Black and white copy of first issue of Skin Diver magazine 1952
I am writing this blog because I am having a bit of an identity crisis. When I jump in the ocean, wearing my duck feet, mask (that I found on the bottom of the ocean), and snorkel (that I found on the bottom of the ocean), and swim down 20, 40, or 60 feet, to take a photo, or to video a big animal (with my GoPro that I found on the bottom of the ocean), or just to explore the terrain, am I a snorkeler, a free diver, a skin diver, or a breath-hold diver. I know it is just semantics and that it really doesn't matter as long as I'm in the water having fun. But, it does help me to explain my passion to others when terms are defined.
Still calling it Skin Diving, 1960
Any student of ancient languages will tell you that words change meaning over time. Having some concept of a word's original meaning and its history can help to reveal a word's complete meaning. Men and women have been swimming underwater to collect food, to find treasure, and for military purposes for thousands of years. In Mesopotamia, humans were diving for pearls 4500 years ago. Not too many centuries later, the Greeks and Chinese began to do the same. By 1000 B.C. Greek sponge divers were grabbing on to large rocks to help them descend to depths of 100 feet and more - were they the first "No-Limits" free divers?
Because the human eye does not work well underwater, it could be argued that these divers were not enjoying the beauty and fascination of the underwater world because they were only able to see blurry images of reality. Until humans could see well underwater, diving was strictly a practical pursuit, not the recreational activity that we enjoy today. It took until the 1300's before the first goggles were invented and solved the vision problem. Persians cut thin layers of tortoise shell and polished them until they were transparent. The curved sections of shell fit over the eyes and were tied in place. By 1700, the Polynesians were using the same technique. By the 1920's, small groups of men in Southern California and Southern France began making their own goggles to explore underwater. Some converted airplane pilot or motorcycle goggles to the task, by sealing them with wax. Others, working from scratch, using radiator hose, small round mirrors and inner tube made their own goggles. This gave birth to the concept of Goggle Fishing or Goggling. In 1938 the book, "The Compleat Goggler" was published and made the term official. It was one year earlier, 1937, that the term Skin Diving entered the American vocabulary. The "Skin" part of the term referred to the lack of a heavy brass diving helmet, breast plate, lead shoes, and canvass diving suit of hardhat divers. The term grew in popularity and through the 50's and 60's referred to both breath-hold and scuba diving. The term never caught on in other English-speaking countries. By the 80's, the term fell into disuse, being replaced by snorkeling or free diving.
A later edition of The Compleat Goggler, which uses the term Skin Diving on the front cover. Personally, I'm glad the term Goggler didn't stick around, it sounds too much like ogler.
The term Free Diving entered American English in the early 1950's. It came from the French words that referred to being free of the ropes and air hoses that accompanied surface supplied diving. Also coming from Europe was the term "apnea", which referred specifically to competitive underwater breath holding events. Today, in some circles, free diving and apnea are synonymous, meaning competing with yourself or others to go as deep or as long as possible on a single breath. In other circles, free diving is synonymous with spear fishing. Either way, most diving related sources distinguish free diving from other breath-hold diving by pointing out that it requires specialized training, disciplined practice, and specialized equipment. This equipment usually includes long blade fins, low volume masks, free diving wet suits, and rubber compensating weight belts.
Finally, the term Snorkeling simply means using a snorkel. Snorkel comes from the German word for airshaft. In modern vernacular, it generally refers to lying face down on the surface of the water, breathing through a snorkel. Diving beneath the surface of the water is optional. Snorkelers may, or may not wear fins or surface flotation devices. The term is often associated with tourists who have varying comfort levels in the water, and who like to stand on the coral. In popular snorkeling destinations, due to a lack of situational awareness, snorkeling often becomes a contact sport. Needless to say, the name snorkeler isn't nearly as cool as free diver.
In 1954, was Jack Prodanovich a free diver, a snorkeler, or a skin diver? Photo from San Diego Reader March 30, 1978
The early skin divers didn't attend classroom training or multi-day clinics to improve their performance. They passed along the limited body of knowledge through socializing and friendship. They may have practiced their skills in a backyard pool, but they didn't have professional coaches. Most of these guys were blue-collar workers with families to support, so they certainly didn't buy over-priced specialty equipment. They didn't have sponsors and they didn't advocate for non-profits. The early skin divers didn't fit the modern definition of free divers, and neither do I.
The early skin divers were generally viewed as courageous, venturing out into the ocean at a time when most Americans were fearful of the ocean beyond the surfline. They usually dove in cold, dirty, water. They often learned things the hard way, and some of them died in the process. They weren't closely supervised or into comfort. They didn't fit the modern definition of snorkeler, and neither do I.
I don't compete with myself or others, so I am not a apnea athlete. I no longer spear fish ( not because I'm opposed to killing fish, I eat poke at least once a week; I just pay someone else to do it), so I am not a spearfisherman. Lastly, I don't wear goggles, unless I'm surface swimming, so I am not a goggler. I think that leaves me back with being a skin diver. Most sources say that term is antiquated, that's okay, so am I. I think it is a term that can be worn proudly. Let's not remove the word from our vocabulary until we have a suitable replacement.
When I do this, am I a free diver, snorkeler, skin diver, or just a dork who happens to be underwater?
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