1961 Healthways Catalog

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Few of today’s recreational divers were alive during the sport’s infancy in the 1950s and 60s. What most of us know of diving during this era comes from occasional glimpses in old movies, or from old copies of Skin Diver magazine.

Harry’s Dive Shop is fortunate enough to have a library of diving textbooks, magazines and catalogs that help shed light on this earlier time. One such publication is a 1961 Healthways catalog. At the time, Healthways was a leading dive equipment manufacturer, whose name was as well known as AquaLung and Scubapro are today.

In the five decades since, Healthways has changed names and ownership several times, first being bought by IDI, which was later acquired by XS Scuba. Unlike AquaLung and Scubapro, which have items in their lines which are direct descendants of equipment introduced in the 1950s and 60s, nothing of the original Healthways line remains — nor has for over 20 years.

We’ve complied scans of our decades-old Healthways catalog, and made it available as a PDF, so that you, too, can can get an inkling of how far diving as come in the past 50 years. Here are some highlights:

• Oval Masks, Pages 2-3: Early divers suffered from tunnel vision, as just about the only masks available were black rubber tubes with a circle of glass at the end.
• Meager Fins, Pages 5-7: In 1961, you could have any style of fin you wanted — as long it was a small, floppy full-foot model. Almost none of the fins available at the time would be considered adequate for diving today.
• Soda Straw Snorkels, Page 8: 1960s snorkels were long, thin tubes best suited for CO2 buildup. Self-draining barrels? In your dreams! Yet snorkels were essential, as there were no BCs to help keep your face out of the water at the surface.
• Double Hose Regulator, Page 10: By 1961, divers were switching to single-hose regulators. Nevertheless, you could still get a double-hose model, if you so desired. (Purists would settle for nothing less.)
• Early SPG, Page 14: Submersible pressure gauges did not come into common use until the early 1970s. Nevertheless, you will find one on this page that was well ahead of its time.
• Inflatable Vest, Page 22: The earliest vests capable of allowing divers to compensate for exposure suit compression did not appear until the early 1970s. Until then, divers who want emergency surface flotation had to settle for what we would today call a snorkeling vest. Note that the only available model is buried in the back of the catalog, as few divers used them.
• SOS Decompression Meter, Page 23: Before there were dive computers, there was the SOS deco meter (affectionately known as the Bend-O-Matic). By sensing the rate at which gas in a flexible bag passed through a ceramic membrane, the meter purported to tell you your deco status. Divers who used them like to rave about the fact that, thanks to deco meter, they got bent less often.
• Submarine, Page 25: No BCs. No octopuses. No power inflators, No dive computers. But you could have your own submarine. (You can’t make up stuff like this…)
• Build-It-Yourself Wetsuit, Page 27: Can’t afford ready made wetsuit? Make your own from these pre-cut panels. Healthways even sold the wetsuit adhesive.
• Regulator Parts, Pages 29-34: In 1961, full-service dive stores were few and far between. If you wanted your regulator to keep working, you had to overhaul it yourself. This is why Healthways devoted so many pages to parts.

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