(Top) Sunfish captured off Sydney’s North Head by Australian spear fishing champion Vic Ley who was paid two hundred pounds for it in 1966, equal to about $4000 today?
Sunfish have a huge dorsal fin that is regularly mistaken as belonging to a shark. A fisherman raced over to Vic’s boat to warn him of the giant shark, before he raced away in his own boat. Vic made an inspection of ‘the shark’ and speared it through a fin and then towed it to nearby Marineland, much to the delight of manager Geoff Goadby.Much of Marineland’s early stock of sea creatures were speared by free divers, especially Wally Gibbins.
Especially Queensland groper, turtles and Grey Nurse sharks.
The diver with speargun in silhouette is journalist Mike Perry who interviewed Kathy re surviving her deep dive. His story as published in Sydney’s former tabloid evening newspaper The Sun is included elsewhere within this blog.
(Above) Kathy worked at the original Marineland, in Sydney, since renamed OceanWorld, even more popular today by offering dives in the tank with the toothy but not deadly sharks.
A dangerous silky whaler shark, captured and displayed in Marineland when Kathy was employed as a diver.
lotte hass snorkeling <CLICK TO PLAY VIDEO
The one-piece swimsuit featured in YouTube’s video (above) has a nice cut – would be well received on the beach today. Lotte aged about 20. Born in 1928 puts the film at 1948 approx. It appears to have been a ‘screen test’ possibly the first film story featuring Lotte, perhaps before they were married? Lotte dives well and looks good with a trim figure and blonde flowing hair.
Charlotte (“Lotte”) Hildegard Hass (née Baierl) (born November 6, 1928 in the Brigittenau district of Vienna) is the second wife of the Austrian naturalist and diving pioneer Hans Hass and worked as an underwater model and actress in several of his films. (Source http://en.wikipedia.org)
Hans and Lotte Hass met Kathy when she was working at Marineland, (today OceanWorld) Manly, Sydney. They inspired many ‘brave’ people to skin dive through early TV documentaries and especially many underwater adventure books by Hans Hass.
Frenchman Captain J.Y. Cousteau had the advantage in selling films to TV, to quote Hans (1995) “It was difficult for us as we were on the losing side of the war”.
Both were professional rivals – meeting for the first time just weeks before Cousteau passed away.
Divers wore black gear to reduce bites.
Grey nurse not enjoying the situation.
Giant Queensland groper (not Grouper).
Bill Foster in front of the other former shark aquarium – nearby on Manly Wharf.
Bill Foster became the Marineland resident diver – shark feeder after Kathy departed.
