Today, sportsmen come from across the nation to compete in the rodeo, which celebrated its 50th anniversary June 2 with a weigh-in and celebration at Kenner City Park. The inaugural rodeo was held at the Lake Pontchartrain lakefront in 1963 and had a competition for sheepshead. The Hell Divers meet twice a month, go on regular dive trips in the Gulf of Mexico and other locales, and compete in an annual rodeo for the largest amberjack, barracuda, cobia, grouper and red snapper, among other fish. The Hell Divers’ mission is to build knowledge about diving by using it for sports and scientific exploration to determine safe depth limits for divers and to help preserve sea life habitats, and to increase interest in the sport through education programs. The club limits its membership to 33, and membership requirements include being “proficient divers, the ability to stay out of trouble, helpful on the dive trip, and display a commitment to the club.” They also must be scuba certified and a member of the Louisiana Council of Underwater Dive Clubs (LCUDC). Started in 1963 by a dozen Metairie mailmen with a passion for spearfishing, the Hell Divers Spearfishing Club is one of the oldest in the nation. The Hell Divers by Kari Dequine Harden, Gambit New Orleans
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