The 31st May – as well as being the anniversary of the WWI Battle of Jutland – also marks the anniversary of the 1942 WWII attack on Sydney Harbour by three Japanese Midget Submarines. A little over 23-metres in length… Read More ›
SSI
‘Technically Speaking’ – by Simon Pridmore
Offering an engaging, beautifully written, and meticulously researched insight into the phenomenon of Technical Diving, and its impact on a single decade of diving’s evolving history, Simon Pridmore’s new book, ‘Technically Speaking’ is an outstanding tour de force from one… Read More ›
“Fins ain’t wot they used to be.”
Although a seemingly simple device, fins are a comparatively modern invention made possible by the introduction of vulcanised rubber. In 1929 the inventor, a Frenchman by the name of Louis de Corlieu, produced a prototype fin made from this material… Read More ›
The Submersible Decompression Chamber
Designed by Robert Davis – the M.D. of Siebe, Gorman & Co. who was later knighted for his services to diving – and submitted for testing by the British Admiralty in 1929, the Submersible Decompression Chamber (SDC) provided welcome relief… Read More ›
“To Hidden Depths”
In 1945, Captain Philippe Tailliez (later becoming a leading pioneer in self-contained diving exploration in cave and open ocean) was appointed Commander of the French Navy’s newly-formed, Undersea Research Group, whose members included Jacques Cousteau and Frederic Dumas. Earlier, in… Read More ›
Pot Luck
Some fifty-years ago, we were out in the North Sea working on a production platform built alongside the drill platform, the two being connected by a narrow catwalk between the drill deck and production deck of the two platforms, at… Read More ›