HDSUSA ADVISORY BOARD  

HDSUSA BULLETINS

This page was created so the Historical Diving Society could make announcements between the issues of The Journal of Diving History

HDS Bulletin ~ Update July 31^st, 2010
THE HISTORICAL DIVING SOCIETY RETURNS TO SEATTLE

Please contact Sid Macken to order/reserve your tickets or for questions.

The Historical Diving Society is returning to Seattle for 2010! Our upcoming conference will be held at Seattle’s Museum of Science and Industry (MOHAI) with additional events at the Naval Undersea Museum, Global Diving and Salvage and Diver’s Institute of Technology. Watch this site for details as they develop.

HDS Bulletin March 3^rd, 2010
Helmets of the Deep Update

HDS Bulletin ~ For Immediate Release
THE HISTORICAL DIVING SOCIETY RETURNS TO SEATTLE

The Historical Diving Society (HDS) announced today that it will be returning to Seattle, Washington, for its 2010 ANNUAL CONFERENCE. This will be the HDS's first return to the Northwest since its highly successful conference in 2006. It is the aim of the HDS, through its conferences, to bring diving history to the attention of the public and to provide authors and historians a forum for presenting their research. 

An evening reception will be hosted by Global Diving and Salvage at Global's historic West Seattle headquarters on Friday, October 1^st, 2010. On Saturday, October 2^nd, theconference will be held at Seattle's Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) followed by a banquet at the Hotel Nexus. A demonstration of vintage equipment diving is planned for Sunday, October 3^rd.

More information will be coming soon. It will be available at www.hds.org/bulletins.html.

The Historical Diving Society has recently put out a call-for-papers from prospective speakers who should submit a synopsis of their presentation to conference organizer, Sid Macken. Papers will be reviewed, and speakers selected, by the Society's Editorial Committee. All fields of diving history are appropriate (commercial, recreational, military, scientific & tech) and past subjects have included personalities, specific types of equipment, historical trends and events. Northwest diving and its abundant history would be very much welcomed. Presentations form the lead articles in subsequent issues of the the Society's magazine, The Journal of Diving History, which is mailed to divers in approximately 40 countries providing speakers with an international audience of diving history enthusiasts.

HDS Bulletin January 23^rd, 2010 ~ MTS/DSPA San Diego Luncheon

HDS Bulletin January 1^st, 2010 ~ HDS USA Newly Appointed President

The Board of Directors are pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Kushner as President of the Society. Steve who was formerly President of HDS Sponsor company Kirby Morgan Diving Systems International, replaces Leslie Leaney who has held the possition for the last three years. Leaney remains a Director of the Society and Publisher of The Journal of Diving History. Said Leaney "I am pleased that Board has selected Steve as the new President. We have had a long friendship and professional relationship and I am confirdent that Steve's proven managerial talents will take the Society to the next level. I look forward to working with him as the Society enters its 19^th year."

In a statement released today Kushner said, "I am very proud to have been voted the next President of the Historical Diving Society, USA. As we enter a new decade, we face many new changes which no one could have imagined when we entered the new millennium ten years ago. Those involved in non profit organizations know this better than anyone else.
Many non profit organizations have not survived the past ten years. The Historical Diving Society USA has survived but has not gone without its difficulties. Non profit or not, it takes money to survive. We are very thankful that we have such wonderful sponsors and dedicated members.
One of my many goals is to increase the number of sponsors as well as build a greater membership base. This will allow us to continue preserving the incredible history of diving and to educate the public about the progression of the design and manufacturing of diving equipment and those who have made man’s dream of breathing underwater (even if only on a temporary basis) a reality.
The use of the Internet will become a more important part of how the HDS USA communicates. Information for members, sponsors and the public will be easily accessible. Becoming an HDS USA member, sponsor and purchasing HDS USA products will be easier.
I look forward to working with the Board of Directors, sponsors and the many volunteers who keep the HDS USA alive. A special “thank you’ goes out to Leslie Leaney, former President and founding father of the Historical Diving Society USA."

HDS Bulletin December 15^th, 2009 ~ Helmets of the Deep Update

At this time the Society has been unable to secure a confirmed delivery date from the publisher, who has experienced several unfortunate delays with the project. The Board of Directors has therefore decided that the Society will refund all deposits. Orders have NOT been cancelled. The HDS is simply refunding deposits pending the publication date of the book. Order are active and order reference numbers (with members initials) can be found at www.hds.org/bulletinsImages/hodorders.html. Members with order reservation numbers will be contacted once the Society has a confirmed delivery date and price for the book from the publisher. If you have a question regarding your order or if you wish to place an order for the book, please contact the HDS at hds@hds.org and place HOD orders in the "Subject" box.

November 7^th, 2009 ~ The Society annual raffle for an authentic DESCO USN Mark V helmet was drawn in Orlando, Florida on November 7^th, 2009. The tickets were drawn by Advisory Board member Zale Perry in the Society booth at the DEMA show. Our congratulations to D. Dashnaw and all the other winners listed below:

USN DESCO Mark V – D. Dashnaw, MA
Deep Diving & Submarine Operations – T. Owens, FL
Bob Kirby book – S. Barner, PA
Bev Morgan book – B. Dugger, AL
Murray Black book – J. Fuller, CT
Wyland book – F. Cihak, IL
Hillary Hauser book – J. Montana, WI
Aqua Corps magazine – M. Chance, TX
Morse catalog – J. Kemler, FL
Schrader catalog – J. Holter, SC
DESCO catalog – W. Brathowski, LA
Hans Hass program – M. Jessen, NJ
Paul Tzimoulis tribute program – T. Harter, LA
Original Skin Diver magazine – E. Pittoors, Netherlands

HDS Bulletin 09/11/09. Diving Pioneer fights cancer, friends raise funds for treatment!

Francis Toribiong, an American-educated resident of Palau in the South Pacific, is battling brain cancer. Francis single-handedly organized the dive travel business in Palau, enabling thousands of divers from around the world to experience the undersea wonders of this scuba paradise. He will be inducted into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame in January of 2010.

The expenses of radiation and chemotherapy are crushingly high. Francis and his family do not have insurance to cover them, and thus face financial ruin.

Friends in the diving industry have organized a fund and web site,

http://www.francistoribiongfund.com/

to collect donations to help Francis and his family. Any assistance is welcome and desperately needed.

HDS Bulletin 07/06/09. HDS 2009 Award Recipients
The Board of Directors are pleased to announce the following HDS Award Recipients for 2009:

HDS Pioneer Award - Bob Barth
Bob is internationally recognized for his saturation diving work with the USN's Genesis and SEALAB programs. He is a member of the Society Advisory Board and known in the military and commercial diving communities as "The Dean of Saturation Diving."
HDS E.R. Cross Award - Steve and Kristine Barsky
The Barskys have been long time members and supporters of the Society, volunteering in numerous roles and assisting with the Societies administration. Their diving careers span several decades. Steve is a former Society Director and Kristine a former Society recording secretary.
HDS Nick Icorn Diving Heritage Award - Greg and Helen Langley and The Museum of Tropical Queensland
As recorded in the Journal of Diving History, Issue 58, Greg and Helen donated their large collection of diving helmets to the Museum of Tropical Queensland for conservation and public display. The pairing of the Langley Collection with the Museum provides Australia with a world class diving exhibit venue that not only honors the trade of the diver but provides an interpretation of it for coming generations. Fuller details of the recipients careers will appear in Issue 59 of the Journal of Diving History.

HDS Bulletin 04/12/09. No HDS Conference in 2009
Due to the prevailing severe economic environment, the Society will not be holding a Conference in 2009. The decision was taken by the HDS Board of Directors. Plans had been made for the Conference to be held in Panama City, Florida on September 13^th, to commemorate the 70^th Anniversary of the successful salvage of the USS Squalus by USN divers. The Conference was planned to tie in with the release of the HDS Commemorative USN Mark V Helium helmets from DESCO. (www.descocorp.com) An alternative Conference plan was approved by the Board, based upon HDS partnering  with a local affiliated non-profit diving group to produce a scaled down, smaller budget, version of the Conference. Unfortunately this back up plan was not successful and the Board has reluctantly cancelled all Conference plans. HDS will have a presence at the ADCI's Western Chapter Conference in Portland, Oregon, June 10^th-12^th. Further details will be posted as they become available. For more information from ADCI contact 281.893.8388.

HDS Bulletin 04/12/09. New Directors elected for 2009
Tim Beaver, President of Global Diving and Salvage, of Seattle, Washington has been elected Chairman of the Society. Sid Macken of Mocean Video, of Amity, Oregon has been elected as Secretary of the Society. Former Chairman Dan Orr of Divers Alert Network has completed two full terms as a Director and his term limit has been reached. Other Board members are Drew Richardson, Carl Roessler, Lee Selisky, Ed Cassano and Leslie Leaney. Full details of the Board and its members can be found via the first icon button on the left of this page.

HDS Bulletin 03/07/09. The Society is pleased to announce it will be participating at the Scuba Show in Long Beach, California on May 29-31. The HDS booth will have several different diving history related items and books that were recently discovered in storage available for purchase.

HDS Bulletin 02/08/09. Zale Parry to be honored at Beneath the Sea show
Society Advisory Board member Zale Parry will be honored as this year's Legend of the Sea of the Beneath The Sea show in Secaucus, New Jersey, on Friday March 27, 2009. The event is co sponsored by Beneath The Sea and the Historical Diving Society and features a private Champagne Reception in the Derby Room at the Sheraton Meadowlands where guests will get to meet Zale and mingle with other legendary diving figures. Tickets are $250 each. A set of four tickets buys a sponsorship and use of an organizations logo on all Legend of the Sea material. The admission price also includes admittance to the Meet the Fish n' Famous buffet dinner, cocktail party, and silent auction which immediately follows. Former Legend honoree's include Hans and Lotte Hass, Stan Waterman and Sylvia Earle. For more information and for tickets contact Media House at 212-876-2639 or mediahouse@att.net

California Wreck Divers Annual Banquet
The California Wreck Divers will host their 38^th Annual Banquet at the Hacienda Hotel, El Segundo, California, at 5pm on March 7^th. The guest speaker is Pat Clyne who was executive Vice President of all the various Mel Fisher Enterprises. Pat was involved with the Atocha and Margarita recovery projects over a period for 35 years, and was chief videographer for all Mel Fisher's expeditions. For tickets and information log on to www.cawreckdivers.org or view attached PDF.

HDS Bulletin 01/01/09. Helmets of the Deep
In mid December 2008, Society President Leslie Leaney visited author/collector Leon Lyons to assist with the compilation of Leon's much anticipated second edition of Helmets of the Deep. Originally targeted for a late 2008 release, family illness delayed completion of the book. (See Bulletin 9/03/08) Leslie spent two days with Leon and assisted with one section of the book.

Leslie stated, I can say that a massive amount of contributions are being fed into the book. I was working with a pile of around 300 proof sheets that had nine images a sheet on them. So around 2,700 images to select from. And that was just one section of the book. There is a lot more detail afforded to the helmets such as close-up photos of different components, military and manufacturer's markings, as well as a more detailed text. Leon is using a professional photographer and graphic designer, so although the production will take a little longer, the images are of very high quality. The big question remaining is when will the book be published? According to Leon, provided he does not have any more family medical delays, it should be available around May 2009. Even his mother is on his case to complete it and she supplies a constant daily reminder to him! And he certainly wants to get it done so he can reclaim his office and his kitchen table. I was very impressed with the content sections that I saw and it will most definitely be worth the wait.

HDS Bulletin 11/10/08. HDS office hours
The Society is undergoing some restructuring of operations and relocation of inventory storage. During this period office hours will irregular and membership services maybe delayed. Normal service will be reinstated as soon as possible. The office is best contacted via email at hds@hds.org.

November 1, 2008 ~ Bob Hollis appointed to Advisory Board
The Board of Directors are pleased announce the appointment of Bob Hollis to the Society Advisory Board. Bob has a long and distinguished career in the recreational diving industry having served on the Boards of DEMA, HDS, and AUAS, among others. Bob's diving career dates from the 1950's and company Oceanic is a leader in the development of underwater equipment. In 2002 he was inducted into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame and details of his career, including a video biography can be found at www.scubahalloffame.com in the Hall Members section.

October 28, 2008 ~ The Society annual raffle for an authentic DESCO USN Mark V helmet was drawn in Las Vegas on October 25, 2008. The tickets were drawn by Advisory Board member Rodney Fox in the Society booth at the DEMA show. Our congratulations to Terry Flynn and all the other winners.

DESCO USN Mark V helmet - Terry Flynn, MO
Limited Edition copy of Deep Diving & Submarine Operations, by Sir Robert H. Davis, - Landon St. Peter, ME
Signed copy of Shark Man, by Rodney Fox - J. Thielst, HI
Signed copy of Shock Wave, by Clive Cussler - Trevor Guignard, OR
Signed copy of Hard Hat Divers Wear Dresses by Bob Kirby, - Jerry Ippoloito, NY
Copy of Diving Pioneers & Innovators, by Bret Gilliam - Allan Klauda, NY
Signed copy of Hold Your Water, by Wyland - Charles Wilkinson, MA
Signed copy of Call to Adventure, by Hilary Hauser - Eric Eckes, CA
Copy of Between The Devil And The Deep, by Murray Black - B.J. Born, FL
Copy of The McCray Scrap book, by McCray - Roger Krauss, MEXICO
Copy of The History of Russian Diving, by Alexandr Sledkov - Wai Ki Tang, CA
Copy of HDS 1925 Morse Catalog - G.L. Adams, FL
Copy of HDS 1933 Schrader Catalog - Gerry McDonald, MD
Original DESCO Catalog - John Purnell, DE
Original 1960's Skin Diver Magazine - William Webster, AZ
HDS Hans Hass Film Festival program - Donald Stika, IL
HDS Paul Tzimoulis Tribute magazine - Steve Saunders, FL
Original AQUA-CORPS magazine - Tom Ronde, FL

10/18/08 ~ Famed Shark Victim, Rodney Fox
The Historical Diving Society & The Santa Barbara Marine Mammal Center proudly present Australian Diver and White Shark Expert Rodney Fox in his only west coast appearance -- 45 Years with Great White Sharks including filming "Blue Water White Death" and "Jaws" with special guest Monte Rook.
Special Event held Saturday, October 19, 2008 ~ Tickets can be purchased by phone using a credit card from 805-682-4711, extension 0. Phone lines are open daily, 10:00 am ~ 5:00 pm. A sell out is expected so buy early.

10/4/08. NOW IN STOCK. Fathomeering
An Amphibians Tale, by Ivor Howitt. The remarkable exploits of Ivor Howitt and his colleagues who after surviving WWII were determined to go diving using what ever means necessary. Their Aberdeen based Amphibians Club was the first recreational scuba diving club in the UK. Ivor became one of the world's earliest post-WWII recreational air-scuba divers and is currently the first known in the UK. With necessity being the mother of invention, Ivor and his friends converted an assortment of post WWII surplus into to dive equipment before taking the step of investing in what was possibly the first CG patent scuba equipment that Siebe Gorman sold to a recreational diver. Ivor's adventures lead him to Australia and home-made under water cameras and early color underwater photography. His diving colleagues include engineer Ted Eldred who was to develop the Porpoise system. The book has plenty of very good quality photos of early air and rebreather equipment and some early underwater color photography. It is very well written and the text is supported by copies of original documents, invoices and letters. This has been a greatly anticipated book on early sports diving and is well worth the wait. A review by Bob Ramsay can be found in Historical Diver Magazine issue #52. Soft bound 8" x 6", 155 pages, b&w and color photos, diagrams, cuttings, copies of original documents and invoices. $22, plus $5.50 domestic p&p. CA res. add 8.75% sales tax. Contact the HDS office at hds@hds.org for overseas p&p.

10/8/08. SEALAB Reunion 2009
4OTH SEALAB III REUNION, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, APRIL 17-19, 2009. After much discussion, and a polling of many, it has been decided that there will be a Reunion of the people involved with SEALAB III. This includes all the people who made up the whole SEALAB program since the last project could never have occurred without the help and leadership of those who paved the way before! While the details are still being worked out, the Reunion will be held at the Holiday Inn Bayside, San Diego. There will be a Hospitality Suite, dinner, speakers, and a great opportunity to tell those sea stories once again! Of course, many of the guys who were in those sea stories will be there to make sure they are really true! And, of course there will be a remembrance of those shipmates who have died over the course of years since our program was created. More information will be sent as the details are worked out. For now, mark your calendar and start saving your dollars to make this special get together! If you have any questions, please contact me, josborn846@aol.com, or Bob Bornholdt, bornhlt@aol.com. Best regards to all, Jim Osborn.

9/3/08 ~ Helmets of the Deep update
Author/collector Leon Lyons is still working on the compilation of his second edition of Helmets of the Deep. A recent illness in his family has delayed work. Speaking by phone today he also stated that he has been "Overwhelmed by the huge amount of contributions people have sent for inclusion in this edition. It will be a lot bigger than I first anticipated." The revised publication date is Mid-2009, provided there are no unforeseen circumstances that delay work. To reserve a copy of this new book, which is limited to 2,000 copies, click on the New Products on the home page, and then click the link under the image of the book cover. To learn more about the diving helmets featured in the Society's Journal of Diving History (formerly Historical Diver Magazine) click on the link A Guide to Articles on Helmets which is also located under the image of the book cover. There are over 100 helmets listed.