Equipment used in the support of an underwater diving operation
Diving support equipment is the equipment used to facilitate a diving operation. It is either not taken into the water during the dive, such as the gas panel and compressor, or is not integral to the actual diving, being there to make the dive easier or safer, such as a surface decompression chamber. Some equipment, like a diving stage, is not easily categorised as diving or support equipment, and may be considered as either.
Breathing gas equipment
Booster pump – Machine to increase pressure of a fluid
Atmospheric diving suit – Articulated pressure resistant anthropomorphic housing for an underwater diver
Bell cursor – Device to guide and control a diving bell near and above the surface
Clump weight – A heavy weight suspended on cable used to guide a diving bell
Diver lift – Movable platform for lifting a diver from the water to deck level
Diving bell – Chamber for transporting divers vertically through the water
Diving ladder – Ladder to facilitate egress from the water by divers
Boarding stirrup – A suspended step to help divers lift themselves from the water into a boat – A suspended foot support allowing divers to use a leg to help lift themselves from the water into the boat.
Reserve gas supply – Breathing gas supply for diving use if main supply is compromised or used uo
Other
Hot water system (diving) – Water heating and supply system for hot-water diving suits – Equipment to heat water and supply it to a surface-supplied diver through the umbilical system.
Downline – Rope from the surface to an underwater workplace