Diving Technology: Then, Now and in the Future

[Sam Miller III]

...
A SP MK5/R109 was $100.00+ in 1968
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1968

$90.00
catalog#105

SPG $27.50
catalog #130

J valve $35.00
K valve $17.50
35.00 - 17.50 =$17.15...$27.50-17.50===$10.35

Ten more hard earned grass cutting dollars and you could have owned a SCUBA Pro SPG

sdm

 

[AfterDark]

Sam is a bit of a stickler Rich he's just yakin your chain. I know what your talking about, NOBODY that is NOBODY that I dove with from 1968 to sometime in the 70's had a SPG nor do I remember seeing any other divers with one. I'm certain I would have ogled over it had I spotted one.

---------- Post added July 27th, 2013 at 11:00 AM ----------

...
A SP MK5/R109 was $100.00+ in 1968
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1968

$90.00
catalog#105

SPG $27.50
catalog #130

J valve $35.00
K valve $17.50
35.00 - 17.50 =$17.15...$27.50-17.50===$10.35

Ten more hard earned grass cutting dollars and you could have owned a SCUBA Pro SPG

sdm

Sam I've got to say I don't remember ever seeing one in the dive shops here in New England until sometime in the 70's. That is the kind of thing my father would have insisted on buying for me if it was available. I paid more than $90.00 for my Mk5. Maybe I over paid but that baby is still diving today.

 

[CT-Rich]

Sam what year did you buy your SPG? and did you use it consistently? What year did you switch over to a single hose reg? what year did you start wearing a BCD consistently?

And keep in mind you were doing this as part of the leading edge of recreational diving, not ordering gear through mail order or at the local sports shop back water Rhode Island (no offense Jordan). At what point were you saying these pieces of gear were must haves versus nice to haves?

I was certified in 1980 and had a J-valve tank with an spg, but didn't add a LP inflator to my BCD until 1984 or and octopus until 1982 (when I could afford them).

That something was available didn't make buying it a given or even and expectation that could be realized just because I thought it would be nice to have.

 

[elmer fudd]

"... 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

My 1960 edition of Basic Scuba has a picture of a Sportsways Waterlung complete with SPG on page 156. I also happen to have two of those regulators, one of which included the SPG. It matches the SPG in the pic, but I have no idea of whether it was stock or not.

I also have an early Healthways Scubair with a very unusual SPG on it. Pretty sure it's early 60's and the SPG is original.

 

[tracydr]

I never said idiot proof, just as reliable as open circuit and competitively priced compared with OC. CCR has some great advantages, the lack of bubbles will make divers much more likely to have more/ better interactions with marine life. It will also make Deco diving a lot more practical/ safe if divers are getting their gas blended precise to there needs and they do not need to drag multiple deco bottles with them. You still need to be a competent diver, same as a modern OC diver.

It's also warmer. Plus,if you get into some kind of trouble, especially overhead diving, you have a lot more time to get out of trouble before running out of air.

 

[AfterDark]

Sam what year did you buy your SPG? and did you use it consistently? What year did you switch over to a single hose reg? what year did you start wearing a BCD consistently?

And keep in mind you were doing this as part of the leading edge of recreational diving, not ordering gear through mail order or at the local sports shop back water Rhode Island (no offense Jordan). At what point were you saying these pieces of gear were must haves versus nice to haves?

I was certified in 1980 and had a J-valve tank with an spg, but didn't add a LP inflator to my BCD until 1984 or and octopus until 1982 (when I could afford them).

That something was available didn't make buying it a given or even and expectation that could be realized just because I thought it would be nice to have.

Actually back then it would have been Mass.

 

[captain]

$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.

Using an inflation calculator $20 in 1963 equals $152 today, about 3 times the cost of an SPG today. Because of sales volume and manufacturing methods many items that seem cheap in retrospect were very expensive at the time.

Inflation Calculator | Find US Dollar's Value from 1913-2013

 

[AfterDark]

Captain I almost posted $150.00 but wasn't sure enough, thanks.

 

[elmer fudd]

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.

I'm not really sure that the alternative is all that safe either. Fact is we are completely out of our element at those depths and nothing short of a submarine is going to make them safe for us.

 

[AfterDark]

I'm not really sure that the alternative is all that safe either. Fact is we are completely out of our element at those depths and nothing short of a submarine is going to make them safe for us.

Hey easy there! He was told it was safe when he got certified and that guys like me are crazy and don't know what danger we are in. He paid a lot for that cert don't disillusion him!