Diving support equipment

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

Platforms

Habitats

Decompression equipment

Deployment systems

  • 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.
  • Launch and recovery system (LARS) – Equipment used to deploy and recover a diving bell, stage, or ROV
  • Moon pool – Opening in the base of a hull, platform, or chamber giving access to the water below
  • Shark-proof cage – A metal structure to protect divers and snorkellers from potentially dangerous sharks
  • Shotline – Substantial weighted near-vertical line with buoy

Remotely controlled underwater vehicles

  • Remotely operated underwater vehicle – A tethered underwater mobile device operated by a remote crew
  • 8A4-class ROUV – Chinese work class remotely operated underwater vehicle
  • ABISMO – Japanese remotely operated underwater vehicle for deep sea exploration
  • Atlantis ROV Team – High-school underwater robotics team from Whidbey Island, Washington, United States
  • CURV – Early remotely operated underwater vehicle
  • Épaulard – French remotely operated underwater vehicle of the Ifremer
  • Global Explorer ROV – Deep water science and survey remotely operated vehicle
  • Goldfish-class ROUV – Light class of Chinese remotely operated underwater vehicle
  • Kaikō ROV – Japanese remotely operated underwater vehicle for deep sea exploration
  • Long-Term Mine Reconnaissance System – American torpedo tube-launched underwater search and survey unmanned undersea vehicle
  • Mini Rover ROV – Small, low cost observation class remotely operated underwater vehicle
  • OpenROV – Open-source remotely operated underwater vehicle
  • ROV KIEL 6000 – Remotely operated vehicle built by Schilling Robotics, Davis, California for scientific tasks
  • ROV PHOCA – Remotely operated underwater vehicle of the COMANCHE type
  • Scorpio ROV – Work class remotely operated underwater vehicle
  • Sea Dragon-class ROV – Chinese deep diving work class remotely operated underwater vehicle
  • Seabed tractor – Special purpose class of remotely operated underwater vehicle
  • Seafox drone – Remotely operated anti-mine marine drone
  • Seahorse ROUV
  • SeaPerch – Remotely operated underwater vehicle educational program
  • SJT-class ROUV – Series of Chinese remotely operated underwater vehicles
  • T1200 Trenching Unit – Remotely operated seabed trenching unit
  • VideoRay UROVs – Series of inspection class remotely operated underwater vehicles

Dive planning and recording equipment

Safety equipment

  • Diver down flag – Flag signal indicating divers are in the water nearby
  • Diving shot – Substantial weighted near-vertical line with buoy
  • Jackstay – Substantial underwater guide line
  • 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

References