Dad was a great guy, a true waterman. Taught swimming in the summers for extra cash. Later in life he was the spitting image of the actor Forrest Tucker of F-Troop fame. So much so that we couldn't go out to dinner without someone asking for his autograph.
He always got a kick out of it, mom not so much depending on the youth/cuteness/cleavage of the girl asking for it.
Dad learned to dive by reading the instructon booklet that came with every tank/reg set. He wasn't an instructor but did teach me to dive in 1967 (using all of his gear from the mid to late 1950s). I'm still finding boxes of his stuff in the basement of my 97 year old mom's house. I'll post anything I find of interest.
"The diver who collects specimens of underwater life has fun and becomes a keen underwater observer. .. seek slow-moving or attached organisms such as corals, starfish, or shelled creatures." (Golden Guide to Scuba Diving, 1968)