BCD are not used when diving hardhat gear. I am attached to the surface by an umbilicle made up of a 1/2" rope, armored military communications wire, 1/8" pnumophathometer hose and the 5/8" I.D. Deep Sea Diver air hose. The surface crew provides extra lift via the umbilicle if the diver can not reach the surface on his own. This set up is nutrally bouyant in sea water to about 60' to 70'.
From the top down:
1. Kirby Morgan Superlite 17K diving helmet attached to an air compressor and two diver radio via a four wire cable.
2. Backpack commercial diver harness with 30 cubic inch reserve tank on back plumbed to the helmet via the helmet emergency supply valve on right side of hat.
3. Standard wet suit, 5 mil for 70 degree water in Long Beach. We were diving dry but it got to be too much of a pain, so the other tinder and my self switched to wet suits. More manuverability and less likely to rip on steel and cables on the bottom.
4. Orange nylon knit gardening gloves (cheap).
5. Jet fins
6. Big Chief dive knife (cheap as well).
Standard So. Cal. working gear.
From the top down:
1. Kirby Morgan Superlite 17K diving helmet attached to an air compressor and two diver radio via a four wire cable.
2. Backpack commercial diver harness with 30 cubic inch reserve tank on back plumbed to the helmet via the helmet emergency supply valve on right side of hat.
3. Standard wet suit, 5 mil for 70 degree water in Long Beach. We were diving dry but it got to be too much of a pain, so the other tinder and my self switched to wet suits. More manuverability and less likely to rip on steel and cables on the bottom.
4. Orange nylon knit gardening gloves (cheap).
5. Jet fins
6. Big Chief dive knife (cheap as well).
Standard So. Cal. working gear.
