Scuba |
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The exhibit, “SCUBA Diving,” showcasing one of the most popular forms of
recreation in the U.S. and Florida today, will be on display May, June, and
July 2001 on the Wimberly Library’s 2nd Floor, West Wing.
It has long been a dream of people to swim and explore underwater. For most
of history, this activity has been limited to the odd experimenter and
professional divers of the old hard-hat-and-hose variety. SCUBA, as it is
known today, has existed since the 1930's but was perfected only during
World War II. Then, Navy Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) specialists, or
"frogmen" (the precursors of today's SEALS, BTW), were used as obstacle
clearers for beach invasions. At this time Jacques Cousteau (and Emile
Gagnan) invented the demand regulator that makes diving achievable on its
present day scale. It is interesting to note that frogmen were first
trained in nearby Ft. Pierce. The UDT Museum there is a must-see for
anyone interested in this bit of history.
SCUBA slowly came to be seen as a recreational activity after the war. Its
growth and popularity were spurred by the show Sea Hunt, starring the late
Lloyd Bridges, and Cousteau's books and television specials. Today, SCUBA
is a major player in the recreational field. Its affordable popularity
allows the average person to visit caves, wrecks, reefs, and other
nautical sites. Divers can now visit octopi, fish, eels, dolphins, and
even sharks in their own habitat. Recreational divers have turned their
sport into a positive good. Weekend explorers regularly monitor and take
care of reefs, and create artificial reefs. They feed, not catch, fish
including sharks.