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In the few short years I have been privileged to be a small component of this board and the modern California diving community I have been honored to have met and on occasion corresponded with a selected number of delightful enthusiastic female divers. Divers with names like "Anne Marie, Cajan, IDG," and most recently a newly minted diver who goes by the title of "alykitkat."
Just this last week I uncovered an article about women in diving I published many moons ago, possibly before the majority of you were born and certainly before the vast majority of you, male or female, entered the underwater world. Even so it's historical content is just, perhaps more, appropriate for today's women divers than the day I published it, therefore I am submitting it to this board as a document as to "the way it was" in the beginning of this great sport.
Therefore;
"Pioneer women divers
DR. SAMUEL MILLER
Diving has traditionally been viewed as a sport dominated by men; unfortunately the role of women in diving has been overshadowed by this perception. A number of women have made significant pioneering contributions to the sport and their stories are often unknown and untold. Some examples of contributions made by women include the following:
Probably the best-known pioneer women divers are the Ama of Japan and their Korean counterparts Haeno divers. Originally equipped with crude goggles and protected by only a thin white cotton waist skirt they free dove as long as 6 hours a day collecting edible seaweeds and shellfish. In the 1930s they adapted face masks and the current generation have begun to use wet suits to protect them from the icy waters surrounding their countries.
The driving force behind the great pioneer diving explorers, Jacques Cousteau and his predecessor Dr. Hans Hass, was their wives, the spunky mother of the Calypso, Simone Cousteau and the ever-lovely and gracious Lotte Hass, who turned down a lucrative Hollywood contact in 1950 to explore under the worlds oceans with her famous husband.
Women have authored a number of great diving books. Who could forget the book of the month club best seller Lady With a Spear by Dr. Eugenie Clarke? Published in 1951 it documented her 1940s diving research for a doctorate in ichthyology from Scripps Institute of Oceanography.
One of my very favorite all time diving books is Treasure Diving Holidays by Jane and Barney Crile, published in 1954 it documents the Crile familys diving adventures from the early 1930s to the early 1950s.
Skin Magazine, the world's first recreational dive magazine was founded in December 1951 in Lynnwood California. It was managed by the hard working ever gracious Connie Johnson from it's inception to her retirement 33 later in 1982. The helm was then handed over to the very active Bonnie Cardone who held the position for over 20 years until the sale and demise of the original magazine
Originally, there was only one option available to would be instructors, the very prestigious and unbelievably demanding LA County Under water Instructors Certification Course. (UICC). It is three totally committed months of a combination of USMC boot camp, doctorate level studies in oceanography, physiology, medicine and physics of diving, Olympic swimming and SEAL level scuba diving, topped by a by a graduate level defended research dissertation. Since the acceptance rate was and is very low and the course drop out rate was high it was initially assumed no woman could ever possibly pass the rigorous entrance requirements let alone pass the course. It took a cute petite very feminine Dottie Frazier to invalidate this misconception. In 1955 she became the worlds first woman certified diving instructor, leading the way for fellow pioneer women diving instructors, Barbara Allen #2, Zale Parry #3, and Lynn Chase #4, now thousands through out the world have now followed in their pioneering fin prints. Dottie has the added distinction of being a pathfinder in the dive business. She was the first woman to own and operate a dive shop and the first woman to manufacture both dry and wet suits in her Paramont California shop. A true woman diving pioneer! At 86 years young still traveling regularly to Baja where she spends a portion of every day in the water spearing dinner with her trusty tried and true Champion Arbalete spear gun
We hear so much about the women astronauts but see very little press about the women aquanauts, such as Dr. Sylvia Earle, another California resident who lived on the ocean floor in a special habitat with a crew composed solely of females. A few years later she walked around on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 1500 feet in a self contained one-atmosphere diving suit
Women competed right along with men in the early spear fishing competitions, Names like Lillian Kimble, Marsha Rowland, Margie Williamson, and Ellen Rogers, were well known and respected for their free diving ability and expertise with the spear gun who won a number of early spear fishing competitions out spearing their male counterparts.
When underwater photography was in its infancy women took up the camera along with their male companions. Zale Parry was one of the founders and an early president of the original Los Angels based Underwater Photographic Society. (UPS) and was a driving force in establishing the International Underwater Film festival. Gerry Murphy also a petite blonde probably holds the record for the number of articles she has written and the covers she has photographed over a span of thirty years for Skin Diver Magazine. Almost fourty years ago, Cathy Church abandoned he teaching career in Santa Barbara, California to relocate in the Caribbean where she founded and still operates a very successful underwater photography school, which bears here name. She was recently honored for her pioneering efforts and was presented with divings highest honor, the DEMA Reaching Out award
It is appropriate to end this article by paying tribute to the pioneer women divers of the chilly central coast. In the early 1950s prior to certified training, wet suits, BCs and all the paraphernalia needed for modern diving Pat Gallagher, financed her college education at Cal Poly University by free diving for Pismo clams and Abalone. Mary McDonald, who often worked in the first dive shop of the central coast Bill Parkhursts Seashore Sports shop, in Pismo Beach was well known through out the state for her skill as a diver and especially her ability in capturing Pismo Clams. Jean Spierling, the youngster of the trio started her diving career 40 plus years ago. Now retired, in her mid 70s she still manages to get wet three to four times a week in waters of the central coast.
These are some of the stories of our pioneer women divers; the ones who entered the water along side and sometimes even in front of the men in developing this sport. Equipped with the most basic of pioneering equipment, often homemade, it took a strong commitment of time and effort to develop the knowledge and experience to lead the way for the thousands of women now entering the sport who are totally unaware of the many sacrifices and the effort expended by these pioneering underwater nymphs.
These are rightful matriarchs of the sport and they alone have the honor and distinction of being referred to as "pioneer women divers." "
30
sdm
Just this last week I uncovered an article about women in diving I published many moons ago, possibly before the majority of you were born and certainly before the vast majority of you, male or female, entered the underwater world. Even so it's historical content is just, perhaps more, appropriate for today's women divers than the day I published it, therefore I am submitting it to this board as a document as to "the way it was" in the beginning of this great sport.
Therefore;
"Pioneer women divers
DR. SAMUEL MILLER
Diving has traditionally been viewed as a sport dominated by men; unfortunately the role of women in diving has been overshadowed by this perception. A number of women have made significant pioneering contributions to the sport and their stories are often unknown and untold. Some examples of contributions made by women include the following:
Probably the best-known pioneer women divers are the Ama of Japan and their Korean counterparts Haeno divers. Originally equipped with crude goggles and protected by only a thin white cotton waist skirt they free dove as long as 6 hours a day collecting edible seaweeds and shellfish. In the 1930s they adapted face masks and the current generation have begun to use wet suits to protect them from the icy waters surrounding their countries.
The driving force behind the great pioneer diving explorers, Jacques Cousteau and his predecessor Dr. Hans Hass, was their wives, the spunky mother of the Calypso, Simone Cousteau and the ever-lovely and gracious Lotte Hass, who turned down a lucrative Hollywood contact in 1950 to explore under the worlds oceans with her famous husband.
Women have authored a number of great diving books. Who could forget the book of the month club best seller Lady With a Spear by Dr. Eugenie Clarke? Published in 1951 it documented her 1940s diving research for a doctorate in ichthyology from Scripps Institute of Oceanography.
One of my very favorite all time diving books is Treasure Diving Holidays by Jane and Barney Crile, published in 1954 it documents the Crile familys diving adventures from the early 1930s to the early 1950s.
Skin Magazine, the world's first recreational dive magazine was founded in December 1951 in Lynnwood California. It was managed by the hard working ever gracious Connie Johnson from it's inception to her retirement 33 later in 1982. The helm was then handed over to the very active Bonnie Cardone who held the position for over 20 years until the sale and demise of the original magazine
Originally, there was only one option available to would be instructors, the very prestigious and unbelievably demanding LA County Under water Instructors Certification Course. (UICC). It is three totally committed months of a combination of USMC boot camp, doctorate level studies in oceanography, physiology, medicine and physics of diving, Olympic swimming and SEAL level scuba diving, topped by a by a graduate level defended research dissertation. Since the acceptance rate was and is very low and the course drop out rate was high it was initially assumed no woman could ever possibly pass the rigorous entrance requirements let alone pass the course. It took a cute petite very feminine Dottie Frazier to invalidate this misconception. In 1955 she became the worlds first woman certified diving instructor, leading the way for fellow pioneer women diving instructors, Barbara Allen #2, Zale Parry #3, and Lynn Chase #4, now thousands through out the world have now followed in their pioneering fin prints. Dottie has the added distinction of being a pathfinder in the dive business. She was the first woman to own and operate a dive shop and the first woman to manufacture both dry and wet suits in her Paramont California shop. A true woman diving pioneer! At 86 years young still traveling regularly to Baja where she spends a portion of every day in the water spearing dinner with her trusty tried and true Champion Arbalete spear gun
We hear so much about the women astronauts but see very little press about the women aquanauts, such as Dr. Sylvia Earle, another California resident who lived on the ocean floor in a special habitat with a crew composed solely of females. A few years later she walked around on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 1500 feet in a self contained one-atmosphere diving suit
Women competed right along with men in the early spear fishing competitions, Names like Lillian Kimble, Marsha Rowland, Margie Williamson, and Ellen Rogers, were well known and respected for their free diving ability and expertise with the spear gun who won a number of early spear fishing competitions out spearing their male counterparts.
When underwater photography was in its infancy women took up the camera along with their male companions. Zale Parry was one of the founders and an early president of the original Los Angels based Underwater Photographic Society. (UPS) and was a driving force in establishing the International Underwater Film festival. Gerry Murphy also a petite blonde probably holds the record for the number of articles she has written and the covers she has photographed over a span of thirty years for Skin Diver Magazine. Almost fourty years ago, Cathy Church abandoned he teaching career in Santa Barbara, California to relocate in the Caribbean where she founded and still operates a very successful underwater photography school, which bears here name. She was recently honored for her pioneering efforts and was presented with divings highest honor, the DEMA Reaching Out award
It is appropriate to end this article by paying tribute to the pioneer women divers of the chilly central coast. In the early 1950s prior to certified training, wet suits, BCs and all the paraphernalia needed for modern diving Pat Gallagher, financed her college education at Cal Poly University by free diving for Pismo clams and Abalone. Mary McDonald, who often worked in the first dive shop of the central coast Bill Parkhursts Seashore Sports shop, in Pismo Beach was well known through out the state for her skill as a diver and especially her ability in capturing Pismo Clams. Jean Spierling, the youngster of the trio started her diving career 40 plus years ago. Now retired, in her mid 70s she still manages to get wet three to four times a week in waters of the central coast.
These are some of the stories of our pioneer women divers; the ones who entered the water along side and sometimes even in front of the men in developing this sport. Equipped with the most basic of pioneering equipment, often homemade, it took a strong commitment of time and effort to develop the knowledge and experience to lead the way for the thousands of women now entering the sport who are totally unaware of the many sacrifices and the effort expended by these pioneering underwater nymphs.
These are rightful matriarchs of the sport and they alone have the honor and distinction of being referred to as "pioneer women divers." "
30
sdm
