Diving For Coins

To the editor: Summertime on Nantucket in the 1970s was truly an unforgettable and meaningful experience, especially if, like me, it was during your teenage years. It included my family of six coming from New Jersey, with my cat Ashes and our dog Maddie, every summer since 1969.

That summer, it was time for me to find a job. I was too young to work in many restaurant establishments, but then I discovered a unique opportunity that included water. One of my favorite sports was swimming, which my father had dedicatedly taught me at age three.

Doug Peacock, an avid surfer, long-time summer visitor from Sudbury, and my favorite beachsidekick, shared with me that you could earn money diving for coins with a group of young guys on Straight Wharf when the boat came in. I learned I would be one of the few girls participating and was remarkably reassured to discover these athletic young men, whom I had gotten to know over the years, would be my co-workers.

It was the 1970s, and it all took place on Straight Wharf. It was the start of the busy summer time, and the seasonal hyline boat would begin its arrival. Filled with the sounds of excited visitors or residents, either returning home or out to the Island for a visit.

We all gathered on the docks to begin our wet workday, and our spirits for this exciting time were never dampened. Especially because we would only go on sunny days.

The summer morning would start early for us, featuring divers like local Beau Almodobar, a future wide receiver and Nantucket football star who went on to wear No. 10 with the New York Giants, and then taught at the local high school. In addition, here today, his brother Dino became a member of the Nantucket Fire Department and later had a career as a Special Signal Fire Associate at the Providence Fire Department. Together, they waited to get in the water.

Observing at Straight Wharf this morning, island native spectator Andy Lowell was eagerly waiting for the truly athletic show, remembering soundly, “There were a lot of ballzy dives off that ice house roof located nearby.”

Dino Almodobar proudly adds, “Beau was one of the best! He did that swan dive copied from Wide World of Sports, that sportscaster Keith Jackson announced about Cliff Diving, and Beau, Danboy, and I watched it.”

This fearless diving band of brothers tried to copy it and completed with athletic success.

This group of young people was a fairly local crowd, with a sprinkling of summer visitor friends in attendance. The Almodobars, Mike Costa, Bert Ryder, Chris Roberts, Doug Peacock, Richard Bretschneider, Beau Ryan, Charles Fisher, and Gary Aguiar. When asked, this particular period remains one of the best of their lives.

Beau Almodobar confirms, “It was. Simply hanging and diving together,”

While Charles Fischer, now the proprietor of Island Lumber, adds, “One of the best memories of my life”, and he sent me the picture of the smiling boys in the water to prove it.

As for me, I was just happy to be included and relied on the guy's kindness and watchful eyes to keep me safe, reminding all, “It helped that I was one of the only girls."

The day began with the group jumping into the water, wearing their swim masks as the boat came in. Avoiding the charge of the engines' swell, we would start calling to the boat passengers: "Coin here!"

On the boat, women with colorful scarves protect their hair from the wind, while excited children call out to the divers, and families enjoy the simple pleasure of being together. Searching their purses and pockets, they would excitedly grab for coins to throw before the boat docked.

With the glint of silver reflecting in the water, the competition would begin. The change would hit the waters with a small splash and slowly begin its descent. The diving would start, and whoever got it first, as Beau recalled, “Place it firmly in the side check of their mouth. “These swim trunks didn’t have pockets, and the best bank was the safety of the confines there.” Dino added, “It seemed like these kids could hold their breath for five minutes, and the competition was fierce. Michael Costa would pull your mask to disorient you so he could grab your coins, reminding us all that diving for calls is not for the faint of heart.”

How much was collected? A good day for diving was plentiful, and the money was spent wisely. Chris Roberts, now the head chef at the Homestead, secured the funds to pay for the much-anticipated yearly Island Carnival. “But every penny went far at the aptly named Penny Patch candy store nearby.”

The Sail Loft at the end of the wharf, known for its crispiest fried clams, was another stop. You could taste the freshness as the seagulls hovered close by for a taste, and the tiredness from the dives in your body would slowly sink in. Many Mothers of the divers still have no answers to those days for why many of their homemade dinners went untouched.

As time went on, some of the local authorities began to curtail the diving, including Harbor Master George “Joe” Rezendes. For the boys and me, it seemed these days ended naturally as we all began to simply grow up. “It was not so much getting chased off. I got my driver’s license, and new adventures were beginning,” Dino shares. For me, High School was continuing, and it was soon time to return home to NJ.

Now, with Nantucket featured on all the top travel lists, the big summer crowds bring traffic and a sense of loss of times gone by; thankfully, memories of those summer diving days persevere. Some of the boys stayed and have families, while some moved on. On a rare day on the Island, I might hear a familiar laugh in a Stop and Shop aisle and quickly turn to recognize a fellow diving friend.

Don’t forget to take a walk in late September on the now less crowded Straight Wharf. Stop by where the earlier Hyline boats used to arrive, closer to the Straight Wharf restaurant. As the sound of a past boat engine surges and the still-warm September wind blows in your face, you can listen. You may be fortunate enough to hear the laughter and the steadfast chant. “COIN HERE!”

Something I know, I will never forget.`

Kate Hamilton