Tech diving circa 1425

[kwesler]

I also loved "Neutral Bouyancy"...

Does that period diver climb the bladder of success? Does the use of a goat prevent sheepish behaviour? Or is it up to ewe? Those divers had REAL guts! And gall!

 

[Dr Deco]

Dear Readers:

I use these pictures in my Decompression Physiology class. Thanks to NetDoc, I now have some cleaver verbiage to go along with the photos.

Dr Deco :doctor:

 

[capnvik]

So do any of you dive historians know WHY the europeans of 1425 wanted to go underwater? Was it just curiosity, or were they trying to retrieve lost objects, build docks, fish, mine? I never fail to be amazed at man's early interest in underwater exploration.

 

[tchil01]

Originally posted by capnvik
So do any of you dive historians know WHY the europeans of 1425 wanted to go underwater? Was it just curiosity, or were they trying to retrieve lost objects, build docks, fish, mine? I never fail to be amazed at man's early interest in underwater exploration.

One of the biggest reasons to go underwater back then was to salvage sunken ships. This timeperiod was during the heart of nautical exploration and trade, but given the technology of the period, ships sinking were pretty common. Many of these ships sank in relativly shallow waters near ports... crashing on the reefs and shoals that actualy protected those ports.

Ty

 

[DameDykker]

So do any of you dive historians know WHY the europeans of 1425 wanted to go underwater?

Accoring to the diver from middelaldercenteret the indication of medivial diving activity is rope marks on some huls. These ropes indicted a attempted salvage operation - and they could only have been put in place by divers.

I havn't seen this evidens but I have no reason to disbelive him. Also there are some medivial church paintings ( of which there are many in Denmark) of a figure that can be interpretede as a diver.