History of Diving Museum

The History of Diving Museum is located in Islamorada, Florida which is in the Florida Keys. The museum's exhibits include a collection of vintage underwater diving equipment, a notable collection of diving helmets and various artifacts that are dedicated to the history of underwater diving.

History of Diving Museum

Established	2000, opened 2005
Location	Islamorada, Florida.
Type	History of underwater diving
Founder	Joe Bauer and Sally Bauer
Executive director	Lisa Mongelia[1]
President	Sally E. Bauer[1]
Chairperson	Chris Dutton[1]
Curator	Lynea Wilson[1]
Website	divingmuseum.org

History

History of Diving Museum, front entrance

The not-for-profit museum was founded by Joe and Sally Bauer, retired physicians. A chance purchase of a diving helmet had started their interest in diving and the ocean. They wrote scientific articles on oceanic topics, and assembled a large collection of diving artifacts. In 2000, they started turning a self-storage warehouse in Islamorada into a museum.^[2][3][4][5] It opened to the public in 2005 and was in full operation the next year.^[6] Joe died in 2007 and his widow Sally continued the work.^[3][4]

Exhibits

As of 2014, the museum had 13 exhibits on diving history, beginning with a story from the 3-4 thousand year old Epic of Gilgamesh.^[4][7] Diving pioneers such as Edmond Halley and Karl Heinrich Klingert are included. The museum has a large collection of diving helmets from over 20 countries.^[7][8] The collection includes atmospheric diving suits such as the 1930 "Iron Mike".^[7]

Recognition

Sally Bauer was inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame in 2011.^[5] She received the NOGI Award in 2019. The mayor of Islamorada proclaimed January 12, 2019, to be "Dr. Sally Bauer Day".^[9]

The Bauers were also both founding members of the US and UK branches of the Historical Diving Society.^[5]

Gallery

• 
  "Parade of Nations", display of standard diving helmets from different countries
• 
  Replica of John Lethbridge's 1715 underwater diving machine
• 
  "Iron Mike" atmospheric diving suit of the 1930s
• 
  Shallow-water diving helmets by Miller-Dunn
• 
  Replica of the diving helmet invented by brothers John and Charles Deane in 1832
• 
  Homemade diving helmet used in smuggling operations during prohibition

References

1. "Museum Staff & Board". divingmuseum.org. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
2. Cocking, Susan (17 September 2006). "Taking a dive into history". The Miami Herald. p. 86. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
3. Rhodes, Don (15 August 2014). "Museum began out of a love of diving and one another". The Reporter. pp. B1. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
4. Rhodes, Don (15 August 2014). "Museum began out of a love of diving and one another". The Reporter. pp. B3. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
5. Johnson, Kalie (20 June 2018). "BW biology alumna celebrates lifelong passion with growing diving museum". Baldwin Wallace University. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
6. "Museum History". History Of Diving Museum. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
7. Howard, Willie (9 March 2007). "Underwater buffs can dive into history". The Santa Clarita Valley Signal. p. 23. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
8. Wood, Jennifer M. (21 October 2020). "History of Diving Museum – Museum Review". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
9. Fine, John Christopher (18 March 2019). "Bauer recognized for work". Florida Keys Weekly Newspapers. Retrieved 14 May 2022.

External links

• Official website
• Florida Keys Museum Traces History of Diving, video at FloridaKeysTV
• Sally Bauer M.D. at Women Divers Hall of Fame