BajaNomad

FYI...BAJA, Spear Fishing and Diving

dean miller - 4-7-2010 at 07:02 AM

FYI...BAJA, Spear Fishing and Diving

In 1954 there was only one certification agency in the world: LA County Underwater Instructors Association ( LA Co UIA.) In August 1960 LA County Instructors established National Association of Underwater Instructors, ( NAUI) --It was a true association of Underwater Instructors. Ten years later the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, (PADI) was established as private enterprise for profit organization (and it certainly is for Profit!).

In the genesis of the recreational diving and Baja spearfishing many of the SoCal spear fishermen were also LA Co & NAUI Certified Underwater Instructors. Many like Harry Vetter, NAUI Instructor #4 and I, NAUI Instructor #27 were frequent visitors to Baja beginning in the late 1940s and early 1950s

What follows is a story of a recent event celebrating NAUIs 50th Anniversary and my involvement.



NAUI 50th Anniversary celebration

March 2010

About a month ago I received a special richly engraved invitation to attend the NAUI 50th Anniversary celebration to be held at the new NAUI Head Quarters building in Jacksonville, Florida. It was not just a invite but a invitation to an all expense paid trip to the event.

I was certainly free and available but do to several circumstances I like to travel with a companion; My dear wife was the first choice, but since she has her doctorate in school finance & budgeting and in view of the current California school crisis was booked up with conferences and seminars, second choice was my son who is a NAUI Life member, a Pro 5000 diver, a Hyperbaric doctor (in Santa Maria) and a former member of the Long Beach Neptunes, (as I was in the 1950s) was a logical second choice, but he also was booked solid.

With total dismay I telephoned NAUI and expressed my regrets that I would not be attending. At 8;05 the next morning Jim Bram the president of NAUI called and immediately stated "I will not take no for an answer, I want you to attend, I am sending Mike Dusnst the former SoCal district manager to accompany you." "But he has moved to Texas" I replied. "That correct! He will fly into California and accompany you on your trip, so get your bags packed!" he commanded. I did and Mike accompanied me.

The trip was interesting worthily of at least several paragraphs, but that story will need to be deferred a the dark of the night over a cool one.

I walked into lobby of the hotel right in to the middle of the "California section." Setting around a table were octogenarian instructors ; Harry Vetter, NAUI #4, Nick Icorn NAUI # 431,Glen Egstom, NAUI # 937, Home Fletcher NAUI #1833 and two past NAUI directors Art Ulrich, NAUI #601and Sam Jackson NAUI #2972. Greetings were exchanged and space was made for me to join the venerable circle of vintage instructors. The twice told stories were told and retold each time the embellishments made them better that the previous telling,

At 3:00 PM the General meeting began. As one who can recall the humble genesis of NAUI I was surprised at the number of instructors from all over the world in attendance-- and how young so many appeared.

Immediately after the general meeting there was a champagne c-cktail reception on the patio. A time for pictures and renewing of old friendships and cementing of new friendships. I was joined by Dave Woodward, NAUI # 29 who hadn't seen in 35 years who now resides in snowy Colorado.

On to a Jim Bram personally conducted tour of the new and very exciting NAUI headquarters building. What a building! Modern with all the latest electric technologies with the light blue color and the NAUI "Wave" a a general theme though out all ares. So very very impressive!

Their was only one word for the banquet-- Fantastic! The quality, quality and variety of food was equal to a Las Vegas buffet. we heaped out plates and settled in. Once again the California Mafia had their own table; Glen Egstrom, Nic Icorn, Tommy Tillman ( son of LA Co & NAUI founder, the late Al Tillman,) Zale Parry and your truly.

The informal program began with a trivia question which I immediately blurted out the answer and won the prise.

Harry Vetter, a long with me was a former member of the Southern California Skin divers club (recall that one? we won the 195I Spear Fishing meet) a diving buddy and veteran LA Co Underwater Instructor and the oldest living NAUI instructor # 4 (FOUR!) singled me out for special recognition as NAUI Instructor # 27 as one of the the four oldest living NAUI instructors and the oldest NAUI instructor still living in California- where it all began! The recognition spot light was some what embarrassing but also concurrently ego satisfying.

It was a night and an event that the participants didn't want to end but to every thing there is a beginning, a middle and an end. As the oldest California NAUI instructor my life and my diving has been enriched as one who has experienced the beginning, the middle, but the end is many years in the future and I suspect that I nor the readers of this post will never see the end of NAUI.

dean miller - 4-7-2010 at 08:14 AM

Ernie,

Alive and well in Baja!

Who is Him? Not me-- I haven't seen you since 1980s!

Weren't you in the coaches ICC? Along with Ted Jolly NAUI #1000.

I was the 2 or 3 Underwater Instructor in OC --LA Co certified #11, then in 1960 NAUI-27.

Set up the ADP at OCC in late 1970s and taught there until about 1985

27 total years of SCUBA instruction! Long enough for me!

But I still lecture on occasion.

Suggest that you check out www.portagequarry.com, Ledgens of diving..some of my historical articles and a picture or two..

No Dean is not my name,

sdm

elgatoloco - 4-7-2010 at 09:20 AM

Wow! Lots of great stories and a history lesson, too.

http://www.internationallegendsofdiving.com/Articles/archive...

I was late to SCUBA although I always enjoyed free diving and snorkeling as a youngster it was a real 'mental' breakthrough for me to overcome severe claustrophobia and learn to relax and enjoy the underwater world. My first full dive at 60+ feet in Belize I emptied the tank in about ten minutes! The dive guide was sure something was wrong with the equipment. :biggrin:

My father, now 85, has told stories of the early days in Laguna and Dana Point taking my mother’s makeup mirror and scraping it off to make a lens for a mask and cutting out ‘wetsuits’ from thick neoprene and sewing them up and sealing with rubber cement. In the family archives we have some old 8 mm film of a trip my mom and dad took to the Isla Coronados on a US Navy landing craft with their good friend the officer in charge of the underwater demolition team. They used dual tank setups and all the latest gear and my dad and mom looked like kids in a candy store.

I have sent a link to your stories to my father and will be looking forward to hearing again about some of his exploits including the time he won one of those spear fishing competitions at Laguna!

Thank you Dean Miller for sharing your stories on this and other venues! Look forward to more!

Mateo

dean miller - 4-7-2010 at 03:36 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by elgatoloco
Wow! Lots of great stories and a history lesson, too.

http://www.internationallegendsofdiving.com/Articles/archive...

My father, now 85, has told stories of the early days in Laguna and Dana Point taking my mother’s makeup mirror and scraping it off to make a lens for a mask and cutting out ‘wetsuits’ from thick neoprene and sewing them up and sealing with rubber cement. .....

I have sent a link to your stories to my father and will be looking forward to hearing again about some of his exploits including the time he won one of those spear fishing competitions at Laguna!

Mateo

`~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You father and I are in the same age group.. I suspect that we crossed paths in our yesteryear diving adventures.

Yes We made everything; and invented a lot of equipment. Our Motto "If it costs over a dollar we made it!" I assume you read about my homemade mask? Also made many snorkels..Should have patented several models but didn't!

We purchased the neoprene inm Brea for a $1.00 a sheet.. enough to make a wet suit-- Now they are $4- 500.00 or more

Laguna was my dive site of choice... Made first SCUBA there in 1951... I coauthored a dive guide to Laguna about 40 years ago-- now collectors items.

I also competed a bit and possibly against your father. How about a PM with his name?

Cheers, SDM

dean miller - 4-8-2010 at 03:22 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Don Jorge
Your post had me remembering Ernie who taught lots of folks scuba back when NAUI was the card.
...
Thanks again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was under the impression that you were Ernie...

Ernie was certainly one of a kind...Had little or not diving experienced in recreation diving prior to attending the NAUI Coaches' ITC in about 1965-67. He then became very controversial in the professional diving instruction community, basically because of his resistance to adapt but most importantly he had no or minimum previous diving experience and after becoming an instructor only dove in a class environment.

It took a while but he finally became a decent diver and enthusiastic underwater instructor, Sadly his attitude and arrogance prohibited him from ever becoming a member of the hard core OC instructor / spear fishing / SCUBA diving inner circle. And that is the sad story of Ernie..

sdm

Carter Breusing #1127

estebanis - 4-12-2010 at 07:52 AM

Carter taught at Laguna Sea Sports. He certified me and my Brother in 1971. He passed away a few years ago. I am still diving but sure wish I was 40 years younger...
Esteban

[Edited on 4-12-2010 by estebanis]

3464james - 4-14-2010 at 06:34 AM

In your travels was Dick Paster still present and accounted for? He was Navy UDT, taught for LA County, owned the Bottom Shop, in So. Ca. Big supporter of NAUI?
Jim D.