jeffclinthill I started watching Sea Hunt when it was first broadcast when I was in the 6th grade in 1958. The show had a significant impact on my life: from my lifelong use of Vitalis because it was the show's sponsor - to getting a SCUBA diving license on my own time and with my own money when I was in the Air Force in 1969 - to SCUBA diving in Japan: from Hokkaido to Okinawa. I was also motivated to read Lloyd Bridges' book: Mask and Flippers in 1969. The book is Lloyd Bridges' own personal life story with diving - beginning with trying to make a diving bell out of an old boiler or some other form of tank when he was 12 years old. When his father came by that dock and saw some other boys pumping a bicycle pump into a rubber tube, he asked "Where's Lloyd?" They told him, "He's down there. We're pumping air to him." By that time, Lloyd had already passed out since the bicycle pump didn't work for supplying air. His father dove down, pulled him out, and recussitated him. The rest of the book is also filled with rather stupid things that Mike Nelson would have never done - such as diving with ear plugs. The book also answers some key questions that Sea Hunt fans would have, such as "The first rule of diving is always dive with a partner. Why does Mike Nelson dive alone?" Lloyd Bridges' answers: If Mike Nelson dove with a partner, he wouldn't get into the dramatic fixes that are the show. And by seeing Mike Nelson get into those fixes, the audience gets the message to always dive with a partner." Two other things about the show that I noticed were done for dramatic effect: 1: So that we can see his full face, Mike Nelson wears a mask that does not have the equalizers to squeeze his nose so he can equalize his ear tubes for diving more than 9 feet. He'd bust his ear drums below 15 feet. 2: Mike Nelson for dramatic effect swims with his arms grabbing handfuls of water and pulling back. That is an exhausting motion that does not afford much movement at all. I know: I tried it when diving. All of us Sea Hunt fans will always remember Lloyd Bridges' charismatic narrations: "There he was. Being eaten by a giant clam. I knew he was in trouble."

A_Different_Drummer According to TV lore, first there was the soap opera -- so named because the original sponsors of TV were the detergent companies. Then there was the prime time drama. Then there were prime time dramas, miniseries, comedies and game shows, all mixed up like an assortment of candy. Then, decades later, Reality TV. Then TV drama that incorporated elements of Reality TV. Well stop right there, Commander Factoid, because for 3 years between 1958 and 1961 we had this show, which was a drama (each episode had a plot); an action series (all kinds of sports and athletic stunts); and a reality show to boot (from this show I learnt not to surface quickly or I'll get the bends; also how to defend myself when attacked by another diver by cutting the breathing tube of the attacker). This was a very cool show. It was hypnotic. The narration was cool (very few shows in the history of TV used voice-over so much, but, hey, THE GUY WAS UNDERWATER!). It deserves to be remembered.

el_loco_taz_man I grew up watching this and I thought it was the best series they had at the time, even though I must have been watching the reruns because I was born in 1957. I could never get enough of it - I had to have seen all 155 episodes, I grew up on this and was always excited to watch! The conclusion was always exciting to find out what was found and the mystery was revealed. At age 50, I watch TCM to see if it will show the old reruns of Sea Hunt to this day! It made quite an impact in my life and I always wanted to be just like Mike Nelson - he was so cool! I am an avid Movie Classic viewer and this was the best acting, next to James Cagney, the most under-rated Classic Movie actor ever.I wish they would bring Sea Hunt back so most of the young generation would understand what principals and morals are really like. Lloyd Bridges' sons truly did find what their father was really about! --A True Sea Hunt Fan

hfan77 I have been a fan of Sea Hunt for many years and it's one of the few non sitcoms or game shows that I really like. The underwater photography by Lamar Boren is fabulous. This was the show that the networks all turned down because they felt an underwater series was too limited. They were wrong because it turned out to be one of the most successful shows in first run syndication and made Lloyd Bridges a household name. A Ziv production. Sea Hunt ran for four first run seasons and 155 episodes before going into reruns thereafter. I remember WCBS-TV in New York showed Sea Hunt reruns on Saturday afternoons.Besides the underwater photography, the other things that stood out were Bridges' narration and closing remarks at the end of most episodes. Other than a short stint on OLN (now Vs.) Sea Hunt hasn't been shown on any cable network. Why isn't this syndication classic airing anywhere on cable? TV Land or some other network should obtain the rights to this show.