Carl Atkinson
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Carl Atkinson | |
|---|---|
 Carl Atkinson with the wheel from USS Peary, sunk in Darwin Harbour | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Carl Atkinson |
| Died | 1985 |
| Occupation | Diver and salvaging |
Carl Atkinson (died 1985) was an Australian diver and salvage expert from Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Atkinson lived at Doctor's Gully from 1945 to 1979, where he lived with his pet crocodile named Cuthbert, a snake named Sammy and many dogs. He is attributed with starting the practice of fish feeding, which locals and visitors to Doctor's Gully continue to do today.[1]
Atkinson was an experienced diver for decades. He assisted police on several occasions with search and retrieval work.[2][3][4]
Atkinson built a decompression chamber which was used by Japanese pearl divers to prevent suffering the ‘bends’ after diving. He is known to have saved at least 16 pearl divers' lives with this equipment.[1]
