Vintage Scuba: Fake Scuba Tanks - S07E02

Ever wonder if your favourite old movie or TV star running on a beach in full scuba had real tanks? Alec shows two fake scuba tanks from his collection and why they were used by actors and models.
** In this episode of Vintage Scuba **
a "AMF Voit Lung" 50 cu/ft solid balsa wood tank with a real valve
a fiberglass 72 cu/ft hollow tank, weighing about 2 pounds
Alec's home made wooden scuba tank for kids at Sea Hunt Forever events
Watch "Alec Peirce at the Ranch" for home and ranching ideas. / @alecpeirceattheranch
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[@Dive_Me_Crazy]

I would love one of those on the dive boat! Think of all the pranks you could pull on people.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

I got Kevin! He didn't know it was a fake tank and I threw one to him to catch, pretending it was heavy. Pretty funny reaction!! Take care. Alec

[@Will-ol9lp]

Learn something new every day. I never know there where wooden scuba tanks nice. It’s amazing what you have in your collection Alec. Thanks for another great video and thank u as well Kevin for all the stuff u do for them. Thanks y’all

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Pretty neat huh? I have no idea where this stuff comes from but the myth about "balsa wood scuba tanks" is now settled! Thanks for your thanks. Alec

[@TomKnudsen]

You manage to surprise me over and over Alec, that is pretty cool

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Thanks again Tom. Hope you're well. Alec

[@TomKnudsen]

@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter Both me and Yvonne is doing just fine. She sends her regards btw. We was initially planning a trip to Canada this year, but work got in the way as usual. Then we planned a dive trip to Egypt, and that fell sadly short too. So this summer we settled for a week in my dads cabin enjoying close family, barbecue, drinks and relaxing. Extend my greeting to both Kevin and Diana. - Tom

[@petethehandyman9185]

Makes sense! Great info love the dive history,a lot of today’s divers don’t know about the origins of the sport.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Thanks Pete. "It's hard to know where you're going if you don't know where you've been". Pretty profound huh? I have no idea what that means but it makes me sound so smart! I do agree that the history of scuba is pretty interesting. Take care. Alec

[@markstengel7680]

Boker Tov = Good Morning Alec, The underwater scenes the cylinder are real, air bubbles from regulator. Perhaps the land shots the cylinder are props. Alec, IMHO you are a expert when it comes to Sea Hunt & Diving. Hang Tuff Friend 👍

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Right. It was on land that the actors needed some relief from the weight of the tanks. There were more than a few fist fights between divers while still wearing tanks. It might have been hard to fall down, jump up and keep on swinging if the tanks were real. Alec

[@TheVinny360]

That’s a pretty cool prop I use to paint fire extinguishers like scuba tanks ha I bet if things were still the way you use to do things I probably would have used one of them to make my own dive set up, love the videos Alec they’re always fun to watch when I’m not in the water 👌😃

[@danivory9837]

Alec, In Capt. Jacques Cousteau scuba gear on the Calypso and the Alcone. What size and type of tanks were in the hard yellow and silver backpacks?

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Cousteau was a great film maker and his gear was simple and reliable Aqua Lung Mistrals. There were several styles of backpacks over the years: starting with 2 small tanks inside a fibreglass cover but no BCD. Here is an overview of one: www.flashbackscuba.com/museum/Cousteau-odd/Cousteau-odd-Pages/Image14.html From the Cousteau Museum: www.flashbackscuba.com/museum/Cousteau%20Experience/CousteauFrameset-1.htm Thanks for watching Alec

[@rikaguuh7520]

Very Informative Video. Very Nice

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Thanks Ric. Pretty neat huh? Alec

[@ultimatevintagescuba925]

great video...nice tanks

[@johnd8224]

Visiting Silver Springs as a child in the '80s is was made me want to get into diving. I remember seeing the divers and knowing that what I wanted to do more than anything else.

[@fsuatl8037]

John D And you can’t even swim at silver springs. It’s garbage

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

It's a pretty special place. Despite the fact that scuba diving is not allowed there anymore doesn't detract from its history. Silver Springs was the premiere, meaning first and best, Florida tourist attraction. It still draws thousands of visitors every year. The water is incredible and the park is still a wonderful place to get some relief from the hectic pace of life in Florida. Be sure to visit again if you can. It'll bring back some great memories. Alec

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Swimming and diving are not allowed in the park. There are simply too many people. The underwater environment and wildlife would be destroyed. Having been there, both swimming and diving, I can see why it has been banned. However, you can kayak or paddleboard right up to the springs and it's quite incredible. For a couple of bucks, you will get the best experience on the glass-bottom boats. If there is garbage, it was put there by humans! Is it a good experience? If you don't believe me go to Trip Advisor to see rave reviews from hundreds of visitors. Alec

[@johnd8224]

Yeah I can see not allowing swimming/diving if it’s damaging to the environment. It’s still a neat place. I loved going there as a kid. I thought the glass bottom boats were the coolest thing ever!

[@johnthomas2070]

Thunderball is my favorite Bond movie!

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

It was very special and far advanced for its day. Alec

[@rodmoore1998]

Are the original tanks valuable at all because of the show?

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Not really. One 72 cu/ft tank looks exactly like another. After Sea Hunt ended all the gear disappeared so there is little to prove a tank was actually used by Mike Nelson. The props I have were provided by the shows actual property master with certification documents. Hope you like these Vintage Scuba shows.

[@sebastiankvyat3915]

Do you know if the white Faber steel tanks are still available? I really like those. Really appreciate all of your content.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

I think they're available Sebastian, but not all stores will have them. They are still in the Faber catalog. Try contacting Faber directly to confirm they still make them and then ask where you can buy one. www.divefaber.com Alec

[@bluecarobs6733]

I wonder how much pressure one of these can take before they just blow up .

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Hah! Take care. Alec

[@owenmougenot712]

Hi Alec. I had no idea that there were fake tanks? It makes sense because the gear is so heavy out of the water ,I recall one episode where Mike threw his gear on over his head while standing on the deck of a boat then jumps in the water. Maybe that was a fake one too? That was cool that you made up a small one and rigged it up for the kids to wear with an old 2 hose regulator, I recall in school many years ago I had to make up a fake microphone for a lip sync act to throw around the stage .I wonder if the theatre arts department still has it? They were a fun bunch (act like you're a tree?) Take care Owen m

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

If you watch carefully you can see Mike strain when putting on tanks. He was quite fit and strong and I believe, in my heart at least, that Mike Nelson would never fake anything. However, some of the other divers probably needed help! Yeah! The kids at Silver Springs really enjoyed putting on a scuba tank with fins and a mask. And their parents loved taking pictures. Sometimes I'd get them to hold a speargun. That was special!! Maybe in another 50 years some guy will be looking at old pictures and see himself at Silver Springs wearing one of my 'fake' tanks. Take care Owen. Alec

[@mdovideo1414]

Do all tank valves have 1/2 inch pipe threads?

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Absolutely not!! Only the very old steel tanks, pre-1962 or so, had the 1/2" NPT threads. Now all are O-Ring sealed and usually 3/4" machine threads. The 1/2" style had to be installed with pipe seal (Teflon tape or, in the old days, sticky stuff) which was a nuisance. Alec

[@LarsSveen]

What is that brass cylinder thing on the upper right of the mantle? I have the same thing hanging out in my garage and have no idea what it is.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

I'm guessing you mean the brass cylinder standing on top of the mantle. That's for holding long matches for starting the fire. It looks like a miniature coal bucket with a handle and a spout on one side. It holds about 25 of those long fire matches and also has a spot on the side to hold the sandpaper for striking the matches. We use it almost daily in the winter. Take care. Alec

[@LarsSveen]

​@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter Your explanation was perfectly clear, and caused my hand to smack my forehead. Of course! It seems so obvious now.

[@hearsejr]

I found one in a antique shop once, but they couldn't come up with a price. It was plastic with a J valve, and they thought it was a display, they said ... Probably a Rolex watch display. It was in 1989 in seattle washington. I offered $15 (USD) for it but no one knew what they wanted. I wish I could have gotten it.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

When manufacturers started taking scuba seriously and the sport took off, there were lots of strange marketing ideas like this. Imagine making, shipping and displaying a 'fake tank' when a real one you could sell takes the same space. Funny times back in the stone age.

[@toddmcdonald8493]

Can the old voit suits be found like the orange/red or yellow

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Not sure but I know my vintage diving friends have silver (just like Mike Nelson from Sea Hunt). Search with Google to find a dealer or ask on: www.scubaboard.com. Lots of vintage divers there and they may know where to find a colourful wetsuit. A

[@toddmcdonald8493]

Thanks brother

[@toddmcdonald8493]

Allen simonbeans got me hooked up with a black one thanks alot again Alec

[@richardcurrin8940]

You would need more weights to dive with those tanks. JK😉

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Ha! Take care Richard. Alec

[@peters9118]

Lol CNN being fake news comment was funny.. cool video.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Right! This is a genuine fake tank!!! Thanks for watching. Glad you like my dry humor. I'm not sure why it's called dry humor (or British humor) unless it's so obtuse that it's unlikely to produce wet pants!!! Alec