The SCUBA Police and the Vintage Diver

[Luis H]

Here are some pictures of Slonda in his Hydroglove suit. These were taken last August at the Portage Quarry vintage dive event.

For the rest of the pictures take a look at this thread:
Vintage Double Hose • View topic - Portage quarry

There are a lot of cool pictures in that thread…. take a look.

 

[David Wilson]

Get out!

Thanks for the details, I've never seen one of these suits.

There were many different models of drysuit in the 1950s, although the Aquala is probably best known because it was relatively popular in its day and remains in production up to the present. The different models marketed in the pioneering days varied according to methods of entry. Its predecessor company Bel-Aqua not only made a chest-entry model with the excess material tied to make a watertight seal, but also a waist-entry two-piece model with jacket and pants excess material at the waist rolled together to make a watertight seal. More information about donning, sealing and venting these suits can be found in Fred Roberts' "Basic Scuba", chapter 7, "Survival in cold water-rubber suits".

If you're interested in the specifics of vintage-style drysuits, see the documents at
Hydroglove ~ Historical Links
where you can find out more about early suits made, among others, by The Spearfisherman, US Divers, Healthways and Voit. Another source of illustrated information about 1950s underwater gear in general, and suits in particular, is the Early Manufacturing and Retailers section of the Skin Diving History website at
http://www.skindivinghistory.com/mfg_retailers/
which features numerous period advertisements.

 

[David Wilson]

Here are some pictures of Slonda in his Hydroglove suit. These were taken last August at the Portage Quarry vintage dive event.

Great pictures, Luis! I snorkel in the North Sea with my own Hydroglove suit, which keeps me warm and dry even during chilly mornings. I find it much less constricting than a wetsuit when I am swimming. The Hydroglove is based on the So Lo Marx "Skooba Totes" drysuit, which first appeared in mid-1958 as the "Skooba-Skin":

 

[AfterDark]

Made by the makers of famous totes. That strikes me funny for some reason. Did trojan make dry suits?

 

[David Wilson]

Well, I guess lame humour is what I would expect the "SCUBA police" to come up with when they confront vintage equipment divers. I wonder what these self-appointed guardians of modernity thought Italian combat swimmers wore during World War II, perhaps a brightly-coloured harlequin-style vinyl-coated number, or perhaps the latest overengineered creation in crushed neoprene, rather than the historically accurate Pirelli two-piece drysuit? Aquala and Skooba Totes were standard dry suits, used by numerous divers, during the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s. There was little or no alternative drysuit technology during those decades, at least for recreational divers. See the Skin Diving History website for corroboration of the facts:
Skin Diving History

 

[DaleC]

When reading Cousteau's Silent World I was struck by the part where they wore woolen clothing coated with liquid rubber. Those skinny French guys were tough. I also like the pic of Him (Cousteau) in one of his early "drysuits". He looks like the creature from the Black Lagoon. I like it because I am an avid DIY'r and could see myself doing something just like it.

 

[David Wilson]

When reading Cousteau's Silent World I was struck by the part where they wore woolen clothing coated with liquid rubber. Those skinny French guys were tough. I also like the pic of Him (Cousteau) in one of his early "drysuits". He looks like the creature from the Black Lagoon. I like it because I am an avid DIY'r and could see myself doing something just like it.

Here's a picture of Cousteau in his constant-volume drysuit:

Bill Barada describes in his booklet "Underwater" (1955) how he made two early suits from "two quarts of rubber cement and seven yards of hospital sheeting" purchased at a rubber factory. He tried out the suits in 49-degree water, watched by people on the shore dressed in fur coats, and to his amazement "when I put my feet into the water, I felt no cold. The only sign of being in the water at all was the weight pressure against my legs".

Those diving pioneers were indeed masters of ingenuity and improvisation.

 

[AfterDark]

Well, I guess lame humour is what I would expect the "SCUBA police" to come up with when they confront vintage equipment divers. I wonder what these self-appointed guardians of modernity thought Italian combat swimmers wore during World War II, perhaps a brightly-coloured harlequin-style vinyl-coated number, or perhaps the latest overengineered creation in crushed neoprene, rather than the historically accurate Pirelli two-piece drysuit? Aquala and Skooba Totes were standard dry suits, used by numerous divers, during the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s. There was little or no alternative drysuit technology during those decades, at least for recreational divers. See the Skin Diving History website for corroboration of the facts:
Skin Diving History

Lame humor yes, scuba police no, vintage dive gear? I bought all mine new and still use it after 40 years. You should order a sense of humor and lighten up. We beat the Italians soundly in their Pirelli dry suits by the way.

 

[David Wilson]

Lame humor yes, scuba police no, vintage dive gear? I bought all mine new and still use it after 40 years. You should order a sense of humor and lighten up. We beat the Italians soundly in their Pirelli dry suits by the way.

Well, I guess it works both ways. Maybe we should both lighten up . I tried, obviously in vain, to respond with a little lame humour of my own. Perhaps the UK and the US are divided not only by a common language but also by a common sense of humour.

I've used my own mask, snorkel and fins for fifty years, by the way, if we're counting, and the irony is that although the Allies defeated the Italians in World War II, US Divers then proceeded to import the same Pirelli dry suits from Italy for peacetime recreational diving purposes. Now, that is funny.

 

[AfterDark]

Spoils of war