Nail Biting Episode of Seahunt

[jar546]

Take 30 minutes and check out the equipment being used in this episode for a rescue.

YouTube - Sixty Feet Below

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I watched this Sea Hunt story yesterday, and enjoyed it a lot. I have seen it before. The regulator used was a USD Jet Air, and the tanks were USD single 72s with an old-style web harness. This is one of the few episodes where "Mike Nelson" dove a USD regulator and tank system. It was an early one, because thereafter he became known for the twin 38s that he dove (which for topside shots were made of balsa wood). Very soon after these early episodes, AMF Voit provided all the dive gear. The other interesting point is at the very end, where he walks off with a set of triple 42s on; again they were USD units.

SeaRat

 

[elmer fudd]

One thing I always find interesting about Seahunt episodes is the position of the reserve valves. Sometimes they're up, sometimes they're down, sometimes on the left side, sometimes on the right, sometimes they have rods attached and sometimes not.

It seems to me that in the days before SPG's having some sort of uniformity in how those things were used would have been very important, if nothing else just so you could warn your buddy that his reserve had been pulled.

 

[oldmossback]

In those early days, uniformity was not on the list I believe....just suit up and dive! Padi regulations and all the others organizations and their basic (what we'd call common sense today) rules came later and changed that.........I suspect bad experiences and some deaths caused much of that.............

 

[laguna230diver]

i love how at 8:12 he puts on his hood before surfacing

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Sea Hunt was not indicative of how anyone but these Hollywood divers did things back then. We were pretty obsessed with our reserve position, and checked it about the same way you now check your SPG. The reason for the variety of tanks, and the weight belt under the harness, is that they were changing their tanks underwater at their shooting site (usually Silver Springs, FLA) between scenes. Most instructors, and especially the US Navy instructors, would really get on us if we did some of the things Mike Nelson did, such as the infamous mask-on-forehead publicity shots that some vintage scuba divers enjoy even today. A mask on the forehead was an invitation to loosing the mask by wave action.

SeaRat

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Another example is the weight belt below the harness--very much frowned upon at the time (DIR personnel apparently allow this now). What I really enjoyed talking about at the time was the cut-ins of Lloyd Bridges closeups where he was wearing a different mask. Obviously these stock shots were done previously (sometimes years previously) as both the regulator hoses and the mask changed mid-scene.

SeaRat

 

[Walter]

The episode with the Killer Whale has one scene with a Basking Shark standing in for the Killer Whale. I still love the show!

 

[wedivebc]

The episode with the Killer Whale has one scene with a Basking Shark standing in for the Killer Whale. I still love the show!

That killer whale also looked a lot like a beluga in one scene

 

[blue steal]

You guys got me watching sea hunt all day today as it was raining out. Great stuff.