Vintage hard hat try-out dive...

Yesterday I fulfilled a long-held wish to try standard dress hard hat diving!
This one was a vintage Japanese TOA.

With the able help of HDS members we had a fully supervised pool session... holy crap that rig is just as claustrophobic, heavy and unwieldy as it looks




But underwater you can finely control buoyancy via the rubberised canvas suit and a head-actuated dump valve inside the helmet...
I can see why SCUBA was invented

Now for a modern Kirby Morgan Type 37...

 

Amazing!

Is the black umbilical comms of some description?

 

Yep this particular rig had comms setup as it was used by HDS to train new divers...
I must admit being able to talk to the attendants when the face port was screwed closed helped quell my rising feelings of anxiety even before I entered the water

 

Often wondered if you have to be upright when wearing Standard Dress. I suppose the suit to helmet flange is pretty gas proof. Do you adjust the flow of gas into the helmet?

How could you scratch your nose in the helmet?!? Hey, what about equalising as you can't squeeze your nose?

Really impressed though

 

The 'corselet' is firmly clamped to the rubberised canvas suit collar then the helmet goes on via an interrupted thread and seals onto a rubber ring... gas and watertight.

Hmm... no chance of scratching but good point re equalising!
Seems nose clips were commonly used.
With the Kirby Morgan unit we also tried earlier they have a small rod that operates a Y shaped rubber covered projection that you can sort-of wedge your nose into and equalise.
Didn't get a pic of that but the modern Kirby Morgan Type 37 seems to have a similar accessory...



Air supply is controlled via the valve near my right hand, suit inflation/buoyancy is controlled via a valve at the back of the helmet. A large brass mushroom shape inside the lower rear RHS is tapped with the side of your head and the air escapes. A little tricky at first but quite easy underwater, and keeps your hands free.

Make sure to keep on good terms with the guys on the pump

 

Thanks for posting.

 

Whow!
How cool is that?!
Congrats!
Could you use your suit as a BCD to get up again if you should stumble and fall, or do the guys above water would have to pull you up?

 

Once you get the hang of suit inflation/venting you can control your buoyancy to a surprising degree.
Utterly dependent on your attendants getting into or out of the water!

 

Is that Taylor and Williams on the pump, crap everyone's ageing man

Magnificent!

 

Sadly true for us all... but a great day!