Diving Pioneer Jim Stewart passes on at 89

[popgun pete]

Diving has lost another of its true pioneers in Jim Stewart who has passed on at age 89. A San Diego "Bottom Scratcher" and a pioneering diving officer at the Scripps Institute you will see his name in all the history books about diving and spearfishing.

https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/obitua...diving-officer
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...608-story.html
http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressreleas...diving_officer

[SpearMax]

Thanks for sharing Pete.

This part on how he got his start is particularly good.

"Born Sept. 5, 1927, Stewart was a native of San Diego and began diving in 1941—before the use of scuba. At the age of 14, he first borrowed a friend's dive mask at La Jolla Cove. He put his head under water, started freediving, and quickly became a very accomplished freediving spear fisherman in high school."

.

[popgun pete]

It almost goes without saying that Jim Stewart is in the Who's Who of Diving, as are all the pioneers such as Jack Prodanovich and Wally Potts.
http://divingalmanac.com/stewart-james/

[popgun pete]

You can see the work of the Scripps Institute in this 1954 movie "Hunters of the Deep" here https://youtu.be/TpcnRKWK70o

Another must see record of the days of early diving in the USA!

[popgun pete]

Jim Stewart as shown on the roll of Bottom Scratchers membership, only 20 members in total. I had thought Connie Limbaugh was inducted in 1953, but he is not shown on the list which I have merely updated, not created.
http://www.internationallegendsofdiv...mbaugh_bio.htm
Found the error, Connie Limbaugh was "Dr.Grouper" and not Al Larson as was previously stated on this list, now fixed.

[popgun pete]

This is a great article well worth reading. Underwater "Tombstones" of Diving's Great Pioneers!
https://www.lajollalight.com/lifesty...220-story.html
and another on the Bottom Scratchers.
https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/...-under-water/#