thing and tied it up real good. It ticked like a bomb. It worked... until I got about 30 feet down. No leakage, but the pressure squeezed the cheap watch so it would not run.

A general lack of equipment did not stop us from diving. We always managed to be careful. One guy on the team always had a watch or a gage, and we all had our tables.

 

[Nemrod]

My new BC:

For people who could not afford a diver watch, a watch case:

You don't have to use all of the plastic stuff, you can still dive just fine with good old Princeton Teck BottomTimers and metal double hose regulators and brass and glass depth guages.

N

 

[diverrick]

Man now that I started this thread, you guys have really brought it back to me. I had forgtten about some of the "details" like the Co2 cartrige on that surplus navy horse collar that you never ever wanted to test,out of fear of shooting out at the surface like a polaris missle. It was " just for emergencies" Glad I never had a chance to find out exactly how fast you might come up. Plus you could buy your wet suit in any color you wanted, ... as long as it was black, plus you always tore it somehow during the trip, putting it on usually, so everyone carried a repair kit, which was basically a bicyle repair kit, repackaged and sold for more money. Oh.. and the talc powder..... Memories

 

[Nemrod]

If you pulled the cartridge at say 60 feet it would put a small bubble in the BC. At the surface most would be fairly full. It was easy to vent them--well--the Mae West type could be vented with some effort.

N

 

[diverrick]

I was thinking of the yellow ones which were basically surplus survival gear from the military. you filled them by blowing into them, or letting out air via the same route. Not really BC's as we know them today just the precurser.

 

[diver 85]

I was packing some stuff for our next trip, and took note of all the gadgets we use now-a-days when we dive, which got me to remembering my first depth gauge, and other old stuff we used to dive with.

Does anyone besides me remember the capillary gauge? I thought it was real slick back then. Now you never see them, even as back ups.

I bet I still have it somewhere out in a dive chest in the garage. Heck it might even be a collectors items now. Man....I am getting old!!!

got one & ran across it in an old dive bag a few weeks ago. I'll get it out & post a picture tomorrow.........

EDIT....it's an old Dacor......

 

[drbill]

Personally I'm glad I no longer dive with the gear I used in the 60's. I didn't have an SPG until 1969. I don't remember my first depth gauge. My first BCD didn't appear until 1989 and then only because it was required gear with the group I dove with. I still have an old Healthways tank with a J-valve (assuming it passes the current hydro). However, I'm quite happy that I now dive with much better equipment with more capabilities.

 

[Luis H]

However, I'm quite happy that I now dive with much better equipment with more capabilities.

Well, I don’t know the quality of gear you had back then or for that mater what you own now, but in the early 70’s I worked in a dive shop and bought what I considered the best equipment available at the time (see note). I have to say I have seen some improvements with computers, maybe some better wetsuits and dry suits, and a bigger variety of flotation devices (BC’s), but beside that I am still looking.

When it comes to regulators I have yet to see any meaningful improvement. My criteria are based on performance, durability, serviceability, and over all good engineering design.

I think the mechanical gauges of the 70’s were as good as or better than todays (depth, pressure, compass, and maybe time/ watch).

I will try to post some pictures of some of my old Scubapro gauges later (capillary, oil filled, and mechanical diaphragm). And of course I need to post a picture of the original Scubapro analog decompression computer (a.k.a. “the Bend-O-Matic" ).




Note: I still own a lot of my original gear and for the most part it is in great shape. I can’t imagine a lot modern gear lasting as long.

The only modern mechanical piece of gear I use regularly is my BC inflator. It is the only piece of gear I have to service every six month to a year max. It leaks…

 

[Stu S.]

maybe some better wetsuits

YES. Those old metal zippers were awful. Zippers failed on many suits before the rubber failed. I believe they were aluminum, and those parts would always bind up. My pal John got stuck in his suit once. It took his wife and mine to fiddle the zipper open, while he stood there in 90+ degree heat.

I tried candle wax, Pledge, silicone spray and did not improve things much.

Well the booties had no zippers, and that was a problem of a different kind.

Stu.