!) Welcome to OC-- where it all began
2) What College or University are you attending ?
3) The water will become colder as fall approaches - you will need thermal protection
4) So far as I know there are no longer wet suit manufactures in OC, May I strongly suggest that you contact
@Dano at Mako- a decent suit reasonable price from a true gentleman
5) Attend a dive club -- no need to join- just attend for contacts and information
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An article I authored about 30=35 years ago which provides a bit pioneering into California diving and the way it was-- along time ago
"YOU CAN’T GO HOME AGAIN…”
By Dr. Samuel Miller,111
This summer I visited with some relatives and old friends to reconnect with my roots down in southern California, in “smogsville,” as the smog shrouded area of Los Angeles and Orange County is known by most Californians who reside in other areas of the state.
This visit certainly verified the message in the Thomas Wolfe book “You can’t go home again” which I found so difficult to comprehend as a young college student. Yes, Thomas Wolfe was correct! "You can’t go home again."
I spent a very early Saturday morning at Diver’s Cove in Laguna Beach, the fountainhead of American sport diving. It has been a popular diving location since recreational diving began along the California coast in the early 1930s. “The cove” as local divers refer to it, was catapulted from obscurity into international diving fame when it was chosen as the location for the world’s first competitive spear fishing meet in June 1950. The Compton, California “Dolphins Spear Fishing club”, won the meet with a three man team consisting of Ken Kummerfeild, Paul Hoss and Pat O’Malley.
Lots of changes have occurred in and around Divers Cove with the passage of these 60 plus years.
In the early 1950s the rolling hills surrounding Diver’s Cove were devoid of housing and covered with dry chaparral, which emitted the classic California golden glow always associated with the “Golden state.” Now when viewed from the cove the hills appear almost surrealistic emerald green, blanketed by modern multi- million dollar homes on well-manicured lawns interconnected labyrinth of roads.
It is no longer possible to drive up to the edge of the cliff at Diver’s Cove and park haphazardly. Parking places are now regulated. They are neatly identified with white stripes on the concrete and crowned with a row of coin eating parking meters; silent sentinels waiting for the next quarter for fifteen minutes of violation free parking.
Also absent is the steel cable that provided beach goers and divers to access to the beach. It was a much-appreciated gift from some unknown beach lover who spent their time; money and effort to securely bury one end of the cable in cement and dangle the rest of the cable over the cliff to create a Tarzan style hand over hand beach access. Now modern stairs complete with handrails and a drinking fountain welcomes the divers to the beach
The beach scene I remember so well from my youth is now only a distant memory, but they are memories of gold as were the hills surrounding the cove.
In the genesis of recreational diving the beach was populated with young athletic sun tanned male youths clad in the diving costume of the era, baggy long underwear, tucked in to equally baggy swim trunks,* round often home made diving masks on their faces,** short green fins on their feet ***and the weapon of choice three or five prong 3 “Jab Stick”**** unceremoniously stuck in the ground
.
Like ancient tribes returning from a successful hunt they stood in small groups, wrapped in surplus WWII olive drab army or navy blue blankets, shivering and blue lipped from the cold of the water and the chill in the air. Roaring bonfires fed by WWII surplus tires added much needed warmth as it belched fourth thick heavy black smoke into the clean crisp smog free Orange County air. *****
Divers Cove has now become a popular diving destination for dive training classes. It is populated every Saturday and Sunday morning by young certified diving instructors who have arrived before 7:00 to conduct an ocean check out dive for their classes of aspiring divers. Under the ever-watchful eye of their SCUBA instructor, young and old, male and female don the costume of modern diving. Bright colored wet suits have replaced the long underwear for thermal protection; clear form fitting twin lens masks of clear silicone replaced the black round rubber masks; multi hued long lightweight split plastic fins now adorn their feet replacing the short green Churchill fins. Not a spearfishing weapon is insight, since this area has been a game reserve for over a generation.
Yes, there have been a lot of changes in the last sixty plus years. Tomas Wolfe’s message has been verified. "You can’t go home again," but you can relive fond memories from the distant past and dream and hope for the future of recreational diving.
Only the sea, the eternal sea, has relentlessly remained the same...SDM 111
Copyright Dr.Samuel Miller,111 & Lee/CCnews/TPR; may not be used with out permission of author and Lee/CCnews)
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(*Long underwear or heavy GI surplus OD sweater was the consume of diving ..
See SDM anniversary edition,2001, John Steele Painting of me as a 20 year old right after WW11 --- in the winter weather long underwear and a GI sweater was used or if exceptionally warm water such as in Mexico old pajamas were used - not for warmth but to protect from sun burn-)
(** see my article "The Mask" made by the late great Char
lie Sturgil,
www.ledgensofdiving.com)
(*** Churchills by Voit were green or greenish- WW11 Churchills were black, Sea Net produced Frog feet , Art Brown's Duck feet did not appear until mid 1950s)
(****Jab stick - Previous (original ) (name for a pole spear-by my tribe) Power supplied by thrust of arm, later a plumbing elastic was discovered by Bill Barada and attached
(***** Huge bonfires to warm up participants & avoid hypothermia- wraped in a blanket or heavey GI surllus WW 11 overcoat
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The Compton, California “Dolphins Spear Fishing club”, Ken Kummerfeild, Paul Hoss and Pat O’Malley used US Divers recently imported arabalete spearguns in the very first International Spear Fishing meet in 1950. In 1940s Rene Bussoz founded Rene Sports and began importing the Arbalete rubber powered spear guns which were introduced and accepted by SoCal divers. There were two models, #1501, standard, one sling @$19.95 and the #1502 Delux , two sling @$24.95. The two flopper point #1515 was priced at $2.95 as was the detachable Spear head #1519. It was possible to purchase the guns two ways, assembled @ list price or disassembled about 10% less. I preferred to drive to LA and purchase a disassembled model for around 18 or so hard earned college kid dollars.
Spear guns for use in and under the water first appeared in later part of 1930s with Le Prieur's 38 cal Nautilus gun followed by Kramarenko's spring powered gun . In 1940 Rene Calavalare commericallly produced the kettle cured rubber powered Arabalete, which reached the US in the late 1940s via Ben Holderness New York based "Aqua gun company" and Rene Bussoz's west coast "Rene Sports"
Locally in Kalifornia Bill Barada created the CO2 powered gun in mid 1930s (see my article in Discover Diving "The magnificent gas gun." ) The Wally Potts created and produced the first US rubber powered gun in 1939, known as the Potts gun or the Bottom Scratcher gun. When copied and produced in the early 1950s by Paul Hoss they were often called the Potts/Hoss gun. The basic difference was the Hoss used the bullet proof Sturgil muzzle. A total of only 130 to 140 were made. One sold on E bay a few years ago for $2500.00.
Chuck Blakeslee founder of Skin Diver magazine developed and marketed a CO2 Cartridge powered gun in 1950 identified as the Barracuda. In short order it was followed by the CO2 cartridge powered Mark VII produced in bucolic Orange County and a the Viking, which I have never discovered who made it or where it was produced.
Fisher CO2 gun distributed by Sea Net (Pops Romano)
Tarpon gun distributed by Sea Net (Pops Romano)
Modern wet multi cellular suits were serendipitously developed in early 1950s by Bradner and Bascom..were declared "Secret" and did not reach the civilian diving market until after the Korean war
Snorkel was an American invention, named by the French after a German WW11 Sub- equipped with Dutch designed and developed breathing tubes
Snorkels were J shaped for many years-First big bore were homemade- appeared commercially in1968.
Masks were Japanese, French or Italian imports or American designed and produced Sea Net - or homemade (Charlie Sturgil)
Surface floats- were automotive inner tubes, inflatable surf mats and on occasion a paddle bard, or surf board
