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Post by cnotthoff on Jan 22, 2022 17:17:26 GMT -8
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Post by h2operations on Jan 22, 2022 18:15:50 GMT -8
I can not remember the name but the company came back to life recently and are making the rubber/latex drysuits with the twist tie fronts again. I think they are based out of Lousianna ?? Before my time the originals that is . LOL
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Post by DavidRitchieWilson on Jan 23, 2022 8:24:55 GMT -8
If h2operations is right, they are Aquala drysuits, whose distinctive feature is their front tunnel entry, which would be tied off with surgical tubing or a special clamp for air- and watertightness after dressing. The company was originally based in Los Angeles, hence Aqua (Water) + LA, and it now operates in Louisiana, hence still Aqua + LA as "LA" is the state abbreviation. Until the late 1950s, the firm was known as "Bel-Aqua" and owned by Bill Barada, a diving legend in his own right. The image above shows the tunnel entry and the waist entry versions of the Bel-Aqua drysuit. If you want to see the rest of the catalogue and other company literature, access Bel-Aqua/Aquala. One of the files is a company timeline. Now based in Louisiana, Aquala still makes an unlined valveless historical model drysuit called the "Coronado". I have one in my collection and it is an excellent aquatic garment made the way some drysuts used to be made in the 1950s. Ty Alley, the company owner, occasionally posts on this very forum. Front tunnel entry drysuits were also marketed by Healthways and Voit in their time, but their entry chutes were shorter than those on Bel-Aqua/Aquala models. Hope this helps. DRW
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Post by nikeajax on Jan 23, 2022 8:31:15 GMT -8
Ahhh, the great DRW to the rescue again!  Cheers mate! JB |
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Post by cnotthoff on Jan 23, 2022 9:36:17 GMT -8
I knew someone here would come through.
I've posted this picture on a local historical picture FB page, hoping someone would recognize these hardy souls. I haven't had any luck yet.
Good Dives,
Charlie
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Post by SeaRat on Jan 31, 2022 10:20:24 GMT -8
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Post by onokai on Feb 14, 2022 23:38:30 GMT -8
My Father dove one of the suits in the 50s-green rubber. Entry thru a hole (tube in front . You used surgical tubing to tie it off. I have some snaps of him in this suit. It long ago rotted away.Insulating value was 2 on a 10 scale.
I though Gods all know this stuff. Maybe it only neptune gods that do? Scuba gods came later.
I.m more interested is where this old Trinidad pier Photo came from and what years was it. Looks to be before you moved here.I guess you are older than I thought.
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Post by cnotthoff on Feb 15, 2022 9:29:26 GMT -8
Picture is from one of the Humboldt Skindivers' scrapbooks. It's marked 1958. You and I were little towheads living far south of Trinidad at this time. Dave has those scrapbooks. Maybe it's time for some more scanning.
On a not-very-related subject. Onokai and I have both served as President of the Humboldt Skindivers dive club. It was founded in 1956, making it one of the oldest dive clubs in California. A general lack of interest in clubs and the inability to meet in person (we've been zooming for 2 years) may lead to the demise of this institution. Our current members aren't as tough as the ladies in this picture. Do any of the participants in this forum belong to dive clubs? How are they faring?
Good Dives,
Charlie
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Post by scubalawyer on Feb 15, 2022 13:22:04 GMT -8
Do any of the participants in this forum belong to dive clubs? How are they faring? Good Dives, Charlie In 1979 sixty-seven of us alumni of Dr. Sam Miller, III's NAUI Advanced Scuba class formed a club called "Divers Anonymous. " We had t-shirts and everything. We just had our 42nd annual Holiday party. There are about 10 original members remaining plus another 5 or so folks remaining that have joined in along the way (friends of friends) plus spouses. Only two of us dive any more but we enjoy socializing. |
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Post by Aquala1 on May 18, 2022 15:28:51 GMT -8
Sorry that I’m so late to the post. Life gets busy and I’m not on the forums as much as I used to be. I’ll try to check in more often.
Anyway, the suit on the far left is definitely one of ours. You can tell by the quarter sized reinforcing patches at the waist seams. Since this was in 1958, they would have been Bel-Aqua suits but Aquala was the OEM maker at the time. It wasn’t until 1959 that Aquala emerged as its own brand.
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Post by Aquala1 on May 18, 2022 15:37:16 GMT -8
My Father dove one of the suits in the 50s-green rubber. Entry thru a hole (tube in front . You used surgical tubing to tie it off. I have some snaps of him in this suit. It long ago rotted away.Insulating value was 2 on a 10 scale. I though Gods all know this stuff. Maybe it only neptune gods that do? Scuba gods came later. I.m more interested is where this old Trinidad pier Photo came from and what years was it. Looks to be before you moved here.I guess you are older than I thought. It would be great to see the photos of your father in his green suit. |
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1937002_1180879517390_5842595_n by Charlie will, on Flickr
