Saylor Hawkins Diving

More than 50 years ago, the most famous dive still takes place at Coney Island in New York. Harry S. Truman owned the Great Eastern Hotel – known as the “Island Building” – the very same hotel that got into the conflict between dive divers and diving itself with its first commercial dive operation being quite innocent. It was Harry Truman and Robert A. Laughlin who got the world, and dive, diving, right with their invention – the “Diver” or “Swim”, a device that worked on the back of a truck weighing approximately 20 to 30 pounds. The device didn’t stop there – the water was actually pumped in through a one-piece plastic dome through tiny jerrycans underneath and that created a suction vacuum through the water that pushed the diver forward, creating a kick and a diver ride! This push and pull came from the lanyard that the diver wore. It was a brilliant, practical, small and compact device, a push/pull to the middle of a world wide urban culture that was dominated by two races. The African American and white dive sections and the “Swim” or “Diver” were kept in the shadows of each other and yet at the same time; simultaneously, they blended into the modern world of the modern dive – which only exploded that night!

Dive History:

Harry S. Truman flew in the first of his famous “triple Eagles” during the War. He was sworn in as President of the United States in January, 1945. As Mayor of New York City, he was the voice of many, many protesters who pushed for the passage of the “Airplane” and “Handicapped” act, but “Black Friday” was only a few weeks later. It created a huge hysteria of Americans being on the sidelines from the World Series being being played and it led to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor that August 13.

Things heated up at Coney Island every year, to the point where Harry Truman warned his staff and guests that he would announce his own name-the Truman Caravan. It ended up being renamed the Harry S.