Diving Legend Dives into Eternal Silence: Zale Parry Passes Away at 93
Zale Parry, the “First Lady of Scuba Diving,” has passed away at the age of 93. Her granddaughter, Katherine Maloney, announced the news on Facebook, stating that Parry died at her home in Tillamook, Oregon.
Background
Born Rosalia on March 19, 1933, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Parry was one of seven children. Her father was a track and field athlete who made it to the U.S. Olympic team. Parry learned to swim at a young age, partly out of necessity, as she had to share a small pool with her siblings. She started performing with the Sam Howard Aqua Follies in 1947, touring during summers and Easter breaks from school, modeling swimwear, performing precision swimming, and surface diving to big band-era music.
Parry’s family moved to California in 1951, where she landed a job at the Douglas Aircraft Co. in Santa Monica as a stenographer. She also taught Red Cross water safety, helped polio patients with their aquatic exercises, and met her future husband, Parry Bivens, who would go on to work in hyperbaric medicine.
Record-Breaking Dive and Rise to Fame
In 1954, at the age of 21, Parry set the women’s scuba depth record of 209 feet. This feat landed her on an episode of the NBC game show “You Bet Your Life,” hosted by Groucho Marx. Marx praised Parry’s bravery, saying, “Well, I admire you, Zale, it must take a lot of courage to go down that deep. I get panicky when the barber puts my head in the sink for a shampoo.”
Parry’s record-breaking dive also made her the cover story of Sports Illustrated in 1955. She began working in television on the syndicated adventure show “Kingdom of the Sea,” produced by Jack Douglas. On this show, Parry demonstrated her skin diving skills and new equipment in a live, three-minute segment that closed each episode.
Acting Career and Legacy
Parry doubled for Sophia Loren and Carroll Baker in several films, including “Boy on a Dolphin” (1957) and “The Miracle” (1959). She also played several characters on the TV show “Sea Hunt,” a popular syndicated show that ran for four seasons from 1958-61. Parry assisted with the technical aspects of the program and sometimes acted alongside Ricou Browning, the Gill-Man from “Creature From the Black Lagoon.”
Parry worked on several other shows, including “Peter Gunn,” “Wagon Train,” and “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.” She also did lots of commercials and appeared in the 2006 family film “The Legend of Tillamook’s Gold,” set near her home.
What This Means
Parry’s legacy extends far beyond her acting career. She was a pioneer for women in scuba diving and a role model for generations of divers. In 2000, she was among the inaugural inductees into the Women Divers Hall of Fame. The Zale Parry Scholarship was established in 2006 to support students pursuing careers in undersea exploration, marine conservation, hyperbaric medicine, and diving technology.
What Happens Next
Parry’s passing is a reminder of the importance of preserving our ocean heritage and continuing to explore and protect our underwater world. Donations in her memory can be made to the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, or the Zale Parry Scholarship. As Parry once said, “I’m here because I love what I’m doing. Aquatics is my life. I never get tired. At the end of the day, I’m rested and refreshed from being in and out of the sea, and I really feel bathed and very clean. I’m very curious, and I’m following my bliss. This is a very happy place to be.”
Source: Hollywood Reporter