Bob DBF
Contributor
I just finished two tanks at the lake to celebrate my birthday and 50 years of diving.
One summer my dad decides to learn SCUBA. Buys some gear and books and starts diving. I was interested, read the books, and started "why can't I dive too". After the DAD school of SCUBA, academic and practice in the surrounding ponds. He came out as an observer, in the water and from the beach. The only dives that we were both on SCUBA in the water, at the same time, was to practice buddy breathing. After a number of observed skill and practice dives, I was a diver. As for the old man being a qualified instructor, when I finally certified OW 17 years later there was little he had not covered, most of it concerned equipment not available at the time.
All the original gear consisted of a Voit? J valve 72, Healthways capillary depth gauge, Nemrod Double Hose regulator, Nemrod horse collar surface floatation, and a Voit pressure test gauge (use on surface only, no SPG's yet). Since there was only one set I was solo until I finally ran into another diver. I was 16 and back then divers were already strong swimmers and freedivers trying to get a bit more time underwater.
All the gear, except the tank, are found in my pic gallery among other vintage gear I've picked up over the years, I should put the book, The New Science of Skin and SCUBA Diving, in as well.
I can tell the times have changed when I remember back to when I was 16 and loaded the gear in the car to go fill the tank at the local industrial gas company and then do a solo dive in Long Pond. The Old Man yells at me as I'm leaving, "dont wreck the F'n car".
This summer is the 50th anniversary of my first dive. Thanks Dad.
Ive done a lot of diving since, but that summer is when this kid knew he was going to dive forever, so far I have
Bob
-----------------------------------------
I may be old, but Im not dead yet.
I honestly feel I'm a better diver now. I learned to respect the ocean the hard way. One swallow at a time. Mark Derail
One summer my dad decides to learn SCUBA. Buys some gear and books and starts diving. I was interested, read the books, and started "why can't I dive too". After the DAD school of SCUBA, academic and practice in the surrounding ponds. He came out as an observer, in the water and from the beach. The only dives that we were both on SCUBA in the water, at the same time, was to practice buddy breathing. After a number of observed skill and practice dives, I was a diver. As for the old man being a qualified instructor, when I finally certified OW 17 years later there was little he had not covered, most of it concerned equipment not available at the time.
All the original gear consisted of a Voit? J valve 72, Healthways capillary depth gauge, Nemrod Double Hose regulator, Nemrod horse collar surface floatation, and a Voit pressure test gauge (use on surface only, no SPG's yet). Since there was only one set I was solo until I finally ran into another diver. I was 16 and back then divers were already strong swimmers and freedivers trying to get a bit more time underwater.
All the gear, except the tank, are found in my pic gallery among other vintage gear I've picked up over the years, I should put the book, The New Science of Skin and SCUBA Diving, in as well.
I can tell the times have changed when I remember back to when I was 16 and loaded the gear in the car to go fill the tank at the local industrial gas company and then do a solo dive in Long Pond. The Old Man yells at me as I'm leaving, "dont wreck the F'n car".
This summer is the 50th anniversary of my first dive. Thanks Dad.
Ive done a lot of diving since, but that summer is when this kid knew he was going to dive forever, so far I have
Bob
-----------------------------------------
I may be old, but Im not dead yet.
I honestly feel I'm a better diver now. I learned to respect the ocean the hard way. One swallow at a time. Mark Derail
