Scuba Diving

Bill and I both liked to scuba dive.  Back in those days, there weren’t regulations concerning equipment or use of scuba gear.  

We made our own tanks.  There was a huge Army surplus place in Pecos, Texas, about 240 miles southwest of Lubbock.  Our air tanks were from a WW II bomber.  I think the material we used for the straps to hold the tanks on came from there.  We had quick release buckles that were Army issue, also.  We attached our regulators to all of this, filled the tanks with air, add our masks and swim fins and we were ready to go.

One of our favorite places to dive was at Balmorhea, Texas.  There was a clear lake with fish and interesting rock formations.  Several years ago we stopped by the place, which is now a state park.  It had expanded, but was still very nice.

Several times we drove to Santa Rosa, New Mexico, to dive.  One time we went with Bill’s friend, Roy Gladson.  He drove a Buick that loped down the road.  Add that to the fact that he wasn’t a very good driver.  He would speed up, take his foot off the gas, let it slow down, and then race back up in speed.  We both suffered motion sickness and never rode with Roy again. 

There was a place in Santa Rosa that had clear water.  It was a great big hole in the ground surrounded by large rocks.  It is now developed, with restrooms, picnic tables benches, etc.  

Also, at Golf Lake, a few miles out of town, was an interesting place.  We had to walk for about 1/2 mile to the best place to get in the water which was shallow and clear.  We were swimming along when all of a sudden, we were over a black hole.  I was so startled I nearly bit my mouth piece in half.  Bill said I was thrashing around in the water so wildly, he thought I had been attacked.  If sheer panic can be considered being attacked, I was...attacked!

We also enjoyed diving at Possum Kingdom, now a state park west of Mineral Wells, Texas.  We liked to dive toward a cliff, go down and into a cave.  People without air tanks would go down and to an air pocket, stay there until they had enough oxygen to swim back to the surface.  The first time Bill came upon legs dangling in the cave, he thought he had found dead bodies.