Dick Long – Diving Industry Veteran & Exposure Protection Legend

In this episode of The League of Extraordinary Divers I chat with thermal protection legend Dick Long.

Bio

If you’ve ever worn a wetsuit or drysuit – and most of you have – then you can thank today’s legend for the improved designs of thermal insulation on your dives!

Dick Long is the Founder, owner and chairman of the board, of Diving Unlimited International, Inc, San Diego, CA DUI is currently considered the leader in drysuit design, manufacturing, dive procedures and buoyancy control.

Dick Began diving in 1958. Became a diving instructor in 1960 – NAUI #49. After that he became certified as PADI and YMCA instructor. He worked as a contract diver with the U.S. Navy in the Arctic in 1965 and was an equipment designer for Sea Lab II; worked on early saturation dives.

Dick participated in the first dives to over 1000 feet and eventually open sea, working dives to 1400 feet. He lectures and writes extensively for recreational publications and retail shows. Dick started his own diving equipment business in 1959 and started developing wetsuits which ultimately became dry suits in the early 1980s. In 1965 developed the hot water suit which is in use to this day.

Dick has served major marketplaces including the Military, Search and Rescue and Scientific, Recreational diver and Commercial/Industrial markets.

Equipment Development

And when it comes to equipment development, he has developed helmets, gas manifold systems, backpack harnesses, weight and trim systems, buoyancy control systems, zip seals, breathing bag assemblies, and various thermal protection equipment, bell survival systems, rebreather systems, a to-fro CO2 scrubber system, wide variety of thermal support equipment

Patents

Dick had developed an amazing 12 patents including:

Air Inlet Valve for Underwater Diver’s Dry Suit
Low Friction means to Facilitate Putting on an Underwater Suit
Underwater Diver’s Drysuit & Method of Sealing (Seam Sealing)
Easy Access Underwater Diving Suit
Method of Treating an Underwater Diver’s Drysuit
Nonreturn Hot Water Diving Suit
Method of Forming Crushed Foam
Hot Water Suit
Hot Water System
Breathing Gas Heater
Weight and Trim System
Buoyancy Compensator

Awards

1965 – U.S. Navy Superior Accomplishment Award
1991 – NOGI award for education
1994 – NAUI Lenny Greenstone award for safety
1994 – L.A. County Underwater Instructors’ Assn. – honoree for diving safety and education
1995 – Diver of the Year award from Beneath the Sea Show
1996 – DAN Diver of the Year Award
1997 – California Scuba Service Award
2000 – NAUI Hall of Fame
2003 – Diver of the Year, Our World Underwater
2004 – DEMA Reaching Out Award for lifetime achievement
2016 – California Divers Hall of Fame
2017- NAUI life time achievement award

Author of Training and Educational Material

DrySuit Diving – Book

Board of Advisors

Historical Diving Society USA
IANTD – Int’l Association of Nitrox and Tech Divers
Florida Institute of Technology
Santa Barbara City College – Commercial Diving School
California Ships to Reefs
Diver’s Alert Network (DAN)
San Diego Oceans Foundation
California Certified Reef Enhancement
DEMA European Development
DEMA Board – Education Committee
Scuba Diving Resource Group
And many others

Of his many diving organization professional membership, Dick is also a fellow in The Explorers Club

Items In This Podcast

• Began diving in California when there were no scuba training agencies
• Started his first diving business in 1959
• Went through the first NAUI Instructor course in Texas in 1960
• Worked on Sea Lab II project
• Helping the US Navy with exposure suit protection
• The first hot water suit
• Chasing black sea bass
• The wonderful operations at DUI

Sponsor

Special thanks to our episode sponsor Aggressor Adventures

Thanks For Listening!

Thank you for joining me again. Do you want to give a shout out to our guest on this podcast? Leave a note in the comments section below!

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