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 |
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.
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]
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]
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]