"MAN ATTACKED AND KILLED BY GREAT WHITE SHARK," the Los Angeles Times headline screamed. It was September 1973 and my friend Al Schneppershoff was dead.
During the 1960s, Al Schneppershoff was California's consummate bluewater diver. He was a big man, over six feet tall. His roly-poly appearance imparted a jovial look that belied an underlying muscular strength and incredible stamina. Al was always the first diver in the water and the last one to leave it.
The Long Beach Neptunes offer a special award for a single year's effort. Earning a "King Neptune award" requires spearing three fish; one each from selected species weighing 25, 40 and 100 pounds. Few divers have achieved this goal. The ones who succeed take years in the effort. Al got his King Neptune award in one day. Twice!
Al owned a boat and delighted in taking fledgling divers to his favorite fishing holes. Much of our time on the boat trips to Catalina Island was spent with stories about the times we let a fish get away. Al would make us all laugh, even when the story was about our own dubious exploits. We adored Al and we learned from these exchanges. Al taught us to love the ocean...............................
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Copyright © 1997 Terry Maas, BlueWater Freedivers