DIVE LOG JUNE 2025 issue 412

During the 1930s, many young men were inspired by the deep- sea hero explorer of the time, William Beebe, who astounded the world with his descents in his bathysphere, to depths never reached by man until that time. Many a young lad fashioned his own home-made diving helmet; such was the excitement generated by William Beebe and colleague Otis Barton. The most vital safety fitting to include in any diving helmet, is an air non-return valve, which will prevent serious facial squeeze should the air supply line be compromised. I often wonder how many of the home-made helmets were fitted with such a safety feature. Just how many accidents oc curred using such primitive equipment is unknown, as only the successful divers seem to have received any publicity. One such enthusiast was Merv Taylor from Melbourne, who worked for the Public Works Department and on at least three occasions made news in the press with his diving es capades. The idea of constructing a diving helmet came to Merv dur ing bridge construction work on the Murray River, where valuable tools were often accidently dropped into the river and lost. The following press report from March 1934, de tails his first helmet, constructed from a large “Minties” tin! “Mr Taylor, now engaged on repairing the Cobram Bridge, gave a practical demonstration of a simple diving helmet, which he made himself. It consists of a large “Mintie” (con fectionery) tin which envelopes the head, cut to fit neatly on top of his shoulders; two lead weights, each weighing 20lbs, are suspended one in front and the other at the back of the helmet. These keep the helmet tight on his shoulders and convey him to the bottom. A glass window is affixed in front and two valves from a motor tube are soldered in. To one is affixed a long length of tube, to which is attached a motor tyre pump and the other lets out the excess air and injurious gases. He casually walked into the river in ordinary clothes with a rope around his waist and explored the riverbed. He was underwater for eight minutes and said he could have The Oil Drum Diver by Des Williams

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DIVE LOG Australasia #412 - June‘25

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