Shortly after becoming a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, I journeyed to the Jules Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Florida to experience one of the most exceptional relics in diving history.
I have remained enamored with Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea my entire life, and in the spirit of the adventure it embodies, I found myself privileged to finally walk beneath the surface of the ocean, an original Morse Diving Company Mark V firmly bolted to a copper collar around my neck. Donning "heavy dress", climbing down the ladder, and taking those first humbling steps as air roared within that copper helmet was a true "experience of a lifetime." This will always be one of the most incredible feelings i've ever had, and an enduringly humble reminder of the strength and grit the original undersea pioneers epitomized.
This particular helmet was produced by the Morse Diving Company in 1943, and weighed ~ 55lbs. With the weight belt, weighted boots, and collar - the suit, in total, was well over 100lbs. The skill and endurance it must have taken to work in that suit in hazardous conditions is nothing short of exceptional.
If you haven't heard of Jules Undersea Lodge, the only underwater hotel in the Florida Keys, check out: www.jul.com/
28 сен 2024
