The Porpoise - Australian Diving Technology the World Copied

By Des Walters, Des Williams, Melven Brown and Tony Gregory.

Forget about that French chap Cousteau — what about our own true-blue Aussie Ted Eldred, the man behind the Porpoise regulator, the world's first single-hose regulator, its uniqueness of the single hose resulting in the design of the two-stage pressure reduction system that is now in common use with standard compressed-air sport divers.

Ted commenced building his unit in Melbourne in 1948, built the first prototype a year later, registered the 'Porpoise' name a year after that and set to marketing the unit in 1952. One could say, the rest is history, but there were of course many design changes.

Early models are of course a collectors item — no wonder that the authors, members of the Historic Diving Society South-East Asia-Pacific, took it on themselves to record the development of the Porpoise with biographic details on Ted Eldred and the development of diving in Australia.

The book is exceptionally well researched, a fascinating read especially for those of a technical and inquisitive mind — an exceptional contribution to the preservation of our diving history.

It is well illustrated with mono photographs, drawings and charts — including some fascinating early advertisements.

• 170 pages
• A4 size
• Perfect bound
• Over 260 images including many rare contemporary images and advertising
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9780959027723

(12/18 LRB)