DIVELOG JUNE 406

DIVERS IN ADVERTISING F rom the early days of diving, the diver has been called upon to perform many tasks. Recovering wrecks and lost items such as anchors and more romantically, bringing up lost treasure. Over the years divers have been revered for their underwater “daring-do” and courage and therefore, like popular sports-people of today, were employed to advertise a wide range of products, most of which were not related to diving at all! But for attention-grabbing and best visual impact, the diver in helmet gear, or scuba apparatus, has always attracted attention in the media. - an historical pictorial

However, the largest proportion of

If you would like more information about diving pioneers, contact the Historical Diving Society Australia-Pacific by email at: info@historicaldivingsociety.com.au or visit our website www.historicaldivingsociety.com.au or FB https://m.facebook.com/groups/120950924589540/ Please note that this article is of historical nature and is not intended to promote or advertise cigarette smoking. Dive Log Australasia maintains a strict policy against promoting or endorsing the use of tobacco products. Next time, I shall feature some more of the colourful advertisements from my collection, which promoted products ranging from automobiles, drinking cocoa, home insurance, tyres, whiskey, beer, soft drinks and even Playboy magazine .

advertisements featuring divers during the 20th

century, were for the promotion of alcohol and cigarette sales! Before the media ban on tobacco product advertising, cigarette brands such as Pall Mall, Capstan, Parliament, Embassy and Camel,

Warning : Smoking is a health hazard.

to name just a few, featured commercial deep-sea divers enjoying a post-dive cigarette “ refreshment ” after a working dive. One brand pointed out that “ diving takes healthy nerves ” and that its tobacco products were good for steadying one’s nerves! As a result, back in those days, a very high proportion of commercial divers were indeed BIG smokers of pipes, cigars and cigarettes! Well, we certainly know better these days, don’t we? The many old cigarette advertisements in my “divers in advertising”

collection, certainly look archaic if not a down-right health hazard, today. They are though, all part of history and it is interesting to see them for what they were long ago - colourful, eye catching and very effective!

Warning: Smoking is a health hazard.

54

DIVE LOG Australasia #406 - June ’24

www.divelog.net.au