Well, I've come here after being on a bicycle forum and seeing the positive impact that forum had to my bicycling. And by the way, I think, based on my personal experience, that bicycling is more hazardous than diving (almost killed twice in four years bicycling, never close diving).
So, what kind of a diver am I? Well, I started at a tender age after watching Cousteau's "The Silent World" in the late 1950's. My diving I trace to about 1959, with certification by LA County in 1963. I was diving in the Salem, Oregon area, and in high school we started the Salem Junior Aqua Club. We dove the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Puget Sound and Thetis Island off Vancouver Island, BC). I went to college two years, then into the US Air Force (Vietnam/draft driven) and volunteered for USAF Pararescue. I completed PJ training in 1967, which included the US Navy School for Underwater Swimmers, then served in Okinawa, Korea, Bermuda, Florida and Vietnam in the regulars, and Portland, Oregon in the USAF Reserves while I went to school again.
I graduated with two degrees, one in zoology and one in health, hoping to work in marine or aquatic biology. I had a temporary job diving with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife after graduating, but wasn't hired as a permanent biologist. It still grates on me a bit, but without that misfortune, I would not have met my future wife, gotten married, had the two boys I have, and basically had a successful working career in the safety profession. I'm currently a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), working in the hi tech field as an Environmental Health and Safety Engineer.
My interests in diving are varied. I dove mostly solo for over 20 years in the Umpqua River, and have a lot of interesting observations on the life in that river. I have continued my underwater photography, and collected some good photos of fish and divers over the years.
In the USAF, I participated in Project Apollo, and one of the more interesting things we did was parascuba jumping out of HC-130 aircraft. I've done some writing about that (which is one of my hobbies too), but it is unpublished and in really rough draft form right now.
Before I got out of school, I participated in the Warm Mineral Springs Underwater Archeolagical Project with Sonny Cockrell's group as a volunteer diver. I also participated in an underwater physiological research project on cold water diving in the 1960's sponsored by the University of Oregon. I also taught diving for awhile, and authored articles in NAUI News and the IQ6 & IQ7 about equipment design and solo diving.
I have worked on equipment design too. The Plana Avanti, to name one fin, incorporates one of my designs for a flexible blade (I couldn't patent it, as this was patented in the 1960's), but they have done it imperfectly. I have other swimming designs, some based on fin swimming ideas.
In the 1980's I was Fin Swimming Director for the Underwater Society of America, and promoted fin swimming as an alternative to regular swimming for both competion and fitness. I still fin swim regularly to stay in some similance of shape, along with my bicycling and a bit of running (I'm not much of a runner though).
In the 1980's, I designed a BC I call the Para-Sea BC, as it is a cross between the front-mount BC of old and a parachute harness design. I patented that one, but couldn't convince any manufacturer to take it up. I have continued to dive this wonderful (my baby, my design, I can say what I want) BC, although it's been almost 20 years now since I designed it.
So my experiences have been all over the diving map. My boys are grown and off to college, and I've found a dive buddy with similar interests (biology, photography, etc.) for continuing my diving. While I've been diving a long time, I consider myself still learning, growing in this wonderful, exciting sport. I look forward to contributing here.
John
SeaRat
So, what kind of a diver am I? Well, I started at a tender age after watching Cousteau's "The Silent World" in the late 1950's. My diving I trace to about 1959, with certification by LA County in 1963. I was diving in the Salem, Oregon area, and in high school we started the Salem Junior Aqua Club. We dove the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Puget Sound and Thetis Island off Vancouver Island, BC). I went to college two years, then into the US Air Force (Vietnam/draft driven) and volunteered for USAF Pararescue. I completed PJ training in 1967, which included the US Navy School for Underwater Swimmers, then served in Okinawa, Korea, Bermuda, Florida and Vietnam in the regulars, and Portland, Oregon in the USAF Reserves while I went to school again.
I graduated with two degrees, one in zoology and one in health, hoping to work in marine or aquatic biology. I had a temporary job diving with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife after graduating, but wasn't hired as a permanent biologist. It still grates on me a bit, but without that misfortune, I would not have met my future wife, gotten married, had the two boys I have, and basically had a successful working career in the safety profession. I'm currently a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), working in the hi tech field as an Environmental Health and Safety Engineer.
My interests in diving are varied. I dove mostly solo for over 20 years in the Umpqua River, and have a lot of interesting observations on the life in that river. I have continued my underwater photography, and collected some good photos of fish and divers over the years.
In the USAF, I participated in Project Apollo, and one of the more interesting things we did was parascuba jumping out of HC-130 aircraft. I've done some writing about that (which is one of my hobbies too), but it is unpublished and in really rough draft form right now.
Before I got out of school, I participated in the Warm Mineral Springs Underwater Archeolagical Project with Sonny Cockrell's group as a volunteer diver. I also participated in an underwater physiological research project on cold water diving in the 1960's sponsored by the University of Oregon. I also taught diving for awhile, and authored articles in NAUI News and the IQ6 & IQ7 about equipment design and solo diving.
I have worked on equipment design too. The Plana Avanti, to name one fin, incorporates one of my designs for a flexible blade (I couldn't patent it, as this was patented in the 1960's), but they have done it imperfectly. I have other swimming designs, some based on fin swimming ideas.
In the 1980's I was Fin Swimming Director for the Underwater Society of America, and promoted fin swimming as an alternative to regular swimming for both competion and fitness. I still fin swim regularly to stay in some similance of shape, along with my bicycling and a bit of running (I'm not much of a runner though).
In the 1980's, I designed a BC I call the Para-Sea BC, as it is a cross between the front-mount BC of old and a parachute harness design. I patented that one, but couldn't convince any manufacturer to take it up. I have continued to dive this wonderful (my baby, my design, I can say what I want) BC, although it's been almost 20 years now since I designed it.
So my experiences have been all over the diving map. My boys are grown and off to college, and I've found a dive buddy with similar interests (biology, photography, etc.) for continuing my diving. While I've been diving a long time, I consider myself still learning, growing in this wonderful, exciting sport. I look forward to contributing here.
John
SeaRat
