Suit Up!

Fully dressed and ready to dive, the commercial diver is equipped to work in cool water, day or night. This standard suit is used both offshore and inland, for jobs that include sub-sea construction, pipeline work, salvage, bridge repair and tank inspection.

A flashlight is taped to the handle of the helmet to provide the diver with additional light for night dives, murky waters or other low-visibility conditions.

This fully encapsulating Kirby Morgan hat has a stainless steel shell and a neck dam with pull pins. An interior head cushion makes for a secure fit.

Used for buoyancy control, the weight belt holds 8lb lead blocks, and has a brass quick-release buckle. The weight is used to help keep the diver submerged when his lungs expand during natural intake of breath. Weights may be added or subtracted, depending on the buoyancy of the suit, the diver's body weight, and whether he is diving in salt or fresh water. The required weight for the typical DIT student diving in Puget Sound is 30-40lbs.

The diver's safety harness supports the auxiliary air tank, or bailout bottle, like a backpack. A submersible pressure gauge lets him know how much air is left in the tank.

A dive knife, to cut free from tangled lines or seaweed, and other tools may be attached to the harness for easy access.

Open-ended wrenches and spud alignment tool assist divers with underwater construction. These simple tools are attached to the diver's suit with lanyards; heavy and hydraulic tools are lowered down from the surface.

The diver is supported from the surface through four lines, bound together to form the umbilical: the communication wire, air hose, pneumofathometer hose, and strength member. The pneumo hose measures depth using an air source for calibration, so it doubles as an emergency air source. The strength member, or "lifeline" is a safety rope that attaches to the harness, allowing the diver to be pulled up by his midsection.

The diver's air supply comes through the sideblock assembly and bent tube, and into the REX Regulator Body, which covers the nose and mouth. Air comes through the bent tube at high pressure - about 140 psi (pounds per square inch). The downstream, adjustable regulator breaks down the air to a breathable pressure.

The diver's main air supply attaches to the brass check valve on the sideblock assembly. The top line, or "pigtail," attaches to an auxiliary tank for emergency air, called the bailout bottle. The communication port is shown below the sideblock.

A neoprene dry suit with watertight zipper and latex seals at the neck, wrists and ankles. The inflator valve in the center lets air into the suit, while the adjustable dump valve on the arm releases air into the water.