Goofy Question...

[fishb0y]

I don't think this question would go over well on VDH (I can see one of the members shaking his head in annoyance...) or even VSS, so I pose it here.

Thunderball was on AMC a couple of nights ago. While I have seen it a couple times, since I've started purchasing vintage dive gear, it has whole new interest to me. Part of me wished my tanks would get back from hydro quicker, so I could strap on my dive knife, grab my Aquamaster, load up the speargun and go join that underwater battle (I'd have to be on Specter's side with the double hose regulator).

So how about you, do you have that inner Mike Nelson that is just begging to cut someones exhaust hose? Or are you like me who wants to play the part of an underwater civil war reenactor?

 

[Nemrod]

I don't understand why you think this question/statement or whatever it is would not be taken kindly to on VSS and VDH but whatever.

Yes, Mike Nelson is my hero along with Johnny Livingston, Steve Wittman, Ronald Reagon and a few others both real and imaginary---lol.


"So how about you, do you have that inner Mike Nelson that is just begging to cut someones exhaust hose? Or are you like me who wants to play the part of an underwater civil war reenactor?"


Yes, I want to cut the hoses of the "black pack", lol (just teasing---I think).

Underwater civil war reinactor? Well, exactly, that is exactly why this is so much fun BUT, if you were a real Civil War veteran time warped into a reinactment then you would be the real deal--right? so, for a few of us, this is how we began. At least one of my "vintage" sets is mine from the late 60s, I ain't reinacting, this is the real deal.

Yes, I like the concept, of reinacting, of getting into character, I am, afterall, Nemrod, the great hunter of the sea. N

 

[james croft]

I believe everybody at VDH, etc. is just itching to cut a hose. If the good Lord did not want us to slash hoses, he would not have given us knives. I personally am waiting for this opportunity like the Maytag repairman. My day WILL come. Until then, I am watching and patiently waiting.

 

[do it easy]

Would it be something like underwater flag football? You could have "flag" hoses on the gear and then go around having underwater duels, ripping off masks and "cutting" hoses! Don't try this at home, unless you have a pool! Let me know how the Thunderball/Sea Hunt re-enactments go.

 

[Luis H]

As part of Sand Dog III we did some vintage diving show and tell at Weeki Wachee with one of our guys inside the underwater auditorium describing our vintage gear.

As part of the demonstration we had a “bad guy”… “Gomez” (actually it was Rob, it came very natural to him :lol: ) molesting one of the mermaids. Then we had a “good guy” come to the rescue and they re-enacted an underwater fight including the exhaust hose cutting. Some members actually volunteered some old hoses for the performance, but it was decided to just leave the hose attachment to the mouthpiece loose. It was safer and more reliable.

The performance was repeated twice for different audiences after two of the mermaid shows. The whole thing was a blast!

 

[Walter]

It was lots of fun just to watch. Any of us would have been happy to fill in for either of the actors. Yeah, that's a normal feeling, especially for vintage divers.

 

[Nemrod]

When I pull out the 15 inch blade on my favorite sea sword you best be carefull, if I was to miss the hose it might just take the head off--ooops--hate that when that happens. N

 

[Walter]

Too funny!

 

[james croft]

Why limit it to the exhaust side?

 

[simonbeans]

The "scene" that we reenacted at the Weeki Wachee show was discussed and choreographed and practiced. The important aspect to any scene is illusion. If you watched Sea Hunt carefully you would see that the exhaust hose was cut. Again, this is an illusion. When the diver "frantically" fought to surface, he was exhaling, thus the multitude of bubbles was observed. Like any historical reenactment today, be it Civil War, Rev War or F & I, the participants are reminded over and over to never put anything down the barrel except lose powder. Some reenactments require the ramrods to be absent from the gun. Also, the muzzles are NEVER to be leveled toward the opposition, but held at a 45-degree angle. Some crazies drop their weapons to 30-degrees or ignore the rules and level, but they are correctly reprimanded. When the hose cutting was staged, the safety of the divers involved was paramount. The "hose cutie" was a police officer in better than average condition and was offered the role partly due to this. We were acting and as such made safety the prime directive. And besides, what non-diver or even modern diver knows which hose is which anyway?