Sam Miller III: ScubaBoard's first "Scuba Legend"

[Akimbo]

Continued from previous post

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PERSONAL LIBRARY
I have a complete bound set of “Skin Diver Magazine” (SDM) (1951 to its demise) including almost every diving equipment catalog published and all Underwater Film Festival programs. This is the only set of its kind in existence anywhere in the world.

• In August 1960 appeared on the cover of SDM
• In February 1960 selected, featured and honored as the first guest editor of SDM
• I authored articles published in SDM
• (Only person with all three honors)
• I also have a extensive collection of Skin Diver magazine covers inscribed to me by Art Pender, (1954), Ron Merker (1955), Bev Morgan (1961), Jack Prodanovich (1953), Wally Potts (1957), and numerous other diving notables as well as personalities such as singer John Gary movie stars Lloyd Bridges and Tony Francioso.
• All of the famous diving artist John Steel SDM covers have been inscribed to me, I also own several of his pictures, including one of me spearing a fish as a young 20 year old at Catalina (John and the picture was featured in the adversary edition SDM)

Complete bound sets of the following which are no longer published:

• “Dive”
• “NDA News”
• “American Scuba Diver”
• “Aquarius“
• "Water World"
• "Underwater"
• "Fathom"
• "Sport Diving”
• “Underwater Photographer”
• “California Diver”
• “Pacific Diver”
• “SCUBA PRO Diving and Snorkeling Diving and Snorkeling Quarterly”
• “Ocean Realm”

Maintained and bound sets if currently published diving journals:

• Dive Training
• Historical Diver (USA)

I have the only known complete set of:

• “Pacific and Atlantic Underwater News”, published from 1966 to 1971. It was the first newspaper devoted entirely to the underwater world. I appeared in numerous issues of this publication.

Other publications of note:

• What is considered the largest and most complete set of civilian dive training manuals beginning with the “Spaco manual” of 1949 to about 1980.
• Almost all of the USN diving manuals beginning with the original 1905 "Manual for Divers" to the conversion to electronic format.

I have published approximately two hundred articles on recreational diving in the NAUI News, Los Angeles County Underwater News, Skin Diver, Dive, Discover Diving, Historical Diver, Hawaiian Skin Diver, Arizona Diving News, Southwest Diver Magazine, Historical Diving Times (UK), Free Diving and Spear Fishing News (Australia). Surprisingly my first published article in 1964 was a six page-two part article on diving Jade Cove in Monterey County, even though I lived at the time in Orange County over 300 miles distant.

From June 1999 to August 2002 I wrote a twice-monthly column Dive Bubbles for the five cities Times Press Recorder (TPR) newspaper. It is reported that this column was the first and only regularly scheduled diving newspaper column in California and possibly the United States. I also had dedicated columns in Discover diving "The way it was" Historical Diving Journal "Diving facts from Sam's Almanac," Arizona diving news "Our diving heritage," South west diver "Our diving heritage"

I have collected and maintain an extensive 2,000 plus volume historical diving library, the majority of which are rare pristine out of print. Many have been personally inscribed by the authors who were also friends and diving companions, in addition to being noted diving authorities;

• León Lyons
• Dr. Bruce Halstead
• F.M. Roberts
• Bill Royal
• John Reseck Jr.
• Dr. James Dugan
• Clint Degn
• John D. Craig
• Dr. Michael Jung
• Dan Orr
  
• Dick Schroeder
• Gene Tinker
• Frank Worthwein
• Two (2) by Eugenie Clark
• Two (2) by Bill Barada & Lloyd Bridges
• Two (2) by Dr. Terry Mass
• Two (2) by Francis "Doug" Fane
• Six (6) by Sir Arthur C. Clarke
• Five (5) by Lotte Hass
• Seven (7) by Clive Cussler
• Seven (7) by J.Y. Cousteau
• Seven (7) ) by Dr. Hans Hass
• and many more too numerous to list

I have a bound edition of James Dugan's 1948 “First of the men fish” which introduced J.Y. Cousteau and self-contained diving to the US. My library, consumes an entire room and part of a hall in my home. It is considered the world’s largest, most pristine, and compete historical dive library in the world. Since I began collecting over sixty years ago the most prestigious diving Library by the diving world's leading diving bibliophiles.

In May 1996 I organized and hosted the very first US diving bibliophile meeting in my California home. It was attended by diving bibliophiles from the western US and via telephone from throughout the US. The event was covered and featured on the front page of the Wednesday May1, 1996 edition of TPR and an early edition of Historical Diver.

To acknowledge and honor the passing of J Y Cousteau in 1999 I was interviewed by several newspapers, appeared on local TV, and created a book/equipment display in the Arroyo Grande Library. This month long display was also featured in front page article in the TPR complete with a full color picture in Friday, June 25,1999 issue.

Recreational Spear Fishing
Spear fishing was an initial passion, but it has been a number of years since I have actively participated.
My personal best are:

• Yellow tail 27 pounds
• Halibut 38 pounds ( set a GLACD record)
• White sea bass 49 pounds
• Black Sea Bass 345 pounds (Now protected)
• Lobster 17 pounds 4 Oz (On display at Depth Perceptions dive shop in SLO)

Consulting
I was an equipment consultant for four major diving equipment manufacturers

• US Divers, now Aqua lung
• Voit & Swimaster
• Sportways
• Sea Tec (Inflatable systems)

Other consulting includes:

• The official US Divers (Aqua Lung) company Instructor.
• Professional diving witness
  • 1957 litigation, diver impaled by a spear gun (Spear guns are not toys)
  • 1962 first defense of the Red & White dive flag (While displaying dive flag diver struck by a boat).
  • 1988 East Coast Diver Claims possession of dive flag — created in 1957 by Ted Nixon. I have one of the two remaining original red & white flags.
• Professional diving
  • Deep Submergence: I was the Chief Diving Officer for the Deep Diving Submarine (DDS) “Beaver”
  • Apollo program: I was the appointed diver for the Apollo Space capsule testing program.

Currently I devote my retirement time to historical research, writing a book, and I am involved as a guest lecturer on the development and historical aspects of diving as well as a occasional consultant for the SLO County Sheriffs Underwater Search and Rescue team

And the list continues, so many adventures and so many stories. I have reached my ninth decade of life on September 22, I often take time to reflect back to that sunny day in 1951, 70 years ago, when I made my first SCUBA dive.

By Dr, Samuel Miller, III
May not be reproduced in any format without the, permission of the author and/or and Dr. Samuel Miller IV
ALL books, magazines, and documents

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End of Multipart post

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

 

[jonhall]

I think it's important to note that Sam did begin his life as a Hoosier!! Happy Birthday Sam!!

 

[Erich S]

Very impressive resume!

 

[AfterDark]

Hey Sam, Happy birthday from New England. Keep it going Sam!

 

[Akimbo]

Very impressive resume!

It just shows what you can do if you keep at something hard enough and long enough — of course it helps if you have fun at the same time.

 

[Searcaigh]

Happy Birthday Sam

 

[RIHappyDiver]

Happy Birthday Sam! I hope your day is going wonderfully!!

 

[Seaweed Doc]

Happy birthday, Sam! Love hearing your thoughts on the early days of dive certification.

 

[NothingClever]

A little of topic but some of you might enjoy this about the history of regulator repair and Sam IV ( in bold) regulator repair course when he was a strapping young boy of 12 who rode his bike to US Divers for the course


In the beginning there was one company marketing diving equipment in US- Rene Sports, located in the back of a men's clothing store in Los Angels, California. In 1952 the company expanded and the name was changed US Divers, now Aqua lung.

Original advertisements and "word of mouth" indicated the Aqua lung was good for over 1000 dives with out adjustment or major maintenance, which was the first example of diving's false news.

Some of the components of the Aqua Lung were French war surplus - either WW1 or WW11, it was never really determined exactly what War. The components that gave most grief was the hoses and the diaphragm,
The hoses were prone to leak so were replaced with longer US WW11 gas mask hoses. The diaphragm,? A different story. It might have been a component from the Gas-O-gen, war surplus or just poor 1940s manufacturing

Never the less It seemed we always were breathing wet air (Oh! the Horror - wet air) either from leaking hoses or a microscopic hole or holes in the diaphragm. On occasion the diaphragm. would rupture, generally at the most inopportune time with little or no warning which gave the diver two options either remain on the bottom and attempt to breathe water or head for the California sunshine and fresh air- most all were successful in the later activity.

It was called "Swallowing the diaphragm."

It happened to me twice, The last time was the most memorable. I was a body length back in a cave breathing hard and deep after California Lobsters, Suddenly a more than normal amount of water with inhalation. The next breath as pure SoCal Salt water, I got on my on my horse, backed out and did a blow and go to the surface to the then smog free California Air..

Around that same time a number of things occurred
US Divers, under Rene & crew discovered some holes in the original US patent for the Aqua Lung which allowed US Divers to improve the breed with the DA model an produce it in the US by B&B,

My neighbor and friend Rory Page invented and marketed the Hope-Page non return valve

LA Co UW instruction Certification course was created

And US Divers hired a repairman, possibly the world's first Aqua Lung (aka SCUBA) full time repairman the late Bill Millman- Lung diving was beginning to emerge as a company

Only a few repair courses were offered by the manufactures for a number of years, then only to handful of local LA Co UW instructors as a sponsored recertification seminar.

Over 40 years ago Lt Cmdr. Leslie "Tommy" Thompson USN Ret (LA Co UW Instructor ) was hired as the PR of US Divers. Tommy was a diver's diver he had many first - most notable was his lock out under the ice cap in 1947.

Tommy recognized the need for a repair course for US divers dealers, military personnel and industry leaders so he created and established a free week long 40 hour equipment repair course presented at US Divers in Santa Ana California.

I was one of the first to enroll and repeated the course for a number years in a row. It was a very complete course, beginning with monkey see -monkey do and repetition, repetition until the break down and reassemble could have probably been performed blindfolded like some of us did with our side arms in the service of our county.

About 40 years ago my son was 12 years old. Sam IV had been raised in a pioneer diving family surrounded by divers and diving all his life. He had attended summer BSA camp at Catalina Island, had some time on his hands and needed a challenge. I called the then instructor Bryan Miller (a dear friend but not related) and asked if it was possible to enroll 12 years old Sam IV in the repair course? The response was positive so Sam IV packed a lunch jumped on his bike and peddled through the then mild Orange county traffic to US divers and the equipment repair course.

He returned home the first day excited has I had hoped he would. Over dinner he chatted about his new found companions in the course by first name ( a family no no - adult were to be addressed as Mr. or Miss, but these were his adult classmates and he was a young adult) He was amazed that he had more dives and had been diving longer than any others in the class- but this was 40 years ago and diving was just beginning to migrate past the SoCal borders.

Every day he returned home with a memento from US Divers, a tee shirt, a sweat shirt, fins, mask and snorkel and finally a youth size wet suit. Apparently the word had got out among the company officials that he was the youngest ever to take the US Divers repair course and they wanted to reward him.

Several weeks after the completion of the course he received a telephone call from US Divers There was a fellow who would like to meet him - could he drop by tomorrow ?

As 12 year old adventuresome boys did and I assume still do he took off with out a word to his mother and I to US Divers.

Waiting at US Divers was Jacques Cousteau who met him, congratulated him on being the youngest ever to complete the company sponsored repair course him and gave him an autographed copy of his latest book. Sam IV was some what impressed .with his new friend Zeek ( JY Cousteau)

And that was the way it was -- a long time ago from US recreational diving's birth place which has now spread to the hinterlands of the US and the world.

Sam IV ? He competed his Eagle scout a few years later, became a NAUI (Life) and PADI instructor, ER & Hyperbaric doctor and is now a director of the local regional hospital.

Sam Miller, III



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This has got to be on the list of Top 10 Posts of all time.