Worlds first or just the USs first? It is hard to imagine why the French didnt predate us. Any photos of the Moray? Thats a piece of history worth posting, thanks.
I often wondered why Southern California was the US birthplace of recreational diving rather than Florida. It was a better environment for manufacturers for sure
but had wetsuits been invented by that point?
Same with the Bottom Scratchers spearfishing club why not Florida? You would think that there would have been a lot more spearfisherman there.
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Well Hombre, here goes...
It is important to maintain "present time consciousness" when investigating history. The US had escaped WW 11(1939-1945) with out major consequence as contrasted to France which was devastated by four plus years of war and Nazi occupation, which placed them on the road to recovery for many years. SoCal had experienced a booming economy and growth during and immediately after the war and seemed to be populated with an over abundance of young adventure seeking beach going young people. The sport of goggling had been publicized by Santa Barbara California resident Guy Gilpactric and a number of California news paper articles, so many entered the UW world and became addicted
Florida was an agrarian based economy until about 1960, at which time it was discovered by northern retirees and the space program.
The "dry suit" (?) was created first, in the 1940s but the wet suit came much later after the Korean conflict. (only 53000 Americans killed in 23 months- and it has been called the forgotten "conflict" and it sure is!)
Florida had the Pender brothers Fred, Art and Don dominated the Florida diving, They also received a lot of publicity they were on the cover of Sports Illustrated etc. Art had stoned a huge sail fish with a Hawaiians sling and I recall Fred had landed an 800 pound Jew fish ( or whatever they are called now) so they were the darlings of the eastern press and had a lot of stories written about them.
Florida also had the Florida State Divers Association aka FSDA which was in existence for a number of years. Lead by Pappy Flood (yep that was his name) attempted to emulate California but never really got off the ground ( or reef?) I often wondered what ever happened to Pappy?
California had an abundance of marine life at the shore line, Florida required and basically still requires a boat to go diving. I suspect although I never discussed it with the BS members that they like so many of that era met at the beach and decided to form a club. (FYI only one BS remains Jim Stewart who is 85)
California had a bountiful variety of sea life at the shore line. I recall going to Laguna and harvesting abalone, scallops lobster, oysters, urchins, mussels and of course fish, drop by Newport for ten Pismo clams. This was probably impossible to do in such as small geographical location any where in the world. Only in SoCal. I always maintained a freezer full of marine life. When I was married I recall my wife saying to me " Do you realize we have been married 21 days and we have had nothing but sea food from the freezer" My response "So what's wrong with that?"
Diving was not easy In SoCAL- cold- wave action - even beach access was difficult
Perhaps the following might offer a certain amount of insight as to the way it was, not so many years ago
One of my many news paper articles from.around 20 years ago!
A little glimpse into history I documented from memory -that has survived against the call of the running tide-
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"YOU CANT 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 cant go home again which I found so difficult to comprehend as a young college student. Yes, Thomas Wolfe was correct! "You cant go home again."
I spent a very early Saturday morning at Divers 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 worlds 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 OMalley.
Lots of changes have occurred in and around Divers Cove with the passage of these 63 plus years.
In the early 1950s the rolling hills surrounding Divers 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 Divers 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 fuzzy faced 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 Wolfes message has been verified. "You cant 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 and/or heavy GI surplus OD sweater often in combination was the consume of diving ..
See SDM 50th anniversary edition,2001,a John Steele painting of me as a youth right after WW11, wearing a GI OD sweater, Sturgil home made mask, Churchill's, using the recently introduced Champion Arbelete spear gun diving on a very frighten 27 pound sheepshead.
If exceptionally warm water such as in the Sea of Cortez in Mexico old pajamas were used - not for warmth but to protect from sun burn
* Churchills by Voit were green or greenish- WW11 surplus Churchills were black, Sea Net produced Frog feet , Art Brown's Duck feet did not appear until mid 1950s, as I recall after he moved from Laguna to Huntington Beach
* Mask Aka Face Plate were American made Sea Net, homemade like the Sturgil, (See my article "The Mask" made by the late great Charlie Sturgil, [
www.ledgensofdiving.com or the San Diego based national magazine " Discover Diving" titled "The Mask") a few oriental Amas and/or Haeyneo, (if they would fit the western face) or the state of the art recently imported "Squale" from France. See:
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*Jab stick - Original name for a pole spear-by my tribe generally constructed from a broom stick or better from a longer handle mop and a 3 or 5 tine frog gig. Power supplied by thrust of arm, later a plumbing elastic was discovered and marketed by Bill Barada via his company Bel Aqua
* Huge bonfires were necessary to warm up participants & avoid hypothermia- wrapped in a GI surplus WW 11 blanket or an oversize GI overcoat. The bonfires were fed by the ubiquitous WW11 surplus automotive tires. A hazard of that era was entanglement in the surf line from the wire from the rims of the previously burnt tires.
Long post and probably boring reading for most late model tube sucking bubble blowers...But this type information needs to be disseminated for those who persist in I think, I suppose, I heard, I was told in quotient the very short history of recreational diving.
Are You attending the SCUBA Show?" I am presenting a program :"Before Jacques- SCUBA 1860 to 1960" It will be an eye opener for most attendees. I would enjoy meeting you. Perhaps we can meet and chat in detail
SDM,
As others have done...
LA Co UW Instructor #11
NAUI Instructor #27
PADI Instructor #241
