My dad couldn't wait, though!  He and his buddies made their own gear . . . tanks from old fire extinguishers, and dive suits made by tracing their bodies on sheets of rubber.  They wore heavy rubber fins and masks with little screws on top.  They traveled to Catalina Island, returning with Abalone shells and tall tales. I could only snorkel in our little above-ground pool with my dad's enormous Voit mask and fins, oblivious to their size and weight, fantasizing that I was Zale Parry, Mike Nelson's female sidekick. 

Here are a few links about the old Sea Hunt show, with some diving history links thrown in.  I hope you enjoy exploring them as much as I did finding them.