Chronicle of an older diver

Thunderball out on Blu-Ray October 26, 2008

I was just reading Nathaniel’s post about this movie which I saw last winter in a Bond extravaganza on my satellite channels in HD. The underwater scenes are indeed great, all the more so when you consider the primitive scuba equipment that existed at the time. There were no buoyancy compensators, backup second stage regulators, depth gauges or submersible pressure gauges anywhere to be found.

The write-up in Wikipedia about the plot is pretty funny. While it’s easy to suspend disbelief when you watch the movie, the plot is really laughable when you read it.

Back then, you really had to be in shape to be allowed to learn to dive, so it was much less common. Now, in a couple of weekends and for a few hundred bucks, almost anyone can do it – and just about anywhere you go with a quarry, lake or ocean nearby will have a dive shop and somewhere to go underwater.