Carl Gage Scuba Centre, Key Largo--Who Remembers?

[Rick DeLorme]

Years ago I communicated on ScubaBoard in posts about Carl Gage. What I have seen here seems to be historically correct. I worked for Carl as a guide. I was one of the most memorable times of my life. Working on the reefs every day changed me in ways unlike anything else I have ever done, even later as a runner and cyclist for many years. Carl Gage was a Major in the Marines and it really showed in everything I saw him do.

 

[Rick DeLorme]

To the best of my recollection, Carl never married and he had no family.

He wasn't married, but he had a daughter with his long time partner. I worked for him 70-73 and grew up behind his shop..

---------- Post added April 9th, 2012 at 10:17 AM ----------

What a rush to read all of these posts. I was born/raised in Key Largo, right behind his shop. I mowed his lawns (shop and house) and wound up working for him from 70-73. His tutelage helped me in SE Asia...
I have done extensive searches for him, and this thread helped fill in a lot of blanks.
He did have a daughter. She was from his common law partner and the name Wendy comes to mind.
The man was larger than life, helped anyone in need, taught you anything if you would listen, was strict as hell, and loved his classical Opera music...
The Captain of his second boat "Henrietta" was Mike Vogt... Mike had lost a leg in Nam but could out swim anyone...
Love to hear from anyone that knew him... and especially his daughter...

I remember Carl's lady/partner and her name was Ruthie. I knew Mike but it must have been before any tour in Vietnam. Carl's daughter must have come later too. At that time, Carl lived in the back of the shop. Working for Carl was one of the most memorable times of my life.

 

[Michael Greenberg Manfish]

If anyone wants to contact me my email address is mhogan"AT"michaelhogan.net -- or mhogan"AT"ciphertech.com.au (obivously replace "AT" with @).. vv.vv.vv.michaelhogan.net -- or look me up on Facebook "Michael Hogan" in Australia -- all my Carl Gage Photo Albums are public..

Most all of the photos I have of Carl are in that tiny old 110 format -- badly degraded too. I spent several weeks restoring every decent frame I could find (I'm a professional photographer / photo retouching artist).. I posted EVERYTHING on my Facebook profile.. I'd be happy to share the higher resolution .jpg files with anyone and everyone (I'm sure that's the way Carl would want it!).. Just shoot me an email!

I'll always miss Carl -- he was like my father when I was growning up.. Carl influenced every aspect of my life, even today!.. I met my wife on a SCUBA diving trip to The Great Barrier Reef here in Australia in 1991.

I'd love to see any photos you might have of Carl in his glory days SCUBA diving in FL. Carl still loved to dive, even in California -- but he had to cut back on diving because he was going def in his one good ear. That was why he went into ballooning!

To the best of my recollection, Carl never married and he had no family.

The main hot air balloon we flew in was a giant (US) divers flag! Our company (Aeronaut Instruction and Research) motto was "Higher and Deeper" -- Carl and I had fun with that motto too!!.. If you knew Carl you'll know what I mean.. ha ha!

I saw your posts re Carl. I grew up with Jocko which was our family name for him. When I was about 1.5 years old, I drowned in a pool at 6 am in Nassau. My father picked me out, resuscitated me and put me right back in the water. When we got back to Miami, Carl Gave me swim lessons. I remember the first lesson. When I was 3 years old, my father gave me a plastic air tank for kids.. by 3.5 I was using a converted fire extinguisher. At 4, in 1962, I was diving on the reef. I remember my first dive.
Carl was like a uncle/father mentor to me. Interestingly enough, One of his mentors, Dimitri Rebikoff was later my mentor and I was like a son for him. I started working for Carl and living with him at age 16. We were very close. When I went to UCLA, Carl had moved to the Newport beach area for ballooning. I would go ballooning with him.

 

[Michael Greenberg Manfish]

I looked at their picture. It looks like Harry Keitz's old location. Harry called it "American Diving Headquarters" or something similar. Is that the same building?

Many thanks for all this.

American Diving was a different building and business. Carl Gage was the 1st Dive operator in the Keys. He taught all of what are now considered the original pioneers of diving in the keys. They were young punks who worked for Carl gage. Carl's first business was in Miami. It was called Florida Frogman. No relation to the current or recent business in Doral area. The Carl Gage Dive center was later turned in to Stephen Frinks photographic services. Across the street from Pennekamp Park. That building is now a marine thrift shop.
I remember when Carl would come over to visit us in Miami, he would bring a burlap bag fullled with lobster and spill them out on the patio. Fun watching 3 5 7 year olds (my sisters and I) chasing them around.

 

[Michael Greenberg Manfish]

I remember Carl's lady/partner and her name was Ruthie. I knew Mike but it must have been before any tour in Vietnam. Carl's daughter must have come later too. At that time, Carl lived in the back of the shop. Working for Carl was one of the most memorable times of my life.

Yes her name was RUTH. I never met Carl's Daughter. But if anyone knows of her, please let me know.

 

[51 years]

1970, completed YMCA class up north but did not do checkouts, go to Fl on family vacation, dove with Carl Gage, did not care about not having my card yet. We all met on front lawn of store and got our gear ready, lots of people had no clue. then went down to the dock and got on charter. My parents picked me up later upon return. I had good time on my first ocean dive. Glad nobody died that day.

 

[Tom Winters]

I never met this guy, but he sounded like a pretty solid jarhead...like so many other whom I'll never get to meet.
The ANGLICO reference sure did bring back some stuff. When I was a newly-commissioned Ensign (pronounced ens-swine), I was stashed at the Naval Military Personnel Command in Arlington, VA which was also the HQ for the USMC.
I was in officers' order writing, and some of the orders that I wrote were for the J-landers who could not successfully function in the United State-by-God-Navy.
Officer were graded on their fitness reports (FITREPS) from grades A for great to J for shi.... ooops... poor performers. Hence the term J-lander. J-landers landed on my desk for disposal....ooops again, for further assignment.
So some of these folks got sent to run BOQ's...pretty cake duty, but just the one job and then home. Other guys got sent to Force ANGLICO with the Marine Corps to be forward Naval Gunfire Liaison Officers (NGLO's), i.e., forward-deployed spotters for naval shore bombardment.
The average lifetime expectancy for these folks in combat was approximately 13 minutes, give-or-take 35 seconds.
The Marines absolutely hated having these less-than-stellar performers detailed to their side of the bed, but as I politely explained to the Commandant's office, our admirals technically outranked their generals. Plus, there were only so many BOQ billets available.
When it came time for me to go to my choice of warfare schools at that point, I decided to reward myself with jump school at Lakehurst jump school still in NJ AND a diplomatic passport. When ya know the codes for order writing, anything is possible.
Plus, at least I was not sending my self to PCO (Prospective Commanding Officer) school or anything outrageous like that. The diplomatic passport was kinda cool looking, and I saw future value in getting that right away.
So many morons had screwed up along the way. and the BOQ billets were relatively few, so a LOT of Navy turd... ooops guys got sent to Force ANGLICO (first assignment: jump school at Lakehurst), that there was no room for me.
My orders were rewritten by another faceless tool who canx'ed jump school AND my diplomatic passport. I did get two months to leisurely travel from Washington DC to San Diego with a long stopover in Honolulu.
I never did get a diplomatic passport, but I subsequently never really needed a passport with my real name in it anyway...