The Southwest Council of Skin Diving Clubs

I have a vivid memory of watching SEA HUNT with my Dad when it was originally aired between 1958 and 1961. Although I was in pre-kindergarten through first grade during that time, it left a permanent impression with an intense desire to pursue. Sometime in 1960 or 1961, Dad took me to a dive shop in Oklahoma City, and purchased my first mask, snorkel and fins. Also that special day, I had the thrill of getting to wear a tank with a double hose regulator for the first time. Since it weighed as much as I did, the tank set on the floor of the dive shop on a stand, but I did have the shoulder straps over my shoulders and the regulator hoses around my neck.

For the next 8 or 9 years, we had an exciting time snorkeling together. By the time I was 14, I was determined Dad and I needed to move past snorkeling, and learn to scuba dive. He agreed. Scuba diving was beginning to gain in popularity. In 1969, the week of August 30 through September 6 was designated as "Skin and Scuba Diving Week" in Texas, by Governor Preston Smith. It started with a spearfishing contest at Lake Travis, followed by a variety of activities hosted by other clubs throughout the state.

At that time in 1969, the minimum age to be certified by the YMCA was 16, but that was waived because Dad took the class with me. We were YMCA certified within a few months, and joined the Midland Dune Divers (Midland, Texas). This began an incredible experience and adventure in the underwater world that continued and enhanced our close relationship for decades.

Discussions throughout the scuba class and at dive club meetings included the activities associated with the Southwest Council of Skin Diving Clubs. The Southwest Council consisted of dive clubs in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. Clubs in Oklahoma could join the Southwest Council, although they could also join the Oklahoma Council. The Southwest Council's focus was dive safety, legislation, conservation and education, with an annual Convention hosted by different member clubs in February of each year. The local divers spoke of the monthly Southwest Council events, including spearfishing contests, treasure hunts, compass runs and scuba skills, beginning in March through September of each year plus the Texas Gar Rodeo in December. Individual clubs that were members of the Southwest Council hosted these contests. An annual underwater photography contest added to the competition. Their monthly publication, called the SLATE, kept all its members in close contact with the upcoming events, and the results of the last event. After waiting a decade to get certified, how could we not become members and miss participating in the Southwest Council activities?

Dad spared no expense in equipping us with the finest scuba gear, including full wetsuits and spearguns. We even had Mae West style floatation vests, which were considered optional at that time, but required for participation in Southwest Council events. U.S. Divers Company would have been very proud of us; they could have shot their 1970 catalog aboard our boat.

Our first open water dive after certification was at Possum Kingdom Lake, Texas in early April 1970, during the weekend of a Southwest Council sanctioned spearfishing contest. The water was 51 degrees, and visibility was in excess of 20 feet. There were nearly a hundred divers, both men and women, attending this contest, plus many brought their families. The excitement was contagious. I shot my first fish that weekend, a shad that couldn't have weighed more than a pound, but I was hooked.

This dive was an annual Southwest Council event, called the "Buffalo Blast", hosted by Inland Divers Association of Fort Worth, Texas. This was a very popular event for all dive clubs, with an article promoting the event by Bert Smith, Jr. appearing in the April 1970 issue of Skin Diver Magazine. Another article was in the Fort Worth Star Telegram newspaper following the event. Bill Barada, formerly of U.S. Divers Company and later with Skin Diver Magazine, author of several dive books, a skilled spearfisherman and underwater hunter, attended this event in 1968.

Inland Divers Association was a well-organized club, having a nice waterfront facility with a boat dock located next to Scuba Point Dive Shop. Their pavilion has an enclosed kitchen with running water and rest rooms. Those that arrived early could camp within their fenced facility, which was also used as dive headquarters and for the fish weigh-in. It was also convenient to have Scuba Point Dive Shop located next door, owned by Tom and Mary Davis, for equipment, service and air.

Buffalo are rough fish, and there is no spear limit. Removal of these rough fish, including carp, shad and gar, increases food and cover for more desirable game fish. Buffalo only run 3 to 5 days annually, normally in April, swimming downstream in masses to spawn. We always hoped their run would be when we were there during the contest. However, if we missed the run, and we usually did, huge carp could also be speared without limit.

Another annual Southwest Council event that we enjoyed was the "Underwater Safari" sponsored by the Texins Divers out of Dallas, each Labor Day Weekend at Lake Travis near Austin. A club with individuals or family members employed by Texas Instruments, they were well funded with the company RV used as dive headquarters, a trailer mounted compressor with free air for all participating divers, and a memorable fish fry dinner the night before the spearfishing contest. Impressive donations to the Texins of dive equipment from the Dallas area dive shops, and other donations of camping and hunting gear from various stores, like Wal-Mart, were given away as door prizes.

The Lawton (Oklahoma) Argonauts was organized in 1971, a new club that was accepted for membership to the Southwest Council only 6 weeks after being organized. The Argonauts sponsored lake clean up dives around Lawton, and worked with the local Jaycees in a shoreline beautification program. They also were available to the local city, county and state authorities for recovery operations. The first dive the Argonauts hosted was at Possum Kingdom Lake in September of 1971, with proceeds donated to charity. It was the first Inter-Council non-sanctioned contest between the Southwest Council and the Oklahoma Council, with the Southwest Council winning. Trophies were awarded for each event, even to the club that traveled the greatest distant to the lake. Dad and I won that trophy. As a door prize, I won a nice diver's chronograph watch.

Other clubs hosted outstanding Southwest Council dives, like Les Hommes DeMer, American Airlines Aquajets, Orca Tamers, Lawton Divers, East Texas Aquanauts, Blue Ridge Divers, and other clubs, but not necessarily on a regular annual basis. All dives were excellent and similar in organization, sponsoring various contests under the rules and regulations established by the Southwest Council of Skin Diving Clubs.

With the large geographical region the Southwest Council covered, it was divided into 7 areas. Some areas had as few as one club, while other areas may represent several clubs. The list of member clubs in the 1960s was much greater than in the 1970s, due in part to the consolidation of clubs within an area. Membership throughout the 1970s was relatively consistent, except when new clubs joined the Council. Area I clubs consisted of the Dallas Divers, Les Hommes DeMer, Aqua Sports, Sherman Divers and the Texins Divers. Area II clubs consisted of the Aqua-Holics, Inland Divers Association, Orca Tamers, Westside Divers and Whitney Divers. Area III clubs consisted of the American Airlines Aquajets and LTV Divers. The only club in Area IV was the Midland Dune Divers. Area V club consisted of Cen-Tex Divers, and at one time, the University of Texas Skin & Scuba Diving Society. Area VI clubs consisted of the East Texas Aquanauts, Quitman Dolphins, East Texas Men-O-War, Ark-La-Tex Divers and the Blue Ridge Divers. Area VII clubs consisted of the Hell Divers, Lawton Divers, Argonauts and the Little Gems. Each Area elected a Vice-President to represent the Council.

Although Midland was not the best location to live for scuba diving and usually the greatest distance from the lakes where the Southwest Council dives were located, Dad managed for us to be regulars at the dives. Dad was Vice President of Area IV in 1972 and 1973. I became Vice President of Area IV from 1975 through 1980.

Dive headquarters at Possum Kingdom Lake was normally at Sandy Beach, located at the West end of Park Road 36 on the peninsula, except when Inland Divers Association was the host club, we camped at their pavilion. When we were at Lake Travis, dive headquarters was the LCRA Park located next to Mansfield Dam. Attendance to all Council dives was normally excellent, and we could practically fill each park. The divers enjoyed each other, and their limited time together. I don't remember anyone who felt they had to lodge somewhere other than near dive headquarters. Campsites consisted of everything from a sleeping bag or tents, to an RV. Camping trailers were rare due to the fact that most divers pulled a boat. The schedule of activities was typical for most Southwest Council sponsored events. We were free to dive on Saturday, or participate in organized events like a treasure hunt, compass run and scuba exchange. For a nominal cost, the host club often prepared an excellent dinner, usually a fish fry. Sunday morning was reserved for the spearfishing contest. If we had a three-day weekend, like Memorial or Labor Day, we had 2 days for miscellaneous diving, including the treasure hunt, compass run and scuba exchange, then Monday morning was reserved for the spearfishing contest. Nice trophies were given for the first, second, third and forth largest fish, first through forth place team, first through forth most individual fish, and first through forth novice largest fish. Trophies were also awarded in the women's division. Occasionally, there was a trophy for catching the largest turtle.

If interested in participating, there usually was a treasure hunt held the day before the spearfishing contest. This was held in a pre-selected area of the lake, with the location kept secret. The host club would spread tokens over this area at varying depths. A token may consist of a wheel weight or washer tied to a 2 to 4 foot string. The other end of the string was attached to a float of some type, like styrofoam, with a number printed on it. Just prior to beginning the contest, the participants would travel to the previously undisclosed area, either by car or boat. The contest would last one hour. The host club officials would start the contest, and all the divers would enter the water at the same time. The object was to cover the most area possible and retrieve the greatest number of tokens within the allotted time. You might find individual tokens or several tokens tangled together, or none at all. Not all tokens reached the bottom, so it was always a good idea to check on the limbs of submerged trees. And if you went too far in any direction, you would exit the contest area, resulting in a lot of wasted time. There were no boundaries marked underwater. The only direction that you could be sure to avoid was water deeper than 30 feet. They didn't place any tokens in water deeper than that, so if you watched your depth gauge, you knew to make an adjustment. The tokens were individually numbered, and only the host club officials knew the sequence and total number of tokens to prevent any cheating. Covering as much area as quickly as possible was also important, as the area would get murky with all the divers searching the limited space. Prizes, usually diving equipment like regulators, fins or knives, were awarded to the top three contestants who recovered the most tokens.

At most Council dives, underwater navigation skills could be tested during the compass run competition, usually consisting of a rectangular or triangular shaped pattern. Before going down, the participant would take a heading on an area marked at the surface, usually by a surface float with a diver's flag located 50 to 75 feet from the shore. The object was to swim underwater to that point using a compass, locate the anchor rope securing the float, then take a predetermined degree turn to the left or right to the next surface float, and so on, back to the starting point. The object was to locate the anchor rope of each marker and complete the pattern without surfacing in the least amount of time. To complicate the initial heading, the water near the shore at the starting point was intentionally stirred up by the contest officials prior to beginning the course. If the diver got off course early in the run, there was no way to correct. The diver also had to maintain a certain depth, like 15 feet, and where the bottom was not visible. You had to rely completely on your depth gauge and compass. It also helped to have an idea how may full kicks were required to travel a certain distance. If the diver was really off course and headed into the main body of the lake or into boat traffic, the officials would track the bubbles on the surface by boat until the diver surfaced, then deliver him (or her) back to shore. Prizes, usually dive equipment, were awarded to the top 3 contestants who completed the compass run in the least amount of time.

An occasional event, usually held in the pool at Scuba Point on Possum Kingdom Lake, was the scuba exchange. This timed 2-man team event required divers to enter the pool, descend to the bottom, doff all gear, don your partner's gear, and return to the surface together. The object was to descend to the bottom, switch all gear, having all backpack straps straight (not twisted) and fastened. Regulator hoses could not be under a strap or arm. Weight belts could not be twisted. Masks had to be free of water. The team to accomplish this in the least amount of time and surface together was the winner. Prizes were awarded to the winning team.

Quality underwater photography was difficult in lakes, due to limited visibility, normally under 30', and diminished available light in depth. When Council members weren't lake diving, many were ocean diving, where visibility easily exceeds 100'. The underwater photography contest through the Southwest Council consisted of color and black and white prints and slides, macro color and black and white prints and slides, and silent and sound movies, submitted by its members. These could be taken anywhere. These shots were usually of divers, coral and/or fish, or macro shots of very small shells or creatures, normally photographed in the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean or Hawaii. This event became more popular each year, as more divers were traveling to the ocean in between our lake trips.

By far, the most participated and intense competition, and my favorite Southwest Council event, was spearfishing. Dad and I were fortunate to learn the unique techniques and underwater hunting skills required for successful spearfishing from professionals in the Council. Within this organization, was the ultimate manifestation of fresh water spearfishing experience. And when I think of a professional, I first think of Charlie Crawford from Lawton, Oklahoma. He, with his wife, Helen, and kids, attended practically every dive. We usually camped near each other, so when there was time, usually after dinner, Dad and I listened to his words of advice for successful underwater hunting and spearfishing. A novice diver, and even experienced divers that haven't mastered these techniques and skills, will rarely see any rough fish in lakes. On occasion, we also watched him operate from the surface. When Charlie would surface with as many fish as he could handle, Helen would bring the boat to him and take the fish aboard. Helen didn't dive, but they worked well together. He would regularly place at or near the top of every spearfishing event, and I can't ever remember him not taking home at least one trophy in some category. Probably the most memorable rough fish I remember being taken at any Southwest Council event was by Charlie Crawford, on April 11, 1976. During the "Buffalo Blast" at Possum Kingdom Lake, he speared a record 29 pound, 4 ounce buffalo. Charlie also placed with the second largest fish at 19 pounds, 3 ounces, and the third largest fish at 18 pounds, 10 ounces.

The spearfishing contest was held the morning of the last day of the dive, rain or shine, and on at least one occasion in April 1973, snow. Most everyone dove from boats. We had our boats in the water with the engine running, loaded with gear including extra scuba tanks, ready and waiting for the host club to sound the horn to begin the spearfishing contest. Those that didn't have boats were in their car, ready to drive to their dive site accessible from the shore. Once the contest started promptly at 9:00 AM, we throttled at full speed to where we thought would be the most prolific area to locate and spear rough fish. It was a sight to see 25 to 50 boats leave from the same area, speeding to get ahead of the others. We had to get to that special dive site we had located the day before to begin hunting. Dad and I took turns driving the boat, while the other was getting their scuba gear on. This was a very intense and exciting 4 hours. We had all our gear on (except fins) and ready to enter the water before we even had the boat anchored. Extra scuba tanks were necessary, as there wasn't time to make a trip back to the dive shop for more air during the contest. If we weren't cruising to or from the dive site, we were underwater.

We returned to dive headquarters for the weigh-in no more than four hours later. The host club sounded a horn when the contest ended promptly at 1:00 PM, and if you weren't within the dive headquarters weigh-in area with your fish, you were disqualified. Trophies were awarded after weigh-in.

There was always some organization at dive headquarters to take our fish after the weight-in. Some group or organization, like churches, always wanted our fish. They were notified prior to the contest, and typically arrived early waiting for the contest to end and the fish to be weighed. This notice allowed them time to prepare and plan a fish dinner for their group or congregation.

Through the efforts of the Southwest Council, and the persistence and dedication of Hank Silver of Dallas in particular, a study in connection with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department began in 1973. The goal was to once again legalize the spearing of game fish denied in the early 1960s; not for competition, but for consumption with the same bag limits as the surface angler. Reports and surveys conducted by the appropriate officials in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Nebraska, where spearing game fish is legal, substantiate the Council's claim that spearfishing will not harm the population of game fish any more than that caused by surface anglers. Furthermore, since spearfishermen are required to purchase the same fishing license as surface anglers, they should have the same rights. Lake Bastrop, and on a very limited basis, Lake Travis, were initially chosen for the one year study because the Fish & Game Commission was very familiar with their fish population. The Sportsman's Club of Texas, Inc., a powerful voice in Austin on behalf of all sportsmen, supported this study and the view of the Southwest Council. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department agreed to conduct a study on the effects of spearing game fish before the next legislative session. The study was later changed to a two-day survey on September 8 and October 6, 1974 at Lake Whitney. This study didn't take place either, but attempts to legalize the spearing of game fish seemed to be making progress by 1975. Representatives of the Southwest Council requested, and were promised two weeks notice of the meeting for discussion within the House of Representatives. Finally, House Bill 1681, proposed by Representative Bob Simpson of Amarillo, was before the Legislature on May 7, 1975. The Council's representatives, most living in Dallas, were given only 8 hours notice to attend the meeting in Austin. With inadequate notice and no representation by the Council, the Bill was rejected. The issue was revived in May 1976 by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department after conducting a short study in Possum Kingdom Lake. Their conclusion was that spearfishing for game fish should be legal, but not allowed at night or during the spring spawning periods. A few months later, we were advised that the full-scale research study promised earlier by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department was not being considered or in their budget. Representative Simpson proposed a second bill, House Bill 434 in April 1977, and was favorable viewed by the House, but later died.

The Southwest Council hosted the National Spearfishing Competition at Lake Amistad in late August 1975. Lake Amistad is located on the Texas-Mexico border at Del Rio, and was attended by members of the Southwest Council, Missouri Council and Oklahoma Council. During the 4-hour competition, 917 rough fish were speared, weighing a total of 3,796 pounds. Amistad offered superior diving; so good, it was chosen for the National Spearfishing Competition again, hosted by the Southwest Council in 1977, with 2,877 pounds of rough fish speared, and then donated to Mexican officials.

Unfortunately, as with any organization, the Southwest Council was not without problems. Fortunately, with an organization the size of the Southwest Council, in both the number of dive clubs and members it represented throughout Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas, problems were initially seldom and few. However, as the Council and sport diving grew and matured, there were problems. It became more difficult for the Council to continue to grow following the Southwest Council Instructor Program (SCIP) being merged into the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) in 1973. In retrospect, having the Southwest Council Instructor Program certify new divers, and bringing them in and up through the Southwest Council of Skin Diving Clubs, resulted in more dedication to the Council and its events. Once SCIP and NAUI merged, NAUI, as with all other certifying agencies, promoted ocean diving much more than lake diving. Subsequently, reports by some Area Vice-Presidents on monthly activities in their Area were not submitted timely, or not submitted, making information supplied to the SLATE Editor late at best. The monthly publication of the SLATE was a major time consuming and expensive job, and volunteers were thinning. Major scuba manufacturers, like U. S. Divers Company and Dacor Corporation, took less or no advertising space. Spearfishing was the primary attraction, so participation at scheduled events was reduced if there was not a spearfishing contest. Initially, lake clean up dives and the photography contests were not very popular. By the late 1970s, the photography contest became much more popular, as more and more Council members were spending their vacations ocean diving, but this didn't require the monthly interaction between the Council members as lake diving did.

The Southwest Council was a pioneering organization dedicated to promoting dive safety, legislation, conservation and education, as certifying organizations such as PADI, NASDS, NAUI and others, continue to do today. In addition to the Area Vice-Presidents, there were many Council members that devoted endless hours and were instrumental in making the mechanics of the organization successful year after year. They were responsible for many functions, including executive leadership within the Southwest Council of Skin Diving Clubs and the Southwest Council Instructor Program, association and interaction with the Underwater Society of America, SLATE editing, printing and mailing, and those individual host club members who worked many hours behind the scenes before, during and after the scheduled events to make them successful. To mention a very few, this group would include Bud Columbia, Dennis Corcoran, Charles and Helen Crawford, Judy Crouch, Gary and Carolyn Embree, Ron and Myrna Jorgensen, Wayne Mathewson, Thad and Anita Moore, Ed Ralston, Hank Silver, Ben Sleigh, Bert Smith, Robert Swilley, Shorty and Carolyn Weatherman, Dick Wilgus, Matt Wiley, and so many others, but especially my Dad, who made this incredible adventure possible for us.

Participation in organized scuba diving events drastically changed, declining during the late 1970s. With fuel shortages, high unemployment and the economic downturn that extended into the 1980s, it made expenses associated with weekend lake trips prohibitive for many of the Southwest Council members who had consistently supported and faithfully participated in the events. As a result, a unique time in diving history, and the existence of the Southwest Council of Skin Diving Clubs, ended in 1980.

Today, although without the camaraderie of the divers I knew and respected over 30 years ago, I will always have very fond and distinct memories of those times when scuba diving was new, and divers were trained to know the risks and deal with situations. After nearly four decades of diving, with numerous trips to Hawaii, Isla Mujeres, Cozumel, Grand Caymans and the Virgin Islands, I prefer Possum Kingdom Lake, diving and incorporating those techniques and underwater hunting skills I learned many years ago from true professionals, those old timers that were members of the Southwest Council of Skin Diving Clubs.

B. A. McCollum - 5-8-2010

Possum Kingdom Lake, Texas

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