Diving Technology: Then, Now and in the Future

[AfterDark]

I stand corrected, SPG were available in the 50s and 60s (1963 was my period of reference), but most divers of that period were relying on J-valves to know when it was time to come up. A lot of technology existed much earlier than the dates I reference, but If they were completely unreliable, impractical, or widely known about or used they really don't count. Dive computers were available, in the 1970s, but I never saw one in real life. Looking back at the 1963 diving catalogs, I did see a reference to a regulator that had a port for a pressure gauge, and a dive computer also, but that doesn't mean they were widely used.

They may have been invented in 1954 but who could afford one? I recall a SPG as not being something I could afford to buy until the late 70's when the prices had come down some. Like dive computers when they 1st came out they where more of a novelty that only those with money to burn could afford. Fifty years from now CCR's will probably be looked at the same way.

An analogy: auto air bags, invented long before they came into common use in passenger cars. I don't know if they were ever optional but that would be the same thing, someone with money wanted to be the 1st on their block to own a car with airbags. So they were around but few people remember it because they were not in common use until some time after their invention.

 

[danvolker]

"... SPGs were not yet available.."

SPGs (Submersible Pressure Gauges) were introduced to the diving world and used by Commander Le Prieur in 1926- 87 years ago. Suggest that you master French and read his 1956 book "Premier de Plongee." (First to Dive)

The American SPG appeared in 1954 produced by a long defunct company called Mar Mac, According to my Kalifornia Kalculator that is 59 years ago. An SPG has been on the American market since that date and was produced by many companies through out the years, many whom are no longer with us.


Don't you enjoy the fuzzy faced divers who loudly proclaim they were diving before the invention of the SPG?

SDM

Hi Sam,
I know you were diving long before the rest of us....While I was certified in 72, I was not heavily diving until 76.....What I do remember, was that in 72 when I wanted to buy gear, I really wanted the double hose regulator I had grown up watching on Sea Hunt--and while available, the dive store talked me out of it and into a US Divers Calypso regulator....which had no spg and no octopus....No one I interacted with ever mentioned either in 72.... In 76, on a January term project with 3 colleges off of Tobago to study Bucco Reef, of about 25 divers, only 1 had a pressure gauge that I recall -- it was more of a novelty...the rest of us used j valves, and were happy with them and free ascending when the need arose to stay down beyond the few minutes the j valve reserve would give you.....

It seemed like many years before something of a "Tipping Point" would occur, and suddenly spg's became the obvious gear each of us should have---and after that, suddenly everyone had to have one of these octopus set ups.....As I remember this, I have to assume that the likely impetus for such a mass
"epiphany", would have most likely been NAUI or some other training agency, pushing this--or maybe even DEMA telling all the Dive Shops that this was what the smart stores would be "pushing".

I don't think either was consumer driven....divers were happy enough with J valves, and they were happy to do buddy breathing and free ascents. There was no rec.scuba or any good dive magazines beyond SKIN DIVER MAGAZINE, the first whore in a long line of prostituted gear evangelists that would masquerade as caring about gear or dive destinations that were good ( but where any with lots of money to pay them was good, those with no ad budget were non-existent or bad). So if an spg maker had ad dollars, this could certainly have suddenly made them the end all for divers to invest in

Today we have Rodales Scubadiving, a publication even more intimately involved in shameless trumpeting for the right money....and one that will certainly figure into helping some NEW Gear into becoming the standard in the future--quite possibly through no good reason beyond the advertising....and as you know, we have many like that now

 

[ajduplessis]

All this technology, tecniques and breathing gasses, yet some still dive deep air and advocate how safe it is or how great they are. Sad very sad.

 

[AfterDark]

All this technology, tecniques and breathing gasses, yet some still dive deep air and advocate how safe it is or how great they are. Sad very sad.

It's not sad, it was common practice for a lot longer than mixed gas has been used. It is not unsafe, just not as safe. I have limited funds, no way I can afford the classes and gear / gas to dive mixed gas so like I've done all my life I dive deep air. I'm still here after decades of diving deep air, unsafe, not from my experience.

Car seat belts: I grew up with cars without seat belts. I never worn one until the nannies made it a law that I must. Is it unsafe to drive a car w/o a seat belt? No. Is it safer to be buckled in? Yes. Just like deep air v mixed gas.

 

[Sam Miller III]

I stand corrected, SPG were available in the 50s and 60s (1963 was my period of reference), but most divers of that period were relying on J-valves to know when it was time to come up. A lot of technology existed much earlier than the dates I reference, but If they were completely unreliable, impractical, or widely known about or used they really don't count..... Looking back at the 1963 diving catalogs, I did see a reference to a regulator that had a port for a pressure gauge, and a dive computer also, but that doesn't mean they were widely used.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I do not know what catalogs you were "looking back at" but I have taken the time to review and list all catalog's of all the manufactures of 1963, the date you use as a base line, and with out exception all offered SPGs, ranging in price from a very reasonable $19.95 to whopping $24.95.

Please elaborate how they "...were completely unreliable, impractical, or widely known about or used..." or maybe since you have catalogs you "looked back at."you can elaborate on the 1954 Mar Mac SPG???

I personally would like to know about that 1963 "dive computer" What catalog did you "looked back at' to find it?


It is recognized that all the manufactures except one were located in SoCal, the birth place of recreational diving, Perhaps there were others in your area unknown to the diving world that you "looked back at." Therefore it would be appreciated if you could enlighten the board with your list as I am doing with the following list. (Note I list manufacture, name model number and price, It would be appreciated if you would do the same)
Dacor (no longer in business)
"Dart Pressure gauge #DPG.....$20.00

SCUBA Pro
Submersible SCUBA Pro tank pressure gauge #7070 .....$22.50
SCUBA Pro sonic pressure gauge #7071 .....$19.95

Waterlung (no longer in business)
Sea Vue gauge # 1401..........$19.95

US DIVERS ( Name changed to Aqua Lung)
Sea Div gauge 7018 .................$24.95

Voit (no longer in business)
Underwater Pressure gauge #DS131 .................$21.95

AMF Voit (no longer in business- AMF acquired Voit)
Underwater Pressure gauge #DS131 .................$21.95


We all eagerly await your response,
SDM

 

[dfx]

I do not know what catalogs you were "looking back at" but I have taken the time to review and list all catalog's of all the manufactures of 1963, the date you use as a base line, and with out exception all offered SPGs, ranging in price from a very reasonable $19.95 to whopping $24.95.

Then why wasn't it standard to have an SPG? Was the J valve considered to be good enough?

 

[AfterDark]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I do not know what catalogs you were "looking back at" but I have taken the time to review and list all catalog's of all the manufactures of 1963, the date you use as a base line, and with out exception all offered SPGs, ranging in price from a very reasonable $19.95 to whopping $24.95.

Please elaborate how they "...were completely unreliable, impractical, or widely known about or used..." or maybe since you have catalogs you "looked back at."you can elaborate on the 1954 Mar Mac SPG???

I personally would like to know about that 1963 "dive computer" What catalog did you "looked back at' to find it?


It is recognized that all the manufactures except one were located in SoCal, the birth place of recreational diving, Perhaps there were others in your area unknown to the diving world that you "looked back at." Therefore it would be appreciated if you could enlighten the board with your list as I am doing with the following list. (Note I list manufacture, name model number and price, It would be appreciated if you would do the same)
Dacor (no longer in business)
"Dart Pressure gauge #DPG.....$20.00

SCUBA Pro
Submersible SCUBA Pro tank pressure gauge #7070 .....$22.50
SCUBA Pro sonic pressure gauge #7071 .....$19.95

Waterlung (no longer in business)
Sea Vue gauge # 1401..........$19.95

US DIVERS ( Name changed to Aqua Lung)
Sea Div gauge 7018 .................$24.95

Voit (no longer in business)
Underwater Pressure gauge #DS131 .................$21.95

AMF Voit (no longer in business- AMF acquired Voit)
Underwater Pressure gauge #DS131 .................$21.95


We all eagerly await your response,
SDM

$20.00+! Sam, that was a lot of money to kid back then. I'm not sure but it could be well over $100.00 in todays money. A SP MK5/R109 was $100.00+ in 1968 and for that I cut a lot of lawns, washed a lot of cars and shoveled a lot of snow! My J valve served me well for 10 years, it was the SP adjustable valve that was always adjusted to 800PSI reserve.

 

[ajduplessis]

OK, so you grew up without seat belts. Do you drive your children around without seat belts today?

 

[AfterDark]

OK, so you grew up without seat belts. Do you drive your children around without seat belts today?

My kids are 28 and 38 they drive themselves. Any other stupid questions?

 

[CT-Rich]

I am not trying to pick a fight. This original discussion was about changes in diving. I was not diving in 1963, never said I was an expert on 1960s diving gear. pressure gauges go back to the invention of the steam engine (maybe even earlier). as a few others have pointed out, gauges were not standard kit for your average diver until the 1970s. The first dive computers were developed in the 1950s but were never widely used until the mid-1980s. Do I have a stack of vintage catalogs in my basement? No. I was relying on web available content.
History of the dive computer

1963 Vintage Scuba Diving Catalogs Display Page

The blurb associated with the Healthways catalog mentions a decompression meter. A quick examination of most regulator of that era will confirm that few had Extra ports for additional equipment, much less a High pressure port. Others on this forum have confirmed that while this gear was available in the early 1960s, it was by no means standard.

For the record, I was also not hard hat diving in 1913 and doubt that I shall live to see 2113....

Cost was always a factor for my diving... Its the reason I don't dive dry or go deep. I never had the resources to spend $75 on tank of tri-mix. I dive within the limits of my training and budget. Some day I want to dive the Pacific and the Doria, but my kids need to get through college first.... $20 was a princely sum in 1960, today it won't fill my gas tank, back then it would feed a family for a week.