Interviewer(s): D. Austin. Mandeville, LA

Affiliation: University of Arizona

I met Walt at the divers' reunion on March 10, 2002. He spent quite a bit of time talking to me about the diving business and showed me the diving hat he had developed. He agreed to participate in the study and gave me his card to call him. When I called, he was happy to arrange a meeting and also agreed to contact other divers because he said he thought they would remember more if they were in a group and could remind each other of events and dates. He arranged for us to go talk with Al Warriner. Walt participated a bit in the interview with Al (see DA038). In addition, he and I talked during lunch prior to that meeting with Al and talked in the car to and from the meeting. We also went back to his house after the meeting to talk some more. The first notes were jotted down during lunch or from memory later that evening; the second set was taken as Walt showed me pictures at his house that evening. I returned for a photo interview in the summer of 2002 and then also interviewed Walt in a joint interview with Rusty Guidry on July 16, 2002. The notes from that third interview are recorded under Rusty Guidry.

Walt Daspit was born and raised in Lafayette, LA. He left home at age 17 to join the Merchant Marine. While a seaman he saw an advertisement for a diving school, and this led to an eventual career change. He began diving in 1954 while still serving in the Merchant Marine, and he closed his seaman's book in 1956. He worked for Al Warriner and then Dick Evans Divers. He remained with Dick Evans after the company was purchased by McDermott and continued diving there until he was hit with a severe case of the bends as a result of a faulty gauge.