International Divers Day - WHEN??? !!! :)

[АлександрД]

Is anybody know about International Divers Day?

In Russia we have Government holiday (but working day) - May 5 - official Commercial divers day.
Diver's Day - Abyss diving club

Diver’s Day (or better Commercial or Navy Diver’s Day) is celebrated on the 5th of May in Russia and some of the CIS countries. The history of this day goes back to 1882, the year when the first in the world diving school was founded. On the 5th of May 1882, by decree of Russian Emperor Alexander III the school opens its doors to officers and lower ranks to start educating professional divers.

Demand in qualified divers increased at the end of the Crimean war (to clean up the fairway and to lift the weapons from the shipwrecks). At that time, there were already some divers working on the ships but their services were expensive and their work was not always good. In 1861 divers with all their equipment were listed as the part of the crew of the Navy ships.

Opening of Kronshtad’s diver school allowed to bring diver’s education on a different level and added a strong scientific base to it. Shortly after, the school became prestigious and for a long remained the only educational institution in the world that trained professional divers.

The school grew, adding different specializations and institutions. Today it is called the Navy Engineering Institute and is considered to be one of the best schools that train commercial divers.

Nowadays commercial divers work in different areas and quite often in very unfriendly conditions. Commercial divers perform underwater works of all sorts starting from cleanups and ending with all kinds of construction works.

We would like to wish all the divers, commercial, leisure divers, diving instructors and everyone related to them, to stay healthy, have reliable equipment and true friends, co-workers and buddies!

Also in the old Soviet magazine we have article about Beginning of Underwater ERA, when Commander Cousteau had been released in to the ocean depth the capsule with Declaration of CMAS

 

[АлександрД]

google translator​

V. STASHEVSKY, Executive Secretary of the USSR Underwater Sports Federations

THE BEGINNING OF THE UNDERWATER ERA

On a gloomy autumn morning, the ship “Torregrand” set sail from the Genoese port and headed for the open sea. It is a little stormy. But, despite the bad weather, there were many passengers on the deck of the ship. Among them stood out a tall, lean man with a tanned face - Jacques-Yves Cousteau, a famous explorer of the deep sea.

The day of the proclamation of the underwater era has arrived. On October 12, 1964, Jacques Cousteau cut the cable and the waterproof bronze cylinder with the flags of 30 states tied to it disappeared into the blue abyss. In the cylinder was the “Declaration on the Taking of Power over the Depths of the Sea”. In the same second, the ships surrounding the Torregrand, in honor of a significant event, turned on the sirens, and the fire boats sent giant jets of water skyward.

Jacques Cousteau handed over to Mr Klotz, President of the Italian Federation of Submariners, a copy of the Declaration for transmission to the UN and proclaimed open the first year of the underwater era.

After the ceremony, accompanied by an honorary escort, Torregrand returned to Genoa. The emblem of the CMAS fluttered on its mast ...

CMAS is the acronym for the World Federation of Underwater Activities. It was created on January 11, 1959. The founding congress was held in Monaco. It was attended by representatives of 14 countries. The chairman of the congress was Jacques Cousteau.

The main goal of the World Federation is to develop and by all means encourage the study of the underwater world, as well as contribute to the improvement of all types of underwater sports and activities. As underwater sports gained more and more adherents, the CMAS expanded. At the beginning of 1960, it included 19 countries, and at the end of 1961 - 29. At present, CMAS has 40 states.

It seems quite recently we first saw on the cinema screens the pioneers of underwater sports: Jacques Cousteau, Frederic Dumas and Philippe Thaye, their adventures in the "world of silence." Now man - amphibian, fishemen (man-fish), frogman (man-frog) - as soon as they call submarine athletes - can be found in all corners of our planet.

Over the seven years of its existence, CMAS has done a great job to popularize underwater sports and various types of underwater activities. Between the members of the federation there is a wide exchange of information on issues of technology, equipment and equipment, safety and medicine, as well as methods of underwater research.

The World Federation holds international competitions, organizes colloquiums, seminars and exhibitions on various issues of underwater activities.

The supreme body of the CMAS is the annual General Assembly, which elects an executive bureau and a president.

From its founding to the present, the president of CMAS is Jacques-Yves Cousteau, director of the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco.

All the diverse activities of the federation are organized by special committees.

The technical committee, led by Oscar Hugen, is responsible for unifying the rules of diving, improving training programs for diving, developing safety rules for diving. This committee has planned to publish a handbook on underwater affairs, which will contain many interesting questions: the pedagogical foundations of scuba divers training, rules and instructions for schools of submarine athletes, an overview of the general framework of programs and rules in different countries, a bibliography on all issues of underwater activities. The committee also planned to create a film for educational purposes.

The sports committee, chaired by Professor Luigi Ferraro, develops the rules of international competitions, organizes championships, appoints judges and approves the results of the competition.

Since the birth of underwater sports is associated with spearfishing, the first competitions were of this kind. At the 1958 World Championships, which was held in Portugal (representatives of the USA and the USSR were present at it as observers), the French hunter team took the lead, and Jules Corman became the world champion. Subsequent championships were held in Malta, Italy, Spain and Brazil. The last world championship in spearfishing took place from September 1 to 5, 1965 in the Pacific Ocean among the coral atolls of Rangiroa (French Polynesia). The Australian title was awarded to Ron Taylor, and the strongest team was a trio of Hugo Desso, Claude Juve and Pierre Giont (France).

Along with spearfishing, the CMAS Sports Committee holds swimming competitions in fins at various distances. And recently, when an increasing number of people are fond of diving 6 underwater in scuba gear, he is developing competition rules for this type of underwater sport.

The Scientific Committee was founded at the III Congress of the CMAS in 1964. The chairman of the committee was elected American scientist Harold Edgerton. The Scientific Committee brings together all submariners with the goal of using their skills in research.

The III CMAS Congress was held in Genoa in the huge Palace of the Sea. The congress was attended by delegates from 30 countries.

“This congress will allow us to realize our rights and our responsibility to the sea,” said Jacques Cousteau in his speech at the opening of the congress. With great indignation, the President of CMAS said that the use of the wealth of the globe is becoming more and more difficult, industrial waste spills into the sea, it is polluted.
After the congress approved the report on the work of the CMAC, the calendar of competitions for 1965-1966, he decided to hold the next congress in Mexico or Yugoslavia and chose an executive bureau consisting of 11 people.
Participants of the III Congress of the CMAC adopted the Declaration (the text of the Declaration is given at the end of the article), in which the World Federation protests against pollution of the oceans, declares the oceans free, indivisible and belonging to all mankind, without any advantages in using it for any one country, as it were nor was the level of development of her technology high, and asks the UN to convene an international conference to coordinate action on research and use of the oceans. The sea should be the property of all the peoples of the globe.
On October 11, 1964, the Symposium of the Depths took place. Its participants were made by the most famous sea researchers: Jacques Piccard (Switzerland) - the creator of the Trieste bathyscaphe and the mesoscapa, Roberto Galeazzi (Italy) - the designer of special cameras for observation and work at great depths, Henri Delos (France) - the inventor of the Archimedes bathyscaphe ”, On which he sank to a depth of 9500 meters, Robert Stenui (Belgium), who lived in an underwater house at a depth of 130 meters for two days, Dr. Cabarroux (France) - the organizer of the experiment, during which the diver worked at a depth of 100 meters for hours, captain George Bond (USA) - the head of the Sileb underwater experiment in Bermuda and, finally, Philippe Thaye, Frederic Dumas and Jacques-Yves Cousteau - the French trio who did a great job of studying the “world of silence”. Hans Keller could not take part in the symposium, whose contribution to the penetration of man to great depths is extremely large.
The greatest interest was caused by the messages of George Bond and Jacques Cousteau. The first talked about experiments with the Sileb-1 underwater laboratory and the upcoming experience with Sileb-2, the second about the completion of the Precontinent-2 program and preparations for the Precontinent-3. Both of these experiments are now complete.
The American experience was carried out by scientists on the instructions of the US naval forces in a series of other experiments of the national program "Man and the Sea" and gave a lot of important information about a person's ability to live and work under water for a relatively long period of time.

 

[АлександрД]

On August 26, 1964, the Sileb-2 underwater laboratory was launched into the ocean to a depth of 62 meters off the coast of California. It is a steel cylindrical capsule 17 meters long and 4 meters in diameter. Weight - 200 tons. When immersed, the pressure inside the chamber is equal to the pressure of the surrounding water, which allows the oceans to freely enter the laboratory and swim out of it.

Three shifts of submariners visited the laboratory; each team was at a depth of 15 days. Together with the first change of the oceanauts, the American astronaut Scott Carpenter descended into the underwater "dwelling". On the first day of his stay at Sileb-2, Carpenter managed to establish radio communication with the crew of the Dzheminai-5 spacecraft. This was the first 8 case when a person from the depths of the ocean had a conversation with a person in space.

After spending 29 days 14 hours in the ocean, Scott Carpenter, along with nine second-shift oceanauts, ascended to the surface. Their place was immediately taken by a third team of 10 people. Submariners breathed underwater with a helio-nitrogen-oxygen mixture. He created comfortable conditions: a warm shower for heating after staying in cold water, telephone communication with scientists and families.

Oceans spent every day in the aquatic environment for several hours; studied the fauna, flora and other riches of the ocean.

The inhabitants of Sileb-2 are generally well-versed in unusual conditions. The submariners were especially struck by the audibility of the sounds of the voice - the initial sounds of the words disappeared and in general the conversation was very similar to playing records with increased speed. This was due to helium exposure.

The subjects experienced headaches, skin cracked, and some suffered ear inflammation. It was also noted that at great depths, human sensory reactions become dull; he cannot concentrate, he is hard on orders.

October 12, Sileb-2 was raised to the surface of the Pacific Ocean. According to scientists, the experience as a whole was successful. They believe that in the next five years people will reach depths of 500 meters. George Bond said that now oceanauts can be under water for an unlimited time. In the future, it will be possible to organize industrial production of oil, minerals, food from the plant and animal life of the ocean.

Jacques-Yves Cousteau in September 1965 continued the offensive to the depths of the ocean. If you remember, he began experiments in the same month of 1962. Then two people lived in the underwater house "Diogenes" at a depth of 10 meters for a week. In the Red Sea, in the underwater five-apartment building “Zvezda” at a depth of 11 meters, five oceanauts spent a whole month, and two — six days were in the “Rocket” at a depth of 24 meters.

The third experiment - Precontinent-3, was also successful. September 23, 350 meters from Cape Ferrat near Monaco, a large 9 ball, painted in a black and yellow cage, was lowered into the Mediterranean Sea. It contained six oceanauts. They were headed by Andre Laban, head of the underwater research department. The group included Jacques Rollet — a physicist, Christine Bonnissi, Raymond Coll, Yves Omer — submarine technicians, and Philippe Cousteau — the son of the famous oceanographer. He was entrusted with the duties of a television and film operator.

For breathing under water, a helio-oxygen mixture (16-18% oxygen) was used. The rise was carried out according to the American decompression tables. The ascent rate corresponded to the tabular data for the helio-oxygen mixture, the first stop was at a depth of 39 meters. At the thirty-meter depth of divers, the Galeazzi universal camera was launched, lowered from the ship. It can serve as a decompression chamber, an elevator for lifting from a depth, and a hydrostat for observing underwater operations. In these experiments, a pressure corresponding to a depth of 30 meters was maintained in it. Divers swam up to the camera, took off scuba gear, put them in special compartments and went inside. To prevent accidents, all these operations were watched by scuba divers of a special rescue team.

In the Galeazzi chamber, scuba divers breathed compressed air. Her bottom was closed, and the camera climbed aboard the Calypso. Here, in a more relaxed atmosphere, decompression continued. The submariners were constantly under visual observation through the windows, telephone communications were supported.

At the decompression stage corresponding to the fifteen-meter depth, the oceanauts switched to breathing pure oxygen using a face mask. Such careful preparation guaranteed the success of the main experiment.

And he went like that. Due to malfunctions, the first two days the oceanauts “lived in” the house on the surface (the descent was delayed for two days). Finally, when the house reached the bottom at a hundred-meter mark, the researchers sailed out of it to study the site (district).

“Until now, deep-sea diving has been commanded from the surface, it will soon disappear,” said Jacques Cousteau at the congress in Genoa. Indeed, in this experiment there was no Calypso uterine vessel on the surface. He was replaced by a cylindrical buoy, in which an electric generator was installed, which supplied the house with electricity. There were radio and television antennas on the buoy. Oceans always kept in touch with the surface and computing center of the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco, from where they received the necessary instructions on the dosage of the helio-oxygen mixture.

Original device at home. This is a ball with a diameter of 5.7 meters, mounted on a base platform, inside which premises are located on three floors. The weight of the house is 130 tons.

The “chess hut,” as the house was called for its coloring, is equipped with everything necessary for housing. They tried to bring comfort to perfection. For example, carbon dioxide released during breathing turns into ice in a refrigerator, and frozen briquettes are dumped into the sea.

Already on the second day after the dive, the oceanauts began to mount a drilling rig at the bottom. Indeed, the purpose of the experiment is not only to study the influence of unusual conditions on the mental and physical abilities of a person and to determine the possibility of a long stay in the depths, but also to pave the way for those who will explore the blue continent: workers, engineers, scientists.

This is precisely why the French Petroleum Exploration Bureau contributed half of the three million francs required to organize the experiment.

Outside the submariner's house, they used breathing scuba gear “Nargile resiklan” (hose scuba gear to which the helio-oxygen mixture enters). If necessary, they could use the Galeazzi camera, which was always nearby.

Helium, which saved submariners from deep anesthesia, distorted the sound. This distorted speech and made communication difficult. Helium was also the cause of another trouble. He is an excellent conductor of heat and the inhabitants of the underwater house, inhaling the helio-oxygen mixture, froze, as they lost their precious calories much faster, so the temperature in the house was raised to 32-35 degrees.

October 14 at 17 hours 34 minutes "chess hut" was raised to the surface. Despite numerous difficulties, the oceans successfully passed the test. The offensive on the oceans continues. The next stage is the conquest of depths up to 400-500 meters.

Eight months have passed since the CMAS historical congress in Genoa, and the Executive Bureau of the World Federation at the May meeting in Paris in 1965 unanimously accepted the USSR Underwater Sports Federation into its ranks.

Underwater sports are still young in our country. For the first time a man with scuba diving was seen on the Black Sea in 1956. But then this interesting sport was widely recognized.

Already in 1958, the first USSR championship was held. These competitions were an attempt to bring something new to underwater sports, which had previously been limited to spearfishing. They were carried out according to the program of underwater all-around, including swimming in fins, diving in length in fins and mask and three exercises in underwater orientation.

This program quickly found its adherents among the athletes of the socialist countries. In the six international competitions that followed, our submariners invariably came out victorious.

 

[АлександрД]

In 1964, the USSR national team for the first time faced off with the strongest teams of the capitalist countries at international underwater orienteering competitions in Italy. The first performance - and the first success: our team showed the best result in the history of these competitions. Unfortunately, participating in underwater competitions for the second time in 1965, Soviet athletes lost.

Two months later, our national team had the opportunity to take revenge for the defeat in Italy at the VI international competition, which took place in Alushta. And she lived up to expectations, showing good results. The Soviet team was ahead of the Italian by more than 7000 points.

On September 8, the last day of the competition, a conference of representatives of national federations and clubs of Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, East Germany, Italy, Poland, Czechoslovakia and the USSR was held in the conference hall of the Central Club of Underwater Sports of the USSR. The conference was attended by the official representative of CMAS F. Pavone. The competition program proposed by the Soviet delegation for the official European and world championships was discussed. The delegates approved it and asked the CMAS to hold official championships for such a program, to approve these competitions as the 1st European Underwater Sports Championship, to consider the prize established by the FPS of the USSR as a challenge prize for future championships and to accept Czechoslovakia's proposal to organize the 2nd European Championship in 1966 in Czechoslovakia.

Good success was achieved by our underwater researchers. Suffice it to recall the world's first research submarine “Severyanka”, the study of depths using the VNIRO bathysphere, Giprorybflot hydrostat and Atlant-I underwater glider. The oceanographic research of Soviet scientists on the Vityaz and Mikhaylo Lomonosov ships gained worldwide recognition.

... The ship "Torregrand" was returning to the Genoese port. Among the participants in the symbolic ceremony that marked the beginning of the underwater era, revival reigned. Just at the moment when the cable was cut and the Declaration with the CMAS emblem and state flags began to plunge into the abyss, lightning crossed the sky and there was a thunderclap, drowning out the welcome sounds of ship sirens. First one, then more and more.

Everyone was cheerfully discussing what this mysterious omen of Neptune means: a menacing blow or a traditional salvo with a wish for success? We do not believe in prejudice and will not indulge in such considerations, but we know that on the long and difficult path of conquering the oceans there will be bitter failures and remarkable successes. And the first year of the underwater era convinces us that there will be much more success.

La dichiarazione del C.M.A.S. | USS Dario Gonzatti

Declaration The World Confederation of Underwater Activities convened in the General Assembly, in Genoa (Italy) on 12 October 1964

Considering that it is permissible for states to exercise their sovereignty over territorial waters,
Considering that states have the tendency to want to extend the area represented by territorial waters,
Considering that at the time of the 1958 Geneva Conference the nations represented admitted that the riparian states also exercise a sovereign right on the continental shelf in the exploration and exploitation of natural resources,
Considering the tendency of the riparian countries to extend their rights, the progress of submarine exploration and the riches contained in the Sea, it appears that in a more or less close time the States will make new claims concerning the exploration of that part of the Sea (bottom of the sea),
Considering that it is appropriate to protect this heritage for the whole of humanity without advantages for any particular nation regardless of the state of their technique or their motives,
Considering that the World Confederation of Underwater Activities is an international apolitical and permanent organization, currently grouping the Subdivision Federation of 37 countries; that belonging to the C.M.A.S. is open to the Federations of the countries not yet represented,
Considering that the World Confederation of Underwater Activities brings together the pioneers, technicians, experimenters, scientists, sportsmen and enthusiasts of underwater activities who have understood the primary importance for humanity to conquer the underwater world and who have dedicated themselves to this task , often paying with their life,
Considering that the World Confederation of Underwater Activities appears to be the most qualified international body, both from a historical, moral and technical point of view, to take possession of the seabed, reserved by the rights recognized to the riparian states

DECIDED

to take possession, in the name of humanity and with all the resulting legal consequences, of the sea floor reserved by the rights recognized to the riparian states,

REQUESTS
to the UN, to convene an international conference, to which the World Confederation of Underwater Activities asks to participate, with the aim of making an inventory and coordinating the management and exploration of this immense common heritage.

THE PRESIDENT DE LA C.M.A.S.
signed Comté Yacques-Yves Cousteau

THE PRESIDENT OF THE TECHNICAL COMMITTEE
signed Oscar N. Gugen

THE PRESIDENT OF THE SPORTS COMMITTEE
M.O.V.M. Luigi Ferraro

THE PRESIDENT ADDED
signed Andréas B. Rechnitzer

THE SECRETARY GENERAL
f.to Jacques Dumas

As I know, also exists International DAN Divers day - 6th International DAN Divers Day celebrated in September.

Also exists International Professional Driver’s Day - 4rd International Professional Driver’s Day - UICR celebrated in May.

So - WHEN is The International Divers Day??????

Oct 12 ?
May 5 ?

other day?
... or it does not exists?

 

[АлександрД]

Dear ours SB members! @Sam Miller III , @Akimbo , @DandyDon , @drbill , @rsingler , @lowviz , @The Chairman , @Eric Sedletzky , @TMHeimer , @Bob DBF , @John C. Ratliff , @tbone1004 , @David Wilson and many others - is anybody of you, diving keepers, ever heard about International Divers Day?

How it could be, that does not exists so great reason to drink for us?

 

[andrey_cosim]

@АлександрД : so cute to mention your nickname in cyrillic here . I think few guys here can do that and really understand what these funny characters mean .

BTW, I've contacted Mr. Valentin Grigorievitch Stashevskiy. an author of afore mentioned google-translated article dated by 1966, who was one of the top managers of CMAS and its Russian local branch and he has confirmed the described events.
He is 82 now, but seems to be in a good shape and mood.
As a proof he has published in his FB page a picture of a copy of that Declaration from his private archive.

I have no idea, why this event has been forgotten, but it seems to be a rather reasonable candiate to establish a some kind of community holiday like "International Divers Day" on that specific date - 12th of October.
Cheers

PS: a bit higher resolution - http://images.vfl.ru/ii/1571138064/75a82095/28200003.jpg

 

[Akimbo]

is anybody of you, diving keepers, ever heard about International Divers Day?

Diver's Day, international or otherwise, is new to me... but it wouldn't be the first time I totally missed something of importance.

 

[Sam Miller III]

@АлександрД, @andrey_cosim
A big thank you for your very informative historical post.

When the world federation conference was held I was associated with the late Dr. Andy Rechnitzer who attended the meeting , Andy had previously been the project manager on the FRNS 111 the bathysphere that descended to the bottom of the Marianas trench, 37,500 feet deep.
He along with Connie Limbaugh were the ones who taught the LA County reps to dive which resulted in the LA Co UW program from which all US and most international programs originated

He returned from the meeting very excited - especially about CMAS

FYI
The very first international spear fishing meet was held in 1951 at Laguna Beach California amd won by the Compton Dolphins spearfishing team of Pat O Malley, Paul Hoss (spear gun fame) and Ken Kummberfeld ( who at one time lived close )
Sadly all have passed on.

The following year, 1952 the meet was won by the Southern California Skin Divers. The team consisted of Fred Kittles, Bud Abernathy and Charlie Sturgil-- It was a unique event because Carlie was the first and only person to win an international meet using a pole spear.
Sadly all have passed on.

About the time the Russian teams entered international competition in the mid 1960s, the world was way ahead. They had developed spear gun rigging, team work and had very experienced and knowledgeable coaches.

Recalling again from memory It was the 17 year old Terry Lenz from SoCal who won the world championships- and he dominated world spear fishing competitions for several years. Terry gave up spearfishing , moved to sunny Arizona to become a building contractor- I have had no contact for almost 15 years

In the 1970s Cousteau promoted Earth Day -- which I never understood -- it always seemed to me that he should have been promoting Ocean day or Divers day, I attended one of the events which was at the Santa Barbara fair park in a very large building

That is about a s close as I recall we got to a divers day

Thanks for your input -- so many names of the giants of diving- so many memories

Sam Miller, 111

 

[rsingler]

What great information, @АлександрД!
Thank you for telling us all about it. We have a new cause to root for!

 

[dead dog]

@АлександрД, @andrey_cosim
A big thank you for your very informative historical post.

When the world federation conference was held I was associated with the late Dr. Andy Rechnitzer who attended the meeting , Andy had previously been the project manager on the FRNS 111 the bathysphere that descended to the bottom of the Marianas trench, 37,500 feet deep.
He along with Connie Limbaugh were the ones who taught the LA County reps to dive which resulted in the LA Co UW program from which all US and most international programs originated

He returned from the meeting very excited - especially about CMAS

FYI
The very first international spear fishing meet was held in 1951 at Laguna Beach California amd won by the Compton Dolphins spearfishing team of Pat O Malley, Paul Hoss (spear gun fame) and Ken Kummberfeld ( who at one time lived close )
Sadly all have passed on.

The following year, 1952 the meet was won by the Southern California Skin Divers. The team consisted of Fred Kittles, Bud Abernathy and Charlie Sturgil-- It was a unique event because Carlie was the first and only person to win an international meet using a pole spear.
Sadly all have passed on.

About the time the Russian teams entered international competition in the mid 1960s, the world was way ahead. They had developed spear gun rigging, team work and had very experienced and knowledgeable coaches.

Recalling again from memory It was the 17 year old Terry Lenz from SoCal who won the world championships- and he dominated world spear fishing competitions for several years. Terry gave up spearfishing , moved to sunny Arizona to become a building contractor- I have had no contact for almost 15 years

In the 1970s Cousteau promoted Earth Day -- which I never understood -- it always seemed to me that he should have been promoting Ocean day or Divers day, I attended one of the events which was at the Santa Barbara fair park in a very large building

That is about a s close as I recall we got to a divers day

Thanks for your input -- so many names of the giants of diving- so many memories

Sam Miller, 111

Timeline for U.S. National Underwater Spearfishing Championships.

1950. With the cooperation and invaluable assistance of Bill Schroeder of the Helms Athletic Foundation and Fred Beitz of the A.A.U.( Amateur Athletic Union), established the 1st U.S. National Underwater Spearfishing Championships (Oct. 15, 1950).

http://www.iusarecords.com/History.aspx