In Reply to: Re: Vintage Local Dive Movie posted by Max Bottomtime on May 17, 2014 at 16:16:29:

Very interesting post and "entertaining" movie. It is certainly a time capsule of Heathway's diving equipment.

The movie was released in 1964 the same year "My Fair Lady" won the academy award which was held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, there certainly was no competition...This same year, as I recall, Hal Dunnigan (LA Co UW instructor) presented the first LA based "Scuba Show" at the then newly opened Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 25 years before the current "Scuba Show" was established.

The equipment in the movie was furnished by Healthways, a LA based diving equipment manufacturing company who had a some what less than sterling reputation and had entered into bankruptcy at the time of the movie was released. Healthways had two spin off companies. Sportsways, in 1958 who do to less than Ideal management was in the same category at the parent company, and in 1962 Healthways established SCUBA Pro, published a 1962 catalog, was into bankruptcy at which time the assets of SCUBA Pro were acquired Dick Bonin and Gustav Dalla Valle who cleaned up the tarnished reputation and made a huge success of the company.

The spear gun that was fired was a spring powered gun, the "Saetta" made by Cressi in Italy and imported by Gus via Heathways.

The rubber powered guns on the wall were "Espadons" designed by Geoges Beauchant, the designer of the Jet fins. As The guns could possibly be misidentified as the popular rubber powered Champion Arbalete designed and developed by Rene Cavalero in 1940.

The regulators appeared to be the last model produced of the Heathways double hose
.

The star fish on the wall was very common divers décor of that era. In the late 1950s the Los Angeles Council of Divers sponsored a number organized activities called "Star fish Mops" to rid the breakwater and other popular dive locations of star fish. This gave rise to divers collecting and using them as household décor. During that era I created a photographic slide show and wrote a number of articles on marine life preservation. Two articles maybe be found in the long out of print "Diving West" and "SCUBA Safe and Simple."

Did any one notice the paper coffee cups on the Great White Steamer (GWS)?

The GWS was removed from service and was purchased for penny's on the dollar. It was docked in various places around SoCal, each area wore out it's welcome and ended up in the Ensenada, Mexico harbor, slowly deteriorating to finally it was dismantled and scrapped a few years ago.

The use of a magnet as a limpet was not new technology in 1964. It had been used in WW11. The most famous was the exploits of the famous Italian frogman Luigi Ferraro in Alexandretta harbor for which he was awarded the Metal d' Oro ( Medal of Gold, equal to American Congressional Medal of Honor)

A little snippet of diving history-- all too soon will be lost forever....