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It was the summer of 1973 and I was 11 turning 12. My first step-father had bought some scuba gear and he and my mother got certified in the Clearwater/Dunedin area where we were living at the time. I was growing up in the Tampa Bay area with grandparents on Anna Maria with a houseboat and a lot of time in the Gulf swimming or at Lithia Springs near Valrico/Brandon. Put all this with watching Mssr Cousteau on television and going to Silver Springs and Weeki Wachee -- I was ready to try it!
After bugging my step-father about it, he told me to read through a thick book which I think was called something like the Scuba Diver's Bible, and he would ask me some questions. If I answered enough of them right, he would let me try it. I was already an avid reader so I poured over that book going through the pages intently. After a week or two, and while we were driving to camp on the Weeki Wachee River that weekend, I proclaimed I was ready for the "test." I can't remember what all he asked me, but I know I got enough of them right and was told I could try the gear after we got the camp set up.
As we all know, we don't forget that first breath underwater and mine was at about seven feet or so in the Weeki Wachee River. I'll always remember that instant feeling of freedom, knowing I didn't have to surface. I spent some time poking around enjoying the fish and looking for artifacts. After all these decades, it's still a great memory for me and generally I feel bad for people who won't experience it.
 
Today is the 49th anniversary of my first dive in the Pacific Ocean (not my first dive though). I had arrived in California from Chicago and taken an LAC SCUBA certification course at Ron Merker's Aquatic Center in Newport Beach (who knew in Chicago that one needed to be certified to use SCUBA?). We departed on the "Golden Doubloon" for a day of diving near Arrow Point on Catalina Island on August 24, 1969. All I really remember about that first ocean dive was that a shovelnose guitarfish followed me down to depth! At the end of the day, I was picked up by a launch from the Catalina Island School and taken there to begin my career as a marine biology teacher. The rest is history (and largely hysterical).
 
A big congratulation's !
49 years!

You have a habit of making me feel old - ancient - Ron Merker my best friend and diving buddy for 50 or more years - A number of years before your LA Co Certification I recommended and sponsored Ron for the LA CO UW Instructors course and later I sponsored him as a NAUI Instructor.

Your question (who knew in Chicago that one needed to be certified to use SCUBA?).
As you recall the major population centers were also the minor centers of diving -- Honest Archie in NYC and the giant Divemaster in your home of Chicago.

Divemaster was a giant in the industry. They produced a yearly large multipage catalog, marketed their own SCUBA equipment and held local dive classes as well as the first mail order certification course -- Your dear friend Zale Parry is proud of her Divemaster Certification card # 10

In SoCal in the time frame you arrived there as a general consensus " You don't need to show a drivers license to purchase gas so why should one need to show a certification to purcbsed air ?" Or "if you are big enough to carry the tank into the store, it will be filled "

There was absolutely no requirement to have a SCUBA certification card to use SCUBA or purchase air. in any of the SoCal dive shops , however it might have been one of those urban myths ,

Concurrently LA Co UW instructors association recognized there was a number of local divers who began diving prior to the formal LA Co certification courses in 1954 therefore the Moss back divers (Experienced diver ) check out was established in mid 1960s and continued to when Tommy Thompson and I conducted the final one in 1974. The Moss back check out cost only $5.00 non refundable dollars and consisted of a personal interview followed by the LA Co UW instructors association written entrance examination and extensive swimming and Scuba handling exercises. Upon completing the check out the candidate was certified as an LA County SCUBA diver

There were of course a number moss backs in your category - experienced divers -- but not enough experience to be comfortable s divers who signed up for classes

Now you know…

Once again a big Congratulation for 49 years of diving and sharing so much with the present diving community
Looking forward to another 49 years ...


Sam Miller, III

.
 
Actually my first time on SCUBA was 1962. However I didn't start ocean diving until I arrived on the island 49 years ago.
 
Then why didn't you get certified I your home city of Chicago ?

In 1962, as you no doubt recall ,since you lived there, Chicago was the center of mid west diving.
Divemaster, a giant in diving was located in Chicago - offered mail order and local diving classes
Sears, headquartered in Chicago sold diving equipment locally and mail order
Ray Hoagland had published his great instructional book
The President of the Underwater Society of America (USA) was a Chicagoan
John Cronin, founder if PADI was the US Diver rep in Chicago.
Ralph Ericksen, cofounder of PADI was actively teaching NAUI courses in Chicago
(about that time I accompanied Ralph on his first Pacific Ocean dive at Anacapa )

The question persists why didn't your take advantage of the opportunities offered in Chicago ?
~~~~~~~~ Or ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since you were so experienced why not take advantage of the Moss Back check outs ?
4 hours of your time- a written test , some water work and LA Co certification

Just wondering --"Inquiring minds want to know"

SDM
 
Legend v. Legend throw-down!

:)
 
Dang! I thought this was going to get exciting.
 
OP here. I have really enjoyed this thread. Without reading back through them all, I think 1962 is the farthest back anyone has reported for their first dive. That's pretty impressive.

I got a lot of laughs at the "adventures" some of you described. It's a wonder everyone is still here to chat about it with some of those auspicious starts.
 

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