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09/12/2005: "C.WEED (Continued)"

Yes it can be done, breathing from a scuba tank with the valve slightly open. Not advised, of course.

A sequence from the 16mm comedy - made primarily for the Victorian Oceans, conference and film festival, also later included in the travelling feature film Australian Seafari.

Captain C.Weed is a character portrayed by Ron Isbell skipper and owner of the diving and fishing charter boat Sea Hunt, at the time, and later Tropic Rover.

Underwater comedy films originated in California with Dick Anderson (a former husband of Hillary Hauser - the noted scuba and environmental marine journalist) who did live narrations with his films at regular and very well attended film festivals for divers.

Dick Anderson's films once featured Mac the Dog - a free diving cocker spaniel who could reach good depth retrieving giant abalone shells thrown into a pool.

Reverse motion and sped-up sequences were popular and provided light-relief at festivals where shark and deep diving subjects dominated.

Dick Anderson films unfortunately never reached Australian audiences. He would have enjoyed meeting with Captain C. Weed and who knows what film ideas would have eventuated.

The Californian film makers had sponsorship, in Australia this is yet to happen the consequence being no more underwater film festivals, and especially the comedy films which have no hope of finding a sale to television without a whole series being made.

Anyway, the general public would not see the point.