Marineland diver

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Sam Miller III

Scuba Legend
Scuba Legend
Rest in Peace
Scuba Instructor
Messages
5,141
Reaction score
4,137
Location
CALIFORNIA: Where recreational diving began!
# of dives
5000 - ∞
Ever so often I check on the relative value of books in my library via one or more of the national/internationa used book sellers. I recently checked on "Marineland diver" which is inscribed by the author Jake Jacobs, whom I knew. I was surprised that a few copies are still available after the passage of over fifty years. As expected they have increased exponentially in value but are still some what reasonably priced, about $20.00 for a reader quality book to $100.00 for an inscribed bibliophile quality collector's book.

A little information about the book;

"Marineland diver
by
Jake Jacobs, as told to Sylvia Jacobs
History of the chief diver of the Marineland of the Pacific"

Hard cover, with dust jacket, 178 pages, illustrated with photographs
Dodd Mead & Company, NYC,1960
LCCC # 60-9655

Very interesting book for those of you who would enjoy "Marineland of the Pacific" as experienced through the eyes of Marineland's first chief diver.

There is a minor amount of SCUBA but lots of pictures of the "old Marineland" which was demolished around 30 years ago. There are a number of particularly interesting pictures; aerial view of M/L and the then surrounding vacant hills , huge lobsters, and bags full of abalone and Jake in several types of heavy gear.

His personal helmet is of interest..It is a Morse diving equipment twelve bolt one light that was curved around the helmet. The other helmets in the book are of a Miller-Dunn shallow water helmet, type 111, four light, which were always used at Marineland.

One very interesting chapter is chapter #six "Mountain of Purple Coral" describes diving Farnsworth bank in October 1945 - 64 years ago-with heavy gear...It was not dove by sports divers until 1960-49 years ago-(See SDM July 1960,) with the first dive charter in December 1960 by the then very active club the Sea Sabres.
 
Unfortunate that Jacobs didn't have access to high def video on that first Farnsworth dive... it must have been amazing. Did he note any ghost fishing gear there back in '45?
 
According to the book that was why the Japanese diver made the first dive on Farnsworth Banks in 1932.

I don't recall any in December 1960..

sm
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

Back
Top Bottom