- Messages
- 5,141
- Reaction score
- 4,150
- # of dives
- 5000 - ∞
For the past few months I have been slowly organizing my files which have grown to consume my den and a considerable portion of my allotted garage space.
One of the items I rediscovered was a large special 4 page newspaper article "Wilderness at sea" by Michael Hewitt, published in the OC Register on Thursday May 13, 1993. It had been published to coincide with the "SCUBA Show" moving to OC, which as I recall happened only that one time
I re read the article with renewed interest and questioned what ever happened to the people who were featured and quoted in the article? Were they still into diving?
Like;
*John Regan who had been bitten by a Mako shark the previous December while diving off San Onofre?
* Or Cindy Copperwhite, who was featured on the front page in the lead in photo?
* Or Paulette Johnson of Corona del Mar, who was quoted after a dive?
* Or Jon Burke, of San Clemente a fifteen year veteran of teaching SCUBA?
* Or Ed Johnson, LA Co UW instructor, who supplied some of the featured photos ( as did Zale Parry and yours truly)
* Or Sean Haight, who was employed at Sports Chalet? ( or his father Ken?)
And there were also losses, like;
* Al Tillman the architect of the prestigious and very demanding LA County Underwater Instructors Association, who began diving in the big reef in the sky about five years ago
* Harry Ruscigno who founded Inflatable systems and developed the auto inflation for flotation which revolutionized diving has been in the big reef in the sky for about two years
And those who still are kicking;
* John Rice, Now manager of the Huntington Beach Sports Chalet SCUBA Department
* Shecklers, who are celebrating 25 years of publishing CDN
* Dick Bonin, Retired, founder and former president of SCUBA Pro
* Zale Parry, LA Co UW Instr, Retired, now the official ambassador of DEMA
* Sally Santmyer, Retired, former owner of Laguna Sea Sports
* Nic Icorn, LA Co UW Instr, Retired and Official diving junk man
* Sam Miller, IV, Now a Doctor with ER and Hyperbaric medicine specialities
* Me? LA Co UW Instr, Retired, Have been traveling the world diving, spearing fish, photographing and documenting recreational diving's short but exciting history.
Now you know--The way it was in 1993--16 years ago - in diving terms many many, generations ago
But what happened to John Regan, Cindy Copperwhite, Paulette Johnson, Jon Burke, Ed Johnson, Sean Haight, and his father Ken? Any clues?
In any multi person interview it is always an honor to be the lead quote or the final quote of the interview. I was honored to have been chosen as final quote of the interview-- the very last sentence of the very last paragraph. The quote was as follows:
"Divers use to believe that the ocean was an inexhaustible resource, We've learned that it is not. And there's no one more concerned about that than divers" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It has been one heck of a journey since my first lung dive at Divers cove, Laguna Beach on Memorial day, May 31, 1951. That was when I stated " Who needs a bubble machine, it's heavy noisy and like a dead pelican when empty" ~~~One can't always be right!
One of the items I rediscovered was a large special 4 page newspaper article "Wilderness at sea" by Michael Hewitt, published in the OC Register on Thursday May 13, 1993. It had been published to coincide with the "SCUBA Show" moving to OC, which as I recall happened only that one time
I re read the article with renewed interest and questioned what ever happened to the people who were featured and quoted in the article? Were they still into diving?
Like;
*John Regan who had been bitten by a Mako shark the previous December while diving off San Onofre?
* Or Cindy Copperwhite, who was featured on the front page in the lead in photo?
* Or Paulette Johnson of Corona del Mar, who was quoted after a dive?
* Or Jon Burke, of San Clemente a fifteen year veteran of teaching SCUBA?
* Or Ed Johnson, LA Co UW instructor, who supplied some of the featured photos ( as did Zale Parry and yours truly)
* Or Sean Haight, who was employed at Sports Chalet? ( or his father Ken?)
And there were also losses, like;
* Al Tillman the architect of the prestigious and very demanding LA County Underwater Instructors Association, who began diving in the big reef in the sky about five years ago
* Harry Ruscigno who founded Inflatable systems and developed the auto inflation for flotation which revolutionized diving has been in the big reef in the sky for about two years
And those who still are kicking;
* John Rice, Now manager of the Huntington Beach Sports Chalet SCUBA Department
* Shecklers, who are celebrating 25 years of publishing CDN
* Dick Bonin, Retired, founder and former president of SCUBA Pro
* Zale Parry, LA Co UW Instr, Retired, now the official ambassador of DEMA
* Sally Santmyer, Retired, former owner of Laguna Sea Sports
* Nic Icorn, LA Co UW Instr, Retired and Official diving junk man
* Sam Miller, IV, Now a Doctor with ER and Hyperbaric medicine specialities
* Me? LA Co UW Instr, Retired, Have been traveling the world diving, spearing fish, photographing and documenting recreational diving's short but exciting history.
Now you know--The way it was in 1993--16 years ago - in diving terms many many, generations ago
But what happened to John Regan, Cindy Copperwhite, Paulette Johnson, Jon Burke, Ed Johnson, Sean Haight, and his father Ken? Any clues?
In any multi person interview it is always an honor to be the lead quote or the final quote of the interview. I was honored to have been chosen as final quote of the interview-- the very last sentence of the very last paragraph. The quote was as follows:
"Divers use to believe that the ocean was an inexhaustible resource, We've learned that it is not. And there's no one more concerned about that than divers" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It has been one heck of a journey since my first lung dive at Divers cove, Laguna Beach on Memorial day, May 31, 1951. That was when I stated " Who needs a bubble machine, it's heavy noisy and like a dead pelican when empty" ~~~One can't always be right!
