A place for old school divers-Perfect !
Thanks Dennis we needed this.

Right at 1980 - 81 is when I started commercial Diving as a diving contractor. I bought my equipment from commercial divers supply and had never laid eyes on any of it prior. (never once cleaned a boat hull) one of my first contracts was to weld 10 x 10 x 1/4" patch plates on the underside of a dredge. With a damn book and 15 min. I was welding. Is that old school enough? I completed welding more than thirty plates on that barge in about 3 or 4 full days of welding. Okay I did have to clean and inspect as I went. Lol I did burn one rod thru the hull. My first one. Lol. Welding wet or dry is what I've done and still do.

Thanks to everyone that has joined the Group Old School Divers so far. Sounds like there is some real talent out there. Maybe some of the new divers can get some idea what it was like 20 years, 30 years, and even 40 years ago. Myself, I started diving in 1980 for Seaward Marine Services out of Subic Bay, PI. Hull Scrubbing. Please feel free to share your start date in the industry and who you were working for. Any tips for the young lads would also be helpful.

Grew up beside the river, worked tug boats, dredges/tenders while going to school. Apprenticed as a Pile butt/diver, did my 2500 hrs quit college - bought a 1 way ticket to Australia, scraped a few ferry hulls for Neil Gray in Sidney....down to Bass Strait. Worked as roustabout and roughneck on Glomar Conception till a spot in rotation opened up on the Victoria Tide platform maint etc. away we went. Singers, Phillipines, Indonesia, Malasia, Taiwan, Japan, etc. Got a few fill ins in NS, sou 40s, Libya, a shot thru India etc. etc. Got thrown out of GOM for no visa- walking pipe for Pelican, and a few oldies. Did a few midnight contractor jobs in BC & Alberta

Pt ll- always loved the biz. The people for the most part- the most well lived, opinionated, skillfull, yet able to survive their compadres shortfalls living in close proximity. Curiousity and the yen to expand ones horizons another halmark.
I've worked for Oceaneering, Ocean Systems, Global, Stolt, DSND, Reading & Bates,+- and Floyds Million $ Salvage (no s***) + I've been a co man , supt, enjoyed diving and tending the best - suping to make sure nobody got hurt if I had to. Nuts and bolts, rigging and playing what a great life.

What a privledge to be in such company and thats not just words I mean that. Only this morning I crossed paths with a co-worker who I started out with we use to scrub hulls together in Marina Del Rey in the 70's his name is Kent Newton our of Santa Barbara, Ca. he reminded me that it was 40 years ago-Wow the trails we both have gone down since our first starting out in diving over these years. Its really hard to believe its been that long. About 15 years ago on an Oceaneering job one of my coworkers who was there as a assistant engineer came out and said "are you still doing this " ah with nothing else to say I said "ah Yes no one ever told me to quit". Now I would like to be doing this about another 15 years so if you happen to be on a dive job somewhere and run into me please know that I am just like you working to make a living in this profession of ours. Arent we lucky.

Pt-lll When not diving I tried big trucking, off hi-way heavy hauling (too much sitting), crane driving, commercial fishing Alaska Black Cod, forest service air tanker base foreman (wildfire supression), shop rigger, but diving always won out.

I can't remember anything more amazing than working under the USS Enterprise CVN-65 as a young diver and looking across it's beam at the other divers working. They looked like little ants crawling upside down. The draft on the ship was 50 FSW and to swim the beam would take you 10 minutes. Most impressive.

Ok Dennis what kind of hat is that we are looking at is it a Schrader ? A mark IV ?

Can any one spell ARRDP???

Easy Chuck your card is in the mail now you can enjoy a discount when you go to a movie.

Where is John Carl Roat he should be popping in here just any moment.

Along with Fred Johnson no group would be complete without Fred.

Started in 78 working for Louis Shafer then to Taylor then to The USAF PJ to Flt Eng to USNR E-5 USAF AD1 USNR Currently still working in the Gulf????

The Old School Divers Group Photo: The hat belongs to E. R. Cross who operated the Sparling School of Deep Sea Diving located in Wilmington, CA. The school is considered the first commercial diving school in America. It was run by Mr. Cross from 1947 to 1954. The hat is a Circa 1900 5 Bolt by A.J. Morse & Son.

Mike that may very well have some merrit.

Dennis how did you get the photo of the Cross hat ? Being a E.R.Cross
history guy myself are you sure the school didnt close in '57 ? Just a interested question as Cross was one of my Heros.

Stared in 1978 with Mathew J Regan

Ace,
The picture of the hat that belonged to Mr. Cross was taken from a picture that hangs in my office. The information that was stated on the facts of the hat and his dive school are printed on the picture. The picture is called " A Salute to American Diving" It is a promotional picture from the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. I just relayed the facts from the picture. Don't know if it is all fact or not.

Went to CDC in 1978, Class of PD92, Work for Sub Sea International and Global in the north sea in the late 70"s early 80"s. Then came over here to South East Asia at the end of 82. And still here.

Reading these names and accounts is like walking thru a musuem. The best ever kind of musuem I might add.

Dennis Wilcox, Ok here is the scoop I looked it our to curisoity E.R. Cross closed Sparling School of Deep Sea Diving by his own words "in 1956 or so" that makes Dennis and Ace both wrong as to the date as you said 1954 and I said 1957 so now we know. So until another of one of these diving history events come up that are in question "Stay thirsty my friends".

Hope you all don't mind if I join in. Willy was one of my instructors at DIT back in '78. Paid a few dues along the way and now in a decent spot in Rio. Great place for an older diver to hang out!

'78 was a good year. Update on the school since then. John Manlove sold school in '86 to Norval duncan and John Ritter. School moved from Western Pioneer to 11th ave. NW in 1990. Norval passed away in 92 and John Ritter had sole possession. Sold the school in 1998 to ruce Banks. Bob Schnepf, Doc Thomas, Chuck Litzo and John Manlove have all pssed away. I guess you could say I am the last of the breed. How did you wind up in Rio?

Hey Willy! Knew about Doc Thomas, Bob Schnepf and Manlove. Yeah you are right we are all getting along. Sure learned a lot from you old seadogs. Rio? Global Industries found me in Costa Rica 5 years ago and offered me a job in Mexico working with Gerry Baker. One thing led to another, found myself in Trinidad, the Emerates, Saudi as well as Mexico. This past Jan. they asked me to come help out in Rio for a bit and now they are asking me to relocate here and still help out in Mexico and other parts of Latin America. Turns out that my wife told me she was through last November so this bit came along at exactly the right time. No place for a newly single guy than the beaches of Rio! Still passin' on the wisdom you all shared with me. Some of these young divers think they are the first! Yeah, I used to think that as well. Must be part of being a diver!

I'd like to inform folks that long time friend and diver Jim Austin passed away a few months back from an accident. Jim and I worked at Taylor (TDS) in the 70s and 80s. Jim was still diving at 60.