This year, the History of Diving Museum celebrates 20 years since we first opened to the public. This exhibit delves deep into what it took to create the world’s largest collection of diving equipment on public display, how the Museum has grown in the past twenty years, and how diving has evolved since we opened.
Founded by Drs. Joe and Sally Bauer in 2005, the History of Diving Museum is the culmination of over four decades of passionate collecting, curating, and researching of diving history. It represents one of the most extensive collections in the world, and has treated visitors from across the globe to the millennia-old story of “the quest to explore under the sea.”
The Museum is not only dedicated to preserving history, but letting people experience it. The many helmets, suits, and regulators that line our halls are as effective now as they were the day they were built, even if some repairs and maintenance would be needed to get them up and running again. In fact, the Bauers have used many of the artifacts on display for diving! Each year, the Museum partners with NAUI, Trident Surface Supplied Diving, and Brass Hat Diver for Vintage Dive Weekend, allowing divers to experience what these pioneers did in their gear with the use of double hose regulators, shallow water diving helmets, and U.S. Navy Mark V helmets.
Over the years, the Museum has been honored with visits by a number of living legends featured in our exhibits, including Bob Croft, who redefined the sport of freediving, Matt Johnston, the world’s first ventilator-dependent quadriplegic scuba diver, and National Geographic explorer and marine science extraordinaire Dr. Sylvia Earle. The Museum has also been visited by relatives of historic diving figures such as U.S. Navy salvage diver and Medal of Honor recipient Frank Crilley, pioneering marine biologist William Beebe, treasure diving legend Art McKee, and co-inventor of the AquaLung Émile Gagnan. The history of diving is alive and well in people still around today.
From May 21 to December 31 this year, you can see Celebrating 20 Years! Featured Exhibit. Learn about the Museum’s history and how you can become a part of it.
Thank you for an incredible 20 years, and here’s to 20 more!
