Diving Suit - History

History

In 1715, two English inventors developed what are believed to be the first diving suits. John Lethbridge built a completely enclosed suit, which is basically a barrel full of air, a glass porthole and two enclosed sleeves. In a separate development, Andrew Becker created a leather-covered diving suit with a helmet featuring a window. Becker used a system of tubes for inhaling and exhaling, and in a demonstration was said to be submerged for an hour using his suit.

The first diving suits were Standard diving dresses, which could be described nowadays as a ambient pressure diving suit, and were made out of a metallic diving helmet, a canvas diving suit, diving knife and boots. It has now been rendered obsolescent.

Diving suits made of rubber were first used in World War II by Italian frogmen who found them indispensable in their use. They were made by Pirelli and patented in 1951.

Modern diving suits can be divided into two kinds:

  • "soft" or ambient pressure diving suits - examples are wetsuits, dry suits, semi-dry suits and dive skins
  • "hard" or atmospheric pressure diving suits - an armored suit that permits a diver to remain at atmospheric pressure whilst operating at depth where the water pressure is high.

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