Sat Dec 17, 2016 7:32 pm
The first maker of single hose regulators, Breathing Appliances Pty. Ltd., eventually made several models. When I bought a very rare double tank version, the CA2 Porpoise, the seller offered me his photo album. I said I would rather scan it, and let him keep his memories. There was a young woman in one of the class pictures, wearing a leopard skin two piece swim suit. They were called 'swimming costumes' back then. Recently an article appeared in the Australian cave diving magazine and when the article was being prepared for our magazine, Classic Diver, I noticed it was the same woman.
The early single hose course was taught by a WWII British frogman, who was then in the Royal Australian Navy reserve. He was Commander Maurice Batterham. The course was very extensive and the Australian Government kept records of the students, in case of a war time need. This was only 9 years after WWII. Rifle clubs were also supported and their members' names were kept, so as to have a pool of marksmen. She mentions Bob Wallace-Mitchel in the video. He was the distributor of the Porpoise regulators. It was invented by Ted Eldred, because 'double hose' was impossible to get in Australia. Siebe Gorman held the rights to the French invention and could not supply enough of them. The early tanks were carried inverted because air could be managed by decanting between tank. The regulator had a wheel handled reserve on it too. I have posted a number of pictures elsewhere on this site, should you wish to do a search.
HDS Aus-Pac obtained a copy of their training manual. Interestingly, the certificate had semi closed circuit (Nitrox) and oxygen rebreather on it.Any qualification not obtained, was just crossed out. The course also required the students to return for refresher training after a few years, but I never heard of anyone who did so. In 1965 the school closed and US Divers, under the name Australian Divers, began sending their students to our course, taught about a mile away, at the Melbourne YMCA swimming pool. The current Aqua Lung company bought out the Australians back in 1960.