I started out as a child in 1953. I have 2 older sisters, but they were much older than me, so I was a spoiled brat, commensurate with being the only boy and being the youngest. At an early age, I fell in love with Sea Hunt and the exploits of Mike Nelson.  I did not have a space suit, no,  in my mind, it was a skin diver suit. The downside was I grew up in landlocked Pennsylvania. My folks would not let me learn to dive.  They thought I'd shoot my eye out.

However, in 1970 we moved to Southern California, and since I was a swimmer and water polo player it seemed destined to happen. And it did, I was a certified NAUI SCUBA diver in January 1973. I was fortunate to dive the coast and a few Channel Islands. This was in the days before BC's and pressure gauges, when diving was a way to bite death in the ass.

In 1978 I went to grad school at Arizona, the real university, not the party school in Tempe. Got the degree and was hired as swimming coach at Indiana State in the year 1 AL (after Larry, if you have to ask you know nothing of Indiana culture). Part of my job was to teach SCUBA, 4 classes a semester. I became a Y instructor and got PADI the next year. During the last 20 years I have certified probably close to 1000 divers and the three most important, my wife, and two sons.  I have pics to prove it too!

I have been fortunate to dive with Star and Mike and Gene and Bubba. I saw Mike freeze at Gilboa. Who in their right mind dives in 50 degree water with only a polartek hood?? Ohh wait we're talking quarrycommandos, I forgot.  Bubba is too cheap to buy weights and uses rocks instead.  He takes them out from under his hood.

Since I am in landlocked Indiana, my fave quarries are Hidden Paradise in St Paul, Indiana, a lovely 22 ft quarry. complete with boat, bus and motorcycle. About 6 miles from there is Blue Springs. It's a nice dive, but a bit low on amenities. And lastly, the site of the inaugural quarrycommando dive, France Park in Logansport, IN. A lovely 27 ft dive complete with big crawdads and paddlefish.