In Reply to: Clive Cussler's Dive Shop posted by Colter on July 31, 2011 at 06:12:17:

It was indeed the Aquatic Center's Santa Ana store. The late Dick Spencer was the owner/ manager, Clive was the full time clerk.

The Aquatic Center was founded in 1958 by Bob Ruetherford & Joe Bob McCabe in a house on the corner of Brookhurst and Cerritos Avenue in Anaheim.(see www.potagequarry.com, legends of diving, Sea Sabers Signaling System for Information on Ruetherford.) The AC was moved to a Wbarn in Newport beach, and sold the AC a year of so later to ??? who in-turn sold it to Allan "Omar" Wood with 51% ownership and Ron Merker with 49% ownership. A few years later the assets of Jerry's Dive shop was purchased and concurrently Dick Spencer purchased a percentage of the corporation and re-established Jerrys as Aquatic Center #2 in Santa Ana.

While and employee Clive successfully passed the demanding AC/LA co based Skin and SCUBA course and was presented with and LA county card by Ron Merker (14UICC) and a NAUI card, Instructor #27 from me.

Clive wrote his first Dirk Pitt novel, "Mediterranean Caper" early in the 1970s in the back room of the AC between customers, It only sold 5000 copies before going to paper back. Med Caper was followed by "Ice Berg" then his breakthrough work "Raise the Titanic." It is suggested that you just might want to read the Titanic for the minor characters: Al Woodson, Dick Spence and Sam Merker.

It was some time after Ice Berg and before the publication of "Titanic" that Clive was firmly established and departed the Aquatic Center and ventured full time in to the writing world......