RED AND WHITE DIVE FLAG

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I have been searching and verifing various subjects for completeness and accuracy. Yesterday I was reviewing the Diver's Flag.

A name that I had read only once before a "Doc Dockery" popped up as the "father of the dive flag" on the Scuba board. He may well be, if so fantastic!

However I have appeard 2 times 20 + years apart as a expert witness in defense of the useage and ownership of the flag--I had never had any contact nor have I ever seen Doc Dockery's name associated with the diver flag. Any one on VDH know or have heard of Doc Dockery?

FYI -- you might want to review my 2 postings on the SCUBA Board re the dive flag--go to Scuba board and type diver flag and it should lead you to the postings--has some history in it..

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[pearldiver]

Sam, This is all I know about. ??
Gayle


http://www.fatboyscuba.com/diveflaghistory.html
HISTORY OF OUR DIVE FLAG




Discharged from the U.S. Navy on August 16, 1949 Denzel James Dockery began his newly acquired trade of Diving with a home built "SCUBA" rig manufactured from a plan published in an issue of the "Popular Mechanics" magazine. After serving a period of apprentice with his new equipment and now newly wed to Ruth Evelyn Carlson, it became painfully apparent that the "Baker" flag he had used in the Navy was not recognized by civilian marine operators. The "Baker" flag is a solid red DANGER flag displayed by Navy personal when there were divers at work nearby. "Doc", as he was nick named, was using the flag as he had in the Navy, but no one was honoring its presents. Together he and Ruth fabricated a "Red" flag with a white stripe running across its middle. This flag showed the same pattern when viewed from either side. The Dockerys soon discovered that their flag was a copy of a National Flag used by Austria. After much research the White Stripe was quickly moved to Run from the upper left corner to the lower right corner. The flag was a little more difficult for Ruth to sew but was a true original "DIVER DOWN FLAG". It did not represent any country or organization that they could find. The "Divers Flag" was born. The fact that it reversed its self when viewed from the back was a necessary but acceptable trade off. Doc used the flag in his work and promoted it through the "Cuadro Pescadores" Diving Club that they belonged to. During the early 1950's the Dockery's opened a "garage" Dive Shop in Flint, MI and sold the flag to local Divers. A sales representative for U.S. Divers named Ted Nixon saw their flag and offered to sell it Nationally while calling on his regular customers. With Ted's contacts the flag really sold. Ruth spent most of her spare time sewing flags by the hundreds. Meanwhile, Doc and the club members worked to get the flag recognized by the Michigan State Legislature as a means of protecting SCUBA Divers from marine traffic. Also, the newly formed Great Lakes Diving Council began promoting The FLAG to the Legislators of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Each of the Legislations in turn passed laws forcing penalties to be levied against Divers who did not use The FLAG but gave the Diver no legal protection against boaters while using it. Their efforts had "BACKFIRED". By this time many other companies were making The Flag and Doc & Ruth decided it was time to drop out of the picture and direct their attention to their growing Diving business. The Diving industry has rewarded them with a comfortable life style and a small place in the HISTORY OF DIVING.

[fishb0y]

Sam,
I've been following your discussion about dive flags on ScubaBoard. Feel free to posts the facts here... there seems to be quite a few self proclaimed 'scuba historians' there.

[Greg Barlow]

Mr. Dockery is the owner of Vortex Spring outside of Ponce de Leon, FL. I have made many dives there, and made a cave dive "beyond the locked gate" just this summer.

Mr. Dockery's daughter runs the business, and the facility sees a lot of divers and swimmers. They have always been friendly, and have never said a word to me about using vintage gear in the basin or cavern. There are also some interesting mutated carp. I would think that they are the results of inbreeding due to the confined environment. There are also several eels that are quite photogenic.

It is actually a great place to get a feel for cave diving. You can penetrate around 300 linear feet and to depths slightly greater than 100'.

There is a display in the store that explains the claim that the Dockery's were the originators of the dive flag. I have no knowledge as to that claim's validity.

Greg Barlow

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Pearl diver, FishbOy and Greg,

I appreciate your posts==PD for the information, FB for the support, and Greg for the information.

I spent several valuable hours on the Divers Flag thread... Probably to no avail since my comments probably --certainly --fell on less than informed ears. Ther is nothing I destest more than a dumassed uninformed expert know it all diver...

You and others may want to check it out--to quote a dear friend of a number of years "...Its a riot." ( I am referring to the Post not the Ohio city)

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