David Wilson
Contributor
A while ago I received an invitation to start a thread in this forum about the history of the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC). I wish to begin by saying that I am no expert on this topic and my membership of the university branch of the BSAC where I trained only dated from October 1966 to August 1970, coinciding with my higher education in the latter half of the sixties. I would therefore particularly welcome contributions and personal reminscences about the early days of the BSAC before my association with the club to complement the online sources I will highlight now and in the course of this thread.
In the spirit of a picture being worth a thousand words, my starting place for anybody wishing to dip into the history of the BSAC would be the period videos posted on the "BSAC history in a nutshell" page on the BSAC website at Archive videos. They bring 1950s British diving to life on so many levels: the sort of people who dived back then, the equipment used, the joys, challenges and privations experienced by those engaged in a fledgeling recreational activity in the aftermath of World War II.
If you are the kind of person who needs plenty of facts and dates to build up your historical knowledge and understanding, I recommend the potted history of the BSAC on the "Key milestones" page at Key milestones. If larger-than-life characters and events from the early days of diving appeal to you, then you may find the "BSAC pioneers" page of interest at BSAC pioneers.
A splendid account of the development of the BSAC can no longer be found on the club's website, however. This is a speech by Reg Vallintine at the Diving Officers Conference 2003 entitled "Once upon a time in the BSAC", which is only available on the website of the Internet Wayback Machine at BSAC DOC 2003 - History of the BSAC. A very entertaining and informative piece, I recommend it to everyone interested in mid-twentieth-century British diving and contemplating contributing to this thread.
I do not know how this thread is going to unfold. I certainly don't want it to be a monologue on my part and I am eager to hear the experiences of others who were, or knew, BSAC members. I'll leave it there for today and look forward to comments, opinions, shared stories.
In the spirit of a picture being worth a thousand words, my starting place for anybody wishing to dip into the history of the BSAC would be the period videos posted on the "BSAC history in a nutshell" page on the BSAC website at Archive videos. They bring 1950s British diving to life on so many levels: the sort of people who dived back then, the equipment used, the joys, challenges and privations experienced by those engaged in a fledgeling recreational activity in the aftermath of World War II.
If you are the kind of person who needs plenty of facts and dates to build up your historical knowledge and understanding, I recommend the potted history of the BSAC on the "Key milestones" page at Key milestones. If larger-than-life characters and events from the early days of diving appeal to you, then you may find the "BSAC pioneers" page of interest at BSAC pioneers.
A splendid account of the development of the BSAC can no longer be found on the club's website, however. This is a speech by Reg Vallintine at the Diving Officers Conference 2003 entitled "Once upon a time in the BSAC", which is only available on the website of the Internet Wayback Machine at BSAC DOC 2003 - History of the BSAC. A very entertaining and informative piece, I recommend it to everyone interested in mid-twentieth-century British diving and contemplating contributing to this thread.
I do not know how this thread is going to unfold. I certainly don't want it to be a monologue on my part and I am eager to hear the experiences of others who were, or knew, BSAC members. I'll leave it there for today and look forward to comments, opinions, shared stories.
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