DIVE LOG AUSTRALASIA ISSUE 413 AUGUST 25

R egular readers of DIVE LOG, will by now, be familiar with the annual activities of the Historical Diving Society, over the King’s Birthday long-weekend. At Portland harbour in Victoria, Frank and Kathy Zeigler of Professional Diving Services have run a NAUI Standard Dress diving course for the last 16 years. In conjunction with the NAUI instruction course for new students, PDS also run a Rally diving event for HDS members who have previously completed the standard dress course. This is always a fun weekend, despite the weather, as we are always able to dive in the sheltered waters of the harbour with kind permission from the Glenelg Shire Council. Many members of the HDS have, over the years, refurbished and restored vintage helmet and scuba equipment to ensure the “good old days” of our diving history are not lost for ever. The helmet standard diving dress equipment was first developed in the 1830s, and for about 120 years, diving was operations were carried out in this equipment only for commercial and construction purposes. It was not until WW2 that self-contained underwater apparatus was developed for military purposes, after which recreational scuba equipment became popular A Salute to Early Diving Days by Des Williams

in the late 1940s and early 1950s. And look how far we have come since then! Ever mindful of preserving our rich diving history, Historical Diving Society branches around the world now refurbish and maintain vintage equipment in both private collections and public museums. The King’s Birthday long-weekend historical diving event at Portland, has become an annual event and an excellent opportunity to display and enjoy vintage diving apparatus and re-live the developmental years of our sport. This year, some forty members of the HDS Aus-Pac from Victoria, NSW, Queensland, Canberra, SA, and WA attended the three-day event. In the past twelve months since the previous event, more items of vintage gear have been restored and prepared for check out dives. Stephen

Siebe Gorman & Robison Helmets

1868 Henry Dykes Helmet

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DIVE LOG Australasia #413 - August‘25

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