Post by Glenn "Whitebear" Kennedy on Jan 27, 2007 12:17:23 GMT -8
I thought it might be fun, and a good way to pull some history out of the woodwork to start a thread for each of the major dive groups/clubs that I had the good luck to dive with (couldn't figure out how not to end this a preposition with) 
. Maybe some day, it will provide a smile and a memory to a fellow scuba passer-thru
After Hawaii (and the Sea Lancers), Mom and Dad got stationed at Hamilton AFB just north of SF. So, in 1965 I started to SF State College ... living in the dorm on campus and trying to figure out a way to keep diving.
Several of us in the dorm (Merced Hall) were divers and we decided to start a campus dive club. The school activities panel agreed (probably never happen in these liability days), so the SF State Barracudas were born. Don't ask "why" Barracudas for northern California waters We probably should have been the SF State Abalones, or Limpets
Remember, this was 1965 and scuba instruction was waayyy new. So my friend and I, knowing we were following in JC's footprint (Cousteau, not the other JC) decided to declare ourselves SF State Barracuda Instructors and proceeded to teach diving in the campus pool. We had 6 weeks of water work and lecture and 4 weekend trips to Monterey. The first weekend was all snorkeling at Cannery Row, and the next two weekends were scuba at Cannery and then the last one was Monastery Beach if the surf allowed.
The club finagled a 20 man life raft that we kept stashed at the gym, and every weekend we could get away, we loaded the gear and the raft into my Rambler station wagon (push button automatic and seats that folded back flat ) and headed to Monterey. We camped at Veterans Park just above the beach, sat on the tailgate and ate crab and sourdough bread at Fisherman’s Wharf and dove Cannery Row.
In those days, that street was absolutely deserted. There was one viable restaurant right at the beach, and the dive shop was up about two streets. The old cannery's were just abandoned buildings with shutters banging the breeze. After diving all day, we'd go down to a great, cheap spaghetti place for dinner, drive home over the railroad tracks where Ed Ricketts was killed by a train. Ed was the model for the "Doc" in Steinbecks Cannery Row and a real live biologist and author of "Between Pacific Tides". Sleep under the raft turned into a lean-to and listen to the seals on the Coast Guard breakwater.
Stunningly great days and memories of diving. On weekends when we were feeling adventurous, we headed north along the rocky California coast and tried our hand at snorkeling for abs off Salt Point or Stillwater Cove. But most of the time, that was pretty bad-ass waves and surge ... but the road trip was great anyway.
The club also received great support from the two "Bamboo Reefs". Al Giddings ran the one in downtown SF and he was always willing to let us tour his shop or come to campus and show diving films. The second Bamboo Reef was run by Leroy French and was located north over the bridge toward San Rafael. Leroy was always our jumping off point if we were headed north up the coast. He also will forever stick in my memory for being the only person I've ever met that was bitten by a Great White. It happened while they were free diving and I guess prompt action and his wet suit kept him intact and alive. But he truly had a gigantic scary scar and a story to go with.
Soon, the Air Force beckoned for me and I left SF State and the Barracudas, and my friend and co-conspirator headed for Coronado to join the UDT. I have no idea if the school club continued after that or slowly evaporated. I know I have one of my old patches from the Barracudas, and it would be a kick in the pants some day to find one of our ex-students that still had our homegrown certification card.
Glenn
p.s. This weekend I'll dig in and find old diving pics and post some of them ... it will at the very least provide some humor
. Maybe some day, it will provide a smile and a memory to a fellow scuba passer-thruAfter Hawaii (and the Sea Lancers), Mom and Dad got stationed at Hamilton AFB just north of SF. So, in 1965 I started to SF State College ... living in the dorm on campus and trying to figure out a way to keep diving.
Several of us in the dorm (Merced Hall) were divers and we decided to start a campus dive club. The school activities panel agreed (probably never happen in these liability days), so the SF State Barracudas were born. Don't ask "why" Barracudas for northern California waters
We probably should have been the SF State Abalones, or Limpets Remember, this was 1965 and scuba instruction was waayyy new. So my friend and I, knowing we were following in JC's footprint (Cousteau, not the other JC)
decided to declare ourselves SF State Barracuda Instructors and proceeded to teach diving in the campus pool. We had 6 weeks of water work and lecture and 4 weekend trips to Monterey. The first weekend was all snorkeling at Cannery Row, and the next two weekends were scuba at Cannery and then the last one was Monastery Beach if the surf allowed.The club finagled a 20 man life raft that we kept stashed at the gym, and every weekend we could get away, we loaded the gear and the raft into my Rambler station wagon (push button automatic and seats that folded back flat
) and headed to Monterey. We camped at Veterans Park just above the beach, sat on the tailgate and ate crab and sourdough bread at Fisherman’s Wharf and dove Cannery Row.In those days, that street was absolutely deserted. There was one viable restaurant right at the beach, and the dive shop was up about two streets. The old cannery's were just abandoned buildings with shutters banging the breeze. After diving all day, we'd go down to a great, cheap spaghetti place for dinner, drive home over the railroad tracks where Ed Ricketts was killed by a train. Ed was the model for the "Doc" in Steinbecks Cannery Row and a real live biologist and author of "Between Pacific Tides". Sleep under the raft turned into a lean-to and listen to the seals on the Coast Guard breakwater.
Stunningly great days and memories of diving. On weekends when we were feeling adventurous, we headed north along the rocky California coast and tried our hand at snorkeling for abs off Salt Point or Stillwater Cove. But most of the time, that was pretty bad-ass waves and surge ... but the road trip was great anyway.
The club also received great support from the two "Bamboo Reefs". Al Giddings ran the one in downtown SF and he was always willing to let us tour his shop or come to campus and show diving films. The second Bamboo Reef was run by Leroy French and was located north over the bridge toward San Rafael. Leroy was always our jumping off point if we were headed north up the coast. He also will forever stick in my memory for being the only person I've ever met that was bitten by a Great White. It happened while they were free diving and I guess prompt action and his wet suit kept him intact and alive. But he truly had a gigantic scary scar and a story to go with.
Soon, the Air Force beckoned for me and I left SF State and the Barracudas, and my friend and co-conspirator headed for Coronado to join the UDT. I have no idea if the school club continued after that or slowly evaporated. I know I have one of my old patches from the Barracudas, and it would be a kick in the pants some day to find one of our ex-students that still had our homegrown certification card.
Glenn
p.s. This weekend I'll dig in and find old diving pics and post some of them ... it will at the very least provide some humor
