A Blast from the Past

[SurfLung]

- My mom sent me this photo of me, my older brother, sisters, and my Dad on a scuba diving day at Leech Lake, MN (1962-63 I think). That's me in the middle with the single hose regulator. Dad had converted an oxygen tank to scuba with a valve replacement and home made harness. I think that regulator was a Sportways.
- My Dad is wearing a wetsuit like SeaHunt Jerry had in High School... Gorgeous panel of yellow neoprene... Ordered mail order from Skin Diver Magazine.
- Dig the zig-zag snorkel my brother is wearing!

[antique diver]

That's a great photo, Surflung! Did your Dad make that snorkel?

[SurfLung]

- I really don't remember... That snorkel is odd looking enough to be home made. I think I was only 7-8 years old in this picture and my memory of those years is sometimes intricate and sometimes vague.
- Dad had a yellow inflateable boat in which he mounted a 3x5 foot hand sewn red and white canvas diving flag. The flag was mounted in a rectangular frame so it displayed flat and caught the wind like a sail. When diving, he'd drag this boat. I'd ride in it and watch his bubbles. He had an anchor tied to a rope tied to this boat... And dragged the boat around while carrying the anchor. Seems like a hard way to tow a diving float but that's an intricate detail I remember like yesterday.
- Leech lake was virgin dive territory back then and Dad found lots of old stuff left over from the logging days... When log harvests would float on the lake in "rafts" and the loggers would drop their pikes in the water or lose their anchors. We had a two fluke anchor in the yard that was about 3 feet wide from tip of fluke to tip of fluke. I've lost track of whatever happened to that.

[1969ivan1]

Awesome picture Eben!

[crimediver]

Very cool picture indeed!