San Diego - February 8, 2004
San Diego KOA???? Not exactly, but it did look like it. Nancy Herbst and John Harrison from the College staff made arrangements for members to bring their rigs to camp out in the COO-SD parking lot the day before the dive (Friday afternoon). Charlie and Mom Orr were there along with Mom's cats, Kato and Smokey. Harold (a.k.a. "Frog Man") and Ruby Nething brought their 5th wheeler, and Dorothy Barstad from Arizona with her RV conversion van. That evening members who had checked into their motels were stopping by and everyone ended up in Harold's 5th wheel for a pre-dive party!
The day of the dive, Harold was up at the crack of dawn checking out the gear. We had lots of help and setup went smoothly. The first diver in the water was Mark Howell with his new Aquala dress, the Desco Kirby hat and chest lead. A total of twelve dives were made with a variety of equipment, including vintage scuba, Navy MkV and a Desco Kirby hat.
We were please to have Ace Parnell, all the way from Hawaii, join us for the day. Ace was one of our first members and his advice as a professional diver has been invaluable. COO student and drawing winner, Rod Stoltz, along with COO instructor, John Harrison, dove the old MkV for the first time. Also, Carl Martin, a friend of Kevin Monahan, tended all day, took pictures and helped to tote gear. Harold made the last dive of the day with the MkV.
We all missed the familiar face of Ken McElvain who wasn't able to make the rally this time. Ken had surgery the day prior to the event, but his wife told me that he almost went anyway just to keep Harold on his toes!
A big "Thank You" to the COO-SD staff and students for their help and hospitality. They have made every effort to make our dive rally at their facility a success. And, also "Thanks" to all the guys and gals who attended and helped out during the day. ~ Charlie Orr
Setup 10:00 a.m. Diving to continue until about 4:00 p.m. Lunch provided by the COO-SD. Call Charlie @ (310) 834-7051 for info. No reminders will be mailed out, so be sure to mark your calendar.
This rally was a busy one with several guest attending. To name a few, Isabella Brown from the Aquarium of the Pacific had a "blast" with the Desco hat. Travis Finger from the Antelope Valley Desert Divers made his first heavy gear dive. We also had three students from the COO, Sarah Gordon, Clint Summers and Travis Walker.
"Big" Al Pilkington led the pack diving the Desco hat wearing his now famous "shades." Ken McElvain didn't dive, but was there to make sure we did everything right. Christian von Stentzsch brought his newly acquired, Chinese TF 12-Y4C, but the dive was aborted because of neck ring problems. Ben Briggs, Charlie Orr, Bill Kurka, Brad Speer and Kevin Monahan were also in attendance and took their "dip" in heavy gear. The total for the day was 12 dives not counting the classic scuba, which is now getting as much or more attention than the heavy gear. Charlie brought his Jap chest lead for everyone to try and check the difference between it and the standard weight belt.
Many thanks to the COO for the great BBQ and for allowing us to attend their open house. Also, for the great turn out of our guys to haul gear. After the rally the crew meet at the Acapulco Restaurant in San Pedro for decompression and a few well deserved "cold ones."
Set up at 8:00 a.m. Diving to continue until about 4:00 p.m. The COO will provide lunch for us. If you have new gear to try bring it along and plan on having a good time! Call Charlie Orr @ (310) 834-7051 for additional info.
Bannings Landing - Regrettably, we will not be able to hold a June Rally at the Bannings Landing this year because of some boats that will be tied up at the dock.
Norma Hanson - Norma is to be guest speaker at the California Wreck Divers meeting on Wednesday, April 28. Meeting time - 8:00 p.m. Place - Round Table Pizza, 4330 Redondo Beach Blvd, Lawndale. For more information contact Ben Briggs (562) 431-7945. Everyone is welcome.
At our rallies, BS sessions, and get togethers, we have had members bring up some interesting safety concerns ranging from communications to bail out bottles. It usually boils down to the fact that it is usually the little things that can turn into a BIG problem fast, especially while underwater.
Recently at our rally at the College of Oceaneering in San Diego, Rocky Rockwell brought our attention to the rope we use to secure the hose and com line to the breast plate. On the old Mark V was a piece of half inch cotton rope that had been on there for quite some time. Rocky called it "rotten cotton." And, that is exactly what it was!
We sometimes forget that no matter how old the gear, it is still a piece of life support equipment and should always be treated as such. The old cotton rope did look mighty good with its tied ends and all, but it was doubtful if it could have taken the strain of hauling up a diver in full gear. The "rotten cotton" has now been replaced with new, stronger, synthetic rope with plenty of lifting strength.
Any one that has a question or suggestion concerning the dive gear or a better way to do something, please give me a call. It makes interest reading and it could prevent an accident at one of our events. ~ Charlie Orr
Kevin was born in New York City. His dad was a career Marine so, like all military families, they moved around a lot, mostly on the east coast. Kevin started diving when in high school and became certified in 1973. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the US Navy. While in the Navy he attended Scuba School and later 2nd Class Diver's school and wound up spending most of his six year enlistment as a diver with an Underwater Construction Team (UCT) and a couple of years as an Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) diver. He also spent seven years in the Army National Guard as a Paratrooper/Airborne Infantry.
After the Navy, he went to Texas to work in the Gulf of Mexico as a commercial diver. He spent the next eight years working for various companies doing oilfield diving, some of it overseas. He also spent three years working in Florida doing underwater construction, some salvage work and plenty of inspection work for insurance companies.
Kevin gave up diving commercially in the early 1990s to attend college. After graduation form the University of Texas with a BS degree in Petroleum Engineering, he went to work in the telecommunication industry as Project Manager and sometimes NDT Inspector.
Kevin now lives in San Diego with his wife, Rhyse. In 2001, while trolling the Internet, he ran across the CCED's website and immediately called Charlie to ask about membership. Since then he has tried to attend all the events, often accompanied by Rhyse. Kevin says, "It has been fantastic to be a part of a group such as CCED that enjoys and promotes diving and the history of diving."
On April 15, the College of Oceaneering in Wilmington held their graduation ceremony at the Bannings Landing Community Center. CCED senior member, Mr. Harold Nething was the guest speaker. My intentions had been to listen to Harold, take a few pictures for our newsletter then head for home, but . . I ended up staying for the whole ceremony.
I was met at the door by
Patti Benoit, director of
Bannings Landing. She
took me back to the
conference room where
the ceremony was to be
held. I was again warmly
greeted by the MC, Mr.
Bruce Hoffman, CAD
Instructor for the COO,
and was seated next to
Harold.
Eleven students were graduating from three different specialities; Spec Tech, Med Tech and Weld Tech. Not only were the instructors in attendance, but also several people from the COO staff. The first thing I noticed was the respect the staff, instructors, and students have for one another. As the students were called forward to accept their diplomas, it wasn't hand shakes that were exchanged. The students embraced their instructors as you would an old friend.
Each instructor from the three specialties addressed the audience, telling of the students dedication in learning their new trade. They also shared some of the values they imparted on the students. Work ethics that would stay with them for all their working years. Weld Tech Instructor, Mr. Lamar Howard, stressed duty to God and family - In that order! And, to try their best, no matter what the job required of them.
Mr. Harold Nething spoke before the graduates, telling them of his love of the diving trade. He also told them of one of his first dives as a young man on the Sperry AS-12 (Sub Tender). Harold was given a job that he considered unsafe, but went ahead as ordered with near disastrous results when his air line parted and the inexperienced tender had no idea what to do.
After the ceremony, I headed back to my car and glanced up the channel to where the old Sparling School was originally located. I remembered something from Murray Black's new book, Between the Devil and the Deep. It was the encouragement that E.R. Cross had given him at the old Sparling School, "You can do it Blackie." Those words stuck with him for the rest of his life. This is the same message the instructors at the COO are giving their graduates. "You can do it!"
Congratulations and best wishes to the COO graduates!
As one of the early pioneers of commercial oilfield diving, Murray Black was an industry leader with an abundance of natural bravery and a Can Do attitude. After graduating from E.R. Cross' Sparling School of Deep Sea Diving, Murray progressed through the ranks of the colorful abalone divers and eventually founded DIVCON. His adventures took him under the world's oceans and around the globe, at one time using a surface supplied helmet and hose to do a 525 foot gas dive. Murray often proclaimed himself as the "World's Greatest Deep Sea Diver," and this autobiography lends some credence to that. This book is a remarkable memoir of one of the world's outstanding deep water diving pioneers.
LIMITED TO 1,000 COPIES ONLY. $37.50 PLUS DOMESTIC POSTAGE. Contact the HDS offices for rates: (805) 692-0072 or hds@hds.org. CA residents add 7.75% sales tax. For overseas postage contact HDS office at hds@hds.org. Hard bound. Approximately 200 pages, with black and white photos.
Note: A limited edition book sold exclusively through the
HDS and released on April 5, 2004. A book every
collector and dive enthusiast will want to have on his book
shelf.
Murray Black passed away on Sunday, March 2, 2004 at the age of 74. He is survived by his wife Margaret, four children and one sister. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him. ~ Leslie G. Jacobs
Edward Pierce, one of the pioneer abalone divers on the Central Coast of California passed away on March 12, 2004 at San Luis Obispo, California. Born in Playto, California on August 19, 1914, he was one of a family of eleven brothers and sisters.
The Pierce Family - Bill Pierce, considered the second Caucasian abalone diver on the coast, was soon joined by his brothers, Less, A.R. "Dutch", Charlie, Eddie and Walter "Duke" Pierce. A close knit family, several of their cousins also joined the operation - Ferree "Cougar," Tom, Bob, Carl, Frank, Walter "Blub," and Bill "Wimpy" Pierce. Bill's youngest brother, Ernest "Skinner" Pierce, joined the group after WWII. Of the fourteen Pierce men, nine of them were divers. Two of the brothers, Bill and Tom, lost their lives while diving. Tom Pierce was killed in 1939 working in Monterey Harbor. Bill Pierce was killed in August 1945, 50 miles north of Morro Bay when his air hose was cut by the boat's propeller.
Ed Pierce was also an inventor inventing a machine that separated gold ore mercury. He applied for and obtained patents in the United States, Canada and Africa.
He is survived by two of the brothers, Charles and Walter Pierce, his present wife Marie, three daughters from his first marriage, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A Mass was held on March 19 at St. Timothy's Catholic Church with burial at the Cayucos Cemetery, Cayucos, California.
References:
Obituary Notice - San Luis Obispo Tribune
"20,000 Jobs Under the Sea" by Torrance Parker