Post by Isom on Apr 19, 2024 9:04:44 GMT -8
Hello Everyone!
I stumbled across this forum a few weeks ago when I was trying to figure out what a "Hawaiian Backpack" is. On my most recent dive excursion in Hawaii I met a guy who had been in the aquarium fish trade for many years, and boy did he have some interesting stories, including talking about the, well, for lack of a better term, minimalist and somewhat primitive equipment setups they used. I wanted to find out more, and this site came up, wow, talk about a treasure trove of information!
I've always loved the water, snorkeling, swimming, body surfing, if it gets me in the water, I like it. So, naturally, while I was in college I took a trip to the Caribbean over winter break one year and got my PADI open water cert. That was back in 2017, I've done as much diving as I could since then, but, unfortunately, that doesn't amount to too much. Beautiful as it is, the PNW is not necessarily a diver's paradise. I have managed to get my advanced open water cert since then, and am hoping to get into drysuit diving, open up some possibilities in my neck of the woods, but I'm still pretty green when it comes to time underwater.
My interest in vintage scuba diving started not long after I started diving, during a conversation with my grandpa. I learned that he and a few buddies had owned a couple of aqualungs back in the 1960's. The northern Sierra Nevadas weren't the best place to learn to dive, but they definitely got some good use out of them, and no one ever got hurt, so I suppose it was a win. Listening to his stories, I started to realize that the conveniences such as BCD vests and purge-able regulators weren't actually necessary equipment for a diver. I was fascinated to learn more, but, alas, there are precious few results on youtube or Google for "diving without a BCD". I expect the high overlords in tech town don't want people researching such dangerous topics. Try as I might, my only real source of information for how scuba diving was done for the first half of it's existence was my grandfather's limited experience. But the seed was planted, and I've wondered ever since.
So imagine my surprise when I stumbled across this forum! It seems like there's a topic for pretty much every question I've ever asked or wanted to ask about the history of Scuba diving!
So, that's why I'm here, I'm keen to learn more about how things used to be done, and how they still can be done, if you're willing to put some effort into it. I'm a bit of a Luddite at heart, I've always felt that, just because something is newer, faster, or fancier doesn't necessarily make it better. I drive a 52 year old Volkswagon, take notes in cursive with a fountain pen, and type my letters on a typewriter that is rapidly sneaking up on its 100'th birthday. Why shouldn't I look into the old ways of Scuba diving too?
Glad to be here, and looking forward to learning more about "how things were"
I stumbled across this forum a few weeks ago when I was trying to figure out what a "Hawaiian Backpack" is. On my most recent dive excursion in Hawaii I met a guy who had been in the aquarium fish trade for many years, and boy did he have some interesting stories, including talking about the, well, for lack of a better term, minimalist and somewhat primitive equipment setups they used. I wanted to find out more, and this site came up, wow, talk about a treasure trove of information!
I've always loved the water, snorkeling, swimming, body surfing, if it gets me in the water, I like it. So, naturally, while I was in college I took a trip to the Caribbean over winter break one year and got my PADI open water cert. That was back in 2017, I've done as much diving as I could since then, but, unfortunately, that doesn't amount to too much. Beautiful as it is, the PNW is not necessarily a diver's paradise. I have managed to get my advanced open water cert since then, and am hoping to get into drysuit diving, open up some possibilities in my neck of the woods, but I'm still pretty green when it comes to time underwater.
My interest in vintage scuba diving started not long after I started diving, during a conversation with my grandpa. I learned that he and a few buddies had owned a couple of aqualungs back in the 1960's. The northern Sierra Nevadas weren't the best place to learn to dive, but they definitely got some good use out of them, and no one ever got hurt, so I suppose it was a win. Listening to his stories, I started to realize that the conveniences such as BCD vests and purge-able regulators weren't actually necessary equipment for a diver. I was fascinated to learn more, but, alas, there are precious few results on youtube or Google for "diving without a BCD". I expect the high overlords in tech town don't want people researching such dangerous topics. Try as I might, my only real source of information for how scuba diving was done for the first half of it's existence was my grandfather's limited experience. But the seed was planted, and I've wondered ever since.
So imagine my surprise when I stumbled across this forum! It seems like there's a topic for pretty much every question I've ever asked or wanted to ask about the history of Scuba diving!
So, that's why I'm here, I'm keen to learn more about how things used to be done, and how they still can be done, if you're willing to put some effort into it. I'm a bit of a Luddite at heart, I've always felt that, just because something is newer, faster, or fancier doesn't necessarily make it better. I drive a 52 year old Volkswagon, take notes in cursive with a fountain pen, and type my letters on a typewriter that is rapidly sneaking up on its 100'th birthday. Why shouldn't I look into the old ways of Scuba diving too?
Glad to be here, and looking forward to learning more about "how things were"
