Serious But Weird - Vintage Scuba: S01E06

Alec shows four weird early scuba related toys and tools from his extensive collection.
** In this episode of Vintage Scuba **
1. Snorkair: by Healthways, mid 1950's. A one stage regulator with built in snorkel and 12 cubic foot steel tank. Lifting a tab in the mouthpiece changed to the snorkel. Shallow dives only! $39.95 new.
2. Surf-Lung: by U.S. Divers, early 1960's, a replica of the aqua-lung for kids. For land or snorkelling only while breathing through a double hose snorkel. $6.95 new.
3. Aqua-Breather: shallow depth diving gear. A practical item for underwater photography, boat or pool maintenance.
4. Super Nelson: "A snorkel swim-aide pac". Two rubber bladders manually inflated with attached snorkel, connect the hoses into the mask. Observe the aquatic life rigged like an adult skin diver! $4.88 new.
**** Alec Peirce Scuba ****
SCUBA TECH TIPS playlists
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VINTAGE SCUBA playlists
▶︎ Series 3: • Vintage Scuba - Series 3
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SEA HUNT REMEMBERED playlists
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▶︎ Series 1: • Sea Hunt Remembered - ...
▶︎ SEA HUNT COLLECTOR website: seahuntcollecto...

[@infinitystudiozz]

The zoom in at 13:18 as Alec breathes furiously through the Nelson mask and all the faces he makes afterward had me laughing hard. Always such a character, that's why we love you Alec! Such a gem, Haha.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Glad you liked it and my funny faces. My wife is not so keen on seeing them. A

[@shmueldalakian2299]

Great Chanel very informative and with great old fashion humor

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

I appreciate that! Thanks for watching.

[@moclepocle]

Alec, thanks again for this wonderful Sea Hunt series. Keep the good work.

[@hannahtriz]

Thank you so much for this series!

[@padidiverhduncut2917]

Amaizing vintage gear :D Thankz a lot for shareing dear Alec :)

[@Blastfence1]

Excellent!

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@MAGAisacult]

Quite a collection. So much brand new in box. Very cool.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Odd that people buy a toy and then don't use it. But I'm guilty of that too. Good for me and other Sea Hunt Nuts. Take care. Alec

[@southernbreeze3278]

Had a surf-lung in 1965 - 5 yrs old. Remember being kind of disappointed to find out it was a just snorkel

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Hey! The Surf Lung was MUCH more than just a snorkel. It was a snorkel. It was a float. It was a BCD (well, you could add weight to the base to make it more negative). And, most important, it was a great way to look like a frogman!! Take care. Alec

[@karlmarx7450]

thanks, very interesting.

[@masonmax1000]

you had your best friend not your ex wife your best friend lmfao best quote ever.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Glad you liked it Max.

[@Makdiver]

Great stuff- Love your videos.. may you have a great day- Regards Makdiver from Denmark.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Thank you very much sir.

[@Dive_Me_Crazy]

Those were the days. I think sea hunt came to Australia in the late sixties, I was about five and my older brothers had taken up diving. I used to make pretend diving gear and play in the yard.... Would have given anything for one of those toy tanks. Actually, we didn't have very much variety here in Australia at that time and I am amazed at what was available to you guys back then. Also, thanks again for these videos they are the most fun.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Thanks again for your comments 'old man'. It always feels funny when I say that. I'll soon be 70! I have an Australian Sea Hunt comic book which I'll be talking about in my new Sea Hunt playlist starting soon. I don't know if there was much Sea Hunt stuff that came out in Australia but I'd really like to find out. I already have the largest collection of Sea Hunt memorabilia in the world but I'm always looking for new, odd stuff. Maybe you could do a local search for Sea Hunt for me (us). Comics, toys, books, etc, - anything related to the show would be great. I could send you a picture of the Australian Sea Hunt comic if you're interested. Talk again soon. Alec

[@hughtah3144]

That so cool!Anything about Cousteau?

[@ultimatevintagescuba925]

great video

[@biker-dog-poppy]

invaluable history of scuba thank you alec this series hopefully will out live us and let the true history of scuba never die ...p.s. i watched the complete 3 seasons of sea hunt and it is one of the most interesting and best series i have ever got in to ....sad to say on par with star trek hehe :).

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Thanks John. I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed Sea Hunt. It WAS the Star Trek of it's day and had a tremendous following which continues even today. Sea Hunt lovers are not called Trekkies or anything. We're called divers! The show was responsible for more people getting into the sport than any other single factor. Star Trek first appeared almost 5 years after Sea Hunt. Until then Sea Hunt the most exciting thing to hit TV. And interestingly, maybe more than Star Trek, Sea Hunt has never been off TV. Legitimate re-runs continued into the 80's and it still shows on vintage channels and late night fill-ins. Be sure to watch for my soon coming Sea Hunt videos which deal exclusively with my Sea Hunt collection - the largest in the world. Thanks for watching. Alec

[@guacacuda]

Because of Cousteau and Sea Hunt I’m been a commercial diver for 47 years.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

You and many thousands of divers too. Alec

[@knoodelhed]

Alec, the USD Surf-Lung seems to presage the more recent development of SASY gear. Both (in their particular eras) designed to among other things promote diving, keep young kids safely on the surface, and familiarize them with the arrangement of dive gear.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

I suppose the same premise applies although the Surf Lung was really just a toy. Ths SASY gear is more useful. Alec

[@richardelam3371]

I had a surf lung. my dad bought for me in the 60's.....wish I had never gotten rid of it...

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

They were pretty neat. You still see them for sale occasionally. I'll be selling mine soon. Alec

[@cochinaable]

Alec do you remember the Shark Dart's that came out in the 70's together with those bang sticks? I have one somewhere....

[@mrjlbarrett5556]

I still Dive with US Divers twin 50s i have 12 US Diver 80s i use a ScubaPo Pilot Regulater plus a BCP I started diving in 72

[@nobodysoldlady52]

I got a Surf Lung for my 8th birthday in 1960 :)

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Oh you were one of the lucky kids. Didn't get mine until my 50's (age not year!!!). Thanks for sharing mate.

[@mrjlbarrett5556]

I have a Snorkel Air still in the box unopened i bought 5 of them in the 60s I do wreck diving in the Phikippunes

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Having these old, strange items is a blast to show new divers (and kids) today. Keep on diving, you're always young underwater. Alec

[@mrjlbarrett5556]

@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter I started Diving when i was 16 in 1966 Ive been diving in the Bontar mines in Missouri One of my instructors was Marty Swyers he did some diving on movies Richard Hindrex i live in the Philippine Islands zive done a lot of Dives most on wrecks And Whale Sharks life is good

[@mrjlbarrett5556]

I live 6 months of the year in the Philippines i am 67 diving sense i was 16 I got cirtified at Diving Chamber in St Louis I still use US Divers Regulater s also .

[@puschelhornchen9484]

People don't learn from history it seems. Fullface snorkel masks are back and also those spare air tanks as an "extended snorkel". Like those kickstarters with the "novelty" of a bicycle pump to fill a small tank.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

I remember those! It's quite true what you say. I see "new" things on the market all the time and many are updated old things. Alec

[@flugschulerfluglehrer]

I actually built my version of the Aqua breather when I was 15. And my best friend almost killed me because the hose snapped out of the pump valve. And as he reassembled the gadget in a haste, he connected the hose to the wrong valve and sucked the air out of my lungs instead of pumping it down.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Great story. I tried the same thing with an old refrigerator pump. Fortunately it didn't work below 5' so I didn't die! Take care. Alec

[@antonio.p.1977]

Hi Alec, Really nice your videos, I really appreciate them. Our luck that you teach us using your knowledge about scuba and not super heroes and actors... Tom Cruise have not interpreted Capitan America... LOL... I love all your videos. Again, thanks a lot!!!!

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

My pleasure and thanks for watching Antonio.

[@vikmartin-more4735]

Interested in purchasing the Argonaut Kraken Dual Hose Regulator. Have looked to purchase. Can I purchase it through Vintage Scuba?

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

No, sorry not at this time. Bryan who made the Krakens passed away and the vintage scuba community is working out how to take over production. May be a while but they do want to make more. A

[@rosabelgomez1335]

Hello! My name is Rose and I'm doing some research for the History of Diving Museum. I was wondering if you have any knowledge to share about air pumps, or where I could find some information of air pumps. Thank you! Great video!

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Wow! When someone asks me about diving and air pumps, I refer them to the History of Diving Museum. Air pumps are not used much in recreational or sport diving. I have used them and even repaired a few but it's not a subject that I can add to. Alec

[@CGRLCDR]

It used to be in the Coast Guard that some helicopter pilots and air crew used to strap a small pony bottle to their calf during missions in case the chopper went down at sea and they needed to make an emergency inverted egress. I used to have one, but I loaned it to another Coastie and never got it back. I don't know of anyone that ever had to actually use one.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

There are SpareAir tanks very small for such a purpose and I know rafting guides have them strapped to their chest in case of a roll over. Better to be safe than... well you know, not safe.

[@ozjohnno]

Today I had a 'Sea HUNT' of a day......

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Wow! You're so lucky. Most divers don't even know what that means. Alec

[@adventureswithfrodo2721]

SCUBA just like LASER is an anagram. Aqualung was the first term.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Actually it was first simply called a 'lung'. The first divers using air tanks were just skin divers but that was confused with snorkellers so they started calling them 'Lung' divers. Many early diving units were called diving 'lungs'. Several companies had 'Lung' in their model names. Aqualung was a trademark name that came later from US Divers. By that time SCUBA had been invented and it became the accepted terminology. take care. Alec

[@lukeh5725]

I think you mean acronym

[@pjmvdbroek]

A spare air and pony bottles are bad form of redundancy

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

One or the other but not both. New divers start with a cheaper Spareair and if continue to higher levels, realize the benefits of a 19 cu/ft redundant setup. I have rarely seen anyone use either on liveaboards or dive resorts doing fun dives. Mainly the tec and higher risk diving (ie arctic) for added safety.

[@maxtorque2277]

only bad when applied improperly! if you take a 1l spareair on a 40m dive you are indeed choosing a "bad" form of redundancy. But if you are solo cleaning your boat hull in 3 feet of otherwise un-obstructed, warm good visibility water, then that 1litre spare air could certainly turn a minor (oh crap, my 2nd just free flowed) issue into an easily mitigated one without panic. Yes, probably it won't make that much difference, but having as little as 1 min of air, so you don't need to panic and rush is significant when you consider human factors! (like getting tangled in your cleanning line, or boat prop, when bolting for the surface in a panic.....) Chose your redundancy based on what you are doing, and whom you are diving with! (i dive with double 12's and a 3 or 6l pony sometimes, often when diving for the first time with new buddies who's er, provenance, you don't know yet............)

[@guacacuda]

I pay 40$ for my first regulator,Healthways.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

I sold a lot of regulators for $39.95 in the '60s. Maybe I sold one to you. Take care. Alec

[@drbravestone3189]

title about presenter

[@jackfeder8484]

Too bad we can't carry a spare-air instead of an octopus. That is full redundancy.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

I have a video on Spare Air vs Pony Bottles. They both have a place but neither replace the Safe Second (octopus). They have different functions. Redundancy does not equal a Safe Second. I think I mention this in that video. Alec