The very first

[vintagemike6]

When was the very first book on skin diving published and by whom?
When was the very first book on scuba/aqualung diving published and by whom? i suspect that guy gilpatric might be the first on skin diving but that is only a guess.
mike

[21]

[quote="vintagemike6"]When was the very first book on skin diving published and by whom?

There are two types of diving:
1)Skin diving which is same as free diving
2) Scuba diving which is self contained uderwater breathing appartus.

Both are included under the umbrella of recreational diving..

Guy Gilpatric published "The Compleat Goggler" in 1938


When was the very first book on scuba/aqualung diving published and by whom?

That will open a can of worms --"self contained Underwater breathing appartus" There are many books that address this subject. Watanabe Riichi the Japanese inventor of the Ohgushi Perrless Respirator published an instruction manual for his unit in 1918 -Hass was using rebreathers in the early on and could be construed as one of the first books, The USN was using the Thompson mask with a single hose regulator adaptation in WW11, and Spaco issued a manual in 1948 or 9.

So the answer is a difficult one. What do you think?

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[duckbill]

If it's O.K. to interject, I have a quick question.

1)Skin diving which is same as free diving

I have a 1957 World Book Encyclopedia which says under "Skin Diving"-
"Skin divers sometimes use self-contained breathing devices known as lungs."

My impression was that the definition of freediving has changed. It originally meant any untethered diving (tethered as in hard hat diving) and so included SCUBA. Now, freediving is taken to mean diving with no underwater breathing apparatus at all. Is this incorrect?

[duckbill]

There are two types of diving:
1)Skin diving which is same as free diving
2) Scuba diving which is self contained uderwater breathing appartus.

(The edit feature is gone)

[Bryan]

(The edit feature is gone)

Web Administrator......Where is the "edit" feaure ??

[21]

Each generational change apparently changes the nomenclature of an activity, and diving is not excluded.

I am in the middle of writting a book and in one of the early parts I attempt to identify the names associated with diving..For example SCUBA diving, ie Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus;

Le Pleuir ??? I can't read French
Hass=Swimdiver
Dogan=Menfish
JYC=Cousteau diver
US Divers=Aqua Lung
California divers=Lung diving
Industry=SCUBA
Commerical Divers=recreational or sport divers (or worse)

Free diving:
Breathing tube=US
Snorkling=France

Skin Diving:
US-Skin diver magazine and others

Spear fishing:
Vane Ivanovic in his many editions and as many titles (7 or8) of his books he discusses in detail the term Spearfisherman. In the 1940s the term was the property of a hunter who stood on a bank and hurled a spear into the water..by the time Skin diver was published in December 1951, it was common termology to call any one with a spear gun a Spearfisherman, therefore the title of the US magazine.

Spear fishing has remained constant--breath hold diving spearing fish.

Spearfishermen call the activity of using SCUBA and spearfishing "shooting fish" ( a title of complete distain)

However, Guy Gilpatric is the exception. He coined the term Goggling in the middle 1930s for using goggles and or mask concurrently spearing fish.

So I am referring to SCUBA as using air contained in a pressure vessel
and Free diving as any form of breath hold diving.

Confined to a helmet or swimmer helmet with surface supplied air as Classical diving or Helmet diving--never hard hat! That is the protection head gear of the construction worker.

I would like to hear more on your thoughts on this subject..

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[vintagemike6]

21, i had no intention of starting ww3 with that question, only to find out what books or literature on skin, free, scuba diving etc. of the early 20th century were produced. it is my hope to be informed about literature that i don't even know about. i know this will be a long ongoing dicussion and that is good for those really interested.
mike

[eskimo3883]

Hi,

I read SCUBA was a term coined by the US Navy for an underwater project they kept secret for a time. I believe I read your (21) comments where Healthways had SCUBA trademarked for a period. I don't know if that introduced the need for other terms. I read the term Self-Contained Dress in a 1938 book. It would be interesting to see all the terms on a time line with notes how they have came about, and changed over time, and why.

[21]

[quote="vintagemike6"]21, i had no intention of starting ww3 with that question, only to find out what books or literature on skin, free, scuba diving etc. of the early 20th century were produced. it is my hope to be informed about literature that i don't even know about. i know this will be a long ongoing dicussion and that is good for those really interested.
mike[/quote]

___________________________________________________
You certainly didn't start WW111 not even blip on the Radar.

It is always best to start with a clean level playing field. Correct nomenclature of the subject is a start.

I know of very few books of the early 20th century that addresses recreational diving. A few books were published in the 1930-40s, more in the 1950s -60s, and considerably more in the 1970s to present== most the later were warmed over from previously published material. Therefore stick with the earlier 1930s to 1960s to establish a historical significant collection--Note the word "Collection" one or two Books is not a collection-but a shelf can be, if the collection is dedicated to a specific subject like Spearfishing-- Photography--Instruction etc.


There are a number of bibliophiles that post to this list who have presentable world class collections. One that comes immediately to mind is Turtle guy (with apologies to others who have a collections.)

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[scaph]

Hello,
I have a small collection of early diving book but some are very interesting.
The very first in my collection is a manual of the Ohio Rubber Company, dated 1943.
It's unbelievable...they just connect the diving mask to the air brake storage tank or directly to the tire valves of the truck !!!
The second is the very early manual on the french "scaphandre Cousteau-Gagnan" dated 1946.
Those are not really book, just manual.
The first book about scuba diving that I have is the french "la plongée en scaphandre" written by Dumas, Tailliez, Cousteau, Alinat and Devilla in 1949. Mine is dedicated by F.Dumas.

[crimediver]

WOW. Pretty cool. Talk about re-inventing the wheel.

[21]

I have the same pamphlet from the Ohio Rubber Company.

It is titled:

United States Navy,
Instructions for
Use of
shallow water
diving mask
Ohio Rubber Company

Mine is a burnt orange color,18 pages, dated March 1943. It measures 6 inches tall, (15-1/2 CM) X 4-3/8 wide (11=1/2 CM) It was published by the Ohio Rubber company in Willoughby Ohio.

It is interesting to note when the HDS was established 15 years ago I displayed the copy to some of the members -- Not one had seen a copy and I was offered a 'Considsiderable sum' for it. Thankfully I turned the offer down.

I until today thought I had the only one remaining in the world. Now there are at least two copies remaining in the world.

A few days after the meeting I called Ohio rubber company to inquire about any other documentation and or masks. I was informed that they had cleaned out evey thing just several months previously--every thing--documentation, masks and spare parts went to the dump!

Several of the masks have shown up on E bay-- Alex Pierce whom many of youy know purchased one. It did not have the instruction manual.

There are two books that are related to this mask. they both have the same title: "Diving, cutting and welding in uderwater salvage operations" published by the Cornell Maritime press. 1944.

The hard cover has a red dust jacket, with a picture of the mask on the cover in black. The boards (cover) is a dark marron color. 214 pages, cost $2.00

The soft cover has a thin light tan cover, no picture all writting. It is a fascimile reprint of the 1944 edition dated July 1969. Cost $3.00.

I donot know why it was reprinted in 1969 and will not venture a guess.

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