Mike Nelson and Sea Hunt inspires another

[covediver]

I see a lot of these stories. This is the first that states while the show did not motivate the author to learn to scuba dive, it was none-the-less an inspiration and motivation. Nice story

My debt to ‘Sea Hunt,’ and to my dad

 

[Akimbo]

Here's another one: Seahunt TV show last episode aired 50 years ago today!, Post #6

Edit: I think I got twisted around a little on your post??? I suspect that there were a lot more people indirectly encouraged to try Scuba than directly due to the cascading effect, though they may not mention it.

 

[mark01]

I watched Sea Hunt a teenager. Loved that show and it inspired me to get certified at 13. I watched those episodes again about a year ao and had to laugh at some of the shenanigans Mike pulled off. Still, I gotta love that show!

 

[drbill]

I watched Sea Hunt as a kid, but in the 10 years I lived and had my lab yards away from "Mike Nelson Rock," I never realized it was the pinnacle seen at the end of the episodes. Of course we who lived at Toyon Bay on Catalina Island did not refer to it by that name at the time.

 

[covediver]

I honestly cannot recall seeing the original, it would have been off the air when I was four years old. I watched Sea Hunt in syndication as an afternoon show on a UHF station (remember those stations) and wanting to take scuba lessons at my high school in my senior year (we moved at the end of my junior year, so it would wait another decade). I suspect the number of people crediting Sea Hunt with the inspiration to dive is like the number of people who claim to be at Woodstock, marched with Dr. King, etc, it increases every year but in no way reflects the actual lower number. But, for that generation, Sea Hunt and Mike Nelson became emblematic with scuba, just as Piper Cub stood for every general aviation airplane.

 

[OldPhotog]

When Hillary and Norgay climbed Everest, I was a mere lad. But it was the last unexplored place on earth (or so I thought). The Jacques Cousteau invented the aqua-lung and had his show on TV. I realized there was a LOT of unexplored land covered by water that could be explored. Then Mike Nelson made it sexy! I had my first-ever magazine subscription to "Skin Diver", I believe it was called. I was certified to dive before I could drive - by an ex-UTD diver at the downtown "Y". I recently bought the entire set of DVD's of "Sea Hunt" and enjoyed watching them again. Now I realize how completely absurd it was for Mike to hide behind a rock, blowing bubbles while the bad guys swam by. And even funnier that each week he was hiding behind that same rock!

 

[GreggS]

THIS TV runs Sea Hunt most weekdays at 4:00 and 4:30 AM. I set my DVR a while back to record all episodes and now I have more recordings than there were episodes. I've since stopped recording them.

I was too young to even know that show was on when it was originally broadcast but now am able to enjoy them. And I am also amused at some of the things in the show, such as trying to hide behind rocks from other divers and other things others have mentioned. It's interesting to see how much diving has changed since the late 50s, but also somewhat surprised at some of the tech they did have back them. In one episode, Mike was using a re-breather. And while the device looked quite different that they do today, since I don't dive re-breathers and therefore don't know their history, I guess I thought they were a more recent innovation.

So while I was not inspired by Sea Hunt to become a diver, I'm certainly glad it is still available to enjoy today.

 

[Seahuntjerry]

Sea Hunt is the tv show that inspired manny divers.
And a special group Us Still dive Vintage gear occasionally!
Mike Nelson Lives!

 

[JimJam2]

Thanks for the thread. I just watched an episode. Triple tanks!

 

[Oldbear]

I bought entire series on DVD. Now I show them in my dive shop. My wife is tired of them but the customers love to watch them.