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Re: Joe Strickland

Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 11:22 pm
by luis
Hi Joe,

Nice write up.

I didn’t know that you lived in Puerto Rico.

It is too bad you didn’t start diving when you lived in PR.

In the very early 70’s there were only about three instructors teaching Scuba in the San Juan area and there was only one dive shop (the instructor in one of the hotels sold some Dacor gear, but he didn’t actually had a dive shop). If you would have gotten certified back then, your dive instructor would have most likely have been Harry Hauck, and ex Navy instructor who taught most non tourist in the San Juan area at the time.

I stated working at Divers Service Center in 71, so if you would have started diving in PR there was a chance we would have met.


Do you remember what school you went to?

Do you remember the location of the tidal pools? The ones around old San Juan or was it in Piñones (past Isla Verde). Those are the only ones I can think of in that area, but there was also a great snorkeling cove next to the bridge from Condado into Old San Juan.

As a kid, I also played a lot in those tidal pools and later in high school our marine biology club studied specimens in those pools.


Thanks

Re: Joe Strickland

Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 2:51 am
by JES
I want to personally thank everyone for the kind comments, and I'm really glad that you've enjoyed my tale.

Luis, we first moved to Fort Buchanan and then to the Naval Station in San Juan. I attended Antilles Elementary and Middle Schools which are located on Fort Buchanan. As far as the beaches, I remember that we frequented a Military Beach quite often (I seem to recall that we would drive past the Baccardi Rum factory on our way there). We also made frequent trips to Roosevelt Roads.

Puerto Rico was without question a great place to live as a young boy. 8)

Re: Joe Strickland

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 11:22 am
by scubasteve59
Great write up and thanks for serving in our armed forces. Look forward to making your acquaintance some day.

Re: Joe Strickland

Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 7:45 pm
by JES
Not Vintage diving, but for the aviation buffs on VDH, here is a picture of the UH-1N Huey that I flew across the US from CA to GA 2 years ago. We had just landed in Flagstaff, AZ. 8)

Image

Re: Joe Strickland

Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 8:20 pm
by 8dust
Very cool, Joe. What seat were you in?

Re: Joe Strickland

Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 11:59 am
by JES
8dust wrote:Very cool, Joe. What seat were you in?
Left seat. 8)


Here's another picture just for fun:

Image

Re: Joe Strickland

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 1:25 am
by 8dust
Shit the bed, Joe... Not too many guys go from being in charge of a helo one day to a tank the next... and I imagine fewer still are Diving Officers??? :shock:

You do seem to be wearing a flight suit though and not tanker gear, so maybe you were just borrowing it, yes?... also looks a little long-in-the-tooth, 60’s-ish? A stop-over at the big parking lot in desert?

Re: Joe Strickland

Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 2:23 am
by JES
8dust wrote:... You do seem to be wearing a flight suit though and not tanker gear, so maybe you were just borrowing it, yes?... also looks a little long-in-the-tooth, 60’s-ish? A stop-over at the big parking lot in desert?
It's a captured Iraqi T-55 that the Marines brought back to 29 Palms after Desert Storm. 8)