Vintage Divers at Weeki Wachee Spring
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The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
Well,
I had fun watching them get ready and dive! Some of the set ups were pretty sweet and all of the divers (except Walter, of course) were friendly. They got to fight over a mermaid in the water and someone always seemed to lose a hose.
The only failure was a tank o-ring on some modern hardware. The diver had no idea WHAT was wrong, except for that hissing behind his head. A quick leisurely trip to the surface for a new o-ring and all was fine.
There were some hardhat divers in the spring as well. The Diving Historical society brought some out and lo and behold: they were FUNCTIONAL. Loud when you were in them according to Jared, but fun nontheless!
Afterwards I got to get to know a few of them a bit better when we had dinner at Carino's there in Weeki Wachee!
As for Walter? He was exceptionally friendly as usual. It was good to splash with an "old" (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) buddy!
I had fun watching them get ready and dive! Some of the set ups were pretty sweet and all of the divers (except Walter, of course) were friendly. They got to fight over a mermaid in the water and someone always seemed to lose a hose.
The only failure was a tank o-ring on some modern hardware. The diver had no idea WHAT was wrong, except for that hissing behind his head. A quick leisurely trip to the surface for a new o-ring and all was fine.
There were some hardhat divers in the spring as well. The Diving Historical society brought some out and lo and behold: they were FUNCTIONAL. Loud when you were in them according to Jared, but fun nontheless!
Afterwards I got to get to know a few of them a bit better when we had dinner at Carino's there in Weeki Wachee!
As for Walter? He was exceptionally friendly as usual. It was good to splash with an "old" (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) buddy!
Just for you, Lisa..........
Seriously, the only problem I had with the trip was finding out at the last minute (3 PM on Friday) I had to work on Saturday, so I only got to spend one day with these folks instead of two.
Allan did a great job of organizing everything. When everyone was ready to go, we had a little time for a very short dive before the first show. All divers must be out of the water at least 30 minutes before the start of any Mermaid show. Several of us jumped in for 15 - 20 minutes. The water was a comfortable 73° F, which is just about the perfect temperature for a 40 minute or less dive. The old da Aqua-Master was working fine, but it does need tuning up. The oval mask still leaks terribly, but that's part of the fun. When we first entered the water, one of the Mermaids was rehearsing her part a Ursula in the Little Mermaid. David, Freddie and a few others were taking photos. David got one nice photo that showed Allan inside the theater and me beside him in the spring. I'm eagerly awaiting seeing that picture.
We got out dried off and talked gear while awaiting our next dive. Bryan has some connections for parts I'll need to get my 1955 Over-Pressure single stage up to snuff. I'm excited about getting it in the water soon. This is the first time I've met Bryan, although we've exchanged posts and e-mails before. He's every bit as friendly and helpful in person as on line.
As 11:30 approached, we geared up and staged on the ramp. Allan came out of the theater and told us to hit the water. Bryan was immediately in the water with me following right behind, donning fins and then mask on my descent. We swam in front of the theater where folks were still seated from the Mermaid show. As we swam by, Allan described our equipment, explained (speakers in the theater and in the spring) a bit of history of various bits and how they differ from modern gear.
We then explored the spring until Gomez got too friendly with a Mermaid who was rescued by the ever faithful Mike Nelson who in the resulting struggle cut the offending diver's hose with Allan providing commentary. Gomez desperately struggled for the surface and life giving air. This was repeated after the 1:30 Mermaid show as well.
On my 3rd dive, I used a Royal Aqua-Master graciously loaned to me for the dive by Luis. This is a beautiful and easy breathing regulator. Thanks again for the loan, Luis.
Prior to the trip, I had exchanged some e-mails with William, who lives in my area. I recognized his voit gear from the photos while underwater and made it a point to look for him during the surface interval. To my surprise, I realized I had met him a couple times and knew his wife (Cyndy was also in attendance) from having worked with her for several years. I hadn't known they were divers until Sunday.
In all, I made 4 dives, met some wonderful people and saw some old friends. It's always good to dive with Pete, even if he is afraid of diving a double hose.....
I'm looking forward to Sand Dog IV.
Seriously, the only problem I had with the trip was finding out at the last minute (3 PM on Friday) I had to work on Saturday, so I only got to spend one day with these folks instead of two.
Allan did a great job of organizing everything. When everyone was ready to go, we had a little time for a very short dive before the first show. All divers must be out of the water at least 30 minutes before the start of any Mermaid show. Several of us jumped in for 15 - 20 minutes. The water was a comfortable 73° F, which is just about the perfect temperature for a 40 minute or less dive. The old da Aqua-Master was working fine, but it does need tuning up. The oval mask still leaks terribly, but that's part of the fun. When we first entered the water, one of the Mermaids was rehearsing her part a Ursula in the Little Mermaid. David, Freddie and a few others were taking photos. David got one nice photo that showed Allan inside the theater and me beside him in the spring. I'm eagerly awaiting seeing that picture.
We got out dried off and talked gear while awaiting our next dive. Bryan has some connections for parts I'll need to get my 1955 Over-Pressure single stage up to snuff. I'm excited about getting it in the water soon. This is the first time I've met Bryan, although we've exchanged posts and e-mails before. He's every bit as friendly and helpful in person as on line.
As 11:30 approached, we geared up and staged on the ramp. Allan came out of the theater and told us to hit the water. Bryan was immediately in the water with me following right behind, donning fins and then mask on my descent. We swam in front of the theater where folks were still seated from the Mermaid show. As we swam by, Allan described our equipment, explained (speakers in the theater and in the spring) a bit of history of various bits and how they differ from modern gear.
We then explored the spring until Gomez got too friendly with a Mermaid who was rescued by the ever faithful Mike Nelson who in the resulting struggle cut the offending diver's hose with Allan providing commentary. Gomez desperately struggled for the surface and life giving air. This was repeated after the 1:30 Mermaid show as well.
On my 3rd dive, I used a Royal Aqua-Master graciously loaned to me for the dive by Luis. This is a beautiful and easy breathing regulator. Thanks again for the loan, Luis.
Prior to the trip, I had exchanged some e-mails with William, who lives in my area. I recognized his voit gear from the photos while underwater and made it a point to look for him during the surface interval. To my surprise, I realized I had met him a couple times and knew his wife (Cyndy was also in attendance) from having worked with her for several years. I hadn't known they were divers until Sunday.
In all, I made 4 dives, met some wonderful people and saw some old friends. It's always good to dive with Pete, even if he is afraid of diving a double hose.....
I'm looking forward to Sand Dog IV.
The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
Here are some pics from Gator John...
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