Historical Diving Society

HDSUSA ADVISORY BOARD

The Historical Diving Society USA was formed in 1992 and incorporated as a nonprofit public benefit corporation in 1994.

The HDSUSA prides itself on the accurate investigating and recording of diving history. These high standards have attracted the support of the world's leading divers, many of whom sit on the HDSUSA Advisory Board. Among these are oceanographer Sylvia Earle; pioneering diver, photographer, filmmaker, scientist and author Hans Hass; the First Lady of the Sea Lotte Hass; ocean explorer and environmentalist Jean-Michel Cousteau; Diving Systems International founder and equipment developer Bev Morgan; Newtsuit inventor Phil Nuytten; Divers Alert Network founder Peter Bennett; astronaut /aquanaut Scott Carpenter; renowned underwater photographer Ernie Brooks II; American diving legend E.R. Cross; French diving pioneer Andre Galerne; Oceaneering founder Lad Handelman; D.U.I. founder Dick Long; Body Glove founders Bob and Bill Meistrell; leading British medical authority Sir John Rawlins; deep-ocean scientist Andreas Rechnitzer; Scubapro founder Dick Bonin; and hyperbaric specialist J. Thomas Millington.

Membership Benefits

The HDSUSA enables individuals, organizations and corporations with an interest in diving history to make academic, social and practical contacts on both national and international levels.

One of the most significant benefits of Society membership is the quarterly magazine Historical Diver,where you'll find articles covering the history of diving from ancient times to the modern surge in recreational diving. The magazine features profiles on such personalities as Jacques Yves Cousteau, Augustus Siebe and Hans and Lotte Hass, as well as in-depth articles on Mark V diving helmets, scuba regulators and more.

Another valuable membership benefit is the Society's affiliation with other similar organizations worldwide. These organizations welcome you to participate in their programs and functions at their prevailing member price. A list of these organizations can be found on the Affiliated Organizations page.The Society offers a reciprocal arrangement for their members.

The Society also provides members the opportunity to acquire books, publications and videos relating to the history of diving. Several of these items are limited editions and in some instances the Society is the sole American supplier of them.

Members of diving societies other than the HDSUSA also receive a regional society newsletter, which is enclosed with their copy of Historical Diver.Join HDSUSA now.

The Society Logo

The HDSUSA logo depicts a helmet manufactured in London around the middle of the 19th century by Augustus Siebe, who is generally considered "the father of deep sea diving." In much the same way that Cousteau and Gagnan's Aqualung launched world recreational diving, the designs incorporated in Augustus Siebe's equipment provided a safe and efficient means for man to work under the sea. It was the Augustus Siebe helmet design and its accompanying apparatus that launched the trade of the diver.

The Augustus Siebe helmet gained a reputation for safety during its use on the wreck of The Royal Georgein 1840. The combination of features incorporated in its design became the standard for helmet construction throughout most of the world, and certain features were incorporated into the design of modern-day space suits.