Page Updated: September 21, 2023
History of Diving Museum
Parade of Nations - Islamorada FL
Located in the Florida Keys in the town of Islamorada, the History of Diving Museum is a not-for-profit institution working to educate patrons on the history of diving with antiques, artifacts, books, interpretive signs and photographs. Its exhibits span 4000 years of man’s quest to explore the sea, and they extend to early breath holding, free diving, treasure hunting, and the evolution of SUCBA gear and diving machines.
This place is crazy cool & amazingly unique. We passed the History of Diving Museum the very first day we drove down HWY 1 into Islamorada. I was determined to visit before the leg was through.
It’s not a flashy establishment, and it’s not huge; but I geeked out on it anyway. The Museum has an impressive collection and contains exhibits on the evolution of diving.
The maze of the museum begins 5000 years ago with an interpretive sign about Gilgamesh and the world’s first “dive log” and touches on historic recordings of Alexander the Great and Aristotle. The full scale addition of dive bells bring life to the beginning of dive history.
The mind boggling collection of diver helms began and we learned a little about Naval Diver John Henry Turpin right alongside exhibits of interesting diving contraptions.
The Treasure Room exhibit contains everything from jewelry, to cannon balls, to a beautiful and lengthy narwal tusk. I was most enthralled by the 16th century Iron Nuremberg Treasure Chest and its many mechanisms. Loaded with silver for the display, the armada box needs three keys to open it
The museum is loaded with dive helms from beginning to end and culminates with one of the largest dive helm collections in the world at the Parade of Nations exhibit (pictured in header). The exhibit features 45 helmets from 24 nations on a backlit wall, and we listened to the narrated accompaniment for specific helmets.
Other exhibits in the museum include Military & Origins of the Mark V, The Evolution of Regulators and Rebreathers, and Deep Diving in the Abyss.
Every now and then we stumble across an unexpected nugget. The History of Diving Museum qualifies. Thrilled we made it a point to visit. Would return in the future and maybe catch some things we missed.
-b&b
Snorkeling Garden Key
Kayaking Matecumbe Bight
