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antique diver
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First Name: Bill
Location: North-Central Texas

1968 YMCA & SCIP INSTRUCTOR SEMINAR

Sun Sep 09, 2018 7:51 pm

I just ran across information on the Instructor course that would kick-start my years in the diving industry. Check out the course directors and the course price, and you'll see why my diving buddy and I just couldn't pass this up!
Instructor Seminar 1968_0001.jpg
Instructor Seminar 1968_0002.jpg
Fresh out of college and nearly broke, we managed to scrape up enough $ for the $30 fee, a copy of New Science of Skin & Scuba Diving, Al Tillman's Underwater Education, gas and lodging... and we were off, not realizing at the time all that this would eventually lead to.

Gary Spinks is gone now, but he and I shared lots of memorable diving adventures over a span of many years.

Gary & Bill.pk.67.jpg
Well, sorry that I couldn't find a photo of us together with our double hose regs. We were into the single hoses by 1967.
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The older I get the better I was.

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ScubaLawyer
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Re: 1968 YMCA & SCIP INSTRUCTOR SEMINAR

Sun Sep 09, 2018 8:01 pm

Wow, just babies!  I particularly noticed in the syllabus they also had a wives program (because,  of course, they just assumed no woman would apply to be an instructor). :shock:
"The diver who collects specimens of underwater life has fun and becomes a keen underwater observer. .. seek slow-moving or attached organisms such as corals, starfish, or shelled creatures." (Golden Guide to Scuba Diving, 1968) :D

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antique diver
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Re: 1968 YMCA & SCIP INSTRUCTOR SEMINAR

Sun Sep 09, 2018 8:19 pm

ScubaLawyer wrote:
Sun Sep 09, 2018 8:01 pm
Wow, just babies!  I particularly noticed in the syllabus they also had a wives program (because,  of course, they just assumed no woman would apply to be an instructor). :shock:
Yes, I thought that was a significant sign of the times that would likely invoke some feminine ire within a few years. As a matter of fact though I don't recall any female instructor candidates being at that program.
The older I get the better I was.

h2operations
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Location: Coronado CA

Re: 1968 YMCA & SCIP INSTRUCTOR SEMINAR

Tue Sep 11, 2018 6:07 pm

That's a cool photo. Where are you diving in that one?

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antique diver
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Re: 1968 YMCA & SCIP INSTRUCTOR SEMINAR

Tue Sep 11, 2018 7:36 pm

h2operations wrote:
Tue Sep 11, 2018 6:07 pm
That's a cool photo. Where are you diving in that one?
Thanks. It was taken at Possum Kingdom Lake, which is about 80 miles west of Fort Worth. Beautiful winding lake on the Brazos River, it was really popular with divers from 1950's until recent times. A surge of building homes, golf courses, etc. may have contributed to the falling visibility from fertilizers, and it certainly lost some of it's wilderness beauty appeal. I don't know of any good public shore access suitable for diving anymore, so diving is pretty much limited to those with boats or homes on the water. This was the home of iconic "Scuba Point" dive shop, owned by diving pioneers, Tom and Mary Davis, and family from 50's until about 2010. Great shore access right behind the shop.
The older I get the better I was.

h2operations
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First Name: Paul
Location: Coronado CA

Re: 1968 YMCA & SCIP INSTRUCTOR SEMINAR

Tue Sep 11, 2018 9:35 pm

I just saw that Yellow tank and harness on letgo for sale in NY yesterday. That's what caught my eye with your photo. Thank you for sharing!

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antique diver
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Re: 1968 YMCA & SCIP INSTRUCTOR SEMINAR

Tue Sep 11, 2018 9:53 pm

Unfortunately I don't still have those originals, but have acquired identical Healthways Scuba Star reg, yellow tank and USD Dolphin pac in my collection.
The older I get the better I was.

sbotes
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First Name: Steve

Re: 1968 YMCA & SCIP INSTRUCTOR SEMINAR

Mon Dec 09, 2019 11:38 pm

Holy Smokes...... the YMCA memories.

I grew up with a big Midwest YMCA Scuba Club called the Atlantis Divers. My mom and dad were original members. A ton of history. I remember training classes in the late 50's. Although then the certification cards carried the name of the Scuba Club not the YMCA. I even have a film of a club trip to the Bahamas that I believe was in the early 60's.

Wish I could find a place for some of my memorabilia.

I remember Jacques Cousteau coming to the YMCA to show his film Silent World. He was also trying to raise money for the first Calypso. I believe I may even have some of the paperwork from that day.

How did the song go.... Memories...... sweeten through the ages....

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antique diver
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Re: 1968 YMCA & SCIP INSTRUCTOR SEMINAR

Tue Dec 10, 2019 10:15 am

sbotes wrote:
Mon Dec 09, 2019 11:38 pm
Holy Smokes...... the YMCA memories.

I grew up with a big Midwest YMCA Scuba Club called the Atlantis Divers. My mom and dad were original members. A ton of history. I remember training classes in the late 50's. Although then the certification cards carried the name of the Scuba Club not the YMCA. I even have a film of a club trip to the Bahamas that I believe was in the early 60's.

Wish I could find a place for some of my memorabilia.

I remember Jacques Cousteau coming to the YMCA to show his film Silent World. He was also trying to raise money for the first Calypso. I believe I may even have some of the paperwork from that day.

How did the song go.... Memories...... sweeten through the ages....

Thanks for bringing up your memories of those early days of diving instruction.

I hope you can find some printed information about the Cousteau visit to post here! :D
The older I get the better I was.

seahuntercaptain
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First Name: Bart
Location: Possum Kingdom Lake, Texas

Re: 1968 YMCA & SCIP INSTRUCTOR SEMINAR

Sat Feb 15, 2020 12:09 pm

I was involved with the Southwest Council from 1969 through its end in 1980. Were you active in their spearfishing contests? Do you still dive at PK?

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antique diver
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Re: 1968 YMCA & SCIP INSTRUCTOR SEMINAR

Sat Feb 15, 2020 10:36 pm

seahuntercaptain wrote:
Sat Feb 15, 2020 12:09 pm
I was involved with the Southwest Council from 1969 through its end in 1980. Were you active in their spearfishing contests? Do you still dive at PK?
Hi Bart, Do you live at Possum Kingdom area? I'm in Parker County, not so far away. I got certified SCIP in 1965, and instructor rating in 1968. Haven't dived PK in about 20 years, and no longer having a boat don't really have good access. I'd like to go back this spring if I could get some good advice on shore entry locations. Please let me know if you have some suggestions.

I was doing some spearfishing in 60's and 70's, but never entered any of the organized contests. We were members of Inland Divers (next to Scuba Point) and kept our boat there for a number of years. We still stay in touch with Tom Davis' daughter, Ann, who lives on south side of PK.

We have been diving at Wheeler-Branch Reservoir in Glen Rose for a couple of years, and it's pretty nice for shallow easy diving. You can reach me to chat about diving by my email link on this forum. Looking forward to hearing from you. :)
The older I get the better I was.

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