Hi, I am the old man, Dick Miller

[Mantajack]

I started diving when I was ten years old, 1947. No we did not have any kind of dry or wet suite to keep us warm and the water can really get cold. Some guys that worked with my dad got me into skindiving. We went to Palos Verdes, California. Climbing down those cliffs was a challenge and exciting. I will never forget my first meeting witha moray eel or getting the first abalone. There were no spear guns, we made hawiian slings. It was a real challenge for me to spear any fish, because I had to get so close and be so quiet before I shot the spear. We dove all rear long and when I hit the water in October or November it was so cold it felt like I was getting burned. We would stay out for a couple of hours and then come back into shore. I was so cold I would shake all over. Hey, I could go on for hours and boar you to death.

Time passed and I was able to join the Submariners Club in Balboa. By that time I had a wet suit and an arbalete gun. I was the only kid in the club and so I got to meet some really great people. At that time Connie Limbaugh and Cross were just one of the guys. I had no idea how important they would become in Marine Biology. Connie taught me a lot about the ocean and did a lot talking about Coustou. I dove actively until I started college and was to broke to afford it. I graduated in 1965 and got married. Dotty thought it was a great idea if I got back into diving and so we spent some time diving for about two years but my job took control of my life.

My son is a marine biologist and so I have had a few opportunities to talk to some of you that are diving today. Your equipment amazes me. Eric does not like to ask questions because it seems to upset people. But you have no idea how soft you have it today. We did not have any vests. My float was an inner tube inside of a gunny sack with hole cut into one side of the sack. This was a real life saver when I was in a diving competetion. Our masks were hard rubber or plastic and at the end of day I had a ring outline of the mask on my face. Now you have such soft and comfortable equipment. It is just pure luxury today.

I think I had better go for now. Dive Well

 

[Gilldiver]

Welcome to the board and check out the vintage diving section. There are more then a few of us who want to hear your stories and would like to see any photos you might have from the day.

Also, do a search on the internet for vintage double hose and say hello, there you might find some guys who dove with you or know those who did.

Did you have any contacts with the Bottom Scratchers?

 

[dwaters]

Welcome to the 'board!!!
Great to have you around...please feel free to drop on down to your local forum and join in our fun here:

SoCal - ScubaBoard

We would love to hear more from you.

 

[Mantajack]

Pete, I heard about the bottom scratchers but never met anyone from their club. Because I was a kid I never got to mix with the other divers. As I got older I just stayed by myself. I have always been a hardcore skin diver and it only took a couple of guys to die f rom the raptures to turn me off. To me the serious divers were Merker, Limbaugh and Cross. They really knew what they were doing and were very strict.
I see the guys that dive for the company my son works for as a marine biologist. To me they really do not know that much. But as I have been told they do not have to know as much as I consider necessary. The advances in equipement have made things so much simpler. Today they mix gases for different diving conditions and depths. In my day when you put on a tank you had better know what the risks were or there was a good chance you were going to get into trouble. Well I get on my soap box and never shut up. I am 73 years old and still very serious. I guess it would have been a lot more fun if I just did not give a damn.

 

[drbill]

Welcome to SB. You started diving the year I was born so you lerave me in your dust. I didn't use my first SCUBA rig until 1961.

Good to see Ron Merker in your post above. When I moved to California in 1969, I was informed I had to be certified to get air fills so he became my instructor through the old Aquatic Center in Newport Beach. Great instructor... and, as you said, very strict. He drilled it into me.

 

[Mantajack]

Hi, yea Ron was tough, but that is what kept you alive and healthy. I think the hardes thing he had to deal with were the idiots that would not listen to him and never came home from the check out dive at CAtalina. Let me give you an example.
I was taking my 10 year old son to Catalina for an Indian Guide camp and when Mike and got on to the boat I met Ron. He had a group of beginners going to Catalina for the check out dive. He was trying to give them the final briefing, in which was the order to leave the liquor alone. About half of the guys would not listen to him and laughed. One of smart asses made some comments to Mike and got I into it. Ron started to say something and just sat down. I tried to tell that jerk it would take 72 hours before the booz would be out of his system. I do not know all of the gorie details, but two of those guys never came home. It really tore Ron up when some one died or got hurt. The council would never outlaw liquor before a dive. They were too afraid of losing business.

Well I guess I am still too straight. But I could dive again I would still live by the old rules. No one ever seemed to get hurt or die.